One person may be considerably affected and rendered incapable by a small amount of alcohol or drugs, while another may show few signs after taking a large quantity. Comparatively few people have exactly the same degree of intelligence and imagination; and, as hypnosis depends upon these to a large extent, it is natural to expect considerable variation in the way in which subjects react.

For many years hypnotists have endeavored to classify the different stages of trance, but so far there is no one scheme which is 100 per cent satisfactory. Indeed, many people believe there never will be, as it is rather like trying to classify the whole human race with its infinite variety of intelligence and imagination.

With regard to hypnosis, each patient is a law unto himself; so that there is a striking variation in the response of subjects to exactly similar suggestion and procedure in apparently the same stage. Hence, even after a light stage, one patient may follow out post-hypnotic suggestions while another will not. Similarly, in the very deepest state a patient may often refuse to carry out a suggestion which another patient in a similar degree of hypnosis would carry out without question. 

THE STAGES OF HYPNOTISM
For practical purposes certain stages of hypnosis are described, but they must not be regarded as hard and fast divisions. It is often extremely difficult, if not impossible, to say just exactly where one stage begins and another ends. Anyone with considerable practical experience of hypnosis realizes that the arbitrary divisions set up by the old masters are completely artificial and at the best no more than a rough guide to enable one to judge the depth of trance.

Certain phenomena generally accompany the various stages and may, in fact, appear in the majority of cases; but they must not be regarded as essential. Certainly the phenomena which are attributed to each stage need not all be present.

One of the main difficulties in attempting a classification is to decide exactly where hypnosis begins. Bernheim considered that hypnosis and suggestion was one and the same thing. Certainly many of the phenomena which can be obtained during the hypnotic trance can be obtained in the waking state by suggestion. For instance, as we have seen when considering the various susceptibility tests, the subjects may be unable to unclasp their hands or open their eyes when challenged to do so, although they are wide awake in every other sense.

Is this hypnosis? Certainly stage hypnotists claim it is, and make great use of such tests as the ‘hand-locking’ experiment to demonstrate their ‘amazing feats of mass hypnotism’. At every performance many people are found who have to beg the hypnotist to undo their hands as, to their amazement, they find they are quite unable to do so themselves. Among them will usually be found a few hard-headed sceptics who a moment before had been laughing and boasting of their inability to be caught by any hypnotist.

What has happened to these people who, although able to use their reason in every other way, are quite unable to take their hands apart simply because the hypnotist has told them they cannot? Obviously, their condition is not the same as that resulting from simple suggestion.

Such people if approached in the ordinary way of life and told they could not undo their hands, would probably stare in amazement and say, ‘Don’t be silly - of course I can!’ and would promptly demonstrate their ability to do this with the greatest of pleasure.

How, then, is it that they can be caught by the stage or medical hypnotist, given the right circumstances? Something has happened to sensitize the brain and make them more suggestible.

The prestige of the hypnotist and the expectancy, often unsuspected, of magical power rouses the emotions and, as we have seen before, when emotion enters the picture reason is relegated to the background. The emotional atmosphere runs high in the theatre as every actor or actress knows, and is always present, although usually to a lesser degree in the consulting-room.

In this condition the brain is sensitized by emotion, and suggestions have the force of commands. The normal inhibiting influence which can be applied as the result of reason to ordinary suggestions in the waking state has been removed. It would seem reasonable to describe such a condition as hypnotic; and if this is accepted, then it enables us to define hypnosis as that condition of the mind where suggestions must be carried out which it would normally be possible to reject by the application of reason, the inhibiting power of reason being removed by emotion which sensitizes the brain and increases the suggestibility.

Naturally, people vary in their emotional make-up and, in those whose emotions are not aroused sufficiently to sensitize the brain, the inhibiting influence will remain, thus enabling them to resist the suggestion.

Looked at in this light, we may regard a positive response to suggestibility tests as a definite early form of hypnosis. There remains the difficulty of explaining why many subjects who do not respond to suggestibility tests can nevertheless be hypnotized. In cases like this the explanation would seem to be that the hypnotic technique employed acted as a suggestibility test to which the patient responded.

After all, people vary a great deal and respond differently to different methods and tests. Some, for instance, may be unable to unlock their hands, but could quite easily open their eyes. Others may be unable to open their eyes, but would have no difficulty in freeing their hands. A domineering technique suits some patients, while others like to be coaxed, and a few like to think they are doing everything themselves.

Suggestibility tests are, as a rule, considered as distinct from stages in hypnotism; but, however we may feel about that, there are certain well-recognized stages of trance which are usually described as being characterized by definite phenomena. While such phenomena are often present, it must be remembered that this is not necessarily so, and that there is an infinite variety of behaviour with different patients some patients pass quickly through the early stages and reach a deep stage very easily. Others may be unable to get beyond the hypnoidal, light or medium state at the first attempt. Usually, the depth of trance can be increased with each succeeding session until it reaches the maximum for that particular patient. This may take anything up to a dozen sessions. A few subjects are unable ever to get past the light or medium stage, no matter how much they try.

 

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