Editorial November 8, 1941 Issue

Mesmerism Destroying Itself

Alfred Pittman

Recent years have undoubtedly seen the boldest and largest-scale use of intentional mesmerism, or hypnotism, that the world has known; and this coming from under cover of a method which has nothing to commend it, plainly foreshadows its extinction. For the method has derived its apparent influence, on the one side, from those who have been insufficiently aware of it or else have regarded it as a formidable mystery, and, on the other side, from those who have believed there was something to be gained from it. But in the broad light of day, it inevitably appears that the method, active as it has seemed, is neither formidable, mysterious, nor useful. It is in fact sheer deception, deceiving not only those whom it is intended to deceive—if they do not resist it—but also those who use it. Both groups, in proportion as they accept or believe in this falsity, are blinded to Truth, which alone can bring them satisfaction.

The modes of hypnotism, or mesmerism, which is an older term for the same thing, do indeed demand watchfulness of mankind, and thoroughness in discrediting such false claims. But by such watchfulness and thoroughness as taught in Christian Science, all these modes are proved to be powerless.

The attempt of hypnotism is always, of course, to make someone, or perhaps many, believe something which is not so; and most often the motive is manifestly selfish. The patterns of the procedure, designed always to play upon the weaknesses of the human mind, are by now familiar to multitudes. Someone, or some group, desires to take something of value from others; and the endeavor is to do this in one of two ways: either by making them believe that there is no such intention, that the proposed victims are justified in feeling perfectly at ease, in offering no resistance, and even in being friendly and helpful to the aggressors, or else by making the intended victims feel that the forces against them are too strong, and that they are unable to resist. Illustrations need hardly be cited here. Everyone can supply enough of them from his own recent recollections.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Mesmerism Destroying Itself

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access