Medium

A person through whom communication is deemed to be carried on between living men and spirits of the departed. As commonly used in spiritist literature, this word is liable to the objection that it assumes a particular theory for phenomena which admit of explanation in various ways. It is often better replaced by automatist or sensitive.

Mesmerism

This is the oldest widely-recognised word for a large group of phenomena discussed below in Chapter V (Hypnotism). The name need imply nothing more than the fact that Mesmer was the conspicuous introducer of many of the phenomena to the European public. But it is also specially used to imply something of his theory of their production, by a vital effluence from the mesmeriser, conveyed partly by mesmeric passes, or wavings of the hands. The term Animal Magnetism implies a somewhat different theory. The term Hypnotism, when first started by Braid, was again meant to imply a theory of the genesis of these phenomena, but it is now generally used with no theoretical implication.

Message

Used for any communication, not necessarily verbal, from one to another stratum of the automatist's personality, or from an external intelligence to one or other stratum of the automatist. Thus any automatic script may be called a message, even if incoherent.

Metallasthesia

A form of sensibility alleged to exist which enables some hypnotised or hysterical subjects to discriminate between the contacts of various metals by sensations not derived from their ordinary properties of weight, etc.

Metastasis

Change of the seat of a bodily function from one place {e.g. a brain-centre) to another.

Metetherial

That which appears to lie after or beyond the ether; the metetherial environment denotes the spiritual or transcendental world in which the soul exists.

Methectic

Of communications between one stratum of a man's intelligence and another; as when he writes messages whose origin is in his own subliminal self. Some word is needed to express this novel conception; and Plato's use of the word ueoeeis, participation (Parm. 132 D), suggests methectic as the most appropriate term of Greek origin.

Mirror-writing (écriture renversée, Spiegel-schriff). Writing so inverted, or, more exactly, perverted, as to resemble writing reflected in a mirror, or blotted off on to a sheet of blotting paper. This form of writing is natural to some left-handed persons. It also frequently appears in automatic script.

Mnemonic Chain

A continuous series of memories, especially when the continuity persists after an interruption. See Disintegration of personality.

Monition

A message involving counsel or warning, when that counsel is based upon facts already in existence, but not normally known to the person who receives the monition.

Motor

Used of an impulse to action not carrying with it any definite idea or sensory impression.

Negative Hallucination

See Anaesthesia.

Number Forms

See Secondary Sensations.

Objectify

To externalise a phantom in three dimensions; to see it as a solid object fitted into the waking world.

Panoesthesia

See Anoesthesia.

Panmnesia

See Hypermnesia.

Paroesthesia

See Anoesthesia.

Paramnesia

See Promnesia.

Paraphasia

The erroneous and involuntary use of one word for another, or of one syllable for another. Cf. Aphasia.

Percipient

The correlative term to Agent; the person on whose mind the telepathic impact falls; or more generally, the person who perceives any motor or sensory impression.

Phantasm And Phantom

Phantasm and phantom are, of course, mere variants of the same word; but since phantom has become generally restricted to visual hallucinations, it is convenient to take phantasm to cover a wider range, and to signify any hallucinatory sensory impression, whatever sense - whether sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, or diffused sensibility - may happen to be affected.

Phantasmogenetic Centre

A point in space so modified by the presence of a spirit that it becomes perceptible to persons materially present near it. The conception of psychical excursion or invasion implies that some movement bearing some relation to space as we know it is accomplished: that the invading spirit modifies a certain portion of space, not materially nor optically, but in such a manner that specially susceptible persons may perceive it. Cf. Psychorrhagy.

Phobies (Term Adopted From The French)

Irrational restricting or disabling pre-occupations or fears; morbid aversions for certain things or actions, e.g. agoraphobia, fear of open spaces; mysophobia, fear of uncleanliness.

Photism

See Secondary Sensations.

Point De Repère

Guiding mark. Used of some (generally inconspicuous) real object which a hallucinated subject sometimes sees along with his hallucination, and whose behaviour under magnification, etc, suggests to him similar changes in the hallucinatory figure.

Polymorphism

See Dimorphism.

Polyzoism

The property, in a complex organism, of being composed of minor and quasi-independent organisms (like the polyzod or "sea-mats"). This is sometimes called " colonial constitution," from animal colonies; but the metaphor implied is not always suitable. The word polypsychism is sometimes used to express the psychical aspect of polyzoism.

Possession

A developed form of motor automatism, in which the automa-tist's own personality disappears for the time, while there is a more or less complete substitution of personality, writing or speech being given by another spirit through the entranced organism.

Post-Hypnotic

Used of a suggestion given during the hypnotic trance, but intended to operate after that trance has ceased.

Precognition

A knowledge of impending events supernormally acquired.