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Mesmerism With Hints for Beginners
Excerpt from Mesmerism With Hints for Beginners
There being a demand at the present time for a text-book for beginners who are inquiring into Mesmerism, I asked Captain James to allow me to republish, in book form, some articles he had written on the subject for a newspaper of mine. He was difiident. He said that, as a soldier, his literary experience had been small; he had been in the habit only of writing brief notices of se'ances, in which he said what he had to say in the plainest words, and then laid down his pen. I replied that that was exactly what the public wanted; there was too much book-making nowadays, and that if a few soldiers would but take up the pen, and briefly popularise scientific subjects in plain words, so much the better would it be for everybody. Finally he gave way, and this useful little work, which is a great enlargement of his previous articles, is the.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
There being a demand at the present time for a text-book for beginners who are inquiring into Mesmerism, I asked Captain James to allow me to republish, in book form, some articles he had written on the subject for a newspaper of mine. He was difiident. He said that, as a soldier, his literary experience had been small; he had been in the habit only of writing brief notices of se'ances, in which he said what he had to say in the plainest words, and then laid down his pen. I replied that that was exactly what the public wanted; there was too much book-making nowadays, and that if a few soldiers would but take up the pen, and briefly popularise scientific subjects in plain words, so much the better would it be for everybody. Finally he gave way, and this useful little work, which is a great enlargement of his previous articles, is the.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
132 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2010
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About the author
John James
382 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 19, 2020
“Mesmerism” is different from hypnotism. At least, this distinction is confidently drawn by the author, Captain John James. In this concise vintage book he conveys what mesmerism is, how it typically affects the human body (as well as the awareness of the “patient” or subject), its safety, and how, in many instances, it can evoke the body’s power of self-healing.
Though the book first appeared in 1886, in Britain, the writing style (if a little quaint, 130 years later) reads well enough. James, being a veteran practitioner of many years, offers his observations of varied cases, ones well analyzed and assessed by himself and sometimes by third parties, as well. James was personally acquainted with numerous practitioners, and apparently corresponded with quite a few others. He mentions by name medical doctors of his time who, in addition to employing pharmaceutical drugs and various conventional therapies, were practitioners of mesmeric techniques. He also relates that, of course, he knew dedicated practitioners without medical training, and that “many of these practitioners are recommended by medical men in cases where medicine has proved of no avail”.
While the book does offer principles, advice, and encouragement, it presumes that the reader has already learned basic mesmeric techniques. James’s presentation has an altruistic and appreciable ethical undertone throughout, and in places he gives explicit guidance for the proper handling of a session.
I think this classic book has a relevance today, when people in our society are becoming more open-minded and taking paths to enhance their own well-being by such means as exercise, yoga, meditation, and psychological therapy.
Though the book first appeared in 1886, in Britain, the writing style (if a little quaint, 130 years later) reads well enough. James, being a veteran practitioner of many years, offers his observations of varied cases, ones well analyzed and assessed by himself and sometimes by third parties, as well. James was personally acquainted with numerous practitioners, and apparently corresponded with quite a few others. He mentions by name medical doctors of his time who, in addition to employing pharmaceutical drugs and various conventional therapies, were practitioners of mesmeric techniques. He also relates that, of course, he knew dedicated practitioners without medical training, and that “many of these practitioners are recommended by medical men in cases where medicine has proved of no avail”.
While the book does offer principles, advice, and encouragement, it presumes that the reader has already learned basic mesmeric techniques. James’s presentation has an altruistic and appreciable ethical undertone throughout, and in places he gives explicit guidance for the proper handling of a session.
I think this classic book has a relevance today, when people in our society are becoming more open-minded and taking paths to enhance their own well-being by such means as exercise, yoga, meditation, and psychological therapy.
February 15, 2020
Certainly an interesting introduction into mesmerism, written in 1886, the period in which it was being surpassed by hypnosis. Not much of a history but rather a brief inside look of mesmerism by a gentleman who studied and practiced it. Contains some worthwhile references to other people from the craft that I have read about, such as Alexis Didier.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews