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H I X L STR OM I SM
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WILL ALMA
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Copyrighted 1935 - By R. Alan Nelson
N9 1070
T O T HE R E A D E R
I n or der t hat you get t he
most out of Hel l st r omi sm,
i t i s t he aut hor ' s r equest
t hat you FI RST r ead t he
ent i r e cont ent s of t he wor ks,
"bef ore t r yi ng any of t he ex-
per i ment s .
- THE AUTHOR
c ot
F OR E WOR D
HELLSTROMI SM i s a coi ned and copyr i ght ed wor d "by Rober t Nel son, and
i s vaguel y def i ned "by i t s aut hor as bei ng t he devel opment and pr ac-
t i ce of a ' si xth sense' or ' Percept i on' t hat enabl es t he oper at or
t o di vi ne cer t ai n t hought s and commands of ot her s.
HELLSTROMI SM I S TRUE mi ndr eadi ng, and i n i t s hi ghl y devel oped st ages
i s def i ni t el y di vor ced f r omany el ement of t r i cker y or f r aud. I t i s
t he wr i t er ' s si ncer e convi ct i on t hat t he devel opment of t he f acul t y
wi l l l ead t o t he r evel at i on of myst er i es and possi bi l i t i es of t he
mi nd t hat ar e f ar beyond our pr esent day concept i on.
HELLSTROMI SM I S WOT NEW. ' - I t has been pr act i ced ( most l y) i n Eur ope
f or year s, and ot her par t s of t he wor l d. Needl ess t o say, i t was
not known by t hi s name. I t was cal l ed mi ndr eadi ng, and some of t he
cr uder exper i ment s wer e pl ai n cont act mi ndr eadi ng. I n i t s pr i mar y
exper i ment s i t does not empl oy per cept i on or a si xt h sense, but de-
pends ent i r el y on t he cor r ect i nt er pr et at i on of muscul ar i mpul ses.
HELLSTROMI SM as pr esent ed t o you her e st ands f or mor e t han muscl e
or cont act r eadi ng - pr oper l y devel oped, i t i s a def i ni t e l i nk be-
t ween t wo mi nds, each wor ki ng i n har mony wi t h t he ot herJ I t i s t r ue
t hat muscl e r eadi ng pl ays an i mpor t ant r ol e i n t he oper at i on of t hese
sensat i onal exper i ment s, but i n i t s hi gher phases, muscl e r eadi ng
may be ent i r el y el i mi nat ed.
HELLSTROMI SM I S AS di f f i cul t t o concr et el y def i ne as ELECTRI CI TY.
We know al l about el ect r i ci t y - what i t can do - how i t may be har -
nessed t o do our bi ddi ng - i t s appear ance - i t s odor and t he l i ke,
yet we cannot act ual l y def i ne el ectri ci ty, , Thi s may be sai d of
Hel l st r omi sm. Thus f ar , a def i ni t i on has been at t empt ed by onl y a
ver y f ew.
HELLSTROMI SM - a wor d i t sel f - what i t st ands f or - i s an, eni gma'
Sur el y, t he aut hor has not , as yet def i ned t he myst er i ous wor d, and
st r ange t o say, f ur t her ef f or t her e wi l l not be expended, , What i s
mor e i mpor t ant i s t hat we consi der t he wor k i t sel f , and wi t h a cl ear -
er and f ul l er under st andi ng, t hen maybe we can pl ace our t hought s
i nt o wor ds f or a sui t abl e expl anat i on.
Axel Vogt was a Ger man sol di er , and f ought "bravel y f or hi s Fat her -
l and f or t he dur at i on of t he war . Wounded, bat t l e- scar r ed many,
many t i mes, he carri ed, t hese mar ks t o hi s r ecent gr ave. He was a
mi l d manner ed boy - he di dn' t want t o f i ght . To ki l l - but t hat
i s anot her st or y.
Bef or e t he war , Axel was ver y much i nt er est ed i n magi c and mi nd-
r eadi ng, but mi ndr eadi ng as we know i t i n our t heat r es and hal l s
i s not pr act i ced i n Ger many. I t was prohi bi t ed. ' Ther e ar e no st age
mi ndr eader s t o answer your quest i ons, t o gi ve you advi ce, good or
bad; t o sel l you hor oscop books or pr i vat e r eadi ngs af t er t he per -
f or mance. Onl y l egi t i mat e per f or mances ar e tol erated. ' I n a quest
t o sat i sf y hi s cur i osi t y and become a mi ndr eader , Vogt t ur ned t o t he
onl y t ype of mi ndr eadi ng t hat was known and pr act i ced ext ensi vel y
i n Eur ope and especi al l y Ger many.
Ot her s bef or e hi mhad acqui r ed r eput at i ons ( f ounded upon f act ) as
mi ndr eader s. He soon acqui r ed t he secr et . Bef or e t he war , and a
young man, he was a pr of i ci ent mi ndr eader , and had ear ned qui t e a
r eput at i on i n t he Musi c Hal l s and t heat r es. Dur i ng t he war , he
f ought and r ead mi nds ( when he was not r ecuper at i ng i n t he. Ger man
war hospi t al s. )
Af t er t he war , Axel Vogt and hi s good wi f e came t o Amer i ca. Wi t h
t he onl y pr of essi on he knew, Axel nat ur al l y t ur ned t o t he busi ness
of maki ng a l i vi ng as a ' mi ndreader' . An unsuccessf ul vent ur e i n
t he r adi o busi ness convi nced hi mt hat hi s f or t une was i n hi s ac-
qui r ed pr of essi on, and not Amer i can busi ness ventures. '
Axel Vogt , t he Mi ndr eader J Wo - HELL3TR0M t he mi ndreader. ' That
sounded bet t er . I t WAS bet t er . Ver y r api dl y, he acqui r ed a t r e-
mendous r eput at i on i n Amer i ca as a mi ndr eader . He st ood i n a cl ass
by hi msel f , and f i rst came t o t he at t ent i on of t he magi c- mi nded
publ i c at t he Fi r st Li ma, Ohi o I . B. M. Convent i on, i n 1928. He
f ool ed magi ci an and l ayman al i ke. Not hi ng l i ke t hi s had been seen
bef or e. Thur st on was bewi l dered. ' Ot her s wer e equal l y amazed.
Hi s. uncanny wor k became t he t opi c of conver sat i on. He was of f er ed
huge sums of money t o di vul ge t he secr et , yet he r ef used, knowi ng
t hat t hi s, hi s appar ent excl usi ve abi l i t y, was hi s t i cket t o f ame
and f ort uneo
I n f act , t he wr i t er of f er ed Hel l st r om$500. 00 f or hi s secr et , whi ch
he agr eed t o acquai nt ' me wi t h, bef or e r et ur ni ng t o Ger many. "Hi s
heal t h was f ai l i ng r api dl y, and I t hi nk t hat when he r et ur ned t o
Ger many f or t he l ast t i me, he KNEWhe was goi ng home t o di e.
But when Hel l st r ombr ought t o Amer i ca and cr eat ed such a sensat i on
wi t h, was not new. I t was commonpl ace i n Eur ope, and so OLD i n
Amer i ca, t hat when pr esent ed wi t h such cl ever ness and bal l yhoo and
i n mor e advanced st ages t hat i t s sol ut i on was OVERLOOKED "by t he
keenest and "best post ed mi nds. I n f act , t he pr i mar y expl anat i ons
of t hi s wor k had appear ed i n many an ol d "book, hut even . these sol u-
t i ons di d not appear t o of f er t he r eal key t o t hi s mi r acl e man.
The st unt s of Hel l st r omwer e per f or med CRUDELY f i f t y year s ago,
and bef or e hi s appear ance i n Ameri ca. ' Hel l st r om, wi t h a newer
t wi st and showmanshi p not onl y wor ked al ong t he SAME OLD LI NES,
but Ms wor k was super i or enough t o convi nce ot her s who knew of
t he ' muscl e r eadi ng' st unt s t hat t hey compl et el y baf f l ed by hi s
per f or mance. \
I t hi nk i n t he year s t hat I knew Axel Hel l st r om, as he shal l be
known f r omnow on, t hat he per f or med t housands of exper i ment s.
However , he al ways r ef used t o al l ow t he aut hor t o act as. a subj ect ,
and t hi s f act made me f eel t hat t r i cker y was empl oyed, and t hat he
f ear ed t hat I mi ght l ear n hi s secr et . Tr i cker y was onl y a st eppi ng
st one t o hi s gr eat er successes, as we shal l l ear n.
Axel Hel l st r omwas a good mi ndr eader , because he bel i eved i n hi s
wor k, ari d was const ant l y ' readi ng mi nds' . He had a ver y def i ni t e
i dea of how he was t o accompl i sh t hese mi r acul ous f eats, . ' and he was
al ways st r i vi ng t o i mpr ove hi s abi l i t y. Fi r st , l ast and al ways,
he was a showman.
Hi s psychol ogy of mob of audi ence r ul e was per f ect , t hough hi s
br oken speech was hi s gr eat est asset . You war med t o hi s. speech.
Di f f i cul t t o f ol l ow at t i mes as i t was not al ways easy f or hi mt o
expr ess hi s t hought s i n Engl i sh, he commanded your at t ent i on, i f
f or no ot her f act .
Wi t ness a per f or mance her e of t hi s Gr eat Ger man Mi ndr eader Wi t h
a f l ar e of t r umpet s and t he cr ashi ng of cymbol s, hi s manager woul d
make t he i nt r oduct or y r emar ks, expl ai ni ng t he appear ance, of a most
ext r aor di nar y i ndi vi dual , one Axel Hel l st r om, Ger man Mi ndr eader and
Sci ent i st . You ar e i nvi t ed t hat t hi s young man CM AND WI LL READ
YOUR MI ND a new and st ar t l i ng sensati on. ' Vol unt eer s and
commi t t ees ar e sel ect ed f r omt he audi ence, men and women of hi gh
st andi ng, so t her e can be no quest i on of coer ci on or f r aud. Because
of hi s i nabi l i t y t o cl ear l y and qui ckl y i nst r uct t he vol unt eer sub-
j ect s of t h. provi si ons of t he exper i ment s, t he manager woul d usual l y
expl ai n t he pr ocedur e.
"Ladi es and Gent l emen: Axel Hel l st r om, t he wor l d' s gr eat est mi nd-
reader, ' " Bef or e you st ands a young man, short i n st at ur e, about
140 pounds, "bl ack hai r and an i nf ect i ous smi l e. ' You ar e at t r act ed
t o hi mat f i r st . You do not exper i ence any ant agoni sm- any speci al
f r ont of skept i ci sm, or wel l , i f - you- ar e- so- smar t , show me at t i t ude.
You are l ed t o accept hi mon an equal basi s. Your at t i t ude i s - you
made your cl ai ms, OK, l et ' s see what you can do about i t .
Then st ar t s a st r ange per f or mance . . . . one t hat you can' t possi bl y
appr eci at e unl ess you ar e one of t he subj ect s, and act ual l y exper i ence
t he uncanny sensat i on of havi ng your own MI ND READ - and knowi ng i n
your own consci ousness t hat you, and you al one, possessed t hat t hought .
When you begi n t o r eal i ze t hat anot her has f ound t he abi l i t y t o pr y
i nt o your MI ND - and r ead I t , t hen your sensat i on i s somet hi ng aki n
t o an appr oach t o a gr aveyar d on a l onel y ni ght - your hai r cr eepi ng
on your scal p. Many peopl e have conf essed t hi s sensat i on, and I , t oo,
have known i t .
You, my f r i end, ar e t he subj ect . You ar e per mi t t ed t o t hi nk of any
ment al command. You are not i nf l uenced. Your onl y r est r i ct i on i s
t hat your command must have not hi ng t o do wi t h any obj ect on Hel l -
st r omor your sel f . For i nst ance, t hi nk t o t ake your wi f e' s pocket -
book, and gi ve i t t o t he gent l eman i n t he 16t h r ow, t hi r d seat Or
t o r emove t he neck- t i e f r omt he or chest r a l eader, - and t i e i t ar ound
t he saxaphone pl ayer ' s i nst r ument . Or , t o r emove one of t he f oot -
l i ght bul bs and pl ace i t i n t he RI GHT coat pocket of Mr . A. Or ,
t hi nk f or Hel l st r omt o t ake any obj ect ( t hat i s accessi bl e) and gi ve
i t t o some one; put i t i n some def i ni t e l ocat i on or per f or msome
act i on wi t h i t .
You ar e not l i mi t ed t o t he suggest i ons gi ven you. They ar e mer e
i l l ust r at i ons t o acquai nt you wi t h what i s t o f ol l ow. You have a
f r ee sel ect i on of THOUSANDS of di f f er ent ment al commands t hat you
ar e at l i ber t y t o CONCEI VE AND RETAI N i n your own mi nd. You need
not t el l anot her , and f ear he may empl oy some t r i cker y and communi cat e
t hi s i nf or mat i on t o Hel l st r om. Oh, no - you and you al one deci de
upon t he ment al command, and r et ai n i t i n your mi nd - t hat i s, unt i l
Hel l st r omper f or ms i t. '
You under st and Hel l st r om, nor any ot her i ndi vi dual , can r ead your
mi nd, unl ess you concent r at e and hel p. However , i f you t hi nk as
cl ear l y and def i ni t el y as possi bl e, f i r st of t he l ocat i on of t he
f i r st act i on, t hen t he obj ect and what act i on i s t o f ol l ow; keep t hese
t hought s par amount i n your mi nd and f ol l ow t he i nst r uct i ons of Hel l -
st r om, he wi l l l ead you t o t he scene of t he oper at i on and per f or myour
ment al command.
Not onl y do you exper i ence t he uni que sensat i on of havi ng YOUR
mi nd r ead, hut ot her s have t he same oppor t uni t y. A var i et y of
t est s are of f er ed, such as f i ndi ng hi dden or conceal ed ar t i cl es.
Suppose a pi n i s hi dden. You pl ace i t wher e you want i t con-
ceal ed, whi l e Hel l st r omi s of f t he st age, or i n anot her r oomunder
a guar d t hat i s known t o he l egi t i mat e.
Ent er s Hel l strom' . He t akes you by t he wr i st , and wi t hout a l ot
of f ool i ng ar ound, l ocat es t he hi dden pi n, what ever t he obj ect may
be. These^t est s are r epeat ed. Of cour se, i n a t heat r e t her e i s
so much possi bi l i t y of t r i cker y, or of someone conveyi ng t hi s i n-
f or mat i on t o Hel l st r omby si gnal or code t hat t he per f or mance i s
not appr eci at ed.
Hel l st r omwas at hi s best i n smal l er gr oups of peopl e. Cl ubs,
banquet s, newspaper of f i ces, r adi o st at i ons, uni ver si t i es under
t est condi t i ons, on st reet cor ner s, wher ever a gr oup of peopl e
gat her . The appr eci at i on of hi s wor k came onl y when you r eal i zed
he empl oyed NO conf eder at es - no assi st ant s - and no out si de hel p.
Al l t hat was necessar y was f or t he subj ect t o concent r at e accor d-
i ng t o hi s i nst r uct i ons.
You coul d not f ool Hel l st r omby changi ng your mi nd f r omt he' or i gi nal
command, because he was a mi ndr eader and woul d r ead t he change. Any
good exponent' of Hel l st r omi smcan do l i kewi se.
Hel l st r omwas not 100/ , cor r ect , or shoul d I say successf ul . Ther e
wer e many t est s t hat he di d not compl et e, and i n each i nst ance, t he
f aul t i s wi t h t he subj ect , and not t he oper at or . Thi s, of cour se,
wi l l be expl ai ned l at er i n det ai l .
A gr oup of us ar e gat her ed i n a hot el r oom. We l ear n t hat Hel l st r om
I s st oppi ng at t he hot el . Let ' s have hi mi n f or a dr i nk and a t est .
However, " bef or e he ent er s t he r oom, you wr i t e t he name of any per son
i n t he hot el ( di st ance i s no bar r i er ) on a sl i p of paper , seal i t i n
t he envel ope and never l et i t get out of your possessi on. Ther e i s
one and onl y one copy, whi ch you possess. Ot her s i n t he r oomdo not
know t he name or wher eabout s of t he per son, as wr i t t en on t he paper .
Cal l i n Hel l st r om. Tel l hi myou want hi mt o del i ver t he. seal ed-
l et t er t o t he par t y whose name appears, i nsi de.
For t he skept i c, seal t he envel ope bet ween t wo boar ds, wi t h adhesi ve
t ape, sol der i t I n a t i n can - any way t hat t hor oughl y convi nces
you t hat Hel l st r omdoes not , "by any meanB of t r i cker y, r ead t he
name. ' The oper at or does not know t he name. '
i
I f you know t he wher eabout s of t he par t y whose name I s wr i t t en,
hand t he envel ope or cont ai ner t o Hel l st r om, gr asp hi m"by t he wr i st ,
and pr epar e t o ver y shor t l y come f ace t o f ace wi t h t he owner of t he
name, f or he wi l l di r ect l y l ead you t o t hi s per son, and pol i t el y
hand hi mt he cont ai ner , t el l i ng hi mt hat hi s name i s wr i t t en wi t hi n
t he cont ai ner .
These amazi ng f eat s ar e al most unl i mi t ed, and st r ange as i t may
seem, i t does not mat t er as t o t he nat ur e of t he exper i ment , pr o-
vi di ng i t i s accessi bl e t o t he oper at or , and has not hi ng t o do wi t h
hi s per son, or t he per son of t he subj ect. ' These ar e def i ni t e r e-
st r i ct i ons.
I have endeavor ed t o pai nt a wor d pi ct ur e of Hel l st r omand hi s un-
canny exper i ment s, and f or a def i ni t e pur pose. The expl anat i on of
hi s secr et , t hough i t was not hi s secr et , wi l l be easi er .
At t he out set , an expl anat i on of how t o dupl i cat e t he f eat s i s a
most di f f i cul t and hazar dous t ask, si mpl y because of t he i nt angi -
bi l i t y of t he t hi ng. I t i s a wel l known f act t hat we know l ess of
our mi nd - i t s f unct i on and oper at i ons - t han any ot her par t of our
body, yet i t may be r egar ded as one of t he most i mpor t ant par t s of
your body. My endeavor wi l l not be a r ecour se on t he mi nd, t hough
t hat i s t he ONE t hi ng wi t h whi ch we must cont end. I si mpl y want t o
convey t o my r eader s t he f act t hat my t ask i s a ver y di f f i cul t one,
and t o ask some t ol er ance i f under st andi ng of t he under l yi ng pr i nci -
pl es ar e not f i rst under st andabl e.
A r eal i zat i on_of what Hel l st r omi smi s, and what can be accompl i shed
wi t h i t , wi l l come not f r omt he r eadi ng of t hese wor ds, but f r om
act ual exper i ence as a r esul t of f ol l owi ng t hese di r ect i ons. Bear
t hat i n mi nd. I t i s ver y i mpor t ant .
To i l l ust r at e t he di f f i cul t y i n pl aci ng t hese i nst r uct i ons i n mer e
wor ds, may I i mpose a mi nut e or t wo upon your t i me - and per haps
l at er , of sever al hour s of your t hought s. Ever yone, at some t i me
or ot her , has some consci ous t hought DAWN upon t hem. Thi s t hought
occur s wi t h l ogi cal r eason, or physi cal happeni ng. You J ust knew
t hat . such and such woul d happen. A f ami l i ar, expr essi on i s, "I
j ust f el t i t i n my hones" "somet hi ng t ol d me"
"I KNEWi t. ' J " When you exper i ence such an occur r ence - when t hi s ^
knowl edge of some f ut ur e event , or f act , a past event , hut not
known t o you "by nor mal means, t hen at t empt t o ver bal l y t o a f r i end
or pl ace i n wr i t i ng J UST WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MOMENT THI S KNOWLEDGE
CAME TO YOUR CONSCI OUSNESS. ' How di d you know you di dn' t per cei ve
t hi s i nf or mat i on, . now was i t caused by any of t he f i ve nor mal senses,
si ght , t ouch, smel l , hear i ng or any speech.
YET, t hi s consci ousness has become appar ent . Some peopl e descr i be
t hi s as a si xt h sense, or i f you ar e t o be a hi ghl y devel oped ex-
ponent of Hel l st r omi sm, you wi l l f r equent l y exper i ence ' knowl edge'
f r omsome sour ce ot her t han t hr ough t he medi umof t he f i ve nor mal
senses. You wi l l f i nd your sel f i n t he posi t i on of , wel l , J ust KNOW-
I NG what obj ect i s t o be sel ect ed and of t t i mes, what act i on i s t o
be per f or med. Eowever , t hese ar e t he hi gher and mor e devel oped phases
of Hel l st r omi sm, and t hei r accompl i shment s must be devel oped, and i n
no ot her way, . i f i t i s t o be acqui r ed.
Fi r st l et me say t hat ever yone wi l l not make a successf ul exponent
of Hel l st r omi sm. The pr i me r equi si t es i s a HI GHLY DEVELOPED I NTU-
I TI ON, whi ch car r i es our t hought s back t o t he above par agr aph. How-
ever , I do si ncer el y bel i eve t hat any nor mal mi nded per son who st udi es
t hese i nst r uct i ons and pr oper l y pr act i ces, wi l l be abl e t o dupl i cat e
many of t he f eat s wi t h success. The hi gher phases of t he wor k wi l l
be accompl i shed by t he mi nor i t y, r at her t han t he maj or i t y. I t i s
onl y f ai r t o say t he pr act i ce of t hi s wor k i s i ncl i ned t o cr eat e ner -
vousness, as t he oper at or must t ense ever y ner ve and be so ment al l y
al er t and keen.
However , i n f i rst l ear ni ng, be cont ent t o pl ay wi t h t he si mpl er
exper i ment s. As you ar e t o r ead t he subj ect B mi nd, i t does not
mat t er what t he t hought s ar e, as l ong as l ogi cal , and i n accor dance
wi t h your gener al demands.
THE SUBJ ECT
Subj ect s of a sex opposi t e t o t he oper at or ar e best . I do not at -
t empt t o expl ai n t hi s phenomenon, never t hel ess i t r emai ns a f act .
Thi s i s not at al l essent i al i n l ear ni ng or i n act ual pr act i ce. Es-
peci al l y i f t he oper at or be a mal e, a f emal e subj ect i s best . Fi r st ,
make up your mi nd t hat you ar e goi ng t o be a mi ndr eader . . To t hi s
poi nt t hat sounds si l l y, as you t hus f ar under st and not hi ng of t he
pr ocedur e, "but you wi l l l at er f i nd t hat you must f i r st bel i eve
YOU can r ead mi nds bef or e you can convi nce OTHERS, or pl ace t hei r
mi nds i n a pr oper suscept i bl e state. '
Sel ect a si ncer e subj ect . One t hat i s wi l l i ng t o hel p you i n your
exper i ment s and want s t o see you succeed. Under no ci r cumst ances,
exper i ment (at f i r st ) wi t h smar t peopl e, know- i t - al l s, or subj ect s
t hat have some pr econcei ved i dea of what you ar e t r yi ng t o do. Such
pr ocedur e wi l l onl y r et ar d your pr ogr ess.
THE PREPARATI ON
Havi ng sel ect ed a pr oper assi st ant , expl ai n t hat you have f ound t he
t r ue secret of r eal mi ndr eadi ng - t hat you can and wi l l r ead hi s
mi nd, i f he wi l l co- oper at e wi t h you. I mpr ess t hat you cannot r ead
hi s mi nd unl ess he concent r at es most st r ongl y upon t he t hought . Under
t he pr oper ci r cumst ances, mi ndr eadi ng i s a demonst r at i ve possi bi l i t y,
and you pr opose t o r ead hi s mi nd. I f t he subj ect i s wi l l i ng t o sub-
mi t t o t he exper i ment , and one you f eel wi l l r eal l y t r y t o f ol l ow your
di r ect i ons, t hen you are r eady t o begi n.
Havi ng sel ect ed one you f eel wi l l pr ove a pr oper subj ect , you must
PREPARE t hi s subj ect I f you ar e t o meet wi t h success. You must di r ect
t hei r ment al t hought s i nt o cer t ai n channel s. You must i mpr ess upon
your subj ect t hat you CAN and WI LL r ead hi s mi nd i f t hey co- oper at e.
You must i mpr ess upon t he subj ect t hat you CANNOT r ead hi s mi nd wi t h-
out pr oper co- oper at i on. I f t he subj ect i s wi l l i ng t o HELP you i n
t he exper i ment and wi l l do t hei r best t o f ol l ow your i nst r uct i ons,
you may f eel assur ed of a cer t ai n degr ee of success.
Your i nst r uct i ons t o t he subj ect ar e ALL- I MPORTANT. The subj ect must
be pr oper l y post ed as t o t he PHYSI CAL and MENTAL pr ocedur e, l est your
exper i ment pr ove a f ai l ure. ' I f t he subj ect i s pr oper l y ' prepared'
you have won hal f t he bat t l e. The subj ect ' s t hought s ar e not har d
t o i nt er pr et or . r ead i f he concent r at es as di r ect ed.
Fi r st convi nce your subj ect t hat you ar e si ncer e, and demand t he
same si ncer i t y f r omhi m. For t he pur pose of demonst r at i on, r equest
subj ect t o t hi nk t hat you ar e t o do some poi nt wi t hi n t he r oomand
pi ck up some ( accessi bl e) obj ect and pl ace i t i n some ot her l ocat i on
of t he r oom. Expl ai n t hat t he obj ect must not be on hi s per son, nor
on your per son. Heavy obj ect s t hat r equi r e physi cal st r engt h ar e
f or bi dden.
For t he begi nner , especi al l y i n ear l y t est s, not over a dozen
l ogi cal obj ect s shoul d be i n t he r oomand wi del y separated. , A
t abl e wi t h 20 smal l obj ect s on same woul d be most di f f i cul t and
unf ai r t o t he begi nner . I f you wi sh you may make sever al sugges-
t i ons, such as t o t ur n of f l i ght s, t ur n on r adi o, pul l down t he
wi ndow shade, and ot her SI MPLE t est s. Avoi d compl i cat ed t est s
unt i l you become mor e pr of i ci ent .
The r oomi n whi ch you conduct your exper i ment s shoul d be a l ar ge
r oom, compar at i vel y f r ee of obst acl es, i . e. , chai r s, f ur ni t ur e,
et c. , because t he f ast er you can move f r omone pl ace t o anot her ,
t he easi er. ' Go t o t he f ar cor ner of t he r oom, or bet t er , st and i n
t he door way. Ask t he subj ect i f he i s r eady, and does he possess
some ment al command t hat you ar e t o obey?
Bar e t he r i ght wr i st . Pl ace subj ect at your r i ght si de, and r e-
quest t hat he t ake a gent l e but f i r mgr asp on your r i ght wr i st ,
wi t h hi s l ef t hand. Request t hat a f i r mbut CONSI STENT gr i p be
mai nt ai ned at al l t i mes. Caut i on agai nst al l owi ng t he t ensi on t o
var y.
The i nst r uct i ons i n t hi s and t he f ol l owi ng par agr aphs ar e VERY I M-
PORTANT. Wi t h t he subj ect st andi ng at your si de, hol di ng t he wr i st ,
I MPRESS t hese condi t i ons on hi s mi nd. That you ar e goi ng t o r ead
t he t hought I n hi s mi nd - t hat i s, i f he pr oper l y concent r at es.
I f . you FAI L, i t wi l l be because HE di d NOT concent r at e, and t he
f ai l ur e wi l l be char ged up t o hi m, and not your sel f . He i s some-
what i n a spot , because he does not wi sh t o see you f ai l , shoul der
what r esponsi bi l i t y mi ght f ol l ow and di spl ay an appar ent l ack of
abi l i t y on hi s par t t o concent r at e i n t he pr esence of ot her spec-
t at or s .
As you expl ai n t hi s t o t he subj ect , you l end a l i t t l e movement
t o t he hands. Tal k f or cef ul l y. As you move your r i ght ar m, t he
gr i p may t end t o l essen. Cal l t hi s t o t he subj ect ' s at t ent i on
and agai n r equest t hat he endeavor t o mai nt ai n a f i r mand consi s-
t ent gr i p. I t i s essent i al t o your t al k and act i ons t hat you cr eat e
a STATE OF EXPECTANCY.
Pat t er l i ke t hi s: As I ent er t he r oom, FOLLOWME. Of cour se, I
assume t he exper i ment i s t o be conduct ed i n t hi s r oom. ( Subj ect
may say ' yes' , but caut i on hi mnot t o speak al oud - ONLY, THI NK,
unl ess you r equest a ver bal answer ) . Now, as we ent er t he r oom,
( you r emai n st andi ng) you ar e FI RST t o t hi nk of t he l ocat i on of t he
obj ect or act i on. THI NK t o whi ch par t of t he r oomwe go.
I f t he obj ect i s t o our r i ght , THI NK TURN RI GHT. (At t hi s poi nt ,
you move your r i ght hand, t o t he r i ght , i ndi cat i ng t hat di r ect i on)
or i f we ar e t o t ur n t o t he l ef t , THI NK TURN LEFT ( i ndi cat ed by
gest i cul at i ng wi t h t he l ef t hand) . When we come t o t he pr oper l o-
cat i on, THI NK STOP. ( You now dr aw up your hands, f i st s cl asped
t i ght l y, i n a manner si mi l ar t o pul l i ng i n t he r ei ns of a hor se. )
When we are i n t he pr oper ar ea, say t o your sel f - THAT' S RI GHT -
now, bend over , and t ake t he obj ect . ( Force down wi t h t he hands) .
BUT, shoul d I t ake t he wr ong obj ect , say t o your sel f NO - NO -
t hat ' s wr ong - put i t back ( i ndi cat e act i on wi t h hands. ) Do you
under st and? ( You ar e st i l l t al ki ng wi t h hands) . When I f i nd t he
sel ect ed ar t i cl e
A
say YES YES t hat ' s r i ght , now t ur n t o ^our r i ght
or l ef t , whi chever t he case may be ( demonst r at e) and when I have
come t o t he pr oper l ocat i on t he second t i me, j ust r epeat . over and
over agai n i n your mi nd, t he command. Concent r at e, st ep by st ep.
And WHEREVER I go, r i ght or wr ong, YOU FOLLOWME. ' But concent r at e.
Ar e you r eady? ( Snap t he f i nger s and appear f i dget y and ner vous.
You ar e l i ke a r ace hor se at t he bar r i er - you want t o be of f - t he
st r ai n i s great . ) .
"LET' S GO". At t hi s j unct i on, you wi l l f i nd most good subj ect s
st ar t i ng t o wal k di r ect l y t owar d t he obj ect , but I f i nd i t best
t o sl i ght l y ar i se f or war d on your t oes, a t r i f l e of f bal ance. Fr om
t hi s poi nt , subj ect st ar t s and i mmedi at el y i ndi cat es t he def i ni t e
cour se t o be f ol l owed.
Remember , you have i mpr essed t he subj ect t hat he i s t o FOLLOWYOU.
What act ual l y happens i s t hat t he subj ect LEADS you t o t he. sel ect ed
ar t i cl e. However , you wal k sl i ght l y i n . f ront of t he subj ect , bei ng
gui ded by t he hand on wr i st , but t o al l APPEARANCES you ar e l eadi ng
t he subj ect . I t i s necessar y t hat you keep t he subj ect cl ose t o
your si de at al l t i mes. I f you f i nd i t necessar y t o cr owd bet ween
t wo chai r s or ot her obst acl es, DRAG your subj ect r i ght at your si de.
I f necessar y, ver bal l y i nf or mhi mnot t o l eave your si de f or an
i nst ant , or "break t he cont act .
You may ' egg' t he subj ect al ong i nt o f ast er act i on by appear i ng
most ner vous and sayi ng "Qui ck - concent r at e - t hat ' s r i ght , l et ' s
hur r y. " React i on wi l l be exper i enced i f t he subj ect i s ' sl ow' .
Havi ng f ul l y ' prepared' your subj ect i n or der t hat he l ai ows hi s par t
of t he exper i ment , you f ol l ow t he subj ect t o t he vi ci ni t y ment al l y
sel ect ed, and your hand wi l l be di r ect ed t o t he sel ect ed i t em. Once
you t ouch i t , you wi l l know you have t he cor r ect pi ece, as t he sub-
j ect wi l l t end t o pul l up your wr i st and t ur n you i n anot her di r ec-
t i on i f t he obj ect i s t o be pl aced el sewher e. I f t hat concl uded t he
t est , subj ect wi l l r el ease your wr i st .
I n shor t , you pr act i ce muscl e r eadi ng, whi ch st r i ct l y speaki ng,
i s not muscl e r eadi ng, as i t has not hi ng t o do wi t h t he muscl es.
Many peopl e' t hi nk t he subj ect l ends some cl ue by t he manner i n
whi ch he hol ds your wr i st - a sort of hot and col d pr oposi t i on -
but such I s not t he case, and can l at er be pr oven. Thi s exper i -
ment I s such a pr i mar y f or mof mi ndr eadi ng, t he subj ect so i nt ent l y
concent r at i ng on t he per f or mance of t he ment al command t hat t hey
ACTUALLY LEAD you t hr ough t he per f or mance, t ot al l y unconsci ous of
t he f act .
Some t i mes t he l eadi ng i s so pr onounced t hat you swear t he per son
i s DELI BERATELY t aki ng you t her e J ust t o hel p you - but hol d your
peace. ' Such i s not t he case wi t h si ncer e subj ect s. Occasi onal l y
a pr act i cal j oker wi l l t r y somet hi ng l i ke t hi s and your onl y r e-
cour se i s t o di spose of hi m, unl ess he i s wi l l i ng t o obey your
i nst r uct i ons.
Thi s unconsci ous di r ect i on or l eadi ng by t he subj ect i s i dent i cal
t o t he oper at i on of a ouj i i boar d, wher eas t he oper at or s r eal l y
push t he smal l t abl e ar ound t he boar d, spel l i ng out t hei r own
subconsci ous t hought s, ent i r el y UNAWARE of t hi s physi cal exer t i on.
However , i f t he subj ect i s pr oper l y ' prepared' and si ncer e you ar e
al most assur ed of success. Wi t h a good oper at or f ai l ur e wi l l oc-
cur , but 99 t i mes out of 100, t he f aul t i s wi t h t he subj ect , and
not t he oper at or . I t i s ei t her a case of l ack of pr oper knowl edge
as t o how t o co- oper at e or a del i berat e, at t empt t o def eat your t est .
Not al l peopl e make good subj ect s. I n f act , many ar e so f l i ght y,
or f r i ght ened by t he pr ospect of havi ng some of t hei r t hought s
publ i cl y r eveal ed, t hei r t hought s t ur n t o f ri ght and di scl osur e,
r at her t han t he exper i ment at hand. Exper i ment s ar e i mpossi bl e
unl ess t he mi nd i s pr oper l y co- or di nat ed.
I t i s suggest ed t hat you r epeat t hi s f i r st exper i ment many t i mes,
t hough of cour se usi ng di f f er ent obj ect s and t est s. Keep your
t est s easy and si mpl e at f i r st . Repet i t i ons wi l l make you mor e
successf ul and add speed t o your accompl i shment s.
FOR THE BEGI NNER, THE FI NDI NG OF HI DDEN ARTI CLES I S A MOST PRACTI CAL
MEANS OF DEVELOPMENT. HERE YOUR FI ELD OF POSSI BI LI TY I S RESTRI CTED.
YOU KNOWYOUB PURPOSE I S TO DO ONLY ONE THI NG - FI ND THE CON-
CEALED ARTI CLE. Let t he most compl i cat ed t est come l at er , because
you wi l l need an under st andi ng of t he wor k f r omact ual pr act i ce,
as wel l as r eadi ng t he i nst r uct i ons i n pr i nt .
Of t t i mes you wi l l get a subj ect t hat does ' not st ar t wel l ' . Pul l
t hemar ound t he r oom, expl ai ni ng t he pr ocedur e, t hen suddenl y do
an abrupt about - f ace, whi r l i ng t hemwi t h you. And t he r emar k - "NO
No . . . You are not concent r at i ng - t hi nk FI RST WHERE we shoul d go. "
I f af t er an at t empt or t wo, t he subj ect does not appear t o gr asp
t he i dea and you exper i ence a smal l degr ee of success - get anot her
subj ect .
I t does not mat t er i f your subj ect t r i es t o f ool you, as l ong as he
i s si ncer e. You must cl ai mt hat you can r ead hi s ment al commands,
j ust as t hey pass t hr ough hi s mi nd.
For i nst ance, t he or i gi nal command coul d change, r i ght i n t he mi ddl e
of an act i on, and a new one subst i t ut ed, and t he r eal exponent of ^
Hel l st r omi smwi l l CHANGE t he t est , and ACTUALLY f ol l ow t he t hought s
i n t he mi nd, as THEY ARE MENTALLY EXECUTED. However , on t he ot her
hand, i f t he subj ect shoul d al l ow hi s mi nd t o wander away f r omt he
exper i ment at hand, and st art t hi nki ng about a t heat r e he at t ended
l ast ni ght or any i r r el evant occur r ence, you ar e LOST . . . . . . . and
even t hough t he f aul t i s wi t h your pr oj ect or ( subj ect ) and not YOUR-
SELF, and even t hough t he exper i ment f ai l s because of t hi s, usual l y
t he subj ect wi l l be honest enough t o admi t at t he ver y poi nt wher e
you f ai l ed, he al l owed hi s mi nd t o wander f r omt he experi ment. ' That
i n i t sel f i s a r emar kabl e t est , and
(
pr oves beyond concl usi ve ar gument
t hat t he mi nd i s capabl e of bei ng r ead, i f under pr oper ci r cumst ances
I t shoul d be made cl ear t o t he oper at or and subj ect al i ke t hat i f
t hey ar e t hi nki ng t hat you r emove a gent l eman' s vest , i t. woul d FI RST
be necessar y f or t hemt o ment al l y di r ect you t o t he pr oper gent l eman
and as you wor k, t he coat woul d be an obst acl e t o t he vest . As you
ar e wi t hout MENTALI TY, you cannot t hi nk t o r emove t he coat f i r st , and
consequent l y t he vest i s NOT ACCESSI BLE. However , i f such a t est i s
per f or med, subj ect MUST t hi nk t o REMOVE THE COAT FI RST ( whi ch i s a
l ogi cal st ep i n r emovi ng t he vest ) , and t hen t o t hi nk t o r emove t he
vest - by unf ast eni ng t he but t ons, et c.
The same i s t r ue of sel ect ed obj ect s t hat are- beyond r each, behi nd
obst acl es. I t i s necessar y t hat subj ect s f i r st t hi nk t o. r emove t hese
obst acl es, or pr ovi de means of ACCESSI BI LI TY t o t he sel ect ed i t em.
Your di vi nat i on of t he THOUGHT must come st ep by st ep, and must
nat ur al l y "be concent r at ed i n l i ke manner . I f your subj ect wer e t o
t hi nk - go acr oss t he r oomand t ake a ci gar et t e and t hr ow i t on
t he f l oor - you woul d be st umped - t he subj ect t hi nks f i rst i n t er ms
of di r ect i ons ( t hough t hi s i s not appar ent t o t hem) as t o wher e t he
obj ect r eposes, and what shal l be done wi t h i t .
As you pr ogr ess wi t h your exper i ment s, and t r y mor e di f f i cul t ones,
you wi l l f i nd t hi s wor k easy, and l ot s of f un. You wi l l , sur pr i se
your sel f by ' knowi ng' what t o do wi t h t he obj ect s many t i mes bef or e
you exper i ence t he physi cal gui dance, and i n such cases, you ar e
devel opi ng r eal "Hel l st r omi sm".
Wi t h many begi nner s, as you appr oach a desk or t abl e, yoy. wi l l sense
t hat you ar e i n t he r i ght l ocat i on. You wi l l KNOWTHI S because you
ar e unconsci ousl y l ed t her e and you wi l l know' t hi s by HELLSTROMI SM.
Thi s concl usi on wi l l not be r eached by ar gument , l ogi cal or physi cal
ai ds. You wi l l j ust KNOWi t .
The wr i t er has f ound t he gr eat est success t o be at t ai ned i f t he
oper at or wi l l per f or mt he gr eat est par t of t he exper i ment wi t h eyes
CLOSED. Vi si on i s not essent i al , ot her t han t o keep your bear i ngs.
Thi s i s especi al l y t r ue at t he ver y begi nni ng of t he t est . You ar e
l i ke a BLI ND MAN - you know not wher e t o go - and t hi s i s l i t er al l y
t r ue. You can' t per cei ve chai r s, t abl es, PROBABLE OBJ ECTS i n your
pat h, whi ch mi ght cause you t o specul at e whi ch way t o t ur n, et c.
Open t he eyes at f r equent i nt er val s mer el y t o t ur n and get your po-
si t i on. Or, , cat ch j ust enough vi si on bet ween al most cl osed eyel i ds
t o wat ch your f eet . Tr y t o adopt a st at e such as bei ng awakened
f r oma sound sl eep, wal ki ng but t r yi ng t o r et ai n a st at e. of sl eep
wi t h onl y enough consci ousness t o keep physi cal post ur e.
I f i nd i t ef f ect i ve t o hol d l ef t hand t o my head - as t hough under
gr eat ment al st r ess, par t l y shi el di ng my eyes. The f act . t hat your
eyes ar e cl osed i s ver y i mpr essi ve on t he spect at or ' s and your gui de.
THE OPERATOR
Ri ght f ul l y speaki ng, you have "been gi ven i nst r uct i ons i n your f i rst
TEN l essons. You have "been i nf or med as t o t he pr i mar y i nst r uct i ons
i n cont act mi ndr eadi ng. You have "been i nst r uct ed how t o achi eve t he
correct ment al at t i t ude on t he par t of t he subj ect - and t hen, how
t o r ead hi s r eact i ons. "What i s essent i al at t hi s st age of t he st udy
i s a r epet i t i on of t hese exper i ment s.
Once you concl ude a successf ul t est wi t h a subj ect , i t wi l l be much
easi er , t o per f or ma second one, because t hey under st and t he necess-
ar y MENTAL PROCESS f or success. They have been PREPARED. Fur t her ,
i f you ar e wor ki ng t o a gr oup of peopl e, and concl ude a successf ul
t est , and change subj ect s, t he second at t empt wi l l l i kewi se -be easi er .
( As a r ul e) Because t he second subj ect bel i eves i n your abi l i t y,
and has absor bed some of t he ' preparat i on' of t he f i r st subj ect . How-
ever , pr epar e t hemas you di d t he f i r st , by expl ai ni ng t he di r ect i ons
whi l e hol di ng your hand, et c.
Never under t ake t o use a subj ect t hat has been dr i nki ng any quant i t y
of l i quor , because of hi s i nabi l i t y t o concent r at e. St r ange, how-
ever , Hel l st r omwas at hi s best whi l e under t he i nf l uence of l i quor ,
and t he wr i t er her ewi t h admi t s some of hi s most sensat i onal t est s
wer e per f or med i n a si mi l ar st at e . . . . however , t hi s must not be
mi sconst r ued as a r ecommendat i on f or a l i qui d di et bef or e t he t est s
can be per f or med, but mer el y gi ven as gener al i nf or mat i on. A per son,
however , wi t h t oo much t o dr i nk coul d nei t her act as subj ect or oper a-
t or wi t h any degr ee of success.
Keep up your exper i ment s wi t h t he same subj ect , and sl owl y t ake on
new subj ect s. Go t hr ough t he whol e pr ocedur e each t i me. Then you
can per mi t mor e di f f i cul t t est s. You wi l l have f ai l ur es, yes, as
even do t he best , as expl ai ned.
I t i s essent i al at t hi s t i me t hat I expl ai n what NOT t o do as wel l
as what t o do. Af t er you have pr epar ed your subj ect , di smi ss ever y
t hought f r omyour mi nd. DO NOT, under any ci r cumst ances, t r y t o
f i gur e out by l ogi c and r easoni ng, what THEY MI GHT have sel ect ed.
Don' t t r y t o guess or r eason - I f you do, you ar e l ost. ' The mi nd
must be kept a bl ank and you depend ent i r el y on t he gui dance of t he
subj ect ' s l ef t wr i st and i nt ui t i on.
I f you at t empt t o r eason or guess, you ar e si mpl y conduct i ng a ver y
f ool i sh guessi ng cont est , wher e t he subj ect ' s odds ar e 1000 t o your
one. ' Wi t h "begi nners, I know t he t hought wi l l f l ash t hr ough t hei r
mi nd, ' Wel l , what do you suppose t hey sel ect ed?" Never concer n
your sel f as t o t he sel ect ed obj ect or t he command t hat i s t o be
per f or med. Take each phase of t he exper i ment STEP BY STEP - and
do not t r y t o guess what t he concl usi on of t he t est wi l l be. The
guessi ng or ' knowl edge' ei t her wi l l or wi l l not devel ope l at er ,
dependi ng on t he i ndi vi dual .
DO NOT t r y t o guess or r eason t he exper i ment i n advance. However ,
as you become mor e pr of i ci ent , and endeavor t o under t ake a l ar ger
r ange of ment al commands, a cer t ai n amount of r eason or guess wor k
i s essent i al , unl ess you are f or t unat e enough t o be abl e t o ' per-
cei ve' t hese t hought s by i nt ui t i on. Mor e on t he subj ect l at er .
Havi ng cl osed . your eyes, you ar e not BO i ncl i ned t o be ment al l y
di st r act ed. I f you coul d shut your hear i ng of f , t hi s mi ght pr ove
an ai d i n some cases. However , on t he ot her hand, wher e a gr oup
of peopl e know t he t est t o be per f or med, you can al most t el l i f
you ar e ' hot or col d' by t he al most i naudi bl e sounds t hat emanat e
f r omt hem. Somet i mes, much gui dance i s obt ai ned by sound cr eat ed
by t he br eat hi ng, so t he oper at or shoul d not concer n hi msel f about
t hese si t uat i ons. Keep t he mi nd i n a per f ect l y passi ve st at e, and
i f t hi s can be successf ul l y accompl i shed over a ser i es of many
exper i ment s, t he oper at or wi l l become so pr of i ci ent as t o be abl e
t o ' percei ve' t hese t hought s, and not t hr ough physi cal cont act .
I t i s, however , f i rst necessar y t o become a GOOD cont act mi nd-
r eader . As I t ol d you bef or e, t hi s wi l l be accompl i shed not t hr ough
an under st andi ng of t he r eadi ng of t hese wor ds, but by pl aci ng t hese
i nst r uct i ons i nt o act ual pr act i ce.
At t hi s J unct i on, i t i s hoped by t he wr i t er t hat you have not pl aced
t hi s book asi de t o t r y one of t he exper i ment s f r omt he knowl edge t hat
you have t hus f ar gai ned. I t i s t r ue t hat i f you have t r i ed exper i -
ment s t hat you shoul d meet wi t h success, but t he mor e you r ead, t he
gr eat er wi l l be your under st andi ng.
Ther ef or e, I t r y t o i mpr ess upon your mi nd t he necessi t y, of FI RST
a cl ear under st andi ng of t he basi c pr i nci pl es, SECOND, t he necessi t y
of pr act i ce and r epet i t i on of t hese pr i nci pl es, and THEN may come
t he unf ol dment of t he hi gher pr i nci pl es of a devel oped i nt ui t i on or
si xt h sense.
Af t er havi ng acquai nt ed wi t h al l t he avai l abl e i nf or mat i on as t o
t he "basi c pr i nci pl es and hi gher pr i nci pl es, my t ask wi l l "be
f i ni shed. I t r emai ns wi t h you i f you ar e t o "be a medi ocr e success
or a sensat i on. Fur t her , i t i s wi t hi n your own pr ovi nce as t o
whet her you wer e "born wi t h suf f i ci ent i nt ui t i on or abi l i t y t o
devel op t hi s i nt ui t i on or abi l i t y t o be a t r ue sensat i on i n t hi s wor k.
A STRANGE I NTERLUDE
The wr i t er has been a successf ul exponent of Hel l st r omi smf or six
year s, and i n t hat span of t i me, has concl uded t housands of hi ghl y
successful experiments. Fai l ur es have been prevalent, but I f eel
t hat I amone of t he most successf ul oper at or s of t hi s wor k t oday
( t here ar e onl y a f ew) , and my exper i ment s have been ser i ousl y car -
r i ed f ar beyond t he expl anat i on I set f or t h her e. Not I n a spi r i t
of egot i sm, but as gener al i nf or mat i on and my abi l i t y to, , set f or t h
t hese i nst r uct i ons and dat a, I do f eel , poi nt for poi nt , t hat my wor k
was equal if not super i or t o t hat of my l at e and est eemed f r i end,
Axel HellBtrom.
' \
Had Hel l st r oml i ved a l onger span of l i f e, I amsur e he woul d have,
gi ven us much f ood f or t hought . Whi l e my exper i ment s have been i n
no way di r ect l y r el at ed t o hi s wor k, I have been f or t unat e enough
t hat I coul d car r y on.
I amf i rml y convi nced t hat t her e i s such a t hi ng as ' genui ne mi nd-
r eadi ng ' "and t hat Hel l st r ompr act i ced i t many t i mes, and I know I
have genui nel y accompl i shed i t many t i mes; I amf ur t her of t he bel i ef
t hat t hi s wor k, st ar t i ng wi t h muscl e r eadi ng and devel opi ng i t , wi l l
some day r eveal t he possi bi l i t y of mi ndr eadi ng i n a gr eat er scope,
or what we may descr i be as ment al t el epat hy over gr eat di st ances and
bet ween many peopl e.
I do si ncer el y bel i eve t hat har moni ous condi t i ons can be set up
bet ween t wo mi nds and a per f ect under st andi ng t r anspi r e, t hough no
physi cal cont act t akes pl ace. Fr equent l y we f i nd such exi st i ng
bet ween man and wi f e, , ( who ar e si ncer el y i n l ove wi t h one anot her
over a l ong per i od of year s) . "They seemt o under st and each ot her ",
peopl e r emar k. These cases act ual l y exi st and cannot be debat ed
t hough t he t r ansmi ssi on of t hought s bet ween t hese mi nds cannot be
cont r ol l ed.
Year s ago, bef or e I knew t hat such a man as Axel Hel l st r omexi st ed,
or was f ami l i ar wi t h muscl e or cont act mi ndr eadi ng, I had a ser i ous
t ur n of mi nd, and expr essed such t hought s as' I have J ust . wr i t t en.
Wi t h t he ai d of my br ot her , ^I conf essed my bel i ef t hat t her e was
a possi bi l i t y t hat t wo mi nds, I F pr oper l y at t uned, coul d pr oj ect
and r ecei ve t hought s. I t seems f ool i sh, especi al l y t o us, as we
wer e magi cal l y i ncl i ned al most f r omi nf ancy, and possessed a wi de
st or e of knowl edge of t he f r audul ent si de of mi ndr eadi ng and al l i ed
pseudo ar t s.
Never t hel ess, not hi ng vent ur ed, not hi ng gai ned. At t he t i me, bot h
shar ed a l ar ge bedr oom, wi t h an adj oi ni ng sl eepi ng por ch. An open
door separ at ed t he t wo r ooms. At t he qui et of ni ght , my br ot her
Lawr ence ( Al i a Rageh, t oday) woul d l i e i n hi s bed, and I i n mi ne.
He woul d at t empt t o concent r at e hi s mi nd as i nt ent l y as he knew how
on some par t i cul ar make of aut omobi l e - t o vi sual i ze i t - and t o
pr oj ect t hat t hought acr oss t he r oomt o me. I n t ur n I woul d en-
deavor t o al l ow my mi nd t o become bl ank and passi ve. Many, many
makes of , cars woul d come t o my mi nd and t hen I woul d f i nd
mysel f debat i ng whi ch one he woul d sel ect - t r yi ng t o out guess hi m-
and t hat was not our pur pose, t o f ool one anot her - we wer e honest l y
t r yi ng a ser i ous exper i ment , i n whi ch bot h shar ed a par t i al bel i ef .
Agai n, I woul d cause my mi nd t o become bl ank. A Chevr ol et car spr ang
i nt o my ment al vi si on i n t he dar kened r oom, and I spoke t he wor d
"Chevr ol et ". The moment I sai d t he wor d, a st r ange chi l l r an f r om
t he r oot s of my hai r t o t he ot her end of my spi ne. ' My br ot her sai d
he exper i enced a si mi l ar sensat i on, because I had GUESSED what car
he was t r yi ng t o pr oj ect t o me. '
Coi nci dence Yes, t hat i s what we thought. ' We t r i ed i t . agai n and
agai n, and wi t h an excel l ent degr ee of success. OUR AVERAGE OF
CORRECT GUESSES WAS FAR BEYOND THE AVERAGE OF COI NCI DENCE. These
exper i ment s we cont i nued over a per i od of sever al mont hs, not onl y
wi t h makes of aut omobi l es but wi t h f l ower s, mi scel l aneous obj ect s,
wor ds and t hought s.
So convi nced wer e we t hat we had act ual l y di vi ned t he secr et of t r ue
mi ndr eadi ng t hat we pl anned t o commer ci al i ze i t af t er f ur t her de-
vel opment occur r ed . . . . Our pr ogr ess t hen sl ackened, not t hr ough
t he f act t hat we cr eat ed many i mpor t ant er r or s, but our heal t h be-
gan t o be af f ect ed . . . . was i t t hat we wer e t amper i ng wi t h some-
t hi ng not meant f or mor t al man? . . . . A shor t t i me l at er , I conf essed
our exper i ment s t o a wor l d f amous psychi at r i st , who war ned agai nst
t hei r cont i nuance and suggest ed a rest. ' My br ot her shor t l y t her e-
af t er went away t o school .
Thi s exper i ence, t hough year s ago, r emai ns bur ned vi vi dl y i n my mi nd.
I t convi nced me of possi bi l i t i es t hat I r eal i ze i n t hi s mor e moder n
age wi l l be scof f ed at and r i di cul ed.
Hel l st r omi sm"brought much of t hi s "back t o me, and i n t he t wo
cases, I r eal i zed a si mi l ar i t y. Hel l st r ompossessed si mi l ar
i deaB, he conf essed t o me "bef ore hi s deat h, and I do si ncer el y
bel i eve t hat one of t hese t hought s woul d be i n pr act i ce wer e
he l i vi ng t oday . . . he pr oposed t o have a l ar ge st age dr op wi t h
a hundr ed obj ect s on same, and al l ow any subj ect t o come f r om
t he audi ence, sel ect one, and mer el y by t ouchi ng t he subj ect ,
name t he sel ect ed obj ec t I f eel t hat I t oo, i n t i me, coul d dup-
l i cat e such a f eat , but wi l l not.
1
Wi l l expl ai n l at er .
HELLSTROMI SM CONTI NUED
I wi sh t o descr i be and i nt er pr et t he hi gher phases of Hel l st r omi sm
as bei ng a f acul t y, added or devel oped si xt h sense. Thi s wi l l be
devel oped i n a f ew, and onl y t hr ough cont i nual pr act i ce. I t wi l l
grow upon you wi t h each succeedi ng exper i ment , i f you ar e so f or -
t unat e t o possess t hese possi bi l i t i es.
I n some cases, you wi l l f i nd i t possi bl e t o KNOWt he t est bef or e
t he subj ect has i ndi cat ed t hat he ' has made up hi s mi nd' . Thi s
has occur r ed t o t he wr i t er i n sever al occasi ons - t he possessi on
of a knowl edge of t he t est t o be per f or med, t hi s knowl edge comi ng
t o me whi l e I was wai t i ng f or , t he subj ect t o t el l me t o start. '
I have never been abl e t o cont r ol or pr e- det er mi ne when such an
occur r ence woul d happen. Appr oachi ng some obj ect , I woul d i nst i nc-
t i vel y know t hat i t was t he ment al l y sel ect ed obj ect , pi ck i t up
and compl et e t he t est , l eavi ng t he subj ect st andi ng i n t he mi ddl e
of t he room. ' Such t est s ar e t r emendous sensat i ons. They ar e
nat ur al ' breaks' and t her ef or e shoul d be capi t al i zed upon f or t hei r
val ue. I f you f i nd a good subj ect , make f ul l us. e of t hem. For
ent er t ai nment pur poses i n a cr owd, per f or monl y a f ew t est s. Those
most eager t o act as subj ect s, who ar e si ncer e, usual l y make t he
best subj ect s. To f ur t her pl ace t he bur den or f aul t , i n advance,
i n case of f ai l ur e wi l l cause t he si ncer e subj ect , and especi al l y
one sl i ght l y embar r assed by t hei r pr omi nent par t i n t he exper i ment ,
hel p you unconsci ousl y j ust t hat much mor e.
Ther e ar e many f act or s t o consi der . Once you get of f an excep-
t i onal l y good t est or t wo, stop. ' Wi t h a good aver age don' t con-
t i nue t o do mor e exper i ment s, wi t h t he possi bi l i t y of a f ai l ur e
t hr ough some poor subj ect .
You must ' be a showman t o get t he most out of any per f or mance, and
t hi s i s l i kewi se t r ue of Hel l st r omi sm, Al ways r emember t hat you
ar e pl ayi ng a r ol e si mi l ar t o a magi ci an - t hat you must out - t hi nk
and. out - smart your audi ence, and t her ei n depends your success.
I n your experi ment s, you wi l l f i nd your sel f st andi ng i n f ront of a
si ngl e obj ect , say an el ect ri c l i ght swi t ch. You have been di r ect -
ed t her e, know you ar e i n t he correct l ocat i on. Reason may ent er
your mi nd and t el l you t hat you ar e t o swi t ch on t he l i ght s. Thi s
you do, and t o your amazement , you ar e cor r ect . I t now r esol ves
i t sel f i nt o t he debat e of whet her you ar r i ved at t hi s concl usi on
as a resul t of r eason or l ogi c, or I f you r ecei ved some t hought
i mpul se t hat causes you t o ' know' .
I n such cases as t hi s, r el ease your wr i st f romsubj ect ' s hand, and
wi t hout physi cal cont act , per f or mt he act i on. I f you are wr ong,
you are wr ong. However , as you approach t he subj ect , you may sense
t hat you ar e wr ong, wher eas you become t he showman - r ub your wr i st
wi t h your l ef t hand as i f t o r est or e bet t er ci r cul at i on - and st art
agai n wi t h t he subj ect .
Af t er you l ear n t o be a prof i ci ent cont act mi ndr eader - t o pr epar e
t he subj ect so t hat t hey wi l l properl y r eact , t o ascer t ai n t hei r
di r ect i ons and ant i ci pat e t hei r ment al commands, you may. t hen con-
si der t he next st ep of what I t er mHel l st r omi sm.
HI GHER PHASES
Mi ndr eadi ng t hr ough t he medi umof physi cal obj ect s, and not per -
sonal cont act . I have an excel l ent success i n al l owi ng subj ect
t o hol d my pen- kni f e - on t he end of my wat ch chai n. I n t ur n, I
hol d t he wat ch, and af t er havi ng i nst ruct ed subj ect , I pl ace t he
wat ch t o my ear, expl ai ni ng I aml i st eni ng t o t he subj ect ' s t hought s
- i n t he same manner I woul d l i st en t o a t el ephone conver sat i on.
Thi s i s ef f ect i ve.
The per i od of concent r at i on begi ns . . . . . . I move f or war d, st ar t i ng
t he subj ect , who wi l l t r ai l around wi t h you, and l ead you t o t he
pr oper pl ace. I usual l y l eave t he wat ch chai n sl ack, except f or
t wo or t hr ee at t empt s, whi ch I cause t o be t aut , t o make sur e of
mysel f . Wi t h an experi enced subj ect , t hey wi l l l ead you t o t he
desi r ed l ocat i on, t he same as hol di ng your wr i st . Needl ess t o say,
t hi s i s mor e compl i cat ed t han wher e physi cal cont act i s empl oyed.
I f i nd t he pr oper ar ea, and r el ease t he wat ch. By keepi ng my eye
on i t ( unbeknown t o subj ect ) I can al most t el l when I amdoi ng t he
ment al command. I f success does not t el l when I amdoi ng t he men-
t al command, I hol d t he wat ch a second, pul l i ng i t ever so sl i ght l y,
one way or t he ot her t o get my di r ect i on. Fr omt hat poi nt , I
ei t her wai t f or some f l ash as t o t he pr ocedur e, and i f i t i s not
f or t hcomi ng, I t hi nk ' f eel out t he exper i ment s by t he cont act
r eadi ng met hod' .
Exper i ment s may al so be per f or med hol di ng on t o a penci l or any
r i gi d obj ect , t he gui dance bei ng mor e def i ni t e. I f t hi s, phase
of t he wor k i s t o be consi der ed, I r ecommend a wat ch chai n and a
pen- kni f e. Or a handker chi ef , or even st r i ng. I have f ound i t
possi bl e i n many cases, wher e a good subj ect has been devel oped,
t o al l ow t he subj ect t o wal k besi de or behi nd me. By gl anci ng
down at hi s" f eet and t he manner i n whi ch he wal ks, t ur ns, hesi -
t at es J ust what hi s r eact i ons ar e, I cannot def i ni t el y expl ai n, as
t hey ar e ver y i nt angi bl e, but exper i ment at i on wi l l r eveal . You
wi l l not i ce cer t ai n di r ect i onal f eat ur es and f r omt hen on, you
must r ead - but not t r y t o out guess - t he subj ect ' s pur pose.
I have on f i ve occasi ons been abl e t o act ual l y di vi ne t he t hought s
i n a spect at or ' s mi nd - whi l e f ul l y f i ve f eet f r omt hem- and
t hr ough no cont act what soever , t he par t y never even get t i ng out of
t he chai r . I r ecei ved ( to t he best of my knowl edge) no di r ect i onal
i nf or mat i on t hr ough my f i ve nor mal senses t hat woul d have acquai nt ed
me wi t h t he t est . I cannot expl ai n HOWI KNEWt hese t est s any mor e
t han I can expl ai n t he physi cal pr oper t i es of t he Moon, yet I know
t hese t est s are accompl i shed f act s, and t he Moon, wel l , we' r e awar e
of i t s presence. '
I cannot t el l , you HOWYOU CAN DUPLI CATE t hese f eat s, because I do
not know f r omwhence t he i nf or mat i on comes. I bel i eve i t i s a
t el epat hi c f l ash f r omt he subj ect ' s mi nd t o my mi nd. I di d not
pl an any of t hese f i ve exper i ment s i n t hi s manner , but had i nt ended
t o per f or mt hemi n any usual manner . Consci ousness of what t he
tf est"was, came i nt o my mi nd, and t hi nki ng f or some r eason t hat I
' was r i ght , I TOOK A LONG SHOT, and i n a j oki ng way ( an out ) de-
cl ar ed mysel f . ' Tr ul y i t was a sensat i on. I f I had been wr ong I
woul d have sai d t o my subj ect - "OK, come on, l et ' s see i f we can
r ead your mi nd . . . . now hol d my wr i st , et c. " Wi t h t hi s per f ect
t est concl uded, I di d not at t empt ot her s. I had per f or med, so t o
speak, a mi r acl e, and I di d not want t o r un any r i sk of decr easi ng
my i nst ant l y acqui r ed r eput at i on.
I n doi ng t hese t est s, I f i r ml y bel i eve t hat many wi l l devel op an
I NTUI TI ON t hat wi l l per mi t dupl i cat i on of t hese t est s. Of t en i t
wi l l DAWN upon t he oper at or what act i on i s t o be per f or med her e or
t her e. Onl y yest er day, I demonst r at ed Hel l st r omi smt o a pr ospect i ve
cl i ent , who t hought f or me t o cr oss t he r oom, and pi ck out one of
t he t hr ee hat s, r ecr oss t he r oomand pl ace t he hat on my desk.
Thi s I i mmedi at el y di d, and as I appr oached t he desk (I gl anced
t hr ough my cl osed eyel i ds and saw t hat my desk was t he oTrstacl c
i n f ront of me. ) I knew i nst ant l y t o DROP t hat hat on t he desk.
The t est was per f or med 10Cf
o
cor r ect . I KNEWt o pl ace i t there. '
But on t he ot her hand, my subj ect coul d have t hought t o pl ace t he
hat UPSI DE DOWN, on i t s si de, i n t he dr awer , pl ace I t on t he desk
and set a penci l on i t , or what not , yet my i nt ui t i on t ol d me t hat
I was correct. ' Fi r ml y bel i evi ng t hat I had been pr oper l y i nf or med,
I f ol l owed my i nt ui t i on.
To t hose not so f or t unat e t o devel op such a phase as t hi p. your
wor k wi l l be sl ower and you wi l l wor k mor e on an el i mi nat i on basi s.
However , i n Hel l st r omi smyou ar e cont ent t o wor k and t hi nk i n di -
r ect i ons, and not obj ect s. Your subj ect does not t ake you al l ar ound
t he r oomon a hi t and mi ss basi s, but t o t he l ocal i t y i n whi ch t he
f i r st act i on i s t o be per f or med.
You r each t hi s l ocal i t y, and conf r ont i ng you ar e many, mgny obj ect s.
Your hand i s l ed t her e by physi cal gui dance on t he par t of t he sub-
j ect , or by your i nt ui t i on. Pi ck up t he obj ect you f eel I s t he cor-
r ect one. I f you get t he wr ong one - i nst ant l y you can t el l you have
t he wr ong one - i f t he subj ect f ol l ows your i nst r uct i ons. You know
t o set i t down - your hand i s f or ced downwar d. Pay no at t ent i on t o
t he t ensi on on your wr i st - whet her i t l essens or t i ght ens. Be con-
t ent t o pi ck many obj ect s up and r epl ace t hembef or e you get t he
r i ght obj ect . I n such cases, i t i s because your subj ect , i s not
st r i ct l y conf or mi ng t o your i nst r uct i ons, and at t hi s j unct i on, i t
I s necessar y t o say "THI NK - THI NK AS I NTENTLY AS YOU CAN . . . t hi nk
wher e i t i s - what obj ect you want - HURRY". Get ner vous, exci t ed,
whi ch t ends t o cr eat e exci t ement i n t he subj ect , and ai ds i n t he
successf ul per f or mance of t he t est .
Bef or e, I t ol d you not t o t r y t o sur mi se or guess t he t est t o be
per f or med. Let i t he unf ol ded, st ep by st ep. However , l ogi c,
r eason and guess wor k pl ay an i mpor t ant par t , and t hat i s what
f ool ed t he ol d f ol l ower s of muscl e r eadi ng. They coul d easi l y un-
der st and how Hel l st r ommi ght be di r ect ed t o some obj ect , but t hey
wer e st umped when t hey saw hi mper f or mt he ment al commands.
So many var i ous act i ons can be per f or med wi t h most any obj ect . I f
you ar e l ed t o a hat , and t hen di r ect ed t o i n f r ont of a young l ady,
your r eason wi l l al most t el l you t hat you ar e t o gi ve t he hat t o t he
l ady or pl ace i t on her head. As you appr oach a r adi o, you ar e
pr obabl y t o t ur n i t of f ( i f pl ayi ng) or vi ce ver sa . . or t o set t he
di al at some f i gur e. Common sense t el l s you t hat onl y a f ew act i ons
ar e possi bl e.
You may f i nd i t necessar y t o go f r omone t o anot her , hut you vi l l
know when you ar e r i ght or wr ong, dependi ng on your i nt ui t i on, or
t he muscul ar r eact i on of t he subj ect . BUT don' t st op and r eason
unt i l you f i nd no f ur t her gui dance. I t i s gr ant ed t hat a per son
hol di ng your wr i st coul d har dl y t el l you t o t ur n a vase' upsi de down.
But you r eal i ze when you have t he vase t hat I t i s cor r ect , you know
t hat somet hi ng must he per f or med wi t h same i n THAT vi ci ni t y ( unl ess
l ed away) . I f you do not get a f l ash of what i s want ed, exper i ment
by a pr ocess of el i mi nat i on. Appear t o set i t on i t s si de - i f you
ar e doi ng wr ong - need not compl et e t he exper i ment i n t hat di r ec-
t i on - and make a par t i al mi ss. You wi l l be di r ect ed.
I f a per son t hi nks f or you t o appr oach a cl ock and set t he hands
at 8 o' cl ock, you know by gui dance when you have t he cor r ect obj ect ,
t he cl ock. I f i t i s not t o be t aken f r omi t s pl ace, some act i on
t her e must occur . The hands may be set , t he al ar mset - of f , or any-
t hi ng, but as you handl e and experi ment wi t h t he possi bi l i t i es,
gui dance comes and t he t est i s usual l y compl et ed most successf ul l y.
Onl y when you are st uck - cal l upon your ment al i t y, OR what i s an
equal l y good pl an - J OG up your subj ect t o get hi mt hi nki ng - so
you can get hi s react i ons Under st and your pl an i s not t o pl ay a
game of el i mi nat i on, or ' hot or col d' . Def i ni t e obj ect i yes ar e
i ndi cat ed by t he good subj ect , and i t i s up t o you t o capi t al i ze
on t hi s ci r cumst ance.
The aver age subj ect or gr oup t hat deci des t he ment al command,
usual l y sel ect si mpl e t est s. I f you ar e l ed t o a gent l eman seat ed
i n a chai r , you may be al most assur ed t hat you ar e t o r emove hi s
gl asses, handker chi ef , wat ch, penci l or some easi l y accessi bl e ob-
j ect . I f your i mpul se t akes you t o hi s f eet , i t i s al most f or egone
concl usi on t he shoe i s t o be r emoved. Exper i ment at i on wi l l t el l
you what t o do, and gui dance hands t el l you r i ght or wr ong.
Real di f f i cul t t est s ar e nat ur al l y di f f i cul t t o per f or m. Test s
i nvol vi ng sever al act i ons ar e l i kewi se compl i cat ed. I f t he ment al
command i s f or you t o sel ect a cer t ai n book, t hat i s easy - THEN
t o pl ace t he book f ace down on a desk, and pl ace Mr . J ones' hat on
t op of same, THEN set a cockt ai l gl ass i n t he hat , you i n r eal i t y
have t hr ee separ at e t est s. - Havi ng pl aced t he book on t he desk,
you know t he t est i s not compl et e, because you have i nst r uct ed your
subj ect t o speak al oud at t he end of t he t est and r el ease your
wr i st . Far t her , t hi s i s not r eal l y necessar y, "because when you
do successf ul l y compl et e a t est , your subj ect i s t oo sur pr i sed
t hey wi l l i nvar i abl y r el ease your wr i st and excl ai mal oud t hei r
sur pr i se.
Test s such as t o sel ect a cer t ai n book, open t o a speci f i c page
and mar k a ci rcl e ar ound a sel ect ed wor d, as possi bl e - hut qui t e
di f f i cul t . Such t est s can be el i mi nat ed by t he per f or mer , cal l i ng
f or mor e si mpl e t est s, t hough of f er i ng a sel ect i on of a t housand
and one t hi ngs t hat may be ment al l y sel ect ed. On such t est s of
t hi s ki nd, you may r est r i ct t hem, st at i ng t hat i t i nvol ves act i on
of your own per son, whi ch you expl ai ned was out l awed.
Under st and t hat you cannot per f or many act i on, On or WI TH your
subj ect or your sel f . That i s t o be def i ni t el y under st ood BEFORE
t he exper i ment i s commended. No al i bi i s r equi r ed l at er , i f t he
subj ect i s conf used and does not abi de wi t h t hese i nst r uct i ons.
My onl y i nst r uct i ons f or devel opi ng t he hi gher phases of Hel l -
st r omi smi s t o cont i nue t hese exper i ment s, t he si mpl er ones f i r st ,
t hen i nt o t he wat ch- chai n or handker chi ef cont act and occasi onal l y
t ake a l ong shot . Pr act i ce al one wi l l enabl e some t o acqui r e t he
abi l i t y t o ' read mi nds wi t hout cont act ' . Fur t her i nst r uct i on i s
usel ess.
Hel l st r omi sm, as we consi der i t , i s based upon di r ect i onal t en-
denci es, and not upon di vi ni ng t hought s i n mi nd. I t i s a ment al
pr ocess and you must be conduct ed st ep by st ep. I t wi l l not en-
abl e you t o t el l t he pl ayi ng card a subj ect i s t hi nki ng of , but
i t wi l l enabl e you t o f i nd t he correct car d. Car ds may be pl aced
i n a ci r cl e, and you wi l l be di r ect ed t o i t , OR you can deal t he
car ds down on a t abl e, and when you come t o t he r i ght onp, you
f eel t he i mpul se t hat wi l l i nf or myou.
Hel l st r omi sm, st r i ct l y speaki ng, wi l l not enabl e you t o t el l a
per son' s name, or r ead t he quest i on i n t hei r mi nd. Names coul d
be pl aced on si gns and you coul d pi ck t he pr oper si gn, t hus r e-
veal i ng t he same. However , i t s pur pose i s t o demonst r at e t he
possi bi l i t y of ment al t el epat hy or t o obey t he ment al commands
of ot her s, and not as a f or t une t el l i ng st unt .
I do f eel t hat i t s devel opment may l ead t o a poi nt wher e var i ous
t hought s f r omt he mi nds of ot her s can be i nt er pr et ed, such as t he
exper i ment s I ment i oned by t he wr i t er and my br ot her sever al year s
ago. We di scont i nued our f ur t her r esear ch because I f el t t hat a t oo
cont i nual pr esent at i on and t hought on t hi s subj ect i s a t r emendous
bur den f or t he mi nd and par t i cul ar l y t he ner vous syst em.
The pr act i ce of Hel l st r omi sm, especi al l y i n i t s mor e compl i cat ed
f or ms, creat es ner vousness. The deeper your experi ments. , t he mor e
t hi s wi l l becomes appar ent . Ther ef or e you are f or e- war ned, as a
r esul t of my own exper i ences and ot her s, t hat ner vous di sor der s
mi ght f ol l ow a t oo st r enuous campai gn.
Hel l st r ommade hi s l i vi ng doi ng t hi s wor k, and as I sai d bef or e, he
coul d per cei ve t he act i on t hr ough i nt ui t i on. He per f or med many
t est s dai l y f or year s. He was ext r emel y ner vous. He l i ked hi e
schnapps.
1
One creat ed t he ot her . I . do f eel hi s deat h was hast ened
by an over exci t ed ner vous syst em, br ought about by t he const ant
demands of hi s wor k.
I N CONCLUSI ON
I n concl usi on, l et us agai n at t empt t o def i ne t he coi ned wor d
Hel l st r omi sm. I t i s t he devel opment and pr act i ce of empl oyi ng
t he mi nd t o i nt er cept and r ecei ve cer t ai n t hought vi br at i ons as
pr oj ect ed by anot her subj ect , en r appor t , ei t her t hr ough physi cal
cont act , or no cont act what - so- ever .
I t i s t he aut hor ' s si ncer e hope t hat I have been abl e t o i nt el l i -
gent l y convey t he meani ng ari d how t o devel op t hi s st r ange power -
a subj ect of whi ch we know so l i t t l e as t o make i t s under st andi ng
di f f i cul t t o expr ess i n pr i nt .
When, and i f you do, acqui r e t he HI GHER secr et s of Hel l st r omi sm-
t he per cept i on of t he t hought s of ot her s t hr ough t he means ot her
t han your f i ve nor mal senses - you wi l l know you have at t ai ned your
goal - yet you wi l l exper i ence t he seme di f f i cul t y i n expr essi ng
t he sensat i on t o ot her s, as I have f ound i n t hi s t ask.
I f eel any consci ent i ous st udent of t hi s book shoul d be abl e t o
f i nd hi dden or conceal ed ar t i cl es. I f eel most of my r eader s wi l l
be abl e t o per f or ma great many of t hese t est s wi t h t r ue success,
yet I cannot assur e one r eader t hat he wi l l acqui r e a sense of
i nt ui t i on t hat wi l l make hi man out st andi ng exponent of Hel l st r omi sm
i n i t s hi gher phases. I have t ol d you qui t e si mpl y how I acqui r ed
t hi s f acul t y, and how you may go about i t , t o do l i kewi se.
The per f or mance of t hese f eat s are ext r emel y sensat i onal , and. cer-
t ai nl y wor t hy of any ef f ort expended i n t hei r behal f . Go f or t h,
t hen, wi t h t hese basi c pr i nci pl es and acqui r e t he t r ue art of HELL-
STROMI SM.
SUGGESTED ROUTI NE FOR PUBLI C EXHI BI TI ONS
For publ i c exhi bi t i ons f romt he st age or pl at f or m, t he i nt r oduct or y
l ect ur e shoul d f i rst be gi ven. Next t he subj ect shoul d be sel ect ed
by i nvi t i ng a commi t t ee upon t he st age. To pr event t he t hought of
t r i cker y or pr e- ar r angement t he audi ence shoul d be per mi t t ed t o
sel ect t he commi t t ee. Whi ch shoul d be composed of men and women
of pr omi nence. I t i s di f f i cul t somet i mes t o get i peopl e of t hi s
cal i ber t o vol unt ar i l y of f er t hei r ser vi ces, so i t i s suggest ed t he
manager of t he t heat r e make a not e of t he names of sever al pr omi nent
peopl e i n at t endance, and you speci f i cal l y cal l f or t hem, af t er
get t i ng t he audi ence' s appr oval .
You pr epar e your subj ect , expl ai ni ng t he nat ur e of your wor k, and
a t est i s ar r anged by t he commi t t ee. I t i s suggest ed i n such exhi -
bi t i ons t hat t he f i rst t est i s t o f i nd a conceal ed ar t i cl e. A pi n
i s usual l y hi dden some pl ace on t he st age, or per son of t he com-
mi t t ee. Thi s act i on i s per f or med whi l e t he oper at or i s i n anot her
r oomunder guard of part of t he commi t t ee. Af t er you successf ul l y
compl et e t hi s t est , you are r eady f or t he mor e compl i cat ed t est s.
One member of t he audi ence or commi t t ee i s r equest ed t o wr i t e t he
name of some member of t he commi t t ee or audi ence on a sl i p of paper ,
and seal i t i n an envel ope. The oper at or t hen l eads t he commi t t ee-
man t o t he per son whose name i s i n t he envel ope and del i ver s same.
The next t wo or t hr ee t est s shoul d be a demonst r at i on of t he oper a-
t or ' s abi l i t y t o r ead t he ment al commands of var i ous subj ect s. As
you pr ogr ess and get a good subj ect , t r y t he wat ch- chai n or hand-
ker chi ef met hod.
I f you ar e qui t e pr of i ci ent and condi t i ons ar e good, t hen t r y one
exper i ment wi t h non- cont act . At al l t i mes, you must caut i on t he
audi ence t o r emai n qui et , and r ef r ai n f r ommaki ng unnecessar y noi ses
or di st ur bances, as t he per f or mer must not al l ow out si de
v
i nf l uences
t o pr ey upon hi s mi nd.
A si mi l ar r out i ne maybe f ol l owed f or cl ubs, banquet s and ot her
gat her i ngs, and ar r anged at t he di scr et i on of t he per f or mer .
An i nt er est i ng demonst r at i on can be ar r anged, t he per f or mer t o pl ay
t he par t of a sci ent i f i c cr i mi nol ogi st and sol ve an enact ed mur der .
Di r ect i ons are gi ven t he commi t t ee. Per f or mer i s t hen pl aced under
guar d, so t hat t he i nf or mat i on cannot he passed on t o hi m.
Among t he commi t t ee, t hey deci de t hat Mr . A i s t o enact t he par t
of t he mur der er . Anot her i s sel ect ed t o he t he vi ct i m. Mr . A t hen
appr oaches t he vi ct i m, and goes t hr ough t he act i on of st abbi ng hi m
unt i l dead. Each member of t he commi t t ee t hen ar e seat ed i n a ci r -
cl e, and ent er s per f or mer .
Any wi t ness or commi t t eeman ot her t han t he t wo par t i ci pant s i n t he
l i t t l e dr ama may act as subj ect . Per f or mer t akes subj ect by t he
wr i st , af t er expl ai ni ng t hat t hey ar e f i rst t o t hi nk who was t he
vi ct i m, and you t hen f i nd t he vi ct i m. Next , you ar e t o f i nd t he
ki l l er , and you do, dr amat i cal l y decl ar i ng Mr . A as t he mur der er ,
and you pl ace hi munder ar r est , t her eby sol vi ng t he cr i me by men-
t al t el epat hy.
Var i ous act i ons can be empl oyed and ot her char act er s i nvol ved,
such as pol i cemen who di scover ed t he body, a l awyer who r epr esent s
t he deceased per son, et c.
Ot her act i ons and pl ayl et s ar e enact ed out and sol ved by. t he per -
f or mer . Thi s f i el d opens a most unusual f or mof ent er t ai nment ,
and i s especi al l y ef f ect i ve among smal l er gr oups of peopl e, wher e
t hey know t her e i s no possi bi l i t y of t r i cker y, or a secr et assi s-
t ant .
LECTURE
"Ladi es and Gent l emen: I t I s my uni que pl easur e of pr esent i ng a
ser i es of experi ment s i n genui ne ment al t el epat hy - a demonst r a-
t i on such as you have never "before wi t nessed. I mai nt ai n t hat I
can read t he mi nd of any nor mal per son, i f t hi s per son wi l l co-
oper at e and ai d me by i nt ent l y concent rat i ng hi s mi nd on some one
subj ect . I wi l l def i ni t el y pr ove my cl ai mby an act ual demonst r a-
t i on of t hese power s.
For t he pur pose of t he demonst r at i on, I want sever al per sons of
ser i ous mi nd, men and women who woul d l i ke t o have t he exper i ence,
t he ver y unusual sensat i on, of HAYI NG THEI R MI ND READ. I assur e
you t hat I wi l l not embarrass you, and t hat my wor k wi l l be car-
r i ed out i n a hi ghl y sci ent i f i c manner . "
(Get commi t t ee or subj ect , and t hen ' prepare' subj ect as descr i bed
pr evi ousl y i n t he book, and empl oy al ong t he same l i nes. Thi s con-
st i t ut es par t of your l ect ur e, as you not onl y acquai nt t he subj ect ,
t al ki ng di r ect l y t o t hem, but t o your ent i re audi ence, and i n t ur n,
t hey under st and t he pur pose of your exper i ment .
For smal l er gr oups, et c. , a mor e i nf or mal i nt r oduct i on shoul d be
made.
Her ei n I gi ve you t he f r ui t s of many year s of exper i ment at i on and
r esear ch i n t hi s f i el d hy t he wr i t er ; an abundance of ext r emel y
val uabl e dat a made possi bl e by t he l at e Axel Hel l st r om, and by my
good Fr i end, Ot t kar Fi scher , of Vei n, Aust r i a, a st udent and aut hor -
i t y on t hi s wor k.
Thi s i s t he f i rst compl et e and aut hor at i ve book wr i t t en upon t he
subj ect and needl ess t o say, onl y t he pr i mar y st ages of t he possi -
bi l i t i es of ment al t el epat hy and i ts f ut ur e devel opment have been
t ouched upon. Ti me i t sel f wi l l r eveal and unf ol d many of t he
r emai ni ng myst er i es.
Not - genome wTLl i out t hi s si gnat ur e.
Any book, manuscr i pt , or ci r cul ar bear i ng t he name of Hel l st r omi sm,
and NOT t he si gnat ur e of t he aut hor , i s NOT a t r ue copy, but an
i nf r i ngement on t he l egal l y owned copyr i ght of t he publ i sher s.
FI NI S
LATER DAY EXPERI MENTS
I N
HELLSTROMI SM
Si x year s ago I wr ot e and. publ i shed, t he book "Hel l st r omi sm" and
at t hat t i me, I was wel l awar e of t he f act t hat t her e was much
mor e t o be sai d on t he subj ect . I f el t t hat t he next f ew year s
woul d t hr ow much l i ght and expl anat i on on t hi s st r ange subj ect .
And t he l ast si x year s have of f er ed many a r evel at i on, f or dur i ng
t hat t i me, I have car ef ul l y cat al ogued my exper i ment s, my r eact i ons,
my t hought s and my anal ysi s. .
My l at er day exper i ment s, suppl ement ed by const ant exper i ment at i on
wi t h Hel l st r omi smf or si x year s pr evi ous t o wr i t i ng t he book, have
gi ven me a weal t h of mat er i al f or r ef l ect i on.
My concl usi ons have not been al t er ed, but ver i f i ed. For year s,
I have honest l y bel i eved t hat Hel l st r omi smwas t he devel opment of
an i nt ui t i on or si xt h sense, and t hat const ant pr act i ce and pa-
t i ence woul d be r ewar ded, by a shar peni ng of t hese f acul t i es. . To
t hi s concl usi on, I hol d st eadf ast t oday. I have pr oven i t t o my
own per sonal sat i sf act i on, and t o ot her s.
Somewher e i n t he f ut ur e, I bel i eve, a f ew peopl e wi l l devel op t he
power of i nt ui t i on t o a mar ked degr ee. I do not speak of ' command
per f or mances' of t he si xt h sense or t heat r i cal demonst r at i ons, or
f or per sonal use. However , t he shar peni ng of t he i nt ui t i on makes
i t mor e concl usi ve and val uabl e t o t he possessor .
I n a ser i es of exper i ment s, conduct ed by mysel f and a f ew of my ex-
ponent s, we have def i ni t el y pr oven beyond any mer e coi nci dence hi t
or mi ss aver age t hat i t i s possi bl e t o di vi ne t he t hought s of an-
ot her - under t he pr oper ci r cumst ances - t hat i t i s possi bl e t o
pr oj ect t hought s and commands t o ot her s - by ment al t el epat hy or
what ever t er ms you may choose t o use, ,
Good Hel l st r omi smoper at or s i nvar i abl y ' sense' t he l at t er hal f of
t he exper i ment , br eak cont act and compl et e t he r out i ne wi t h per f ect
assur ance and correct knowl edge. I n some cases, cont act i s made -
i nst ant l y br oken and t he f ul l command obeyed wi t h t he subj ect seat ed
i n a chai r , mer el y act i ng as an onl ooker . .
These cases ar e r ar e, t hat i s qui t e t r ue, and cannot be' ant i ci pat ed,
yet t hey have occur r ed on a number of occasi ons.
Exper i ment s have been conduct ed - and some subj ect s are much mor e
f avor abl e t han ot her s - wher e t he l et t er s of t he al phabet have merel y-
been t hought of - and pi cked out by t he per f or mer , wi t h and wi t hout
cont act .
Of l at e, I have spent a great deal of t i me, seat ed i n a hot el l obby,
st r eet car , or among peopl e - gazi ng at t hei r backs and ment al l y
commandi ng t hemt o ' turn ar ound ' ' TURN AROUND' . I n many cases, I
vas successf ul , and t hey woul d t ur n ar ound - l ooki ng at me wi t h a
cur i ous st ar e, as i f t o say "What do you want ?" - "I don' t know you. "
No doubt , you, dear r eader , have of t en t r i ed t hi s, and succeeded. At
t he moment , i t af f or ded amusement and past i me, but di d you ever st op
t o r eal i ze t he l at ent f or ce wi t hi n you t hat coul d r each out t hr ough
space - ment al l y t ap a per f ect st r anger on t he shoul der , and t el l hi m
t o not e your at t ent i on????????
Ther e i s a f orce dor mant wi t hi n us - t hat has t he power t o doJ
Among your own friendB - i n t he comfort and security of your own
home - t r y t hese exper i ment s. Wher e t her e i s har mony and under -
st andi ng - t he r esul t s wi l l be bet t er . Bet ween t he opposi t e sex,
st r angel y enough, a hi gher percentage of r esul t s wi l l be at t ai ned.
Tr y t hi s "Ment al Concent r at i on' - di r ect i t t owar ds one of your
acquai nt ances or f ami l y - t hi nk as har d and i nt ent l y as you can -
command t hemf or cef ul l y t o ' turn ar ound' .
I t has pr oven possi bl e" a f ew i nst ances - - t o command ment al l y
t he subj ect upon whomyour concent r at ed t hought rayB are di r ect ed
t o per f or msome speci f i c act - such as t o get a dr i nk of wat er -
pl ay t he pi ano, get out a chai r , si t down i n a chai r , et c.
These have been my l at er day exper i ment s i n Hel l st romi sm. '
St udy and anal yzat i on have been expended upon t hem- wi t h t he r esul t
t hat I amconvi nced agai n of t he exi st ence / and use of a l at ent
i nner f or ce t hat may be pr oj ect ed t o i nf l uence / and act upon t he
mi nds of ot her s.
I
I amf ur t her convi nced t hat when t wo i ndi vi dual s r ecogni ze such a
f or ce - encour age and cul t i vat e i t - t hat a r ar e i nner under st and-
i ng wi l l cr op up bet ween t hem. An under st andi ng wi t hout a spoken
wor d.
But what has al l t hi s t o do wi t h Hel l st r omi sm- and why t hese
t hought s i n t hi s book?
Si mpl y t hi s - Hel l st r omi smi s an adopt i on and use of a si xt h sense -
and when cul t i vat ed, I si ncer el y bel i eve wi l l open a great gat eway
t o cl ear er under st andi ng - si ncer i t y and a mor e pr oduct i ve l i f e.
A f ew of my f our hundr ed st udent s wi l l cher i sh t hese t hought s -
ot her s wi l l scof f at t hemas t he r avi ngs of a mad man. Associ at ed
as I have been wi t h t he ' pseudo- ment al pr of essi on' f or t he past 20
year s, many wi l l f i nd i t di f f i cul t t o accept my ut t er ances wi t h a
gr ai n of si ncer i t y - and yet i t was t hi s same cr i t i cal at t i t ude
t hat kept me f romt he t r ue Becret of Hel l st r omi sm.
Onl y when, and i n desper at i on as t o l ear n how t o do t hese wonder f ul
t est s - di d I r esol ve t hen t o pl ay ' chump' and t r y i t f r oma f ai r ,
and unbi ased and l egi t i mat e st andpoi nt - di d t he r evel at i ons of
Hel l st r omi smcome t o me - so envel oped and i nt r i gued me t hat I am
compel l ed t o voi ce t hese af t er - t hought s her e, i n t he r eal i zat i on
t hat a f ew wi l l under st and and pr of i t by t hem.
Rober t A. Nel son
Apr i l 15, 1941