30 MENTAL THERAPEUTICS. 



strated by these hypnotic experiments. Prof. Carpenter for many 

 years gave public exhibitions in many cities and towns, where he 

 would hypnotize well known local residents and then make them be- 

 lieve, for instance, that it was very cold. Their shivering and coat- 

 buttoning was ludicrous enough. But when he suggested to the sub- 

 ject that he go warm himself at yonder stove, at the same time point- 

 ing out some young lady friend, perchance the subject's best girl, and 

 to watch him warm his hands and turn to warm his back exactly as if 

 she were a " hot stove " on a very cold day, always convulsed the audi 

 ence with laughter. Another favorite suggestion, often made to some 

 slender and delicate young fellow, was that some buxom lady in the 

 audience was an infant needing to be taken up and soothed. The re- 

 sult can better be imagined than described. The marvelous feature 

 about the case was the ease with which the weak young man could 

 handle a weight that would have staggered him had he been conscious. 

 Another popular trick was to make some extremely modest and retir- 

 ing young man imagine himself to be a great orator addressing a 

 throng. His confidence, his gestures and his good language would 

 have been absolutely impossible if he had not been in the hypnotic 

 trance. 



How to Hypnotize. The first essential is the concentration of 

 mind, a power natural to some, but which can be acquired by per- 

 sistent practice by almost everyone. The hypnotizer must have a 

 dominant thought of mastery over his subject and concentrate his 

 whole mind on that thought. Then by holding some bright object, or 

 even simply his fingers directly before and a little above the subject's 

 eyes, repeatedly bidding him to gaze intently at the object presented, 

 until he sees the pupil dilate and a glassy appearance come into the 

 eye, he can then say, " Now, sir, shui your eyes. You can't open them 

 any more," and the subject is hypnotized and will act upon most sug- 

 gestions made. 



The Nancy Method. H. Bernheim, M. D., professor at the 

 great medical school at Nancy, France, and a firm believer in hyp- 

 notism, gives the following as his method of hpynotizing. I first dis 

 abuse the patient's mind of any idea of magnetism and explain that 

 there is nothing hurtful or strange about it. When I have thus ban- 

 ished fear from his mind, I say, " Look at me and think of nothing 

 but sleep. Your eyelids begin to feel heavy. Your eyes are tired. 

 They begin to wink. They are getting moist. You cannot see dis- 

 tinctly. They are closed." Some patients close their eyes and are 

 asleep immediately. With others I have to repeat, lay more stress on 

 what I say and even make gestures. I hold two fingers before the 

 patient's eyes and ask him to look at them or pass both hands before 

 his eyes, or persuade him to fasten his eyes upon mine, at the same 

 time endeavoring to concentrate his attention upon the idea of sleep. 

 Then I repeat as before and say finally in a commanding tone " sleep!" 

 Some are rebellious. I command them to be calm. I speak COD- 

 tinuously. I speak only of drowsiness, of sleepiness. " That is 



