Psychological Automatism

the broader framework of animal physiology ^1." However, unjustifiable prejudices and the fear of that reputation for charlatanism which remains attached to the operations of animal magnetism A 18th-century theory by Franz Mesmer suggesting an invisible natural force (magnetism) possessed by all living things; a precursor to hypnotism. for a long time prevented these counsels from being followed: it took all the labor and all the discoveries of contemporary scholars whose names are well known to put beyond doubt the existence of nervous sleep and the advantages that science could derive from its study. We will not discuss here the reality of somnambulism In this context, a state of "sleepwalking" or trance induced by hypnosis. nor the danger of simulation; such a discussion would be lengthy and, above all, commonplace, for one encounters it everywhere very well presented. Furthermore, we believe, along with Dr. Despine who has studied somnambulism extensively, that "to easily consider things as fraudulent is a convenient opinion for dispensing with the study of what one does not understand ^2." A few precautions, which every experimenter must know how to take for themselves according to the circumstances, are sufficient to guard against attempts at deception—which are rarer, in my opinion, than is generally believed. Therefore, without dwelling on this point, we will only state under what conditions we used hypnotic sleep for our research.

The subjects upon whom these studies were made were almost all, with exceptions that we shall point out, women suffering from more or less serious nervous diseases, particularly that very variable malady designated by the name of hysteria A historical medical diagnosis for a wide range of psychological and physical symptoms in women, now understood through modern concepts of psychosomatic and dissociative disorders.. These neuroses, having as their principal character a great mental instability, offer us—both by the natural accidents they cause and by the predisposition to somnambulism they engender—the most favorable field for experimental studies of psychology and especially for studies on automatism The performance of actions without conscious thought or intention.. However, subjects of this kind present special difficulties in their study. They are extremely variable, and even without speaking of that penchant for trickery attributed to them with some exaggeration, they are not always in the same physical and moral dispositions. It is necessary to follow them for a long time and with great attention, "to study them not for a moment but through all the phases of their illness ^3," to know exactly under what circumstances and under what conditions one is experimenting. Furthermore, by the very reason of their mobility, they very easily undergo all external influences and change very rapidly according to the books they are allowed to read or the words imprudently spoken in front of them. Because of this character, it is impossible to conduct an experiment of any value with them if one studies them only once, at random, without knowing exactly their sickly state, their character, their previous ideas, etc. It is equally impossible to observe any natural fact if one questions them in public, or if one indicates to persons present the experiments being done and the results expected. They must be studied often, and one must always experiment alone or with competent persons who know the questions in advance and are aware of the indispensable precautions.

^1 Dr. Philips (Durand de Gros). Theoretical and Practical Course on Braidism or Nervous Hypnotism, 1860, 169. Braidism refers to the techniques of James Braid, the "father of modern hypnotism."
^2 Dr. Despine. On Somnambulism Studied from a Scientific Point of View, 1889, 57.
^3 Despine. Work cited, 322.