Volume 2

Hypnotism and the doctors / [Richard Harte].

  • Harte, Richard.
Date:
1902-1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Hypnotism and the doctors / [Richard Harte]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    It is only the very sensitive, those who are naturally in the negative condition, who are affected bv the contact of auras : — “ Some persons are naturally in this condition, were born in it, live it, and will die in it. . . As about one in twenty- five is naturally in this state, so I can step before an audience of a thousand persons, state to them what I intend to do, so that all may understand me: and then request them all to close their eyes firmly and say, ‘You cannot open your eyes!’ and forty out of the thousand will be unable to do so.” Those who are not in the negative condition naturally and those who are partly in it (about one in thirteen), must be brought into it wholly before “communication” can be effectually taken. The negative state may be induced in three ways: By mesmerism ; by pressure on the median or ulnar nerve, and on the organ of individuality; and by “ the coin.” On being awakened from the mesmeric condition, but before being de-mesmerised, the subject is in the “ psychological,” or, as we would say, “ suggestionable ” condition. To awaken the subject from the mesmeric into the hypnotic state :—- “ Tell him, ‘ I will count three and at the same instant I say three, I will slap my hands together, and you will be wide awake and in your perfect senses. Are you ready?’ If he answers in the affirmative, you will proceed to count—one, two, three ! The word ‘three’ should be spoken suddenly, and in a very loud voice, and at the same instant the hands should he smitten together. This will instantly awake him. Those who are thus aroused from mesmeric slumber to wakefulness are, with few exceptions in the electro-psychological state and you can immediately proceed to experiment upon them.”* * Teste gives a curious instance of the persistence of an illusion when the subject was in the psychological condition, after having been awakened from the magnetic state. The consideration of such problems does not trouble the Suggestionists, for they ignore them. Teste says :--- “ Having magnetised Rosalie, I ask what it is they (those present) desire I should make her see. ‘ A little girl,’ replied one of