ect is immediately felt to make a slight movement
backwards, and either to stop himself from falling or else to fall
completely. In the first case, tell him that he has resisted, and that he
did not think just that he was falling, but that he might hurt himself
if he did fall. That is true, for if he had not thought the latter, he
would have fallen like a block. Repeat the experiment using a tone
of command as if you would force the subject to obey you. Go on
with it until it is completely successful or very nearly so. The
operator should stand a little behind the subject, the left leg forward
and the right leg well behind him, so as not to be knocked over by
the subject when he falls. Neglect of this precaution might result in a
double fall if the person is heavy.

_Third experiment_.--Place the subject facing you, the body still
stiff, the ankles flexible, and the feet joined and parallel. Put your
two hands on his temples without any pressure, look fixedly,
without moving the eyelids, at the root of his nose, and tell him to
think: "I am falling forward, I am falling forward . . ." and repeat to
him, stressing the syllables, "You are fall . . . ing . . . for . . . ward,
You are fall . . . ing . . . for . . . ward . . ." without ceasing to look
fixedly at him.

_Fourth experiment_.--Ask the subject to clasp his hands as tight as
possible, that is to say, until the fingers tremble slightly, look at him
in the same way as in the preceding experiment and keep your hands
on his as though to squeeze them together still more tightly. Tell him
to think that he cannot unclasp his fingers, that you are going to
count three, and that when you say "three" he is to try to separate his
hands while thinking all the time: "I cannot do it, I cannot do it . . ."
and he will find it impossible. Then count very slowly, "one, two,
three", and add immediately, detaching the syllables: "You . . .
can . . . not . . . do . . . it. . . . You . . . can . . . not . . .
do . . . it. . . ." If the subject is thinking properly, "I cannot do
it", not only is he unable to separate his fingers, but the latter
clasp themselves all the more tightly together the more efforts he makes
to separate them. He obtains in fact exactly the contrary to what he
wants. In a few moments say to him: "Now think: 'I can do it,'" and
his fingers will separate themselves.

Be careful always to keep your eyes fixed on the root of the subject's
nose, and do not allow h