Somnambulistic News Blog

Somnolence, it is true, may be all that is required in some cases, just as deep hypnosis may be needed in others. But in most instances, the advantages proffered by a closer contact with the autonomic nervous system are so great that a light trance is preferable whenever it can be produced. For it combines an adequate control of the subject's bodily functions with his willingness and cooperation. I have come also to the conclusion that the prevailing tendency among hypnotists to stress muscular and sensory inhibitions-not to move this limb or that, not to see this object, not to hear that sound, not to feel any pain-serves largely to conceal from scientific attention the vast field of positive suggestion. It consists in stimulating, rather than in inhibiting, various bodily and mental functions, as well as in removing undesirable inhibitions. Positive suggestion cannot always rely on mechanical obedience of the subject, which is usually connected with somnambulism. It often calls for an intense activity of the mind, in recalling forgotten experiences, in imagining new sensations, in reasoning out problems, and in establishing fresh forms of emotional conditioning. These purposes are promoted by the clearness of the subject's mind. He manifests a better response in a light trance.