Complete Hypnotism, Mesmerism, Mind-Reading and Spiritualism: How to Hypnotize: Being an Exhaustive and Practical System of Method, Application, and Use

In Short

A comprehensive 1903 manual detailing the mechanics, methods, and phenomena of hypnotic states, mind-reading, and spiritualism. Beginning with historical figures like Mesmer and Charcot, the treatise systemizes physical and mental techniques used to induce trances, perform medical anesthesia, and execute stage tricks. It scrutinizes the psychological vulnerabilities of subjects, debunks widespread laboratory frauds, and examines animal magnetism, telepathy, and mediumship through early physical and neurological theories. Ultimately, it frames hypnotism as a potent, legitimate scientific tool that demands careful medical handling rather than sensational public exploitation.

The Story

The text opens with a historical sweep of artificial somnambulism, tracing its descent from Anton Mesmer’s controversial theory of "animal magnetism" to Puysegur’s calm, therapeutic trances, Abbe Faria’s introduction of mental suggestion, and Charcot’s rigorous clinical classifications in Paris. It establishes that hypnotic phenomena are rooted in human neurology and subjective suggestion rather than mysterious fluids, using physical analogies of wave vibrations, sound, and light to explain how an operator gains influence by finding the unique "key-note" of a subject's nature.

From historical foundations, the narrative transitions to explicit, step-by-step instructions for inducing hypnosis. It contrasts various historical and modern techniques: Dr. Cocke’s verbal suggestion methods, stage-style fixation on bright objects or revolving disks, the silent methods of Hindoo practitioners, and physical sensory pressure or magnetized objects. The narrative exposes stage performers who rely on hired, pre-trained subjects to perform dramatic tricks—such as forcing a participant to act out managing a circus side-show or extinguishing imaginary fires—revealing how these public spectacles cultivate deceptive imitators.

The physical and psychological mechanics of trance are then dissected across distinct stages: lethargy, catalepsy, somnambulism, and fascination. Catalepsy is presented as a state where posture governs physical emotion, allowing operators to manipulate a subject's facial expressions and actions simply through physical positioning or mirror-like mimicry. Through firsthand accounts of blind experimenters and medical patients, the book reveals the internal conflict of the hypnotized mind—a state where subjects consciously experience dual, opposing desires, fully aware of their physical sensations yet utterly powerless to disobey external commands.

Expanding to broader applications, the text explores self-hypnotism, linking it to historical mass phenomena like the Children's Crusade and religious revivals, before addressing the medical utility of trance state. It illustrates how hypnotic suggestion can achieve surgical anesthesia, manage nervous muscle contractions, and correct psychological habits. A significant portion of the argument dismantle false claims of criminal hypnosis and stage fraud, systematically exposing how famous hospital demonstrations were duped by cunning professional subjects who faked physical reactions to corked vials and magnets.

Finally, the narrative moves beyond standard hypnotism into fringe psychological phenomena, including snake charming in animals, telepathy, clairvoyance, and spiritualist séances. By evaluating famous mediums like Mrs. Piper through the lens of psychological research, the text concludes that spiritualist manifestations are not communications from the dead, but rather self-induced hypnotic trances combined with high-level telepathic mind-reading of the living.

How It Unfolds

The foundations are laid The account begins by charting the evolution of hypnotic science from Mesmer’s disproven magnetic fluid to modern suggestion theories. It emphasizes that contemporary psychological study rests entirely on the painstaking, flawed pioneering efforts of early magnetizers.

Methods of the operators Detailed procedures illustrate how operators induce trances using fixated gaze, physical passes, soft music, or verbal commands. The text warns against public stage shows, revealing that successful stage hypnotists depend on hired, fully trained subjects who feign or exaggerate reactions for money.

Traversed through the stages The narrative categorizes the depth of the hypnotic state into lethargy, catalepsy, somnambulism, and fascination. It details how physical gestures command emotions in cataleptic subjects, turning them into literal mirrors of the operator’s physical movements.

The inner experience and self-induction Firsthand testimony reveals the terrifying internal duality experienced during hypnosis, where a subject remains aware yet unable to exercise physical volition. This mechanism of deep mental concentration is shown to explain historical mass hysterias and poetic visions.

Debunking frauds and establishing safety The text rigorously disproves claims that hypnosis can compel moral people to commit real crimes or grant magical powers. It cites experiments exposing how famous Parisian hospital doctors were routinely tricked by fraudulent subjects manipulating laboratory conditions.

Medical applications and physical control A investigation into clinical usage demonstrates how hypnosis can provide painless surgical anesthesia and restore paralyzed muscles. The section proves that controlling brain blood flow allows physicians to alleviate severe nervous afflictions without drugs.

Telepathy and spiritualist mediums The final movement examines boundary phenomena like animal charming, thought transference, and spiritualism. It argues that séance mediums operate in self-induced hypnotic trances, drawing their "supernormal" knowledge directly from the subjective minds of living sitters via telepathy.

The People

• Franz Anton Mesmer: The early founder whose theory of "animal magnetism" and invisible magnetic fluids was largely discredited by scientific commissions, yet whose persistent trials laid the vital groundwork for modern hypnotism.
• Marquis de Puysegur: Mesmer's successor who replaced violent hysterical fits with calm, restorative sleep, famously magnetizing a tree at Buzancy to treat hundreds of outdoor patients simultaneously.
• Dr. James R. Cocke: A blind American physician and scientific experimenter whose precise, step-by-step mental methods and personal trance experiences provide vivid evidence of the terrifying internal duality felt under hypnosis.
• Dr. Luys: The head of the Charity Hospital school in Paris who claimed subjects could experience drunkenness or illness from corked phials placed on their neck, but whose famous experiments were utterly exposed as frauds engineered by professional subjects.
• Dr. Ernest Hart: The investigative researcher who conducted controlled counter-experiments in Paris, proving beyond doubt that famous hypnotic demonstrations were merely calculated deceptions played on gullible doctors.
• Mrs. Piper: A world-famous medium investigated by the Psychical Research Society, whose entranced spiritualist messages are explained not as discarnate spirits, but as automatic self-hypnosis paired with telepathic reading of her sitters' memories.

In Its Own Voice

"If it had not been for Mesmer and his 'Animal Magnetism', we would never have had 'hypnotism' and all our learned societies for the study of it."

Reflecting on the history of mesmerism, the text acknowledges that modern psychological breakthroughs rely directly on early, discredited pioneers.

"The motor apparatus of my lids would not seemingly respond to my will, yet I was conscious that while one part of my mind wanted to open my eyes, another part did not want to, so I was in a paradoxical state."

Dr. Cocke captures the uncanny internal conflict experienced by a subject fully conscious under an operator's hypnotic command.

"An entranced psychic is dominated exclusively by her subjective mind, and reason is in abeyance."

Explaining the mechanics of spiritualism, the book argues that mediumistic communications are natural psychological phenomena rather than supernatural occurrences.

What It's Really About

Beneath its procedural guides and historical accounts, the book is an inquiry into the nature of human volition, suggestibility, and the physical seat of consciousness. It argues that the human mind is inherently dual, possessing an easily dominated subjective consciousness that can override objective reason under the right conditions. By stripping away supernatural claims—from magnetic fluids to ghostly spirits—the text asserts that human belief and physical brain circulation govern all trance phenomena. It warns against the unchecked power of suggestion in public spectacles, framing mental control as a serious medical force. Ultimately, it seeks to demystify complex psychological phenomena, championing scientific skepticism and rational investigation over blind credulity or theatrical sensationalism.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a fascinating window into turn-of-the-century psychology, capturing the exact era when neurology and psychical research were attempting to untangle human consciousness. Readers interested in the history of science, hypnosis, or early parapsychology will appreciate its practical clarity and direct, unpretentious tone. It reads like a hands-on laboratory handbook mixed with investigative journalism, peppered with absurd stage anecdotes—such as subjects barking like dogs or preaching to imaginary circus crowds—alongside rigorous medical case studies.

Modern readers must navigate outdated scientific theories, such as the period's reliance on ether or mechanical brain-blushing, as well as archaic references to hypnotizing animals and historical crusades. However, its balanced skepticism remains remarkably refreshing. The author refuses to embrace sensationalism, taking equal delight in explaining real surgical anesthesia and ruthlessly exposing stage fakes and deceptive hospital subjects. It serves as a compelling reminder of how easily human minds are swayed—and how necessary critical thinking remains when exploring the unknown.