Since the completion of the original experiment, the author has given hundreds •f lectures and demonslrations of hypnosis throughout the United States in Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela, as well as conducting a private practice in psychiatry emphasizing psychotherapy and the use of hypnosis. Repeatedly in first-time meetings, the author has seen somnambulistic trances in volunteer ubjects and patients wherein hypnotized people have perceived (heir reality surroundings in a manner entirely foreign to actualities but most real to them selves. He has had volunteer subjects demonstrate hypnosis to a medical audi entt and have (hem develop visual and auditory hallucinations, and then ha: discovered (hat members of the audience, never before experiencing hypnosis have gone into a trance, taking issue with the subject on the speaker's platform concerning the identity of (he volunteer subject's hallucinations because they, too, had developed somnambulistic trance states and also hallucinations but quite differently than had the actual subject. Additionally there were volunteered explanations by them to the effect thai (hey had in some manner left the reality world in which they could be identified as members of the audience and had entered another world of reality belong only to their own personal life expen enct A most striking and thought-provoking unpublished example is that of
somnambulistic subject used in the teaching of medical group in Phoenix Arizona, some years ago. She was in full rapport with the eniire group so that she could answer questions put to her by any member of the group. At one point the author elaborated on the nature of suggestions most likely to produce hyp- noanaesihesia. At the conclusion of his discussion he called the subject by name, and she replied, "Oh, excuse me. I've jusl come back from a swim in the lake at the camp in Maine where I used to go when I was a little girl. It was so
Further Experiments ft delightful—the water was just right and it felt so good, [stretching her arms and legs]. The lack of humidity here in Phoenix certainly has dried my hair fast [feeling it]. What do you want to ask me about?" The author immediately raised questions about other events of the session to prevent the group from intruding upon this remarkable statement. Shortly thereafter she was asked to listen, still in the trance state, to the tape recording of the more recent part of the evening's discussion. At the conclusion of her spontaneous remarks about taking a swim in Maine that tape recorder was stopped and a second tape recorder was started unobtrusively. Without being questioned, but apparently stimulated by the turn- ing off of that first tape recorder, she stated very simply, "I believe that the last time I went to that camp I was only 15. Sometimes the water was rough and cold, and of course we were never allowed to swim at night nor to go alone. But tonight's swim was just perfect in every way." She was asked how far she swam. She answered "Oh, I even swam way out beyond the raft. Then I came back and sat on the log there on the shore, looking at the reflection of the moon in the water." She was asked what bathing suit she wore. Her reply was given most thoughtfully, "I don't remember, but I'm sure I was wearing one because I have never gone swimming in the nude even though I have wanted t o . "
The conversation was immediately changed by the author to other matters to prevent the other members of the group from intruding upon this entire item of the subjective experience of (hat hypnotic subject.
Later she was awakened with a spontaneous amnesia—that is, an amnesia in no way known to be suggested by the author or others of the group. She was thanked for her help, whereupon she laughed, stating that if she had been of help, she certainly knew nothing about what she had done. She was asked if she recalled having developed anaesthesia or catalepsy. Her reply was that if she had done so. she was now manifesting an amnesia, since she could remember nothing, "Not even the passage of time, since I was so surprised when I looked at the clock."
She was asked if she would like to listen to a part of the tape recording for that evening. She stated that she would, and the first tape recorder was started at a point about 15 minutes previous to her statement about swimming. At the same time the second tape recorder was started.
She listened attentively, interjected various pertinent comments expressive of astonishment, interest, and bewilderment. However, upon hearing her statement about swimming in Maine, she laughed with much amusement, declaring, "That's so completely ridiculous that it just doesn't make sense. How could anybody possibly say something like that, even in a trance. The whole thing just isn't real, and yet 1 know that's my own voice speaking. I just can't understand such a thing because I never try to fool myself or anybody else. I just don't under- stand. It's too complex for me, and it would give me a headache to try to make sense out of it."
At this point the first tape recorder was turned off and the second one was adjusted for a replay. This did not astonish her, since she knew that even four
78 Nature of Hypnosis & Suggestion or five lapc recorders had been employed variously ai previous teaching situa- She was, however, greatly astonished to hear her voice elaborating still further upon that swimming experience, followed by the additional recording of further discussion of hypnosis. Then there followed the instructions for her to awaken, the general conversation, and then the playback of the first recorder. She was decidedly startled as she listened to her waking state comments on her first comments on her swimming. She listend most attentively, and at the conclusion of ihe recording she declared,
I know as an absolute fact that 1 didn't go swimming in the lake in Maine. That is true, it has to be true. But when I hear my voice telling about it now, I know inside me that I really did go swimming. The first time when I listened to that other tape recorder, I was just listening to the words and ideas, but when I started listening to the second tape recorder, I heard what I said and I felt my feelings at the same time Now, to me. in my own feelings, I did not go swimming and I did too go swin ig. I knw those two thoughts are contradictory when I try to compare them. But when I look at just one set of ideas, 1 know it is true. Then when I look at the other set, I know equally well that it is true. It's like being in two different worlds of understanding and feeling. But I just want to leave them that way. I don't have any dc< re or even wish to fit them together. I 'm just willing to be in Phoenix and willing to talk to you about being a camp in Maine. But if you put me in a deep trance, 1 know that I can be anywhere I want to be and the real place where 1 am won't interfere at all. The way I mean all of that is that I could go swimming in Maine with complete enjoyment and at the same time I could stay in Phoenix and be able to answer all your questions or do anything that you wished without its interfering with the whole experience of swimming. It's like something I often do. I sleep soundly and restfully all night, but I can wake up still tasting that trout I caught in my dream and so happily dressed and cooked and ate with pleasure. But I'm hungry for breakfast in spite of all the trout I dreamed 1 ate and still taste.
This is hut one of many comparable accounts the author has been given spontaneously by simply creating a favorable situation for such communication. The very first such communication was received when the author was an un- dergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin. At that time he asked one of his experimental subjects, ' 'Considering all the time you give me for hypnotic experimentation and the time you spend on the football field, how do you manage to keep up your grades?" The astounding reply given was, "That's easy. When I'm out practicing on the football field doing the things that I could be doing there, I just menially lean back comfortably in my chair and review
he only ti nd carryii pie ted ruii.'
; I ha the b; ve ail to i . Bu set out t I retii of that n im to the lent cha Further Experiments , 79 everything I have already read. The c
chair is when I'm making a if I'm stopped or if I make a
Thirty years later a chance encounter with this former student, then a full professor of history, led to reminiscences of their former relationships as fellow students. During this he was asked about "leaning back mentally in a comfort- able chair" while engaged in football games. He replied that he had continued that same practice but in a different way- For example, while delivering a lecture, he might "lean back in a chair in the den at home" and review previous lectures to determine the appropriate questions for the next test or final exami- nation that he would give. He stated that this practice made his teaching much more interesting, more efficient, and much less laborious. He also utilized the practice in other activities but had very early learned that this was an item of experience he could discuss with very few people because of the general ten- dency of people to look upon such statements with misunderstanding and dis- favor. However, he had encountered a few psychologists, some psychiatrists, and several well-established writers who were genuinely interested in this type of phenomenon as something of scientific interest and even as something of possible value to themselves. He also declared that in his study of history the course of historical events seemed often to have been a result of an unconscious appraisal of past events, a singling out of certain generally unrecognized, seem- ingly insignificant items of past occurrence, and a devising of a course of action by the leader who achieved the goal reached.