History of Hypnosis
It is known, that one or another form of hypnosis has been practiced for thousands of years. In fact, virtually every culture, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Chinese, and Indians, practiced hypnosis in some form. There is evidence that the Greeks and Egyptians used temples of sleep or dreams, where patients were healed by hypnosis and ancient Sanskrit texts describe various levels of the hypnotic state.
Persian psychologist and physician Avicenna (980-1037), was the earliest to make a distinction between sleep and hypnosis. In The Book of Healing he referred to hypnosis stating that a strong personality or soul could influence others via hypnosis.
Historical records show that the trance was a part of shamans and ancient people’s rituals and religious ceremonies. However, hypnosis, which is applied today, was first used in the 18th century by the Austrian physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) F. A. Mesmer believed that diseases are caused by an imbalance of magnetic fluids in the body. He used magnets and other hypnosis techniques for healing purposes. Mesmer‘s techniques was called ‘animal-magnetism’ or ‘mesmerism’. This was to describe what he believed to be an invisible natural force exerted by animals. However, the medical community was not persuaded by these methods, and the doctor was declared a charlatan and his techniques were not medically approved.
Following in the footsteps of Mesmer, John Elliotson (1791-1868) built further on the medical uses of hypnosis, founding a 'mesmerist hospital' in 1849 in which hypnosis was used in place of ether or chloroform during surgery. Unfortunately, his legitimate work became mixed with false ideas and frauds and caused massive scandal. The university board forbade Elliotson from performing any more mesmerism and he had to resign. Elliotson continued his private practice and in 1842, started his own medical journal, named The Zoist devoted mainly to scientific studies of hypnosis.
James Esdaile (1808-1859) was the pioneer of painless surgeries using hypnosis. James Esdaile used hypnosis to perform surgery in India, back when no anesthetics were available, and there were no methods to render surgical patients unconscious. Surgeries ranged from tooth extraction to amputation of the thigh or the whole leg using hypnosis (Mesmerism) as anesthesia. Dave Elman re-discovered the state and named it after James Esdaile now known as the Esdaile state. Many doctors and the press condemned hypnosis as quackery; here is what a reputed medical journal Lancet said in 1848, “We cannot publish any paper on the subject of such an odious fraud as mesmerism.”
During the 19th century, huge advances in the field of hypnosis were made by a Scottish Doctor James Braid (1795-1860) who invented the term ‘hypnotism’ and is regarded by many as the father of Hypnosis. James Braid named hypnosis after Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. He removed hypnosis from the occult shadows of mesmerism. He refuted the prevailing belief at the time that the states of hypnosis occur due to the unexplained magnetic forces. Mr. Braid showed that a hypnotic state is achieved with a strong focus affecting the nervous system.
Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) was the French psychiatrist who specialized in the study of hysteria, using hypnosis as a basis for treatment. He also proved that hysteria can affect men as well denying the prevailing belief that only women suffer from hysteria. Charlot became one of the founders of modern neurology when he opened up the world’s first clinic ‘Salpetriere Hospital‘ entirely devoted to the study of the brain and the mind in Paris in 1882. Charcot's contributions were also a major part of psychiatry science development and Freudian psychoanalysis emergence.
Émile Coué (1857-1926) was the French psychologist and pharmacist and has become known as the father of autosuggestion. He stated that all hypnosis is guided self-suggestion or self-hypnosis rather than being affected by the hypnotist. Coué said that there is no suggestion, there is only autosuggestion. Coué discovered the power of the imagination and self-suggestion. He believed that by use of ones the inner resources and imagination could help a person improve his/her life: physically, mentally and spiritually. He taught people autosuggestion and his favorite phrase was “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.”
Dave Elman (1900-1967) was one of the most highly regarded and respected hypnotists of the 20th century. He wrote one of the most influential books on hypnosis Hypnotherapy. D. Elman was inspired to research hypnosis in his youth after seeing its effects when his father benefited from a pain relieving hypnosis session. D. Elman developed the method of inducing hypnotic trance which is called the Dave Elman Induction. This was the first rapid, systemized approach to consistently achieve the deep level of trance known as somnambulism.
Milton Erickson (1901-1980) is considered the father of modern hypnosis, now called hypnotherapy. He was the American psychiatrist and psychologist known as the pioneer of many hypnotherapy techniques. Hypnotherapy became popular in the middle of the 20th century thanks to M. Erickson who used hypnosis in his practice. M. Erickson believed that "Everyone knows how to solve their problem, even when it seems they don‘t know it."
He emphasized the value of uniqueness and specialness. That is why his main postulate was that each process should be different and should therefore be considered in a specific way. He thought that there was no only and the same method to all patients. Erickson tried to help his patients to overcome the symptoms that affected them by all means, even if they were nontraditional. Erickson’s unique talent was that he was able to think outside the box.
Erickson developed a method of indirect hypnosis which was named Ericksonian Hypnosis. It describes a very specific form of hypnosis. Unlike traditional hypnotherapy, Ericksonian hypnotherapy uses indirect suggestion, metaphor and storytelling to alter behaviour, rather than direct suggestion.
His contributions have influenced many forms of therapy from strategic family therapy to neuro-linguistic programming. The American Medical Association approved hypnosis as a therapy in 1958, and the American Psychiatric Association followed in 1961. Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy have gained recognition and acceptance because of people who strongly believed and kept the practice going, even though marginalized and victimized by others.
