Part 7

Having fifteen to twenty-five subjects on the stage and a restless audience waiting for an entertainment, what could be accomplished if I had to wait half an hour for each subject, to discover if he was concentrating?

Every time one gets a new thought the eye blinks, although the eye may blink without a change of thought; but never a change of thought without the blink.

NOTE.—Now, dear reader, when you stand before a mirror to experiment, remember that the making of another idea dominant is not changing the thought. You may think you can change without blinking, but it is like people believing that a person can go on the stage and “fake” for a hypnotist, both of which are directly against a set law and impossible. If the world could learn that those attempting to deceive, deceive only themselves, there would be fewer failures in life.

The moving of the eyeball shows the reviewing of the associated ideas and always occurs in those who have large perceptives (heavy projection over the eyes). They will think of the pencil but will divide and study its attributes, i. e., cost, color, form, et cetera, and are the subjects who require several drills. Their hands will fall stiffly to their sides (having taken on hypnosis about ninety-seven per cent). For complete hypnosis, the hands must fall limply.

If the subject gives you the “baby stare,” and you fail to hypnotize him you had better—well, I advise my pupils under such conditions to jump into the river and say, “Here goes nothing.”

The subject being in a collapsed state or relaxed condition of the muscles, we know he is in hypnosis, but as a great many will not accept any thought of sleep without being stretched out, it is policy to lay them on the floor, which nearly always consummates the required attribute. The proof that he is in hypnosis is that he is relaxed. Perhaps he can simulate it; I can hold my arm relaxed? All right. Man can think of but one thing at a time; the subject’s eyes are closed. I take hold of his arm (he relaxes it); with my other hand I quickly lift his leg, and, if he knew how to simulate, he could not shift the action in time to deceive anyone.

A subject being in all the conditions of sleep is of no value to me,—the operator. I want one seemingly awake. Consequently, I want now to partially unbuild what I built. First, I give him what I call the “Ear Test,” the object of which is to find if I can replace the thought (cylinder) of sleep with another thought (cylinder) having a perceptible action to it. Therefore, I say to him, “Your right ear (touching it) smarts, burns, stings, itches, and will stop only when you rub it a long time with your right hand,” making with my mouth expressions of pain. If the subject rubs his ear, I have a demonstration that I have changed the thought. If I say to him, “Your ear smarts, burns, stings, rub it,” would I get any action? No, he would simply ask me which ear, if his cerebrum was active. Therefore, it is necessary for me to designate the ear, or properly, to state which ear, and touch it. I now tell him, “Your right ear, or this ear (touching it), smarts, burns, stings and itches, rub it.” Will he rub it? He will not, but will ask me why he should rub it, if his cerebrum was active, but if I said to him as above mentioned, “it will stop only when you rub it” he rubs it to cause it to stop, not because I told him to rub his ear, which I failed to do. Man does nothing because he is told to. While he is rubbing the ear I call to him, “The pain has stopped.” Instantly he ceases to rub it. Is the subject now in hypnosis? No, because he has the thought that the “pain has ceased” instead of the thought of sleep. His muscles are contracted into the position he happens to be in, the eye can be turned down; the inexperienced would say he was in hypnosis, the same as when lying limp on the floor. My experience proves to me that he is not in hypnosis; he has the thought of “no pain” which is a blank thought similar to the thought of sleep, but you will find that the muscles are in a different condition.

The subject can only respond to my voice, he being free of his actual environment. My voice now being his environment, I must pull apart nearly all that has just been brought together. To open his closed eyes is the most powerful suggestion of being awake. If I could only teach the subject now to open his eyes, to turn them down and still respond to my voice only, he would be in the condition I desire. So I say to him in a firm voice:

“You open your eyes only when I tell you; you awaken only when I say ALL RIGHT and clap my hands (I tell you). Now mind!” (Repeat this.)

I then cause him to rub his knee in the same manner as I cause him to rub his ear, by designating the knee as follows: “You have an awful pain in this (touching it), the right knee, and it will stop only when you rub it a long time with both hands.” While the subject is rubbing, I say, “When you look at it, it will be a thousand times worse. Now open your eyes.” If he opens his eyes and continues to rub it, he is practically my subject for the first time. In this way we play on him a psychological trick; first bringing up in his “mind” the thought of pain; then disassociating the opening of the eyes with the idea of awakening, and substituting for it the idea of more pain. We do not tell him that “When you look at it, it will be a thousand times worse; now look at it.” Because, if his cerebrum was active, he would refuse to look at it. We tell him to open his eyes, and if he opens them, he certainly will look at it. We now say to the subject, “Close your eyes, the pain has ceased;” then saying, “When you open your eyes you will find yourself on the floor. Naturally you will get up and sit on the chair. The moment you sit down you will discover that you have a very severe nose bleed; now open your eyes,” the “now” being necessary as a conjunction to connect it with the previous statement. Otherwise, the subject would be likely to take the sentence, “Open your eyes,” as a separate thought, do so and lie there on the floor with his eyes open. The subject opens his eyes, gets up, sits on the chair, and discovers his nose to be bleeding. Is this subject now in hypnosis? Decidedly not. His muscles are contracted, in response to his feeling (environment); his eyes are open and in the “normal” position; he is not necessarily in a comfortable position. Other than that his cerebrum is inactive, or that the thought of a nose bleed has been put into an automatic action through his ear, no sense will respond to his environment unless it has a relationship to his present thought; he will continue to give action to all the variations of that thought until the operator’s voice changes it.

Words are of little value to explain the condition of a “hypnotized” subject or “normal” man.

I shall try to draw a sight picture to make you comprehend. You have seen a typewriter. On the keyboard is a pin marked “G”; fastened (associated) to that is a lever, to that, two more. On the end of the last is the type “G.” When the pin with the letter “G” marked on it is touched, three actions take place, and “G” is reproduced on the paper on the cylinder of the machine. (Analyze the action of lifting or taking hold of an object.) Until those three levers are properly fitted (associated), it will be impossible to get an impression on the paper by striking “G,” but the moment that they are properly associated, every time you strike “G,” “G” is reproduced on the paper and nothing else can be. “G” equals the energy exerted (suggestion) on the pin “G.” If we hit a space on the keyboard that has no lettercap, there is no response on the paper. Man is like a typewriter; when we hit the cap of a letter that has the proper actions associated, there is a response on the paper; when we offer him and he receives (he don’t receive), a suggestion of which he has no associated ideas, there is no response because there is no action to respond.

A hypnotized subject does not hear me, cerebrally. He only responds to me. A “normal” man both hears and responds. The consciousness of realization of seeing, hearing, et cetera, is only in the cerebrum. The brain that retains the impressions and responds, is the Abdominal Brain—the Sympathetic System.

As a hypnotized subject is but as the keyboard of a typewriter, played on by and through his aroused memory of environment, so also must man be played on by and respond to his actual environment. In inspiring subjects with any condition, if we fail to emphasize or draw particular attention to less than two senses, the effect will be unsatisfactory.

Among the masses there has been a great objection offered to my work, inasmuch as the people remark that they could not tell if Santanelli’s subjects were hypnotized except by seeing them doing things that they knew would not have been done were they not hypnotized. Whereas, with all other operators they could see that the subjects were hypnotized because their faces and eyes showed it. Why? A comprehensive thought must express itself in the face and eye—a comprehensive and intelligent expression; but where the subject lacks a comprehensive thought he has that “dopy,” hypnotized (?) expression. Being a master of suggestion and thoroughly understanding how to build, I make my subjects thoroughly “normal,” subservient to their pictures. When they had the thought of “fly” it was so definite, all sense-pictures having been emphasized (aroused), that the man or the subject was in identically the same position or condition of “mind” that he was when an actual fly was on his nose. The secret is this: The other operators tell the subject that when he wakes up, equaling my “When you open your eyes,” he would find a fly on his nose; something very indefinite. “Normally,” how would you know there was a fly on your nose? You would feel it. Is that enough? No. It might be a mosquito, it might be an ant, it might be a wasp. You look at it and then you know that it is a fly, and by-the-by, let me state here that man knows nothing, but believes much; for if the senses are imperfect, what he knows, he doesn’t know. I say to a subject, “When you open your eyes you will see a fly on the end of your nose,” covering two senses, the object itself (sight) and the place (feeling) which is irritated; “you will feel it bite and cannot brush it away.” Now, I have covered three (?) senses: The subject first feels the fly on the end of his nose, he sees it to be a fly, and he feels very comprehensively its irritation. Hence, he has no doubt. Could his “mind” be more active, could he be more positive if he were “normal?” No. “Dopy” subjects are the result of improper inspiration. If you say to a subject, “When you open your eyes you will find the chair is hot,” that is very indefinite. But if you say to the subject, “When you open your eyes you will feel the chair you are seated on is red hot,” he will get out quick. In the lesson I told you that if you left out your “and’s,” “as’s” and “but’s,” you would fail to get a good inspiration.

There are some ideas or thoughts which cannot be correlated or associated. If you tell a subject he cannot let go a cane, it necessarily follows he must hold on to it; hence, cannot drop it. If you tell him it is red hot he will drop it, because it is against nature (?); i. e., experience, to grasp a red hot object, and not be able to drop it. If you tell him that he cannot let go the cane and it is getting warmer, hotter, you can produce an effect up to a certain degree; there will be a certain contraction of the muscles and a certain expression of pain in the face, but the moment that you make the heat dominant he will drop the cane every time if he is a man of ordinarily good correlation. If you have a thick-headed subject, there is no telling what the result will be. Man is wonderfully compounded and you will meet combinations some days that no man could build a philosophy on. The exceptions to the foregoing are the isolated cases where the subject has never experienced being severely burned. Perhaps dulled nerve-ends. (See Degenerates, pages 15 and 159.)

I unhesitatingly assert that I (which also includes my pupils) am the only operator who ever dismissed his subjects actually awake. If hypnosis is the thought of sleep, the antithesis to that must be the thought of being awake, and when we tell the subject he is awake he has the thought of being awake, just the same as we tell him there is a fly on his nose. The snapping of the fingers is of no value. To awaken, we must startle him, and if he is awakened properly, a post-hypnotic (?) suggestion is an impossibility. So I reiterate that any inspiration given in “hypnosis” can only take place in “hypnosis,” never minding what the quasi “authorities” tell us.

A subject suffering with headache comes to me to be cured. If the subject has never been led into hypnosis it is impossible to hypnotize him the first time if he is suffering from the headache, inasmuch as No. 1, “Easy position,” cannot be acquired; the suggestion of pain forces a thought which cannot be faded away through the eye, and no thought offered in substitution is forceful enough to overcome it. But if he has learned how to take on hypnosis, it can be done so quickly that if the thought of pain is not too severe, it can be readily overcome. If the pain be extremely severe, hypnosis cannot be induced. I tell the subject that when he opens his eyes he will have no headache and be wide-awake, and he is now in the condition of believing himself to be awake with an idea of “no headache”—awake as in a looking-glass—but if he were actually awake, the cause that produced the headache, being still present, would get its natural response and he would feel the headache. Therefore, it can be readily seen that the subject is not himself truly. Yet, having the thought of being awake, he necessarily has all the attributes of the thought, and as far as one can perceive, is awake. Stand in front of a mirror. You see yourself? No, a reflection—a thought of yourself.

If I said “All right” and clapped my hands, the subject would be in the identical condition as when he came to me; i. e., feeling the headache.

I teach you to awaken the subject two ways; one by giving the inspiration that he is awake, and the other by saying, “All right” and clapping my hands. Now, my dear pupil, if I should clap my hands first, then say, “All right,” would the subject awaken? No. Why not? Because that is not the way you told it to him (?). If I was personally giving you the lesson, I would say “rats.” What rules the subject? Your voice. If I clap my hands, could he hear it? Yes (?). If that be true, he could hear every sound; that constitutes being wide-awake. You mean “No.” He could not and cannot hear the clapping of my hands, but when I say, “All right,” as my voice rules and is his environment, the associated action is to listen for the clapping. But must I personally clap my hands? Yes (?). How can he distinguish the clapping of my hands from those of some one who is standing beside me? He cannot; anyone beside me could clap his hands, or a pair of clapsticks would be just as effective. He must be startled; and cannot be startled until I have used the words, “All right.”

Now, as you know how to induce hypnosis, know how to handle the subject by building an environment around him, taking care to name all of the senses necessary to enforce a response to the environment, you are a hypnotist (?). No. I have taught too many, and feel that you still fail to comprehend me.

You have a hypnotized subject in your room. We will assume it is up one flight of stairs. What will you say to him when you desire him to go to the postoffice? Now, mind, he doesn’t know the way to the postoffice, he is a stranger. Why, you would say to him, “When you open your eyes, you will go to the postoffice and get me a letter,” and the subject will fail to move; because, remember this, a hypnotized subject is a blind man. He doesn’t take in impressions, he throws out pictures; but the other senses are of such greater importance, forcing through actions already acquired, that man, failing to comprehend the value of this law of attributes, overlooks the importance of the other senses. Treat a hypnotized subject as a blind man. He is now sitting in the center of my room up one flight of stairs, and I say to him, “When you open your eyes you will find yourself in my room. There is an important letter for me at the postoffice which I am desirous that you, as a good fellow, will go and get for me. The moment you stand up you will walk five feet to your left and you will come to the door, on the left side of that door is the knob; the door opens towards you. Passing out of the door for two feet you will find the head of the stairs; by putting your hands on the banister at your left, you can follow down the stairs. To your right is a door with the knob on the right, which opens towards you. You pass into that room four feet, then turn to the right, go three feet and you will find another door with a knob on the right, which opens towards you; go through the doorway and you will turn to your left; you walk two feet, then turn to the right and walk eight feet, when you will come to another door with the knob to your right. You will open that door and step on to the porch. After walking four feet you will come to three steps. By walking straight ahead eight feet, you will come to two more steps. You will then be on the sidewalk. You will walk twenty feet to reach the corner of the street, turn to your right and cross the street, et cetera.”

Again, my pupil, you have a subject sitting in the center of the room, and wish him to go to the radiator on the opposite side of the room to comb his hair at an imaginary looking-glass. What will you say to him? Why, you will say to him, “When you open your eyes, you will go to the looking-glass just across the room from you and brush your hair (?).” The subject opens his eyes, but will not move. Why? Why do people brush their hair? Because it is disarranged. Therefore the first thing the subject must know is that his hair is tousled; then he must be told exactly where the looking-glass is and that on this affair is a comb and brush; or, in other words, you must name the sight for him, because through hearing and sight, in many cases we reach the identical result. You, reading this book, are really receiving sound impressions; I am giving you words through your eye. With a hypnotized subject, we are giving him sight through his ear. The more sense-pictures we specifically arouse, the more comprehensive the action of the subject; provided, the things he comes in contact with do not give him directly opposite suggestions.

We will assume that you are giving a parlor entertainment. You have led your subject into hypnosis, and have him back into his chair. He has the nosebleed. Now, pupil, what are you going to do? Hypnosis is the spoon with which you give your medicine. When you are tired of any action, conditionally awakened in said subject, induce hypnosis again. Say to him, “Close your eyes, go deep asleep,” and now we are where we started from. We again have hypnosis; then tell him, “When you open your eyes, so and so will happen, or is the case.” If the man is standing up and you say to him, “Close your eyes, go to sleep,” or, “You are asleep,” he will fall over, because one of the attributes of sleep is the relaxed muscles. Therefore, when he is doing any action, associate with that action that it will be more congenial or comfortable for him to take his seat, then tell him to close his eyes, he is deep asleep, or you must step up beside him and catch him in your arms. Now, the necessity for this may not always be apparent. Many amateurs will say, “Not necessary;” but I am writing of a man or operator who is working clean-cut and is not allowing the subject to be “dopy,” half conscious (?) of his environment, half conscious of the inspiration given him. If the subject is completely lost to his environment, as he should be if the operator understands his business, he will drop over every time. Now, I know that many of these statements amateurs will deny, but I unhesitatingly answer that if they know their business and work correctly they can demonstrate every affirmation made here; that they all work with “dopy” subjects; that they do not and have not ever comprehended the Law of Suggestion; they do not get perfect or correct work from their subjects.

On the stage when I wish to conclude an action, I thoroughly awaken my subjects, allowing them to take their seats and enjoy laughing at the others. As hypnosis is entirely a self-induced condition; that is, a man with ordinary intelligence can learn to take it on at once after the first time, I consequently awaken him. When I want to use them again, I tell them to put their hands together, close their eyes and go to sleep; they readily take on the attributes necessary; I repeat to them, “Drowsy, sleepy,” et cetera, a couple of times and they are in hypnosis, after which I inspire them with any thought I see fit.

As it is apropos, I shall here tell of two occurrences which will demonstrate the self-induced (pre-inspired, “auto-suggested”) condition as to hypnosis. While lecturing through Michigan in 1895, I preceded every exhibition with an hour’s talk on hypnosis, et cetera, carrying the story from night to night for the six nights. A majority of the drummers traveling through the country made it their special duty to hear and comprehend the entire six lectures. One of these drummers had a son fifteen years of age; his residence, a town in Ohio. One day he received a telegram from his wife saying that their son had been a subject for some hypnotist, who a week prior had exhibited in the town, and that the son now was in such a condition that every time she told him to go to school he fell asleep and could not be aroused, and nothing could be done with him. The father, having thoroughly comprehended my lectures, wired the mother not to worry, that he would go home. He did so. After getting off the train, he went to a harness shop and bought a buggy whip, arrived home and asked John why he didn’t go to school, and John told him that the professor had left him in such a condition that he could not go to school. The father said, “Well and good; I will remove the effect of the professor,” and gave the boy a good horsewhipping; ever since he has attended school without the least sign of hypnosis.

Another: In L——, New York, a very bright lad of thirteen or fourteen years of age was on the stage with me three or four nights. On Saturday night his mother and sister came to me in the dressing-room and said they could do nothing with the boy, that every time they told him to chop the wood or draw water, he would fall over asleep, and they said they were going to have me arrested. I asked her if she would do exactly as I told her, informing her if she would she would have no more trouble with the boy. The mother, being a good, sensible woman, said she would. I told her to take the boy’s pants down, lay him across her lap face downward, and warm him with her hand, which she did. Some three weeks afterward I met her and she told me she had no further trouble.

A few years ago professors (?) in the dime museums of the large cities used to put subjects to sleep and, failing to awaken them, would send for physicians. The learned (?) doctors, after applying electricity, cautery, et cetera, in the course of eight or ten hours awakened (?) them, only they didn’t; the hypnosis passed off. Why is it that every operator excepting myself, and I state this unreservedly, has had trouble many a time in awakening his subjects. In a town in Illinois I arrived late. I was carrying one subject, and was anxious to get as many local subjects as possible for my first night’s performance, as it is often very hard to get volunteers on the first night. Some amateur hypnotists came around and said they could get me some. At last they produced a most horrible specimen of humanity and asked me to hypnotize him. I remarked that I would not allow him on the stage; then they said. “As a favor to us, please hypnotize him.” I looked at the fellow and said, “Go to sleep.” He replied, “Magnetize me.” I said, “You fool, you know how to go to sleep; go!” He failed to do so. I made some passes over his face and he took on hypnosis, but he worked “dopy.” In about five minutes I got him to work with a clear eye. I said, “All right,” clapped my hands and he failed to awaken. Smiles appeared on the faces of the five amateurs standing around. Again I said to him, “All right,” and clapped my hands. He again failed to awaken. The amateurs continued to smile, some tittered. I readily perceived what I was “up against,” and I said to the subject, “—— you, when I say ‘All right’ and clap my hands, if you do not awaken, I will throw you out in the snowbank and leave you rot, you ——.” I said, “All right,” and clapped my hands and he nearly went through the ceiling. The amateurs stood around with their mouths open and said to me, “Mr. Santanelli, do you teach?”