"There is no doubt about the great strength of post-hypnotic suggestion and its capacity to produce action. An illustration may serve to make this clear. The subject of the experiment was a well-known psychologist, deeply interested in the phenomena of hypnosis, and himself an experimentalist of considerable standing in this field. His personality was very stable and strong, with no traces of neurotic weakness. He expressed a desire to experience the phenomena of hypnosis at first hand, and was accordingly hypnotized, falling into a reasonably deep trance. In the trance it was suggested to him that upon a prearranged signal he would get up from his chair, walk across the room, and sit down in another chair. He was awakened from the hypnosis, and after half-an-hour or so the prearranged signal was given. He became a little agitated, began to look across the room at the other chair, and finally said, ‘I feel a strong tendency to go across the room and sit on that chair. I am sure you have given me a post-hypnotic suggestion to this effect. Well, I’m damned if I’ll do it!’
"He continued taking part in the conversation, but became more and more distracted and monosyllabic, until finally he jumped out of his chair, crossed over, sat down in the designated chair, and exclaimed, ‘I couldn’t stand it any longer!’
"What apparently happens is that the post-hypnotic suggestion sets up an encapsulated action tendency in the mind which is relatively independent of voluntary control, and powerfully demands action before it can be reintegrated with the remainder of the subject’s mind. In this it very much resembles in miniature the kind of complex so often found in neurotic and otherwise emotionally unstable patients. The cause of this action tendency is unknown to the subject, and even where it is guessed, as in the case of the psychologist just mentioned, this knowledge does not seem capable of counteracting the determining influence of this small ‘complex’. When it is remembered that in the particular case just mentioned this single suggestion triumphed over the strength and will-power of a well-integrated, strong-willed, competent person, who, in fact, had guessed what was happening, it will be realized that hypnosis and hypnotic suggestions are no playthings, but carry with them an almost frightening degree of strength and importance."
Sense and Nonsense in Psychology
H. J. Eysenck
1957
1 comment:
I haven’t been researching hypnosis, but here's how I came upon this quote. Yesterday, I had an hour to kill, and, while eating lunch in a restaurant lined with blue and green light bulbs, was told twice to go into the library. Much as I enjoy libraries, I’d been to this one before and wanted to see something new. So I took pictures around the campus for half an hour instead. Then, since I had been told twice by someone I respect, I did go to the library, which is indeed a lovely space.
Approaching the exit, there on a cart was a pile of old books, like a platter of hors d’oeuvres. ‘For Sale- 50 cents each.’ Two on top prevented access to the others, so I lifted up the first, a stained paperback. Seeing the word ‘Nonsense’ prompted me to open it, and the word ‘hypnosis’ got me to splurge. I bought the other book too, without even looking inside: Philosophies of India edited by Joseph Campbell.
So I spent a dollar, and had ten minutes left. I sat in the foyer and pulled out the first book. It opened to page 42-43 and there was the quote in this post. That’s all I’ve read so far.
It's like an answer to a big question was placed like a fat ripe berry on my path.
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