Ellenberger's Theory Of Hypnosis

Hypnosis, the oldest form of psychotherapy (Ellenberger, 1970) If we examine the religious and healing ceremonies of primitive people we can find the basic elements required to induce the hypnotic trance. It is possible from this to extrapolate that these ceremonial behaviors existed before written histories and that the use of rhythmic chanting, monotonous drum beats, together with strained fixations of the eyes accompanied by catalepsy of the rest of the body are of their selves trance inductions. If we accept this hypothesis, we might deduce that hypnosis as we call it existed as a method of accessing the unconscious and allowing the unconscious to help the conscious achieve the changes and benefits desired, as long as we have wanted to
In 1775 he discovered that he could reach equally successful results by passing his hands over the patient, this he would do for hours at times and he named this method "animal magnetism". In 1784, the Marquis de Puysegur a student of Dr Mesmer, discovered how to lead a client in to a deep trance state called "somnambulism", using relaxation and calming techniques. The term "somnambulism" is still widely used among hypnotherapists today in reference to a deep hypnotic trance state and sleep-walking. This technique was used for many following decades by surgeons in France including Dr. Recamier who performed the first recorded operation without anesthesia in 1821. The Marquis de Puysegur described three cardinal features of this deep trance state or somnambulism. These were: Concentration of the senses on the operator, Acceptance of suggestion from the therapist, Amnesia for events in a trance. Over two hundred years later these three theories of Puysegur still stand.

These uses of mesmerism to facilitate pain free medical procedures were most famously employed by John Elliotson (1791 - 1868) in England and James Esdaile (1808 - 1859) in
Auguste Ambrose Liebeault (1823 - 1904), and Hippolyte Bernheim (1840 - l919) founded the 'Nancy School', which was of great significance in the establishment of a hypnotherapy acceptable in many quarters. Liebeault is often described as a 'simple country doctor', but by offering to treat the peasants of Nancy without charge, he was able to amass a considerable experience and expertise with hypnosis. His first study of hypnosis began in 1860. In 1882 he obtained a cure for sciatica in a patient long treated without success by others.

Bernheim was a fashionable doctor in Paris, who began making regular visits to Nancy, and the two men became good friends and colleagues. Bernheim published the first part of his book, De la Suggestion, in 1884. The second part, La Therapeutic Suggestive, followed in 1886. The publication of these two books raised interest in Liebeault's own book which had been published twenty years earlier and which at the time had only sold one