Dr. Logan’s Lessons
Introduction
‘HYPNOTISM’, was given its name by the Ancient Greeks. “HYPNOS” means sleep in Greek. Hypnotists have practised since the earliest of times. Hypnotism is also known as “MESMERISM”, a word that comes from the name of a doctor called Franz Mesmer. He was born in 1734 and died in 1815, and his chief pursuit in life was the art of hypnotism. When a person is under the powers of a hypnotist, they are in a TRANCE. People go into trances all the time without realizing it. When you put your pen down, for instance, and one minute later can’t remember where you put it, you can’t remember because you were in a small trance. ‘Daydreaming is another form of entering a trance. People daydreaming are in a world of their own and when they come out of their daydream trance, they often don’t know what people around them have been saying or doing. In trances, people’s thoughts float away from the noisy world into quieter places of the mind.
Our minds like to relax in this way, as a rest from thinking. Trances are very normal things.
Practice on Yourself
A hypnotist’s voice must be gentle, calm, lulling. Like a mother’s hand rocking a baby to sleep, so the hypnotist’s voice must lull the subject into a trance.
Here are some exercises which must be said slowly and steadily. Practice them.
‘I HAVE A WON-DER-FUL CALM VOICE. I AM CALM AND PER-SUAS-IVE. MY VOICE IS VER-Y…’
Hypnotising Animals
Now you have mastered the art of entering a trance, you may be ready to hypnotize an animal. Hypnotising animals is a difficult art – more difficult than hypnotising human beings. But if you achieve what I call the “Fusion Feeling” when you are hypnotising animals, you will recognise the “Fusion Feeling” later when you are hypnotising people, and that will be very useful to you. If you don’t get the “Fusion Feeling”, animals and people are not properly hypnotised.
- Go into a trance yourself.
- In your trance, think of the animal (dog, cat, lion) that you are going to hypnotize. Think about the essence of that animal. Try to become that animal.
- Finding the essence of your animal may take you weeks, but do not give up. Find the “voice” that fits your animal.
- Face your animal, slowly approaching it if necessary. Think of the animal’s “voice” and now perform it slowly and calmly. Repeat the animal’s voice, in a lulling way, until the animal becomes rocked into a trance. A pendulum may be used. (All students of hypnotism should aquire a pendulum and study Chapter Four.) Once the animal is in a trance, you will know it from the “Fusion Feeling”.
How to Hypnotise a Crowd
It’s All in the Eyes.
To hypnotise a large crowd, you must learn to hypnotise using only the eyes. This is very tiring for the eyes. Practise these exercises.
The Looking Glass Exercise.
Stand in front of a looking glass and stare straight into your own eyes. Try not to blink. Soon your face will change shape. Do not be alarmed. Your eyes will feel as if they are glowing.
This glowing feeling is the feeling you must have to hypnotise people with your eyes only. And this is the trick you need to hypnotise a crowd.
Hypnotising Yourself.
Imagine forms of yourself that you would like to be, suggested the book. For instance, if you would like to be kinder, or bolder, imagine yourself as being kinder or bolder, and in the looking glass, you will see an alternative you.