Observations placeholder

Described in Experiments in mental suggestion – Professor L L Vasiliev

Experiment 22. 4/1934. Subject: Fedorova. Sender: Tomashevsky. Observer: Dubrovsky. The subject came to the laboratory at 8:30 P.M. and lay down on the bed in the Faraday chamber at 8:55. The observer was in the chamber with the subject and carried on a conversation with her; the door of the chamber was open.

At 9:12 o'clock the sender, who was in the same room but outside the subject's range of view, began mentally to suggest to her that she should go to sleep. At 9 hrs. 12 mins. 30 sec., after as little as 30 seconds, the subject went into hypnosis and remained in that state for two hours, conversing with the observer. At 11:30 the sender entered the "perfect" screening chamber which was in the same room and began mental suggestion of awakening. At the same time the observer recorded the following verbal statements of the subject:

"Joseph Franzevich [Tomashevsky-L. L. V.] says 'wake up'-but meanwhile wind up the ball. I want to rest-sit up, sit up-oh, how he shouts!-what a voice-don’t worry, I will soon get up-you will strain yourself!-a pity, your throat-that’s enough, do you hear?-tar, tar,-worse than a bitter turnip- put down the receiver - the ball is wound up-that's enough, I am getting up!"

While pronouncing these last words, at 11:41, the subject woke up.

At 11:44 the sender starts again to suggest to her to go to sleep. The subject says:

"Joseph Franzevich slowly unwinds the thread, orders to go to sleep-enough-hang up the receiver."

After a minute at 11:45:hypnosis. At 11:50 the sender starts mentally to wake her up again, all the while remaining in the "perfect" screening chamber. The subject instantly announces:

 "What's that!- I am fed up with him-he won't let me rest in peace-Joseph Franzevich has an interesting face-sits there with his eyes closed and says-too loud-care-fully-wind up the ball."

At the last words at 1I:54 the subject wakes up.