Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-08
Some Things You Want to Know
Curing by HypnOtism.

no longer nervous. You do not feet the
need Of employing your hands uselessly.
And you will know when you awake, that
the habit Is ridiculous"
To the Washington physician there came
q woman who had been constantly on the
go throughout the social season. Physically,
she was so nervous that her hands trem-
bled, and her mental distress was acute.
She had become possessed OF the haunting
idea that she was always going to be
late for the next particular function which
she was to attend. That idea got possess
sion Of her nerve-raoked brain and never
left her. 1t is easy to conceive Of the
fortunes she suffered, and how she in
creased them day by day in her unceasing
rush and haste. When she first went to
see the doctor, she could not sit still, but
paced up and down the room while she
told him Of her trouble.
He made her sit down, and, with a few
passes over her eyes, put her to sleep,
saying to her in a distinct, commanding
voice: You hsv lots OF time for every
thing you want to do. At any time that
you feel you have too many Engagements,
you will break those which are too much
for you. You will never hurry any more.
You will never run from your door TO
your motor car. You will in all things
be calm and restful. You have lots OF
time-lots of time" This formula was re-
peated to her through eight or ten treat
ments until, one afternoon, when she was
awakened. she said carelessly; Nv no
intention Of going to the-'S ball tonight.
I've been doing too much. and I'm going
to take my time hereafter" From that
minute she was cured,
Another case was that of a member Of
congress who had been through a hard
fight all summer and autumn for his
nomination and election. 1t was his first
term in the house of representatives, and
he had continued to work long hours every
day after reaching Washington. In his
state he was known as a speaker of I'M
usual ability, and he had planned to make
his oratorial debut on the floor of the
house during the consideration of a GER
tain bill. rs the time came near for the
delivery OF his speech, which he had
prepared and committed to memory, he lost
confidence, and there came into his mind
an awful dread Of failure to impress his
hearers when he spoke. This dread grew
upon him so that finally he was convinced
he would fail. This fear was the direct
result OF his failing nerves and the high
pressure under which he had been work
ing for eight months. He went to the
physician a week before the time he had
set for his speech and, after five treat
ments, his -self-confidence returned. He
made the speech. which resulted in his
gaining an enviable reputation as an orator.
There Is in the popular mind an impress
sion that hypnotism Is a harmful thing be-
cause 1t puts a persons mind under the
domination Of another's thoughts and Ideas.
1t Is also believed by many that to submit
to hypnotism is to weaken ones will power
and force OF character. AS a matter Of fact,
1t has been scientifically proved again and
again that the hypnotist cannot make the
patient commit any act or ain any
thought contrary to that PERSONS ideas Of
morality or principle. Nor does hypnotism
impair the VIII owe Hypnotism can be,
and sometimes Is, abused by the profess
s!onal faker and operator, but, In the
hands of a physician, It Il merely a cure
for ailments that cannot be reached by
other means. 1t is the art Of inducing sleep
and then making the patients mind so
receptive that it will retain the healthful,
helpful advice telegraphed to it, by the
words and thoughts Of the physician The
only opportunity for hyppotism to impair
the will power arises when a person makes
a habit OF submitting to the same operator
for purposes of exhibition and freakish
tricks. In this way. in the course Of time,
the person ~hypnotized does train his mind
to a certain extent to do whatever the
hypnotist suggests. But in all the history
Of the art there are only two authentic
cases where the hypnotists succeeded in
using the persons hypnotized for criminal
purposes. In both cases the persons had
made a habit Of submitting to hypnotism
by one operator for more than two years.
The ply slcians who make a speciality Of
this hypnotic treatment do not as a rule
continue 1t on any one person for more
than a few weeks. If beneficial results do
not come from 1t within a month, or six
weeks at the most, it is generally regarded
as impossible to make the desired progress.
A woman patient is never hypnotized un-
less accompanied by a friend or member of
her family.
The great power of hyphotism over the
physical functions Of the body has been
demonstrated by a P%ittsburg physician,
who put { patient into a hypnotic sleep
and told him that he would suffer no
pain when his tooth was extracted. Thu
tooth was pulled out and the patient suf-
fered absolutely no pain at all. Whether
it can ever be used instead of an anesthetic
in surgical operations OF a grave character
is one Of the problems Of the art which
will have to be worked out in future wears
BY FREDERIC J. EAsxIE.
TomorrOw-Paots About Thread.