HYPNOTISM. 383 



that illumined by consciousness, disappears temporarily, just 

 as it does in hypnosis and sleep. 



The phenomena of hypnotism may, however, be regarded 

 from a different point of view. Suppose we take the 

 instance given at the beginning of the paper : " There is a 

 mouse behind you." The tendency to see the mouse — for an 

 hallucination to arise — is in direct proportion to the belief 

 that the mouse is there. Now this will vary inversely with 

 the possibility of suppressing it by bringing to bear other 

 considerations, whether derived from an a iDriori improba- 

 bility or from the testimony of the senses. From this point 

 of view then we may say that the suggestability of a person 

 depends on the failure of contrary, inhibiting suggestions. 

 The hypnotic condition is one of a more or less pronounced 

 " monoideasmus " ; in other words, the field of attention 

 is narrowed. 



To explain the bodily — motor and trophic {e.g. stigmata) 

 — phenomena which result from the acceptance of the cor- 

 responding suggestion, a well-known law, that. of expectant 

 attention, must be considered. This is, that if we expect 

 any phenomenon in ourselves — whether mental or physical 

 — to take place, there is a tendency for it to do so. For 

 instance, contrast the results of wishing, and expecting, to 

 go to sleep. Suppose now that the suggestion be made to a 

 hypnotised person, that his right arm is bending : in the 

 first place the belief that it is doing so is uncontrolled by 

 any contrary ideas (as explained above), it takes possession, 

 so to speak, of his whole mind; and then, in accordance with 

 this law of expectant attention, his arm does begin to move. 



It is obvious that this law has limits ; e.g. if a man's 

 spinal cord had been accidentally crushed, it is clear that, 

 no matter how strong his belief was that his leg was moving, 

 it would not do so. However, the facts described above as 



