HYPNOTISM. 363 



suddenly on the face, or shake the person. This will almost 

 invariably succeed ; very occasionally it has been found not 

 possible, and then one must wait — the person gradually 

 passes into a normal sleep, and spontaneously awakes. 



Stages of the hypnotic state exist. Various somewhat 

 elaborate classifications of these have been given. The 

 simplest, however, and one which is very probably generally 

 true, is based on the remembrance of what has occurred 

 during hypnosis. This method divides hypnosis into a pre- 

 somnambulistic and a somnambulistic stage. If a person 

 has been only in the pre-somnambulistic stage, he will, on 

 resuming his normal condition, remember everything that 

 has occurred during that state. On the other hand, if he 

 has entered into the deeper somnambulistic stage, he will 

 afterwards not remember, or but dimly, what has occurred 

 during it. 



The first time, perhaps, a person is hypnotised, he may 

 only enter into the earlier, lighter stage ; the next time he 

 passes on into the deeper stage. And as what may be 

 termed his " hypnotic education " increases, the first stage 

 shortens, so that at length the command, " Sleep," sends the 

 subject at once into a state of somnambulism. 



It has also been proposed to divide hypnosis into two 

 stages, in the first of which there is only suggestability for 

 movements, and a second deeper stage in which there is 

 in addition suggestability for the senses, i.e. hallucinations 

 may be excited. This method of classification, however^ 

 is nearly, though not quite, identical with the one just 

 described ; the first stage corresponding to the pre-somnam- 

 bulistic, the second with the somnambulistic, stage. In 

 some " subjects," however, it is possible to evoke halluci- 

 nations which are remembered, i.e, which occurred in the 

 pre-somnambulistic stage. 



