suggestions. Thus the
sight of an object belonging to a certain woman may cause an erection;
the odor of some article of diet which has caused indigestion is
sufficient to cause nausea, etc. We thus see that there is a series of
transitions between external intentional suggestion and
auto-suggestion, in the form of suggestion of objects and unconscious
or involuntary suggestion of persons. The conception of true or
intentional suggestion infers the determined will of one man
influencing another by suggestion; there is no other criterion.

It is quite another question whether the one who suggests wishes to
benefit his subject, or wishes on the contrary to abuse him or make
him ridiculous.

=Sympathy. Love and Suggestion.=--It is of great importance for us to
know that sympathy and confidence are the fundamental elements of
success in suggestive action. Even when deceived by the one who
hypnotizes him, the subject may yield to him while he is not aware of
it. But there is here a point to be noted. A man may very well see
clearly with his reason and his logic, he may understand that harm is
done to him, he may even curse a thing or a person when he reflects,
and in spite of this be instinctively and subconsciously attracted
toward this thing or this person, like a moth to a candle, when
certain sentiments of sympathy or attraction urge him to it. The two
following examples will make this more clear:

(1). An actor fell in love with a hysterical married woman. This
woman was very polyandrous, and deceived not only her husband
but the actor and many others. The actor tried with all the
power of his reason to be delivered from the tyrannical charm of
this siren; but the power of attraction of the woman was so
strong that he could not succeed in resisting her. He came to me
in despair and begged me to rid him of his passion by hypnotism.
I realized the difficulty of the situation but did my best to
help him. Although aided by his reason, all my suggestions were
overcome by the violence of the passion that his hysterical
seducer had inspired in him, and I obtained absolutely no
result.

(2). A well-educated, unmarried woman became so enamored of a
young man, that she was consumed with passion, grew thin, and
lost her appetite and sleep. Having exchanged ideas with the
young man for some time, she became convinced that their two
characters were not suited