6 Stages of Hypnotism

Around the turn of the century, thousands of persons flocked to Nevada, MI, for cures for all kinds of diseases. Nevada, for several years, was famous as a center for Magnetic Healing.

The Sydney Weltmer Institute of Magnetic Healing had been in existence for three years when Dr. Leonard Stanhope, who was already a physician in Nevada, decided to treat patients by hypnotism and magnetic healing as well as teaching it to others.

He wrote a book on hypnotism, in 1899, which became a best seller. After two years he wrote a second book called "Magnetic Healing Explained." The second book also did well.

The treatments there involved hypnotism. Dr. Stanhope's book, (The science of magnetic healing, embracing hypnotism, vital magnetism, and mental science by Leonard E. Stanhope (1899)), includes explanations of three sciences, hypnotism, vital magnetism and mental science.

He used post-hypnotic suggestion to cure contracted habits and addictions.

He describes six stages of hypnotism.
The first is when a suggestion is made to the subject and he acts upon it.

The second is a hypnotic or induced sleep. During this time the subject will communicate with the operator but will not hear any other person unless the operator transfers the communication.

In the third stage, the subject's muscles become rigid, and he has no power or desire to move.

Later, the muscles will relax, and in the fourth stage he will answer questions.

When the fifth stage is reached, the hypnotist can send the subject to any place he chooses whether the subject has ever been there or not. He can visit distant friends, tell the hypnotist what these friends are thinking and doing, and describe places he has never seen in his waking state.

The last or sixth stage, according to Dr. Stanhope, "appears to be a condition of perfect knowledge. The distinguishing feature between it and the fifth seems to be that while in the fifth they have to travel to gain their knowledge; in the sixth everything appears right before them; they do not have to seek for knowledge."
He then went on to describe Vital Magnetism and Mental Science.

After a few years Dr. Stanhope suddenly left town. The story was that after treating so many for drug addiction, he himself became a drug addict.