The belief that they were strong had raised their strength 40 percent above normal, while the belief that they were weak reduced it to 30 percent below normal.
Dr. Theodore Xenophon Barber, formerly with the psychology department of the American University in Washington and now with the laboratory of social relations at Harvard, commented on the suggestive force of hypnotism in the following words: “The phenomenon of hypnosis has always seemed mysterious because it has always been difficult to understand how belief can bring about such unusual behavior. It seems as if there must be something more, some unfathomable force or power at work.
“However, the plain truth is that when a subject is convinced that he is deaf he behaves as if he is deaf, when convinced he is insensitive to pain, he can undergo surgery without anesthesia. The ‘mysterious force or power’ does not exist.”
For expert in-depth information on all aspects
of Stop Smoking, visit
Quit Smoking Help
