BIOLOGY LESSON
Scientific Hypnotism – Ralph B Winn
It’s been a while since a vintage hypnosis book surprised me. At best, I’m reading something blandly formulaic; at worst, I’m reading something eccentrically formulaic… that descends into the manifesto of a madman.
Scientific Hypnotism, published in 1958, surprised me because its author, Ralph B Winn, seems primarily interested in the physiology of suggestion. For instance, let’s imagine we’re sucking on a slice of lemon. What interests Winn is what happens in the body (salivation) rather than in the brain (accepting the suggestion). Much of this book is, therefore, a biology lesson, heavily focused on the central nervous system.
While this was a surprising change from the usual content, it was outdated and inherently flawed. Winn believes hypnotism is “closely connected” with hysteria and treats Charcot’s work with hysterics as credible. Hysteria is, of course, a nonsense, misogynistic, and now-redundant catch-all spanning epileptics and traumatised soldiers, as well as the ‘professional hysterics’ Charcot cultivated at Salpêtrière.
This first third of the book is therefore dedicated to the position that suggestibly/hypnosis is hysteria. Winn throws plenty of biology at how one might excite or inhibit suggestibility, and exploit conscious versus mechanical operations, to various therapeutic ends. Given my recent musings on epilepsy and neurodiversity in shaping ‘hypnosis’, you can empathise at my lack of interest in detailed instructions and illustrations on how to boop someone’s autonomic nervous system.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: where’s the hypnosis, Amy?! Well, indeed. Its absence continues as much of the rest of the book is dedicated to trashing psychoanalysis and Christian Science – key competitors to hypnosis in treating hysteria.
I have to say that I found the cattiness against Freud the highlight of the book. Winn regards psychoanalysis as a pseudoscience that keeps adults in an infantilised, stagnant, negative state – and as a socioeconomic scam, thanks to its duration and frequency.
Our author has collected up some wry quotes against Freud and his form of therapy to support his railings, with my favourite being: “So the normal mind is made over into the image of a Freudian neurosis; every baby, the psychoanalyst discovers, is a sexual pervert.” Winn’s writing on the meaning of dreams according to Freud is particularly cutting and fun. (Spoiler: they’re ALL about sex, you massive pervert, you.)
Winn ends with a bit of a mixed bag that’s still of little help if you, you know, wanted to know about hypnosis... There are tips on prestige, and which drugs can help the hypno-process along. Also ‘cautionary’ tales of hypnotised ladies stripping to their undies that one should not replicate and are only included to support the case for banning public demos.
Similarly, Winn explains with a specific and well-considered example how you can definitely get a hypnotised person to do a murder in order for his readers to know not to do such naughty things.
He also introduces us to ‘oneirosis’, his own-brand “light” hypnosis, plus movingly shares his gratitude for the gift of hypnosis while serving (presumably as a medical doctor) in World War I, tending to the dying and wounded.
(I mention that Winn is presumably a medical doctor. I can’t find any biographical information about him online and none is included in the book – aside from our friend Melvin Powers popping up to pen the foreword, where he refers to Winn and “Dr”.)
So – a surprising but ultimately forgettable read, despite Melvin’s glowing opening words.
