Hypnotism as Aid To Nervous Students

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 614, 16 March 1929, Page 19

Hypnotism as Aid To Nervous Students

Examinations Said to Be Passed Under Its Influence

KT the recent meeting of the British Association at Glasgow a very remarkable paper was read by Dr. Buchanan about the power and possibilities to-day hypnotism in skilled hands. Not only is it largely employed for the treatment of many disorders of the nerves, but also for the cure of certain habits —either unfortunate or harmful—such as stammering and inebriety, and also to drive out fears and obsessions; and now, as the latest development, to enable students to pass examinations. Truly, a weapon of great but generally unknown power lies in our hands. But its application is very limited as 3'et. for two reasons. First, it is necessarily somewhat expensive, for it needs a specialist; second, and more important, it has rather a bad name. Any irresponsible person who knows how can practise it; a demonstration of it has frequently been given as a music-hall “turn”; and it has always lain under the suspicion of the possibility of crime being instigated by an unscrupulous operator on a weakwilled subject. Although the Fast has practised hypnosis for centuries, Europe only learned of it at the close of the 18th century through an Austrian named Mesmer —hence the old term “mesmerism.” Through association with quackery it fell into disrepute. About 1840 a Manchester doctor named Braid employed it in treatment. He showed how it could be used to abolish pain, so that small operations and even the extraction of teeth could be performed under its influence without pain being felt. But it made no headway in Britain—though it did in France — until the war. Then the military authorities employed it to a large extent in the treatment of nervous and skin disorders. To-day, it is officially recognised, and some scores of doctors use it constantly. This is how it is employed. The subject or patient whose confidence must be gained is placed in a j position favourable to sleep. Then, if j he is willing, a few soothing words and a gesture or two —you can call it a | “pass”—are sufficient to send him off i to sleep. j There is no trick about it, no magnei tic influence, no mysterious force. The I person simply goes to sleep because ■ he wants to, and does so when sleep is “suggested.” If he resists the suggestions it will not happen.

| That point is an important on?. ] You cannot hypnotise a person who resists. Nor is it easy to hypnotise feeble-minded persons or those of low intelligence.

But, once be is hypnotised his subconscious mind is at your disposal; you can make any “suggestion”—except of one kind—and it will be obeyed, even after he comes out of the hypnotic sleep. There is, however, fortunately one kind of suggestion that will not be followed unless it coincides with the subject’s own disposition and character. Thus, a suggestion that runs contrary to the subject’s moral sense of right and wrong will cause distress and will be disobeyed. The suggestion to commit some offence, for instance, will not be acted upon by an upright person. But an unscrupulous operator might conceivably make an evil suggestion to one of evil character with disastrous results. Doctors are agreed that its practice by the irresponsible is a danger and should be forbidden. The “sugges--<f tions” made when the subject is hypnotised are the real part of it, the hypnotised condition is only the preliminary state. What is of value is that pain can be sufficiently abolished to perform a small operation such as the opening of an abscess. It is not used for this because there are simpler and cheaper ways of abolishing pain. The realiy remarkable and valuable feature of it is that whilst in tin-, hypnotic state, when the conscious mind is “out of gear,” any suggestion can be directly implanted in the subconscious mind and will take root. The mind of the operator and of the subject are “locked.” No other person can intervene. Perhaps one of the most valuable applications of the practice lies in tlie treatment of inebriety and drug habits. As most people are aware their treatment by ordinary means, such as homes, injections, good advice and medicine, is generally unsuccessful. Nor shall I assert that hypnotism is generally successful: it is not. But several foreign physicians have succeeded in permanently curing more than a third of the cases of inebriety they have treated. Considering the usually hopeless outlook, that is a large numoer. ! In some cases of neurasthenia or “nervous breakdown” hypnosis is also ! used with really remarkable success, j Perhaps the most striking results, however, are those that have been obtained in the case of stammering. Public speakers, so afflicted, have by a course of “suggestion” been able to i overcome their unhappy condition, i The practice is still in its infancy. ; It is clear from the statements made , at the British Association meeting, re- » garding students said to have been » enabled to pass examinations by its means, that a vast deal remains as yet unexplored and unknown.