rtain striking results
are often obtained while the medium is in light trance, they are not
nearly so striking as those which are obtained when the medium is in the
deeper stage. And this applies, I believe, to mediums producing both
mental and physical phenomena. The question therefore remains: What
happens in this trance state to render such results possible? _Why_
should the peculiar condition involved be instrumental in producing such
striking results?

It must be admitted at once that the innermost nature of this trance
state is unknown. Certainly no purely physiological explanation suffices
to explain the "medium-trance," even were it sufficient to account for
similar conditions better known. No matter what the condition of the
medium's nerve centres may be, this would not account for the
supernormal information given during the trance state. No matter how
much nervous or mental "instability" or "disintegration" were
postulated, it would not at all explain or elucidate the primary
question: _How is the supernormal information acquired?_

It seems to me that the answer to this question can only be found by
assuming some such theory of the facts as the following:

When a person falls asleep, he loses consciousness when _en rapport_
with _himself_.[2] When he is placed in the "mesmeric" trance, he
remains _en rapport_ with the operator, and the deeper the trance, the
more complete and effective this _rapport_ is. Explain it as you will,
the facts remain. The writings of the early mesmerists are filled with
records of cases of this _rapport_, in which "community of sensation"
was present, and various supernormal phenomena, such as clairvoyance,
etc., were manifested. No such phenomena are recorded in hypnotic
seances, as a rule, which makes me suspect most strongly that mesmerism
and hypnotism are not identical, in spite of the general belief that
they are fundamentally one--all mesmeric phenomena being due to
"suggestion." Of this, however, later. For the moment, I wish only to
draw attention to the fact that, during these deep trance states,
_rapport_ was noted, and supernormal information frequently given.

Now, it seems plausible to suppose that, by way of analogy, the medium
trance would represent a trance state induced by hypnotism _from the
"other side."_ We know that telepathic hypnotism is a fact--the numerous
cases recorded by Myers and Janet being good proof of this. Further, we
know that dreams may be