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Vasiliev, Professor L L - Experiments in mental suggestion – On early experiments by French doctors in hypnotising and awakening at a distance – case study by Dr Dusard
Identifier
024882
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Experiments in mental suggestion – Professor L L Vasiliev
Appendix D - On early experiments by French doctors in hypnotising and awakening at a distance
So far as I know, the first experiments were carried out as long ago as 1869 by the French doctor Dusard. He frequently put to sleep and awakened a patient of his, a young woman somnambulist, at times when she did not expect it. Mental suggestion was effected at various times and always gave the desired results. A description of some of Dusard's experiments can be found in Dr. Ochorovicz’s well known book. Here is one of these, described by Dusard himself:-
"From January 1st I stopped all calls on my patient G. and severed all connections with her family. I had no news of my patient. However, one day, on January 12th, when I was calling on other patients at the other end of the town, at a distance of about 10 km from the patient in question, the thought occurred to me: I wonder whether, in spite of the distance, in spite of the fact that I have severed all communication and that a third person is now involved (the patient’s father was now magnetising his daughter instead of myself), I could compel the patient to obey me as heretofore? I mentally forbade the patient to respond to the influence of her father in sending her to sleep; but within half an hour I realised that, just supposing my order was complied with, I should be harming the sick girl.
So I decided to countermand the order and thought no more about it. How great was my surprise when a messenger came to my house next day with a letter from G’s father. In the letter he wrote that on the previous day, the 12th of the month at 10 a.m., he only managed to send his daughter to sleep after a long and painful struggle. 'When the patient was finally asleep she had said that she resented the order and that she only fell asleep if I allowed it."
This experiment is unlike the others: there is here no sending to sleep or waking up, but a mental suggestion that it will be impossible to go to sleep- a suggestion of insomnia.