who has had some little practice and attained to even a moderate
command over his will, a very great degree of the power to relieve
bodily suffering is easy to develop, and it may be increased by
practice to an incredible extent. Thus in case of suffering by pain of
any kind in another, begin by calmly persuading him or her that relief
has been obtained thousands of times by the process, and endeavor to
awaken belief, or, at least, so much attention and interest that the
fact will remain as _forethought_ in the mind. The next step should be
to promise relief, and then induce sleep by the showing a coin, passes
with the hands, etc., or allowing the subject to sink into a natural
slumber. If there be no success the first time, repeat the experiment.
Gout, headaches, all forms of positive pain, severe colds, _anæmia,
insomnia, melancholia_, and dyspepsia appear to be among the ills
which yield most readily to, or are alleviated (to the great
assistance of a regular cure), by suggestion.

As regards curing disorders, producing insensibility to hunger and
thirst, heat or cold, and the like, all are aware that to a man who is
under the influence of some great and overpowering emotion, such as
rage or surprise, or joy, no pain is perceptible. In like manner, by
means of persuasion, sleep, a temporary oblivion, and the skillfully
awakened Will, the same insensibility or ignoring can be effected.
There is, however, this to be observed, that while in the vast library
of books which teach mental medicine the stress is laid entirely on
producing merely a temporary cure I insist that by great Forethought,
by conducting the cure with a view to permanence, ever persuading the
patient to think on the future, and finally by a very thorough
continuation and after-treatment many diseases may be radically
removed.