The Puppet of Desire: The Psychology of Hysteria, Possession, and Hypnosis [Hardcover]

Jean-Michel Oughourlian (Author), Eugene Webb (Translator)

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Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Hardcover: 289 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804718237
• ISBN-13: 978-0804718233
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,532,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How are people influenced by others ?, December 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Puppet of Desire: The Psychology of Hysteria, Possession, and Hypnosis (Hardcover)

I am an NLP Master Practitioner trained to the highest standards of NLP (as there are some quick and dirty NLP courses around). The science of NLP is to understand the way we think based on modelling other people. This is a method for replicating talent.

NLP, Ericksonian Hypnosis and Psychology are often used in conjunction, hence my interest in this work.

Having read many books in order to enhance my business skills, I must say that this is one of the best works I have read.

Jean-Michel has described something so simple, and yet so evasive to even the best of studies of human sciences. I find it surprising that nobody else has made a review of this outstanding work.

His theory is quite simple. That people mimic each other. His explanations are direct, simple to understand and the book is captivating from cover to cover. It is literally full of "aha" experiences from page to page.

For example, he describes the difference between suggestions and commands. Now that is something I have wanted to know for all of my career. I have written in my sales training manuals my own (what I think is obvious) theories such as "people mirror each other" and that it's a question of "who is mirroring who" and to "take the lead" in mirroring.

Jean-Michel describes the difference between suggestion and command by saying that once a suggestion is carried out, the initial instruction is 'as if it's' forgotten. I won't labour this point, because Jean-Michel has a far better explanation of this.

Jean-Michel concerns the reader by demonstrating that perhaps we aren't free willed, but very much subject to the desires of those that we have rapport with. This includes mass suggestion and mass hysteria, including war.

Jean-Michel describes the more traditional methods of hypnosis, but apparently unknowingly does an eloquent job of explaining the suggestive method of hypnosis popularised by Milton Erickson. He discusses how hypnosis consists of an interdividual relationship using rapport where the self's desire is copied from the others. The hypnotist establishes rapport by copying the hypnotised in this dance of rapport. I.e. influence is a two-way street.

He claims that in hypnosis there are three metaphorical parties involved. The "other self" within the person being hypnotised, the "other self" as the hypnotist and the "original" self that is temporarily put aside. The mimetic nature of the hypnotised integrates interpersonally with the hypnotist. This pattern of copying others is useful for explaining many phenomenon that are otherwise left to the "copied" explanations of priests, psychologists and practitioners of all kinds of phenomenon that society swallows largely unquestioned in the form of paradigm.

He describes the phenomena of post-hypnotic suggestion in reference to psychological time, which he says is the only time that exists for a person anyway. This is a useful metaphor. In this way he also describes suggestion. He links the amnesia with hypnosis with the amnesia of carrying out a suggestion.

He describes desire as something that is copied from other people. Such desire is even demonstrated when one copies a phantom "other" in the case of spirit possession or hysteria and even catatonia. I.e. Hysteria must be demon possession, so the hysteric blasphemes god. This desire is in the form of suggestion. I.e. the hysteric has been led to believe that society believes a good church going person wouldn't behave as such, it must be the devil possessing them. This suggestive ability is further detailed in the section on witchcraft.

Jean Michel discusses the original views of hysteria from Socrates to Freud. He discusses how Jean-Marin Charcot thought that hysteria was a conflict of opposing beliefs in the conscious mind. He then discusses how the demon theory of hysteria was surpassed by Freud's popularisation of the subconscious theory, thereby repressing the theory of hysteria once again to the unknown. He attempts to demystify the subconscious as more conscious than many psychologists care to admit. He discusses the myth that habit is potentially fearful. He demonstrates that rather than having the subconscious as the "other self" inside us, that the "other self" is largely society and/or those that influence us.

In a sense you could say that my opinions in this review are copied opinions of Jean-Michel.

I hope this gives you an idea of what you can look forward to reading in this brilliant book. If you would like to know more about influencing others, then this is the book for you. Another book I can recommend on understanding the unconscious mind is "The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind". Another classic that gathers dust. I would also recommend books by Milton Erickson. If you are in sales you can't go better than Tom Hopkins classic "How to master the art of selling". I would suggest reading books on NLP, but I have found that NLP is truly an art that requires patience and a lot of training and practice to be practical to those of us who aren't therapists.