We now proceed to another state of mind, called by philosophers, Insanity. The power of reason, that is the faculty by which we compare facts with each other and mental expressions with external things, is said to be lost in Insanity. In this state of mind, the subject appears to be under the complete control of some strong and irresistible impression or train of successive impressions, real to him and which he cannot repulse with a comparison with external objects. Like a subject in the dreaming or mesmeric state, he is not able to discover what impressions flow from false causes and distinguish them from those which flow from real causes. The subject himself acts precisely as every man would under the same real impressions. Then mind is governed and controlled by the same laws in this state as in the natural or dreaming state. It acts from real impressions under a full belief of the real causes of such impressions. This state is no doubt induced by some powerful impression upon the mind which cannot be removed by slight impressions produced upon the mind from common and every day objects. If this state is removed at all, it must be done by inducing some counteracting impression, which will lead the mind into a different channel of thought. This state of mind often exhibits in the individual more acuteness and intelligence in almost every subject than when in its natural condition. He will reason correctly although from unsound data and return answers justifying his conduct, which would display a thoughtful and premeditating mind. We have read numerous instances of individuals whose conduct has been most unreasonable, yet could justify their acts by giving inducements to such conduct, based upon reasonable grounds. Dr. Abercrombie relates the case of a clergyman in Scotland, who having displayed many extravagances of conduct, was brought before a jury to be declared incapable of managing his own affairs and placed under the care of trustees. Among the extravagant exhibitions of conduct was that he had burnt his library. When the jury requested him to give an account of this part of his conduct, he replied in the following terms. "In the early part of my life, I had imbibed a liking for a most unprofitable study, namely controversial divinity. On reviewing my library, I found a great part of it to consist of books of this distinction. I was so anxious that my family should not be led to follow the same pursuit that I determined to burn the whole." He gave answers to other charges brought against him justifying his conduct and the jury did not find sufficient grounds for guarding him with trustees; but in the course of two weeks, he in a state of decided mania! Individuals while in this excited state, when some leading impression has control, have really believed themselves to be some great actor in the world, an emperor or a king and supposed all the fair fields about them and all the inhabitants who live within their state or nation are subject to their control. Others have descended in the scale of their existence and supposed themselves beasts of burden, or mere things. These are all real to the subject. He feels himself just as he believes. This is sometimes called a deranged state of mind. It is, however, a disease, as much so as any condition of man. For we contend that disease is nothing only as it conveys impressions to the mind. That if one should cut his finger and no sensation should be conveyed through the sense of touch to the mind, it would not give pain to the subject. This position we know by experiments upon individuals both in their waking and mesmeric state.
Insanity, Monomania, Hallucination are all diseases, and remedies may be administered to counteract them. The treatment of the subject, while insane, has much to do with his recovery. For the benefit of this class of individuals, hospitals are erected at the public expense, where the best remedies can be administered. This disease among physicians is not usually attributed to flow from the same sources as what they term those of the body and therefore they do not resort to the same remedies. Physicians generally call Insanity a disease of the mind while fever and other similar states are diseases of the body. I maintain that all diseases are only known to exist as they affect the mind of the patient, that is, there would be no disease which could affect an individual provided it could not make a sensation upon his mind. If he did not feel sick, he would not probably be sick. In cases of scrofula and what is sometimes termed King's evil, diseases said to be incurable, the power of the Seventh Son to cure them is an effect upon the mind, being conclusive evidence that some strong impression induced the disease. And the belief of the patient and that also of the seventh son, acting in concert to produce a counteracting impression, would destroy the old first cause which brought about this diseased state and nature then restores herself. We do not believe that the seventh son has any more virtue to heal patients than any individual; nor do we think the fact of his passing his hand over the diseased portion of the body could affect anything towards counteracting the first impression, only so far as an external motion may assist to more strongly impress the mind. It is simply the process of mind acting upon and in correspondence with mind. I will introduce an experiment here which goes to show something in proof of what we are explaining. An individual fell from his horse and dislocated his elbow. The surgeon set it and his arm was, when I first saw it, badly swollen and very painful. I commenced operating upon it and in a short time reduced the swelling so that the bandages were very loose and all the pain subsided. He was then enabled to lift up a chair without any pain, but before could not lift a pound nor even use his fingers. Some one may enquire whether the dislocation of the elbow was a disease of the mind? We answer, it was, that is, all the pain which was the result of the falling from the horse was in the mind, being the only part of man susceptible of sensation, that the mere blow or contusion would not produce any pain unless there was a mind which could feel the blow, because matter is not supposed to have the power of sensation. We might bring many facts, as we trust we have in the former part of this work, to show where the disease is to be remedied and where of course it must flow from to affect the person or when an impression is produced from which follows all the phenomena of disease both of body and mind. But we allude to the subject here to illustrate our ideas upon Insanity. And by the results we have effected upon diseases by operating upon mind, we think the argument is conclusive that all diseases, including insanity, flow from the impressions upon the mind as their first cause." Quimby
The treatment of insane persons therefore should correspond with the great principle of mind acting upon mind and of impressions counteracting impressions.
We give the following experiments illustrating the power of mind over mind in cases of Insanity.
I was called upon about two years since to visit an insane man who had been chained to prevent him from extravagant conduct but who had by some means gotten loose and was raving about his premises, to the danger of his own family and his neighbors. I found him in the wildest state of insanity. I approached him in company with another individual. When he saw us coming, he advanced towards us with a ten foot pole. My friend could not proceed and I was left alone to meet him. I advanced keeping my eye steadily fixed upon him. He held his pole and advanced until we came within ten feet of each other. He then suddenly stopped and told me not to advance another step. I continued however to walk towards him and as I came up he threw down his pole and looking me in the eye asked what I wanted. I requested him to go into the house. He followed me in and became obedient to my commands as a child. I performed several experiments upon him showing how easily I could control him. When any of his family came near, he would commence raving but upon my requesting him to be quiet, he readily complied. I ordered him to dress himself and upon clothing being handed to him, he complied. He would up to me and look at my form and enquire how much I weighed. I asked him to guess. He thought two hundred and fifty pounds. I allowed him to think so, although my real weight was about one-hundred and forty. I was enabled to control him while I was present without touching him at all. Another case of a man who had become ravingly insane and was imprisoned in the County Jail. He would allow nothing in his cell and allow no one to enter. He kept up a constant hollering so as to be heard all over the village. The keeper of the prison decided that something must be done. My situation was such that I had occasion to see him. I took another man with me and going to the door of the cell requested him to remain out side and not allow him to know that he was near. I opened the cell door, holding in my hand a green hide and a rope. He ordered me not to approach him, holding in his hand a stone which he had dug out of some part of his cell. I stood and looked at him about five minutes. He began to step back and I entered. I then ordered him to come to me and get down on his knees. He obeyed instantly and I then thought I would try an experiment. I told him I would not whip or tie him then, but if he ever made any more noise or destroyed his bedding or anything which might be handed him, I would certainly kill him, at the same time showing my intention in my countenance. He seemed to be very much agitated and frightened. I produced so strong an impression upon his mind that he was perfectly quiet and became more rational. In the course of three weeks, he left the prison and returned home perfectly sane. He has been sane ever since. Thus the power of impressions over the mind to produce or counteract disease must be acknowledged. And the action of mind upon mind must be conceded. It is, in Insanity as in other diseases, necessary to make an impression more powerful than that which preceded this diseased state and thus lead or drive the mind into a new channel of thought. So in diseases of every class an impression counteracting that which induced the disease must be made and nature will restore herself. This impression may be made by administering powerful medicine or it may be done upon some patients by the mind of an operator acting upon the mind of the patient.
It might be a question in regard to all the experiments we have presented in this volume whether it is really the strong intellectual power of a mind which may gain the ascendancy over another, and hold it in complete submission as in the case of our two last experiments. We answer that we do not think it is great intellectual power, but the capacity or power of arresting the attention and producing a strong impression. And this faculty may be cultivated and enlarge its power to produce impressions and arrest the attention of mind to the exclusion of surrounding influences. We have mentioned the fact in another page that the idea of magnetizing or mesmerizing only those persons who are dull and enjoy poor health and weak minds is exploded. The more intelligent the mind, if the attention can be fixed and drawn away from surrounding influences, the more certain you are of producing the excited or mesmeric state in the highest degree. A bright, intelligent and thoughtful person enjoying good health always makes the best subject.
We do not therefore claim a more powerful intellect by which we can produce such results upon mind, but attribute it to a natural and cultivated power in this capacity which I am enabled to exercise and produce such experiments as are called mesmeric, magnetic, etc. The fact that the community have always laid it down as a general principle that only a more powerful mind can operate upon and control a weaker has retarded the progress of this branch of intellectual philosophy. The idea, no doubt, arose from some self-conceited personage, or perhaps a numerous class of those who were public magnetizers, desirous of claiming all the intellect which is really worth having. It is a fact we are compelled to acknowledge that some of my predecessors in this branch of science seem to have possessed no other intellectual faculty than that of mesmerizing; and the consequence was that they would be desirous of instructing the world to believe that the power they exercise is indeed that of a great mind and to be surpassed by no other power. All we have to remark upon this class of philosophers is that whatever discoveries and advances they have made in the progress of human knowledge should be thankfully received. And the follies and egotisms which have been interwoven with their progress should be rejected, as the consoling food for the vanity and self esteem of its projectors. No man would be justified in rejecting the whole Copernican System because some wandering genius, desirous of making himself greater than the rest, should have advanced the idea and proceeded to prove it, that the earth is spherical and turns on its axis every twenty four hours and is kept in motion on the principle of a great wheel in a treadmill by the constant tramping of an enormous Mammoth upon the equator. "Retain the good and reject the evil." Then will science advance.
We now enter upon another branch of our subject by which a solution of the mysteries of past ages is given. We refer to the mystery and responses of the Ancient Apollo, the Egyptian Magi, the Black Art, Witchcraft, trances, catalepsy etc.
Apolonius of Tyana, Emanuel Swedenborg, Mahomet and others had the power of inducing this state of the mind upon themselves. This is a further and conclusive proof against a fluid theory.
We copy the following from Dr. Collyer's pamphlet upon Psychography. Quimby
See Also