Look Me Square in the Eyes

How to Hypnotize and Mesmerize

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Aside from being a superstitious lot, Canadians during the Era believed heavily in the art of Hypnosis and Mesmerism as a way of healing illness or controlling a person's will; and it soon became a popular parlour game, and was practiced by many. Travelling hypnotists would visit small towns and ply their craft to complete auditoriums.

There is a funny story about one of these men who was performing to a large audience, claiming that he would be able to get each and every one of them in a trance, and they would collectively obey his every command.  He started by pulling out an old pocket watch on a chain, and told those in attendance that it had belonged to his grandfather, and was his most prized possession.  He then took the watch and began gently swinging it back and forth, with the usual, "you are getting sleepy", etc. His mission accomplished, he was ready to put the watch away, but in that instant the chain broke and the watch smashed on the floor.  He yelled out  "Oh!  Crap!" ....It took them a week to clean out the auditorium. But on a more serious note, in 1894, Light on Dark Corners offered many home lessons for the do-it-yourselfers.

Home Lessons in Hypnotism

HYPNOTISM A MEDICAL SCIENCE - Hypnotism has become a medical science, and it is of great benefit in the treatment of the sick as well as a great help in surgical operations.  Many patients suffering from diseases that result from nervousness may be entirely cured if they can be properly hypnotized; many patients suffering from very severe pains, surgical operations, bruises, or other causes can be greatly relieved by being placed into the hypnotic sleep when rest is necessary. THE HYPNOTIC STATE - There are various ways of producing the hypnotic state, and most everyone who has made the subject a study and is successful has a way of his own. The hypnotic state is nothing more or less than a condition of mind which is fully controlled by one idea, and he who can yield his mind to one single idea, can easily be hypnotized. HOW TO HYPNOTIZE THE PATIENT - If you desire to hypnotize a person, take a bright coin and hold it about sixteen inches from the eye. Tell him that he must look at it forcibly, and think only of the coin. Place the other hand  on one wrist of the person. If he is at all

susceptible you will notice in about five minutes that the heart will beat more rapidly and the eyes will begin to dilate. As soon as you notice that the eyes begin to dilate tell the patient his eyes are beginning to grow weary and heavy, that his eyes will soon close. Tell him that he is getting very sleepy and at the same time let the hand pass soothingly over his. The patient will begin to breathe more deeply and his face will have a set expressIon of resignation. If your process has been a success the patient will be completely under your control in comparatively short time. ANOTHER METHOD - Have the person look you square in the eyes, and have him begin moving his hands in a circle.  Having continued this for fifteen minutes, continually increasing the speed, the same effects as in the above will take place.

Professor Heidenbain's Modes of Procedure

First, such as monotonous stroking of the temples or nose; second, by monotonous sounds, such as the ticking of a watch. Experiment as follows: Professor Heidenhain placed three chairs with their backs against a table, upon which he had previously placed his watch.  Three persons

sat down upon the chairs, with their attention directed to the monotonous ticking of the watch, and all three fell asleep. Here again the sleep and any attending phenomena is brought about by acting upon the physical first, the mental following. Dr. Braid wearies the eyes, and exhausts the inferior and lateral muscles. Heidenhain, by the well-known connection of the sleep to the nervous system, produces weariness in the censorium through the exhibition of the sense of feeling by stroking the skin; of hearing, by the monotonous ticking of the watch. The persons operated upon are necessarily pretty sensitive to his will, expressed by determined suggestion. A sudden fright has been known to produce the hypnotic condition. I have seen a cat catalepsed on a yard wall by a broom being thrown at it; a thief catalepsed at the sudden fear of detection. Hypnotism is not mesmerism. In mesmerism the fifth and sixth degrees previously referred to are frequently induced - in hypnotism never. In the mesmeric state the senses, as a rule, are temporarily suspended,  the subject feels, tastes, or smells in sympathy with or through his mesmerizer; in the hypnotic state the senses are exalted, their power intensified, as already described.

EVERY PERSON'S DUTY - It is every person's duty to fully test their powers at hypnotism. Most all have more or less of the power if they will only sufficiently interest themselves to give the subject some attention and study. They can do a great deal of good in the sick room.

How to Induce Sleep by Hypnotism or Mesmerism A Boon to the suffering

ALL POSSESS THE POWER - It was formerly thought that the power of mesmerism or hypnotism was a special gift to a special few, but it has been firmly proven that all have the "subtle power " to produce the mesmeric and hypnotic sleep. Of course, some possess this power to a much greater degree than others, but all are endowed. No one knows his power until he has tested it, and it is surprising when the test is properly made, how many possess remarkable magnetic powers. A BLESSING TO THE SICK - It therefore becomes the duty of everyone to fully demonstrate their natural gifts in that direction and cultivate it, so that they may have knowledge and skill to apply it in case of sickness among their friends or family. Medical science is daily yielding more to the powers of restorative sleep. If a patient is suffering great pain, nothing will relieve or rest him more than to place him under the influence of restful hypnotic sleep. Many patients have been and are being cured, who otherwise would have found no other remedy whatever in medicine. Therefore, let each and everyone master this important subject.

How to Induce Sleep

Make your patient feel at home, disabuse his mind of fear, doubt, anxiety and skepticism. (Mesmerize no one without the presence of some one interested in the patient's welfare parents, relatives, guardians, or medical adviser.) Remove, if possible, all elements which are likely to arouse or excite the patient's mind. To succeed, the patient must either be naturally sensitive of your influence; i.e., passive and receptive, or he must be made so. Everything you do must tend to that condition. Ey action and speech, in everything you must show you know fully what you are about; there must be no timidity,  hesitancy, or half-heartedness exhibited in your manner. You must create the instinctive feeling in the mind of your patient, "that is a man I can trust; that man or person will do me good," and you will do it. You can proceed to mesmerize by any of the processes already recorded, or you can adopt this method:

Let your patient be comfortably placed or seated; Sit or stand before him, or just at his side.  Ask him to pay no attention to his friends or surroundings, but resign himself to your care. He can either close his eyes or look into yours. Inform him if he feels any strange or peculiar feelings - a sinking sensation, darkness of vision, nervous tremulousness, drowsiness or an inclination to sleep, not to resist, but give way.  It will be all right, and you will see him through. Next, for five minutes or so, take hold of his hands in an easy, comfortable manner, or he can place his hands upon his knees, and you can lay yours with a just preceptible physical pressure on top of them. Remain thus in contact until there is no apparent difference in temperature between your hands and his.  Direct your eyes to his, or rather to the organ of "Individuality," or that portion of the head just situated between the two eyebrows, at the root of the nose. Exercise your will calmly and steadfastly toward the desired end - sleep.  Gradually remove your hands from his, and place them on his head for two or three minutes, covering his forehead at each temple with the hollow of your hand, with fingers resting on head and your thumbs,

conving towards "Individuality." Slight pressure with the hands on the temples is desirable, as it tends to check the inflow of blood to the head per the temporal arteries. You will proceed to further charge the brain with your influence by passes directed to that end, always downward over the head and face, forhead, tophead, sidehead, and backhead - all coming under your direction, so far as such passes can be made with direct intent and with ease and comfort. You will also facilitate your purpose by pointing the tips of your fingers towards the eyes and temples, but throughout there must be no vulgar staring nor thumb pressure. You will continue making these movements, until the eyelids tremble, become heavy, or close. In some cases it is advisable to close the eyelids and fasten them by downward passes, and thus hasten the result desired. When I say hasten the result of the mesmeric sleep of the person operated on - l do not mean the mesmerist to hasten; he should never be in a hurry. When the patient has exhibited the signs mentioned, you now proceed with both local and by general passes at distance to abstract your influence (but not to awaken your now-sensitive) by moving your hands with fingers extended slowly from his head to his fingers, both inside and outside the arms, also from the forehead down in front of the body to pit of stomach, and then towards the knees. At the termination of each pass raise the hands (as described in practicing the passes) and commence again. Continue these passes for some time after he or she has apparently fallen asleep. If you do not succeed at first, proceed at subsequent sittings as if you had no previous failure; and when once you succeed in putting a person asleep your power to do so will be enhanced, and your future percentages will increase in due proportion. When you have obtained satisfactory evidence of sleep, it is advisable to try no experiments for the first two or three sittings, beyond the following - Let the patient sleep on for some time, and then quietly wake him up. Don't do it suddenly. You might spoil forever a good subject by so doing.  Stand behind or before your sensitive, and make slowly and then briskly upward passes (palms of the hands up) in front of the face, and blow steadily on the forehead, when your patient will awake much surprised and benefited by the sleep. With a little more experience you can arrange with your patient when he will a wake of his own accord. When this is done, the sensitive will alwavs awake at the time arranged. This arrangement or experiment is capable of considerable extension or modification.

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