Other than anything you might read on google
Yes, I know, he was a character in a fictional book, The Count of Monte Cristo, by, Alexander Dumas , the guy who wrote the 3 musketeers
But he was a real guy, famous for his work in hypnotism, and dare I say it, perhaps even esotericism
He hung around with some pretty famous characters, who you may have heard of, if you haven't heard of him
Marie Antoinette, for 1. I must 'fess up to my own ignorance here, I've heard of her, but don't know much about her, other than that she's French, and was around at the time of Napoleon, I think
Anyway, I was just interested
Thought it may provoke / inspire a few thoughts / discussions

If hypnosis / h_therapy interests anyone then following info on Abbot Faria may be of assistance.

Abbé Faria (1756 - 1819) understood hypnotism as purely the ‘power of suggestion’ a departure from Franz Mesmer who claimed that it was mediated by ‘animal magnetism’. – Wikipedia

Animal magnetism is brain fatigue: In my opinion the expression ‘animal magnetism’ has to be interpreted correctly. It is like a deer when caught at the throat by a lion – stops struggling. The deer no longer feels terror; its eyes do not glaze over from the crushing pain; it has gone beyond pain – it is now a mute witnesses to its own death proceedings.

We may have seen similar incidents in National Geography where lion cubs scamper away and then when fatigued roll over on their backs before the ‘new king’ picks & crushes them. Some part of brain is fatigued; surrender occurs w/o any further struggle.

Anyone can try a mild dose of mesmerism – watch a pendulum swing for a period, the chatter within the brain ceases and one feels tired and sleepy.

The Incident that changed the course of this priest:




Disclaimer: Hypnotists use suggestion and autosuggestion as tools to treat psychosomatic illnesses. Not clear how far it is used by modern psychologists.

Faria was arrested in Marseille in 1797 probably for his political activism and shut up in solitary confinement for a long period of time. While imprisoned he steadily trained himself using techniques of self-suggestion.




In 1813, he published the book ‘On the cause of Lucid Sleep in the Study of the Nature of Man’ (Da Causa do Sono Lúcido no Estudo da Natureza do Homem) and this provoked a great deal of controversies. He retired as chaplain and died in September 1819. He left behind no addresses and his grave remains unknown somewhere in Montmartre. - Wiki

Ahhh, my favorite book of all time.

Where else can you find all the 7 deadly sins presented
in such a literate manner?

And the Priest has to be the best character ever drawn!

I will tell you, I did not know he was based on a real person.

Yes, that is a common reaction Soufie
I myself hadn't heard of him, until I read of him in a guide book
He sounds interesting, thought I
I've seen his statue, I would put a picture of it, but despite being explained to me how to do it, the know how, of how to do it, still evades me
I wonder why, most people haven't heard of him, ( or if they have, then the 'fictional' him) despite him, being a quite important historical figure
If I look up hypnotism , in an encyclopedia, something which I've done before, I learn about Mesmer, but he doesn't even get a mention
I wonder why, he lies in an unmarked grave
And just what did he do, to get imprisoned
And just what did he do, to get out of prison
And being under the mental health system, since the age of 21, I've had a fair amount of dealings with, psychologists ( I studied psychology, at A level, never heard of him there, Piaget, is far more en vogue, Vygotsky, spit, no, we're doing Piaget) and psychiatrists.
Why would a psychologist use hypnotism?
Would a psychiatrist use hypnotism?
And if so, or, if not, why?
Is it possible to hypnotize somebody, without them knowing, they've been hypnotised?
And if it is, are there any laws, about this sort of thing?
You see, in all these years, you would think, that these people, would have hypnotised me, I think that's rational and reasonable, you know, to get to things that lay, in the subconscious, unconscious
Particularly, as when I first encountered them, I told them, that I thought, that people were hypnotising me
But they've never told me I have, never made me aware, that I have, and remain resolute in their diagnosis, that this, is a delusion of mine.
Well, well, which is more rational
That they have, or that they haven't
Anyway, sorry if I've gone a little of track, and bleeted about personal experiences, but if you haven't read any of my posts before, it may give you a little insight, as to a reason, why I find this man, particularly interesting, and why I would greatly love, to learn more about him

Well he came in behind Mesmer, so maybe that is why he got less attention?

I could see why a psychologist, a psychoanalyst, a psychiatrist all could
use hypnosis to, as you say, get at the subconscious. Feels right.

I know nothing of hypnosis and to the best of my knowledge have never been
hypnotized. But from what I see, they all seem to know they were hypnotized.

I would imagine someone could go under without knowing it, I have seen that
depicted on TV when the companion accidentally goes under while the patient
does not, so I do not know what part is made up and what is real.

But it is my understanding, that to come out of the hypnotic state you have
to be released by the person who hypnotized you, ya?

I really don't know
It seems symbolic to me, that so little is known about it, or him
That the fictional him, is more known about, than the real him
And as for laws, what are they?
Where would 1 go about finding them?
It would seem rational, that there must be some
I mean, I'll give an example, I saw this on the TV being done, and the person, never actually appeared to be asleep
You could be hypnotised into giving over your wallet, of your own free will
Would this be theft?
On the TV, the guy asked for a few things, he had map, was asking for directions, said he was lost
He also had a bottle of water, he asked his 'victim' to hold his bottle of water for him, so he could, unfold the map
Upon leaving, he asked them, to give them his wallet, which around 8 out of 10 of them did
A few minutes later, you could see them, rubbing their head, looking puzzled, presumably as the penny start to dropeth
The Abbé, was a Goan chap.
I've always wanted to go to Goa
His statue, is in the capital of Goa
Upon learning about him, again, I became, probably a bit egocentric, and wondered.
What sort of cruel twist of fate is this?
Are the Gods, having a joke, at my expense
Or is it a fate, of a different kind?
When I will finally become aware, and enlightened, of things, I've spent, practically a whole lifetime, wanting to become enlightened of?
And it's a difficult thing to become aware of
As it's 1 of those things, people deny all knowledge of.
Instead simply asking, what you may know
While they claim to know nothing
All I've really become aware of, is sometimes the more you ask questions, to try to become aware of something, the less likely they are to be answered, and thus, the less likely you are, to become aware of them
You see, I was sexually abused as a child
And when this was happening, I could not move
I was not physically restrained, in any way
But I could not move, to try to stop them, or to run away
I have to wonder, how such a thing, may be possible.
And hypnotism, is the only conclusion I can reach
And then, it goes further, I recall before going to 1 meeting with a shrink, asking my mother, if I should tell them about this
She said, it was up to me, I replied, I know that, but what do you think?
No, she replied, you should not. But why Mum? Particularly as you've just been at pains to tell me, that I should tell the shrink everything
No reason, you asked me, I think no
I then forgot about it all, for a very long time.
This had happened before
So, again, I apologize to anybody who is sick of me bleeting on about personal experiences
But I hope they'd understand, why I'd think it is relevant, and would be curious about such things
As much like the abbé, it remains mysterious.
And my mum now says, it never happened, it's a symptom ( a delusion) caused by an illness
Thus, the fiction, is more known, than the reality
Strangely symbolic huh?
Well I think so

"Sorry. I only know about Abby Normal."

Hello RD2

There are several biographies written about him that may help to answer some of your questions .
Links to some of the biographies can be found in this article . Which also gives some added insight into who he was and the potential reason behind his imprisonment .

http://www.abbefaria.com/Enigmatic%20Faria%20-%20Dr.%20Maria%20Suzette.htm
To understand him .....the era he was born is also very relevant .. the 17th century . It was not uncommon for unmarked graves . He lived in a time where the aristocrats and religion had power and influence . As a catholic monk who later became a professor of philosophy and a doctor he no doubt mixed with aristocracy . You mentioned Marie Antoinette . She is a famous French queen who lived in the same era as the abbe (also a very interesting historical figure and worth reading about ) it would not surprise me if the abbé used his medical skills in her Sevice . Back then hypnotism was seen as medicine ., they believed magnets had healing properties ... and that people had an invisible force field . There was never any connection between the mind , auto suggestion and willpower .. until abbé faira ., he is believed to be the first to make that connection . The 17th century was a dangerous time . I imagine he made a lot of powerful enemies in the medical and political field at that time.

Likewise ., am sure the connection to his father ( accused of being a revolutionary conspiracist ) did not do him many favours either . Social justice was very harsh in that era .

Having also been physically abused as a child, I do not wonder at all
why one could not move, to 'try to stop them' the abusee knows EXACTLY
where the power lies, survival kicks in, you go somewhere in your head
that actually makes sense.

I am sure it is easier to believe it never happened, especially as we
get older. But bad things can happen to good people. My memory is intact.

Hi, thanks for the link
When I click on it
It says not found
Something about a 404 error

sorry about that ., try going to abbefaria.com and select articles from the menu., you will see two listed for him
., there is also a link for books and bibliographies .

If you are more interested in his theories about hypnotism . Google Fariism., enjoy

Thank you
I'm genuinely interested in both

You see, I think it brings up many moral and ethical conundrums
If we accept, that it is possible to hypnotise somebody, without them being aware of it (which I believe he demonstrated) and for the subject to be able to be commanded, by the hypnotist, at what point, does this become 'wrong'
I mean for example, let's say, I could hypnotise you, without you being aware of it. And I was in your house, and I wanted to smoke a cigarette in your house, but you, did not allow smoking in your house
I could then of course hypnotise you, smoke my cigarette, and you'd be completely oblivious to it, telling people what a lovely house guest I was
I could ask you, to cook me, a chicken dinner, you, could tell me, to get lost
But guess what, alakazam , chicken dinner for me
So, let's go a few steps further, I'm sure your already ahead of me here.
What if I command you to steal something for me, or to kill somebody for me.
Would you be then guilty of the crime, or I ( a la Charlie Manson stylee)
So, what governs the use of hypnotism, what laws surround it
Because sure, it's more wrong for me to command you to kill somebody, than it is for me to fill my belly, and smoke a cigarette, but they're both essentially, the same principle, both have subverted your will, and you have no knowledge of the event.
And again, going further, I'm sure you've heard or mass hypnosis, weren't they some of the principles apparently used by the Nazis, Hitlers speeches, Goebbels videos!
So, have you voted?
Was it your own free will?
Are you sure?
How can you be sure?
In fact, how can you be sure of anything?
You want to be free, 'alakazam' your free
But are you?
Is it right or wrong, for me to 'fool' you, into believing your free, if in fact, that is is not the case
So, where is the line drawn, and who draws it?

Blondey are you sure you've 'spelled' that right?
Because my google doesn't recognize it, and instead says
Did you mean fascism?
Symbols, oh symbols

no not fascism ., fariism .

Try this .., the use of lucid sleep abbé faria
(One of three books he wrote ) or
Study of the nature of man Abbe Faria.

You could also try the scientific study of hypnotism :-)

From my understanding ., hypnosis requires cooperation and active participation to work . Some are more susceptible than others . are you maybe confusing it with mind control / brain washing . I am pretty sure Manson did not use hypnotism.

Thanks I'll try that
And no, on reading a little about the Abbé
It clearly states that he demonstrated being able to hypnotise somebody without them having any knowledge or memory that he had done so
Furthermore I think this fallacy regarding a person not being able to be hypnotised without their consent or knowledge, is to stop us asking some of the questions, I have posed

Believing people cannot be hypnotised without their knowledge or consent, or being able to be ordered to do things they would not ordinarily do, is again, symbolic to me
Fiction and reality are reversed, fiction becomes reality, and reality becomes fiction

Some excellent questions R2D2!

But to know the real answers one has to be a monk to take the journey.
and you may know very well that after becoming a monk perceptions change and there would be no desire to return to this world.

Who would want to take a journey that's a one-way-trip to the figurative moon.