25 Lessons in Hypnotism (Historical -1899)

*how to become an expert operator

Ever wanted to learn some swagger skills from the hypnotists of the late 19th century? We got you. This book has all sorts of funny notions of ‘old’ hypnosis, as well as some cute inductions and language you can try out with some hypno-nerds.

This book comes from the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology If you want to skip to the goofy induction stuff, search for METHOD in this document, or even the original scan.

Shout out to Summer Vixen for suggesting this book!

Content Warning

Some of this book didn’t age well. Aside from being charmingly out of touch with modern hypnosis, there’s some strong sexism and racism as well.

We desire you to know

You can have just as perfect control over your subjects as the greatest Hypnotist in the world.

I tell you this at the beginning, because you must have absolute confidence in yourself. You must KNOW that you will succeed. This is the first requisite to success in this Science.

Never let any one know that you are a beginner. Make every one believe that you fully understand this Science.

Let your every word, look and action convey to the subject the impression that you will succeed.

One Word Of Caution

Hypnosis follows an impression of approaching sleep made upon the mind. You cannot impress this successfully if your manner carries with it an appearance of levity. However gratifying a sense of humor may be to the possessor, a smiling operator is an unsuccessful operator. Your features should be set, firm, and stem, yet not so much so as to repel confidence. Speak low, yet firm. Be quiet in all your actions. Show no nervousness. Always keep your eyes fixed upon your subject. Be firm of will, and con- contrate all your forces upon what you are doing, and you cannot fall, if you follow the methods given. Never try to use but one method at a time.

This is to be Remembered

A hypnotized person is one who is possessed of no will power. He has lost the rational control over the direction of his thoughts; his mind is a per- fect blank, yet it is open to receive any suggestion which may be conveyed to him by the operator, through the ordinary channels of sensation.

The skill of the operator consists in making the subject believe he is going to sleep; that is all.

Interesting they noticed a peak in hypnotic response. I wonder if this has changed with culture.

Those between fifteen and twenty years of age are more easily controlled.

Do not allow yourself to become excited, as there is nothing whatever to get excited about.

Lesson No. 2.

METHOD No 1.

Shift him about until he is resting easily, and say that he is resting. You do this for effect. Everything in this work depends upon the effect you produce upon the subject’s mind. You are not, while engaged in this work, a man of original thoughts; you are simply an actor, weighing tone and gesture, testing the effect of a glance, a sentence, a frown, a compression of the lips, a persuasive unbending; testing these things, weighing them, trying and withdrawing them according to results, even as the regular physician tries and withdraws his material remedies according to results.

“Sleep.” Give the command to sleep in a quiet, yet firm and masterful way, in a low tone.

Let him remain so for some minutes, saying nothing to him at all. When you are ready to operate, it is well for you as a beginner, especially if you have a new subject, to constantly make suggestions. For instance you say: ” Nothing will wake you, nothing can hurt you. You can open your eyes, but you will stay asleep. Now I am about to raise your arm, but you won’t wake up. Nothing will wake you.” Rub the arm a few times and say: ” Now you can’t take it down-see, you can’t. You are sound asleep, and you will do everything I tell you to do, but you will not wake up-you can’t wake up till I tell you.”

No one can wake you except myself.

METHOD No 2.

METHOD No. 2.-The subject reclines on a couch or easy chair, and you stand beside him. Hold the first two fingers of your right hand at a. distance of about twelve inches from his eyes, at such an angle that his gaze shall be directed upwards in a strained manner. Direct him to look steadily at the tips of those fingers, and to make his mind as nearly blank as possible. After he has stared fixedly for about half a minute his expression will undergo a change-a far away look coming into his face. His pupils will contract and dilate several times, and his eyelids will twitch spasmodically. These signs indicate a commencement of the desired Hypnotization. If the eyes do not close of themselves, shut them gently with your left hand, and say: “You are becoming sleepy; your eyes are very heavy; they are getting more and more heavy; my fingers seem quite indistinct to you (this when the pupils are observed to dilate or contract) ; a numbness is stealing over your limbs ; you will be fast asleep in a few minutes; now sleep.”

METHOD No 3.

A possible precursor to fractionation

METHOD No. 3.-Seat your subject if convenient in an ordinary chair (not an arm or rocking chair), with both feet flat upon the floor. Place his hands on his thighs with the palms down, the fingers pointed towards the knees. Then standing three or four feet in front of him, request him to relax as much as possible, mentally and physically. Then say to him: ” Look at one of my eyes,” and draw his attention with the index finger of your right hand to the eye you wish him to look at. Lower your hand immediately to your side, and gaze directly and steadily into one of your subject’s eyes until his pupil begins to dilate. This will require from five to ten seconds. Then repeat slowly the following: “Close your eyes gently-tighter-arch your eye-brows. Now you will find it hard to open your eyes. Try-try-try! All right, you may open them.” Relax all tension in yourself when you say “All right.” You must of course feel confident that you can hold his eyes closed for a few seconds. Your manner and tone should be such as to convince him that you can do so. As soon as you see that you have produced an impression at once release your subject for a moment. This will prevent his forming adverse auto-suggestions which might destroy the slight impressions already made. After a moment’s rest, repeat the operation, saying again: “Look at one of my eyes. Close your eyes gently,” and so on, just as before. From the moment you commence keep up a stream of oral suggestions, and repeat the above over and over again lntil you are quite sure your subject is under your influence.

Lesson No. 3.

With the most sensitive persons this is a very easy process, for merely blowing or fanning over the head and face with a few transverse passes will at once dispel the sleep.

Should, however, the subject experience with difficulty in opening his eyes, then, with the tips of the thumbs, the operator should rub the briskly from the root of the nose outward toward the temples, and finish by blowing or Fanning, take special care before leaving the subject that – judging from the expression of the eyes and the face – he has evidently returned to his normal condition.

• Awake. All right, wake up. Snap close to their face.
• In other cases tell your subject to count ten, and that when he gets to nine he will wake up.

If your subject does not awaken easily, leave him alone quietly for a few minutes. Do not speak or appear to notice him. Then after three or five minutes turn to him suddenly, and say in a stern voice: “I command you to awaken.”

SECOND :-(And I consider this the better way). Ask the subject what you must do to awaken him. Sometimes he will say to let him sleep, one, two, three or more hours, and he will awake. In such a case say to your subject, “All right, at exactly the time specified you will awaken. Remember you must awake,” designating some certain hour if possible, “and then you will awake bright and refreshed.”

Lesson No. 4.

Method No. 4.

“‘You are resting quietly, [pronoun + name].- , and you will make no special effort to attend to anything I say, because effort of any kind will have the effect of rousing you from the dreamy condition of content and drowsiness that is approaching.

You will keep your eyes fixed on mine while I speak, but as your head becomes cool, and the blood leaves the brain, your eyes will have a tendency to close, and drowsiness even a lethargy will follow.

Your thoughts will come slower. You are not anxious about anything. You are simply passing into a state of natural sleep. Your breathing is slower, deeper, quieter. Your heart beats more slowly, the whole system is soothed and rested, and you are becoming oblivious to your surroundings. Your mental condition is one of quiet and rest, and you are inducing sleep in yourself by this process.

Your eyes are becoming heavy, drowsiness is upon you, following as it naturally must upon your quiet state of physical and mental relaxation.

Your eyes are becoming heavy, heavier, drowsy and quiet, don’t resist the influence of approaching sleep, don’t think, don’t reason, don’t argue with yourself, don’t worry about anything. Let me do the work, just be content to rest.

Now you go a little further-a little drowsier. Your arms and legs are heavy. Your eyes are closing, closing, let them close now tightly, tightly closed, now quiet and still, and you are going sound asleep.”

** Lay your fingers tightly on his eyelids for a few moments, repeating:

“Sleep quietly, no nervousness, outside noises will not trouble you, nothing can disturb you, quiet and comfortable.”

** Now make light passes, barely touching his clothes, slowly from his head to his feet, repeating: ” Quiet and comfort- able, going soundly away to sleep,” etc. Keep this up for five minutes, and here I may pause a moment to point out how vitally necessary to success is that condition of mental content which you have taken so much trouble to induce.

He believes, and with the aid of Hypnotism and his faith the cure is made by God, who uses you as his instrument. That is all this Wonderful Power possesses.

Method No. 5.

Raise the subject’s hand, and should it fall immediately as a dead weight it is a good sign, then raise the eyelids and should the eye-ball be observed to be upwards and wandering in its orbit, there can be little doubt of your success. In some cases the eye-ball will be found in its natural position but with the pupil much dilated, no contraction taking place on the approach of a lighted candle. Even at this early stage the subject may bear the prick of a pin on the back of his hand without betraying any symptom of pain. Sometimes the breathing or placing the hand on the forehead will deepen the sleep, but the beginner should, as a rule, avoid concentrating the hypnotic force on the head or region of the heart, and confine himself as much as possible to the passes, long slow passes from the head to the feet.

Lesson No. 5.

Ah it’s just cute that they mention that the telephone may be convenient.

Lesson No. 6.

MESMERISM.-Place your patient in an easy chair. Seat yourself in front of him, with the patient’s knees between your own, and laying hold of both his hands with your thumbs to each other. (See illustration, page 109 of my book). Concentrate your attention upon your patient, and ask him to look steadily at you. Hold his hands till there is an equilibrium of heat established. Then make passes slowly from the forehead to the pit of the stomach, and from the crown of the head down both sides of the neck, and along both arms to the fingers. The eyes of the subject show if you are making progress, as they will begin to follow your hands, and a peculiar tremor of the lids or a long heavy wink is observed. The eyes at last close, but the eyelashes generally continue to quiver, as if from an instinctive attempt to open them. This the patient cannot now do, even though he may still retain his general sensibility. The process being continued at last brings on the mesmeric coma, which being tested you can perform. (Read pages 302 to 304-book.) One of the easiest tests is-if you swallow, the patient does likewise. You pinch your own arm the subject jumps as if it were his arm that had been pinched. Prick your hand the subject feels it. Many operators find this Method of Mesmerism one of the very best when amusement is the object wished to be obtained. To awaken your patient from this influence make rapid reverse passes, bringing your hands from the feet to the head, open your hands every time you bring them near the head, making the same movement as if you were throwing something away. Fanning the face will also awaken him.

The line between mesmerism and hypnosis is indeed blurred. The Scientific World has been unable to come to consensus where the line is drawn.

Lesson No. 7.

There are some instructions here on how to perform magnetic healing. They go on to say “animal magnetism is natural to all, but highly developed to few.”

Lesson No. 8.

If your subject is young, tell her that the stone in the ring is very rare, and that it is known as the ” Sleepy-stone.” Tell her it has never failed to induce slumber, and that the stone is only found in the most remote part of India.

They mention the connection between hypnotic depth and curing bad habits - the hypnosis must be as deep as possible.

Then begin in earnest, saying, “You a bad boy? No! No! You are a bright, manly boy. You are always going to be good now. Sleep on, and dream of being good. You are a good boy. You will never strike your sister again. You will never lie. No! No! You are a good boy. You will play with the other children. You will not fight the other boys-because sunshine is in your heart, and sunshine is in your mind. You are a good, bright, loving boy. You love your mother. You love your mother, and you will always mind her-because-you-love-your -mother. Sleep-my good -my obedient boy-my-good-boy. Sleep-you-always-mind-your mother. You-love-to-obey. My good boy, my bright boy, my happy boy, my good boy.” Rub his forehead gently, and call him ‘your good boy’ over and over till you have it firmly fixed in his mind that he is good. Say, ” You are a good boy. You are a happy boy, and you can never be anything but good. Every one loves you, you are so good. You good boy.

Lesson No. 9.

Aha 😅there is some stuff about clairvoyance and telepathy in here. I’m not even ballsy enough to pull that off. The idea to keep your fingers on their wrist, checking their pulse, while doing this sounds fun though.

Lesson No. 10.

They describe sommambulism as speaking with someone, having their attention while they are sleeping, not disrupting their actual sleep. What they mention here is very similar to what Dave Elman suggested IIRC.

Lesson No. 11.

So - this process reads a bit like a Dr. Flowers induction. It’s likely Young’s version came after the original from Dr. Flowers, but it’s neat to see it in it’s original era. I yoinked some images from this abstract about the Chicago School of Psychology.

Now for Young’s take on it:

Now I shall count aloud. When I count ‘one,’ close your eyes; when I count ‘two,’ open them; ‘three,’ close them; ‘four,’ open them, and so on. Outside noises will not trouble you; nothing will distract you. You are going to sleep. Ready. ‘One.’ ” Count up to twenty, then go back to one again, and repeat as often as necessary. The art of using this method successfully consists in lengthening the intervals between counts while the eyes are closed. For instance at “fifteen” the eyes are closed, you should then allow about five seconds to elapse before you say “sixteen.” Immediately after saying “sixteen,” say “seventeen” and then wait for about six seconds. The opening of the eyes should be allowed but for an instant. Throughout this treatment you must keep your hand lightly resting upon the patient’s solar plexus. A vulnerable point this, the pit of the stomach. This great nerve centre plays an important part in the misery of neurasthenia.

Lesson No. 12.

Some odd ideas here about hypnotizing away hallucinations in children.

Lesson No. 13.

Notes on “personal magnetism.” Some quotes for a charmed chuckle.

I have influenced others simply by being in the same room and concentrating my mind on them with the determination of making them follow my will. They never knew that I had influenced them and governed their action. In business this is one of the most powerful agencies.

Book Club Notes: https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/iylibo/chess_that_time_a_chessplayer_was_accused_of/

HOW TO PREVENT ANOTHER FROM GAINING AN INFLUENCE OVER YOU, OR HYPNOTIZING YOU. -As soon as you have reason to think some one is trying to hypnotize you for any purpose, place the tips of the fingers of the right hand firmly against the tips of the fingers of the left hand. Hold them this way firmly, and mentally will that you will positively not be influenced. Keep saying, mentally, ” I will not be hypnotized by you.” Keep your mind continually on this idea, and you will find that you will become too positive for any one to thoroughly influence or hypnotize you, although you may be made to feel the effects quite plainly by a good hypnotic demonstrator.

Lesson No. 14.

Notes about "cross-hypnotism," where the focus and control of the subject falls to an unintended person, along with some tips for determining who is in control and what to do.

Lesson No. 15.

For hypnotic anesthesia for removing a tooth , just hypnotize them and tell them they will feel no pain. Easy.

I joke - but sometimes direct suggestion does work this well.

Lesson No. 16.

Pfft. Consent. rolls eyes

Who needs that?

A PERSON CAN EASILY BE HYPNOTIZED AGAINST HIS WILL, by post-hypnotic suggestion, after having once been controlled. After you get a good control of a subject in private experiments, you can say to him, “At any time in the future I can throw you into the sleep instantly, against your wish, at any time or place.”

Lesson No. 17.

As a last resort, hypnotize someone in their sleep to change their behavior.

Lesson No. 18.

A self hypnosis technique via imagining your breath as a vapor, watching it flow through your nostrils in your mind’s eye. They call this “Transfixion.”

This is reminiscent of Naddi Shuddhi and Anuloma Viloma meditations, should you care to look them up.

There’s also some bits on self-suggestion, sleep, and pain management.

Lesson No 19.

HOW TO HYPNOTIZE A ROOM FULL AT ONE TIME.

Interestingly - they don’t suggest group hypnosis like we’d do nowadays. They give each subject one-on-one Mesmer-like attention until he’s sufficiently satisfied they’re in hypnotic sleep. I’ve included much of the chapter here in case you want to try it.

After explaining to your volunteers that there is absolutely no danger in being hypnotized by one who fully understands the scientific principles of the art, have them take seats. Tell them to place the right hand palm downward over the right knee cap, the left likewise over the left knee cap. Command them to assume as easy a position as possible, allowing every muscle in the body to relax. Slightly incline their heads backward. Command them to close their eyes and look at an imaginary spot exactly in the centre of their foreheads, with both eyes, keeping them closed continually. Just at this time let the operator pass around and touch each person directly on the centre of the forehead with the end of the forefinger of his right hand, making a slight pressure on the spot touched. Let this be done immediately after the eyes are closed. Command them to hold their eyes absolutely in this position, and not let the eyeballs fall to their normal position. Tell them that it will only be a few seconds until they will feel drowsy and sleepy, and the desire for sleep will take possession of their whole bodies. Absolute quiet and ease of position must be maintained. After allowing them to sit in this position one or two minutes, test them, to secure the sensitive ones for experimenting on. Place your left hand on their right palm downwards, and with your right make a few passes from the centre of the forehead down over the eyes, telling them to remain perfectly passive. After making the passes for a minute or more, place your right fingers lightly on top of the head with the fingers slightly parted, press with the ball of your thumb about one inch above the subject’s eyes, exactly between them, or in other words on the organ of “*Individuality,” allowing your left hand in the meantime to rest on the right hand of subject. Tell him that his eyes are now closed fast, and that it will be impossible for him to open them. If he should succeed in opening them, try him once more, the same as before. If he is still refractory, leave him and go on to the next subject, and go through the same process with each. Should his eyes stick and he is unable to open them, snap your fingers near his left ear, and say, ” Now you can open them.” As soon as he does, command him to ” sleep, sleep.” Do this two or three times. Now leave him and proceed to do the same with each of your subjects. No matter how hard a subject is to influence, if you persist and he does not resist you will succeed at last. It may take you as much as ten or twenty minutes with new subjects, but after you get them once you will have no more trouble. The first thing to do is to hold the eyes shut, and you need not try any other experiments until you succeed in this.

Lesson No 20.

A provided list of ideas for hypnosis for entertainment, likely for the aforementioned group setting. I’ve collected some of my favorites, safe or not.

(There’s some uh - content in the original here that didn’t age well. If you read number 17 on your own, you’ll know what I’m talking about.)

• First, suggest imagery of a garden, then suggest they run into a swarm of bees. 😅

No. 12. Pour a few drops of ammonia on a handkerchief and pass it to a subject with the remark, “this is really a fine and pleasant cologne.” The subject will smile and agree with you. While a drop of water passed as ammonia will make the subject sneeze, and tears will start fromhis eyes.

No. 24. Invite all the Hypnotized subjects to take an imaginary balloon ride. Show them various places of interest. Take them to England. Tell them they see London, etc. Then have them visit Paris. Tell them that they can see the prettiest girls in Paris, and have them flirt with them. Tell them that the girls are making faces at them, and that they must make the ugliest faces they can in turn, and not be outdone.

No. 34. ow draw a chalk line across the stage. Place some of the subjects on each side of it, and tell them that they cannot cross it. They will try, but fail.

No 44. Give him a glass with a few drops of water in it; tell him that it is a pint of peanuts, and he will calmly pour them into his pocket.

Lesson No 21.

Various notes on…

• Mind reading
• A post hypnotic-suggestion to sleep
• Hypnotic Treatments of the mind

Lesson No. 22.

Notes on…

• Putting someone into hypnosis for six days. (Unfortunately, non-descript and unlikely. Sorry everyone.)
• How to hypnotize animals (by pinning them down into submission.) I’ve got some subby friends that’d enjoy this but I wouldn’t call it hypnosis.
• A suggestion that someone will be hypnotized when they see a specific playing card.

Lesson No. 23.

• A pep talk and encouragement to learn more about hypnosis. (Fuck me dude - I need a break.)
• Remarks on surgery and controlling people more over time.

Lesson No. 24.

Ways to make cash from hypnotism in 1899.

• Charge $1.00 for each person in a ten person class. Never go over ten people.
• Charge $25.00 for an evening’s worth of entertainment. (If your prices for sessions seem near this… perhaps consider raising your prices if you can - inflation surely has occurred since 1899. I’m looking at a few of you.)
  • (Book club note - $25 in 1899 is worth $948.18 today)
• Travel around the world giving lessons.
• Offer to cure bad habits with hypnotism.
• Offer healing - many will call you Blessed.

Lesson No. 25.

Some overall tips for hypnosis. I think about 20% of it is passable. Maybe read this for flavor.

I guess I’m fucked here:

To gain and keep a strong influence over others you must not tell how you do it, as by doing so you lessen the power you may have gained.

And perhaps… the best advice in the book. Simply:

Remember that the best of operators have difficulty very often when trying to hypnotize a person who has never been under the influence before. Do not be discouraged if your first attempt fails. After your first success you will see just how easy it is, and will wonder at the ease and simplicity of inducing the sleep.

…

The more you practice the more confidence you will have in yourself and the more other people will have in you.