The main purpose of the experiment was to try to investigate, by means of a conditioned response method, what is called mental dissociation. More specifically, the problem has been to study artificially induced anesthesias by investigating their influence, both on the conditioning of responses and on responses already conditioned. The suggesting of various anesthesias by hypnosis caused more than a passive dropping out of a function from the personal consciousness--the suggestion definitely has set up a positive tendency, which becomes co-conscious in the post-hypnotic condition, toward acting as if the sensory disorder existed; this tendency expresses itself in a definite co-conscious inhibition of habitual reactions. The nature of functional anesthesias as induced by hypnosis may, in short, be restated as follows: the suggestion of an anesthesia primarily builds up a tendency to act as if this defect were there. This tendency, which becomes co-conscious to the post-hypnotic personality, inhibits in him any striving in relation to impressions received through a certain sensory area. This deprives such impressions of meaning to such an extent as to make the subject suffer an apparent anesthesia for them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)