Hypnotism: Its History, Practice and Theory

 

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peace-fully. When I ask her to raise her arms, she raises them only slightly; they then fall down again heavily. When I ask her how she feels, she explains she is very tired. I forbid her to open her eyes. (She makes useless attempts to open them.) Now I lift up her right arm; it remains in the air even after I have let go. I command her to drop her arm. She drops it. I lift it again, and again it remains in the air; upon which I request her to drop her arm, declaring at the same time that she cannot do

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GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 35

it. She now makes vain efforts to drop her arm, but it remains in the air. The same thing happens with the other arm; when I forbid her she is unable to drop it. She cannot pronounce her own name directly I have assured her she is dumb. She only makes movements with her mouth, without producing any sound. I tell her now she can speak. She speaks at once. I say to her, "You hear music." The woman shakes her head to show she hears no music. I wake her by passes from below, upwards, over the surface of her body, turning the back of my hand towards her. She opens her eyes, and can control her movements as before the experiment.

We see here, then, that not only are the eyes closed during hypnosis, but that all sorts of different movements become impossible to the subject when I forbid them.

Third Experiment.—Here is a boy of sixteen, whom I have hypnotized several times. I request him to look me straight in the eyes. After he has done this for some time I take him by the hand and draw him along with me. Then I let go, but our eyes remain fixed on each other's. Then I lift up my right arm. (The boy does the same.) I make him under-stand by a gesture that he must kneel down. (He does so.) He tries to rise, but does not succeed so long as I look at him, and fix him to the floor by a movement of the hand. Finally, I cease to look at him; the charm is at once broken.

We see here, then, a young man whose movements take the character of imitation, and whose eyes at the same time are wide open and fixed upon mine.

Fourth Experiment.—Mr. X., forty-one years old, seats himself on a chair. I tell him he must try to sleep. "Think of nothing but that you are to

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