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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to the Occult Review
[Undated: circa October 1913]
STRANGE HYPNOTIC PHENOMENA
To the Editor of the Occult Review.
Dear Sir,
—With regard to Mr. Joy’s question: he will find the experiments he wants properly authenticated in An Experimental Study in the Domain of Hypnotism, by Dr. R. von Krafft-Ebing, Professor of Psychology and Nervous Diseases in the Royal University of Graz, Austria. Translated from the German by Charles G. Chaddock, M.D., Assistant Physician Northern Michigan Asylum. New York & London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, The Knickerbocker Press. 1896.
Yours faithfully,
ALEISTER CROWLEY.
[The letter to which Crowley responded to is shown below.]
OCCULT REVIEW September 1913
PHENOMENA OF HYPNOSIS
To the Editor of the Occult Review.
Dear Sir,
—I recently entered into a
controversy with several friends upon “the power of mind
over matter,” and gave as an example the following
phenomenon of hypnosis:—An operator presses a piece of metal
upon the arm of a hypnotized patient, and suggests for a
certain period that the said metal is red hot. A few hours
afterwards a burn or blister will be found upon the
patient’s arm. This statement was scornfully rejected by my
friends, and I had to admit that although I had placed
several people under hypnosis, I had never tried the
experiment, as I considered it entailed considerable mental
strain, which might lead to serious results. I asked my
friends to confirm the experiment by writing to one of the
leading scientific journals, which was done. The answer came
back that although they had heard of such hypnotic phenomena
there were no authentic records to prove it. This reply has
privately injured my reputation, and as I am rather inclined
to disbelieve the “scientific journal’s” reply, I should be
obliged if you or any or your readers can throw light on the
matter. With apologies for so troubling you,
GEO. A. JOY. 1, Windermere Villas Tottenham Lane, Hornsey, N. |