The Washington times., 1922-03-26
Bv HUBERT WALES---
Our OUn Ainents)
SelSuggeson Factor in Curative Medicine Rather as an
Agent for Healing That Will Abolish Medicine Is Fascnaty
Conecurcd by Scientist Thing Capable Of Being Effected

Wv va ~o3nSD o@S~SS~~
the hypnotist or "heale-" no more
formidable an apparatus than a
piece Of string with twenty knots
on It. which he recommends shosld
be counted, to tho accompaniment
of certain words. night and morn
ing. An English experiinenter Oh
tanned equally good results by get
ting people to tie q band of tape
around the upper parts Of their
arms, next tho skin.
Now It IL clear that there 10 no
more intrinsic curative virtue in
piece Of knotted string or =
band OF tape than in beads or
amulets or hypnotist's fingers
or in half tho patent medicines.
All that these various physical or
sensory matters are able to do
10 to induce the operation Of the
mental process called suggestion.
Whether We put our suggestion.
as Prof. Coue advocates. in
the form Of an affirmation, II am
getting better" or, as 1 would pre-
fer. in the form Of an appeal. "Get
mo better" 1t cannot, teel prove
effective, II We keep. all tho time.
our conscious minds at full tension.
We have to remember that we
that is, the conscious part of
us-can do nothing.
To will" anything is worse thai
useless: 1t gets in the way of TIE
effective member In the co-partns'-
ship Of our being.
On the contrary. we must take
off our will. we must relax-com-
pletely. Acknowledgements, II We
can, even to think. produce the
closest possible approximation to
the conditions Of sleep, normal or
hypnotic. deliver ourselves utter
ly into the hands Of our subcon-
scious self.
And, having done that. we musS
not expect miracles to occur: We
must not suppose that a condition
Of virulcnt disease will be trans
formed in a moment to a condition
Of abounding health.
I certainly believe, however, that
II the course / have indicated be
patiently pursued, real benefit. by
perfectly natural means will be
derived; and that this will be aug
mented and accelerated as con-
fidence in the curative power of
the subconscious self is gained.
PUT TO THE TEST.
That belief. I should add. 10 not
the outcome Of mere theorixing;
II is based on some practical per-
sonal experience.
For the last two or three years
have put the method Of self
suggestion outlined above to the
test whenever any pain or other
physical inconvenience has given
me an opportunity.
And alienation has followed 20
often that I have come at last to
feel that chance coincidence can
not fairly be regarded as the ex-
PLANTATION.
l have been driven, in other
words. to conclude that there is
something in it,"
We see the idea pushed to an
extravagant pitch by Christian
Scientists and others, who have
got hold OF a truth by the tall"
But IT accords with the conception
of the ultimate fitness of things
that we should each carry within
US the means Of eradicating dis
ease, which we have gradually to
learn how to bring into service,
until it's full power can become
effective.
Il compares favorably with our
present prevalent method Of treat
ing physical ailments-by cutting
a hole in the patients body in
order to discover what is wrong
and to put 1t right as we'll as We
can, or to remove something which
we think had better not be there.
say. an appendix. Surgical meth
DDS are doubtless wonderful. but
in many cases they are. 1t must be
confessed, somewhat clumsy and
barbarous.
Surely it must be better when
ever practicable to enlist tho CO
operation OF an intelligence which