Hypnotism: Its History, Practice and Theory

 

 Hypnotism Home
 Hypnotism Links
 Table of Contents
 Hypnosis School

act without repeated hypnotization. It is also true that many would refuse to commit a crime even after a long hypnotic training (Delbceuf). If Kahler really thought that imperative ideas produced by hypnotic suggestion resemble impulsive ideas of pathological origin, particularly on account of their violence, we cannot agree with his conclusion that post-hypnotic imperative ideas never lead to acts of violence, since pathological impulsive ideas do sometimes lead to such acts. According to Gilles de la Tourette we are specially protected from such crimes being committed by the fact that a criminal who suggested any such offence would be no more protected from discovery than if he committed the crime himself. On the other hand, Forel insists that the greatest danger is that at the time the criminal suggestion is made the subject may be induced to believe that he is acting on his own initiative, and is unaware of any constraint. Still, as most investigators assume, only people whose general moral character renders them capable of committing criminal acts could be influenced in this way. Forel, however, does not admit this unconditionally. He made various experiments. for the purpose of enlightening a lawyer named Hofelt, who


THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF HYPNOTISM. 417

was writing a dissertation on the connection between hypnotism and criminal law. In one case, for instance, he induced a hypnotic subject to fire several shots at Hiifelt with a revolver that was capped but not loaded. According to Fore], the experiment was so arranged that the hypnotic could not have been conscious that he was only playing at shooting, though I think we cannot straightway accept this explanation. It was different, however, in the case of an otherwise modest girl, who was yet induced by Forel to strip to the waist in the presence of a strange man. Forel thinks that this experiment disposes of the objection that only such acts can be successfully suggested in hypnosis as are agreeable to the subject's moral disposition. I myself think that we must admit that in exceptional cases it is possible for a person to be induced to commit acts that are contrary to his disposition, but that there is not any great general danger from criminal suggestion. In any case the sphere within which such suggestion would work must necessarily be a very limited one. "We may take it as a general rule, that the criminal acts we should have to deal with here are those which demand no special aptitude on the part of the agent—no particular qualification, that is to say—nor any special preparation, nor such complicated

More cool stuff from www.hypnosisschool.org:

© 2012