Speaker 1: Impressionability. In the last chapter I laid before you an
exposition of the principles of the operation of mental fascination,
particularly in its phases of mesmerism. The student who has
followed what I have said therein has seen that there
must of necessity be a marked difference in the degree
of impressionability or receptivity to mental induction, manifested by the
operator in subject, respectively, in order that the pronounced phenomena
may be manifested. But this difference of degree of impressionability
is manifested by all men and women. Between the one
extreme point and the scale of impressionability to the other extreme,
there are many degrees, and each person has his or
her own degree, subject of course to change by development
magnetic positivity. I would like to quote from my work
on mental magic illustrating this last mentioned point I have
said therein. I do not mean that the degree of
magnetic positivity is fixed permanently in either person. For the
contrary is the case. One of the persons who is
really the stronger usually may be weaker or at that
particular moment, owing to his will being fatigued, or by
reason of his having relaxed his will power as often
is the case, and in such case, the defeated one
may be the victor at the last encounter, or may
even rally his energies a moment later and thus turn
the tables. One may have a strong will in moments
of activity, and yet in moments of passivity he may
relax it very much. And this is a still more
important fact. One may so increase his will power that
he will be able to completely dominate those who formerly
overmastered and then overawed him. All of us know of
instances of this kind in our own personal experience. The
two extremes. At the extreme point of mental positivity are
the wonderfully strong willed men who are natural leaders and managers.
At the extreme of negative menative point are those people
who are moved by every passing suggestion or mental current
with which they may come in contact. Those impressionable people
who seem to live in the emotional plane of their
being and who are always open to outside influences and are,
like weathercocks, moved by every passing breeze. These people are
really the reflection of the thoughts, desires, and wills of others,
the last person who catches their attention being the right
one to follow. You all know the type, don't you.
I do not mean by this that only person's naturally
weak willed may be mesmerized. But I do say that
when strong willed people allow themselves to be mesmerized, they
must relax their wills and become passive or negative to
the operator, else there will be no result gained. A
strong willed man may voluntarily relax and become negative in
order to be mesmerized. I have seen this done in
many cases, although I have always urged against it, for
I consider it inadvisable for one to surrender his will
in this way, even for the purpose of scientificate investigation.
I am sure that I would not do so myself,
and therefore I cannot approve of the practice on the
part of others. The artistic temperament. Then again, I have
known people of a highly developed artistic temperament, such as actors, poets, artists, writers,
and others, who possessed strong wills, to allow themselves to
become very impressionable by reason of their active imaginations. That
is to say, they would allow themselves to be so
carried away with the idea being impressed that they would
throw themselves into the part of the mesmerized subject and
actually mesmerize themselves, although allowing the operator to take the credit.
This last explanation will throw light on a phase of
phenomena that apparently presents an exception to the rule, but which,
when viewed in the light of the above explanation, may
be seen to come strictly within the rule of positivity
and negativity. A mesmerist's trick. Public performers of mesmerism, when
they meet with an imaginative subject whose will is too
strong to subdue, often begin to bend their efforts toward
arousing the imagination of the person, and thus causing him
to become passive and in a subjective condition of acting
out to the part suggested by the operator. In such
cases there is no conflict of wills whatever, but on
the contrary, the subject wills to act out the part
and becomes the partner of the mesmerist instead of his opponent.
The subject in such cases mesmerizes himself and voluntarily allows
himself to be led by the suggestions of the operator,
so long as the suggestions are not contrary to the
subject's own interests. This actor their instinct is very strong
in some people and this self Mesmerism is far more
common than people imagine. It is seen on the stage
and among speakers and writers mesmeric subjects. Even many of
the best mesmeric subjects who travel around with the professional
mesmerists are of this last mentioned class to a certain degree.
They are able to throw themselves into the parts and
play them well so long as they are not adversely affected. Thereby,
they are far different beings from the weak willed, flabby
creatures that are so often seen following around after the
professional mesmerists. The imaginative professional subject is alive to his
own interests, and, as a somewhat cynical friend of mine,
who had made a close study of the subject, once said,
even the most obedient subject of this class would utterly
fail to act upon the suggestion of his powerful operator,
to effect that the subject consent to a reduction of
his weekly wages paid by the operator, even though the
deep stage of hypnotic sleep be produced. Don't surrender your will,
But I consider that even this imaginative class of subjects
are unwise in allowing themselves to be guided and governed
by the suggestions and commands of any operator. For I
believe that even such a habit is injurious to the will.
The will is a precious thing and should not be
prostituted in this way. I cannot urge this too strongly
upon my students. I say to them, surrender your will
into no one's keeping, Regard it as a woman should
her virtue, and allow no one to take liberties with it.
Who can exert fascination? The average person possessing self confidence
in force can and does exert mental fascination over others
with whom he comes in contact, although it requires a
developed will to become an expert in this line of
mental work. Besides this, there is undoubtedly a certain knack
and technique about the work, which is acquired by practice,
although some seem to have it considerably developed. Naturally, there
are geniuses and fascination as well as an art, and
there are others who have acquired the mastery in both
by careful practice and determination. The requisite for fascination. In
considering the qualities that go to make up the person
in whom mental fascination is likely to be strongly developed,
I may mention the following one physical well being, For
there is a certain strength about a man or woman
in strong robust health that must be taken into consideration.
It is true that some persons not physically well but
unhealthy have exercised strong powers of fascination. But this was
in spite of their lack of physical health and owing
to a strong will which allowed them to master even
this obstacle. But all else being equal, there is a
power about a strong, healthy, vigorous person that makes itself felt. Two.
Belief in one's self, For without this, no one manifests positivity.
Believe in your own power and nobility, and you impress
others with the same belief. Confidence is contagious. Cultivate the
I can and I will. Three Poise, for the calm,
well poised, imperturbable man has an enormous advantage over one
lacking these qualities. The man who meets any emergency without
losing his head has something about him that makes him
looked up to as a natural leader. He has one
of the qualities of positivity. Cultivate the calm, masterful mood.
Four fearlessness, For fear is the most negative emotion in
the being of man. Fearlessnesses this is a most positive quality,
just as fear is the most negative. Cultivate the I do,
I dare five concentration, for this one pointedness focuses the
willpower upon the object. Do one thing at a time,
and do it with all the power there is in you.
Six fixity of purpose, for you must learn to know
what you want to do and then stick to it
until it is done. Cultivate the bulldog quality. It is
needed to those who recognize the need of the above
mentioned qualities, but who lack them, I would recommend the
careful study and determined application of the principles of mental architecture,
as stated in my seventh lesson in my work on
mental Magic, in which the matter is gone into detail
with exercises et cetera. Nonsense exposed. There has been much
nonsense written about who make good subjects et cetera, and
works upon mesmerism, hypnotism, et cetera. And many amusing rules
for the determination of the degree of impressionability have been
given by many writers. Some say that brunettes are the
most impressionable, while others assert that blonds yield more readily
et cetera, et cetera. But the experienced investigator laughs at
such distinctions. Some consider that women make the best subjects,
while others assert that men really are more readily influenced.
My own opinion is that the percentage is about the
same in both sexes. Then again, one must remember that
the degrees of impressionability are relative. For instance, A may
be positive to B, while B may be positive to C,
and so on to the end of the alphabet. And
using the same illustration, M is negative to L, though
positive to N. Do you see this a lie nailed?
Some writers have tried to make people believe that only
strong minded people may be mesmerized, and give as proof
thereof the fact that idiots and insane people are almost
immune from hypnotic and mesmeric influence. This is a favorite
argument of the professional hypnotists, who use it in order
to put at easther subjects or possible subjects who might
not wish to appear as weak minded people. The truth
is that the reason that the above classes are exempt
is because one the idiots have little or no power
of attention and are like mere machines, and consequently cannot
be induced to pay attention long enough to be mesmerized.
But all advanced students of mental influence know that idiots
as well as animals may be influenced by mental vibrations
or mental waves, et cetera, by treatments. Two Insane people
are usually carried away with a fixed idea or delusion,
and are in fact practically in a state akin to
that produced by hypnotic or mesmeric process to a market degree.
Their minds are centered on the delusion and cannot be
taken off of it. If the attraction could be removed,
the patient would no longer be insane. And although the
sleep condition cannot well be induced in insane patients, still
the best authorities know that such people often yield to
strong suggestions and mental treatments to a certain degree, so
that the rule does not always hold Impressionable people. The
class of people who yield most readily to the mesmeric influence,
outside of the subclass of imaginative people mentioned a few
pages further back, are those who have not manifested their will, determination,
and self reliance very much. People who have led a
life in which implicit obedience or reliance upon others have
been cultivated. These are the people who are the most impressionable.
They have not used their wills and are more readily
ruled by the wills of others or through their emotions.
As I have said my larger work, the degree of
response to suggestion by command is to be observed in
the highest degree among those who have always depended upon
others for orders or instruction, and have not had to
use their own wits and resources in life. Unskilled laborers
and the sons of rich men who have had someone
to think for them often belong to this class. These
people seem to want someone else to do their thinking
for them, even in the smallest event of their lives,
and are most impressionable along the proper lines. Then, the
degree of positivity rises as we consider the people who
have had to do things for themselves and who have
not depended so much upon others. Positivity is the greatest
among people who have had the ordering of others to do,
or who have had to depend upon their own resources
and their own wits in getting through life. The men
of marked initiative have scarcely a trace of this form
of suggestibility. Initiative, you know, is a term for doing
things without being told, using one's own wits and resources
and will. The above applies equally to the subject of impressionability,
to mesmeric influence and what does it all mean? When
it is boiled down. Just this that the degree of
impressionability depends upon the degree of the lack of will development.
The word will is the keynote. And this in spite
of all the talk, twaddle and nonsense written spoken by
those who are interested in having the people appreciate the
wonderful virtue of hypnotism the mob's spirit. The reason that
mobs allow themselves to be influenced is because they surrender
their individuality and individual will and allow it to become
merged with the wills of others, until a mob will
is created which represents the average of the crowd, the
weaker wills, diluting the strength of the whole. When this
mess of mingled and weakened will is properly mixed, it
remains in a dazed and excited condition until some individual
springs to the front, some leader of men who has
held on to his individual will, and impresses his will
upon the more negative will of the crowd, and the
mob accepts his suggestions and follows like sheep or mesmerized subjects,
and does his bidding until some other leader catches its
attention and interest. Emotion nobility. There is another of mentality,
that has its bearing upon the degree of impressionability. I
refer to the quality known as emotionability. An emotional person
is one who more readily throws off the influence of
his own will and reason and gives himself up to
the play of the emotional side of his nature. Such
a person is more impressionable than one who is not
so emotional, but whose will is really no stronger. The
reason is that by his mental habits, he has accustomed
himself to open up his emotive poll of mentality to
outside influences, and allowing him his motive poll to remain inactive.
He allows his feelings to rule him. Instead of ruling
his feelings, he allows his emotional nature to usurp the
throne of his will, the latter being relegated to second place.
And the consequence is that his a motive nature has
become more open to unresisted outside influences and impressions, and
responds more readily to the same it has acquired the
impressionable habit. Do you see this last explanation will throw
some light on the fact that certain races of people
are far more impressionable than others. They are emotional, that's
all who is inimpressionable. In the following chapters, I shall
use the term in pro reressionable as a noun designating
a person who is sufficiently impressionable to respond to the
influence of a mesmerist or hypnotist to a greater or
lesser degree. These impressionables are comparatively easily impressed by the
mentitative force and suggestions of the experimenter. Along these lines,
please remember the sense in which I shall use the term.
Later on, I shall use the term hyper impressionable as
a noun indicating a person excessively or abnormally impressible by
mesmeric influence. The latter class will be further described to
the proper place in the book. Let me give you
a fanciful illustration of the subject of impressionability. It will
form the subject of our next chapter, which will be
entitled the Fable of the mentitative Couple. It will explain
not only the matter of response to the mesmeric influence,
but will also throw light on the exercise of personal
mental influence that is going on around us in everyday life,
all the time everywhere. You will have a much clearer
idea of the matter after reading this fable, and you
will also be much more on your guard because of
the lesson taught therein. Do not fail to read it
carefully and seek for the secret contained within its lines.