History of Hypnosis
Sleep Temples, The Dark Arts, Milton Erickson and Pocket Watches: The History of Hypnosis in a Snapshot
In one form or another, hypnosis has been around for centuries.
Trance and the Ancient World
In ancient Egyptian. Greek and Roman civilizations, healers were well-versed in the therapeutic effects of trance states.
But perhaps the most well-known account of hypnosis during this time are the Sleep Temples, which first appeared in Egypt around 5th century BC.
Dedicated to the goddess Isis, these temples were designed to heal people by putting them into a hypnotic “sleep state.”
It’s said that a priest would first chant and get the subject to fix their eyes on an object. And then later the goddess would visit them in their dreams and pass on her healing powers.
The reputation of the temples grew, eventually spreading to the Greco-Roman world, except their temples were aptly dedicated to the Greek god of medicine and healing, Asklepios.
18th and 19th Centuries: Magnetic Fluid and Pocket Watches
After a rather large lapse in time, Hypnosis made a revival in Europe with German physician Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer.
He theorized that there was a natural energy between all animated and inanimate objects. He first called this transference animal magnetism, but it’s also widely known as mesmerism.
Having caused quite the scandal after he failed to cure a blind musician in Vienna, he moved to Paris in 1778 where his work became both infamous and famous: depending on which side of the fence you sat on.
Mesmer believed that there was an occult force, or invisible fluid, emanating from his body.
And to transmit this force he would sit in front of his patients so their knees were touching, get them to press their thumbs into his hands and then stare them in the eyes for hours on end.
Patients are said to have experienced unpleasant sensations such as convulsions and vomiting. which Mesmer believed helped expel the illness or condition.
Not-so-surprisingly, his methods were considered to be quite unorthodox at the time. and as result. a commission was set up to investigate his work. It was concluded that there was no evidence of a “magnetic fluid” and that any benefit derived from the treatment was a result of “imagination.”
Unfortunately, the findings sent him into professional exile. However, they did later inspire other scientists to study whether this mysterious “trance-like” state really existed.
The most famous being James Braid, otherwise known as the “Father of Modern Hypnotism.”
It was actually Braid who first coined the term “hypnotism” in 1842 as an abbreviation for “neuro-hypnotism.” meaning” sleep of the nerves.”
While Braid didn’t believe that Mesmer was able to hypnotize people due to a “magnetic liquid.” He was confident that Mesmer had induced trance because his subjects were visually fixated on an object.
Braid conducted many studies to prove this theory, with his weapon of choice being the trusty pocket watch.
During his research, he would get his patients to stare at a swinging pocket watch to induce fatigue ,followed by a state of trance ,which he referred to as “nervous sleep.”
He later went on to discover that certain nervous disorders could be treated while in this state of nervous sleep. 20th Century: The Unraveling of the Unconscious Mind
Following James Braid, in the early 1900’s emerged perhaps the most famous person known in modern day hypnosis, psychiatrist Milton Erickson.
Also famous for his work in family therapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), it was really Erickson who explored the unconscious mind and the powers of suggestion in hypnosis.
It’s said that perhaps the reason he was so regarded for his work in hypnosis is because he used it on himself to overcome many health problems throughout his life.
Having being diagnosed as being tone deaf, color blind, with dyslexia and then a severe case of polio all before he was 17 – doctors believed he would die.
But despite his condition, he went onto the become the world’s greatest practitioner of therapeutic hypnosis and one of the most effective psychotherapists ever, with his unorthodox style of work being famous even until today.
And aside from his research, he was also known for his very flexible approach when practicing hypnosis. As sometimes he would induce trance and use suggestions to speak to the unconscious mind, whereas other times he wouldn’t use trance at all.
He conceptualized that the unconscious mind was always listening – regardless of whether iit was in trance or not And that it was also very separate from the conscious mind. So the techniques used really depended on his clients.
But despite his notable findings, at the start of Erikson’s career, hypnosis was still widely seen as a “dark art.” He had to actually teach I t to other psychiatrists in secret!
Fortunately, for Erikson. the reputation around hypnosis started to change after World War I I as a result of psychiatrists finding ii t to be very effective when treating patients experiencing “shell shock.” And by 1955, the British Medical Association recognized hypnotherapy as a valid form of treatment.
Since Erickson’s death in the 1980’s,. hypnosis has continued to grow as a well-respected form of treatment for a host of physical and psychological conditions, such as anxiety, phobias. Skin conditions and pain management.
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Nathan T.