The Hypnosis: The Dark Art Of

Hypnosis has been used throughout the world for over 4000 years as a way of curing ills and gaining knowledge. For many early years it was seen as a “dark art” of occultism but the same practices forged into our scientific knowledge of today.
In the 1700’s Franz Anton Mesmer was the first to propose a rational basis and a consistent method of hypnosis, he passed this on to his followers as a ritualistic practice he called mesmerisation. Mesmer liked to perform mass inductions by linking patients together by a rope. He performed these mesmerisations or animal magnitisms dressed in a cloak and using a wand . These theatrics led to his downfall and hypnotism was still seen as a dark art.
In the early 1800’s doctors risked their reputations to practice hypnosis, John Elliotson and James Esdaille pioneered its use in the medical field, risking their reputation to do so, whilst researchers like James braid researched the science of the subject. These three “greats” influence change and by the end of the century hypnosis was accepted as a valid clinical technique.
Jean-Martin Charcot, Director of Medicine at the famous/infamous Saltpêtrière Women’s Asylum.
Charcot related hypnosis to hysteria and neurological disorders, since the symptoms of hysteria, as he saw it, exactly matched the three “stages” of hypnosis that he’d been able to identify. Charcot was fascinated by the ready susceptibility that hysterics displayed towards hypnosis, and formed the conclusion that hypnosis was another form of hysteria – in short, an abnormality. He took great pleasure in public displays and commonly used his female asylum patients as demonstration subjects. Women were generally more hysterical than
men.
In opposition to this, a school of thought grew up around the writings of Ambroise-Auguste Liébeault and Hippolyte Bernheim; professors of medicine at the University of Nancy. Attacked Charcot’s findings, arguing the “three stage” model of hypnosis and proving suggestibility was a normal human trait. They proved this by using men in his experiments, as men were considered less susceptible than women!
Emile coue studied at the Nancy School. He believed that rather than healing his patients his power of suggestion gave his patients the power to heal themselves.
The Saltpêtrière view had a lingering influence; Sigmund Freud picked up on a number of Charcot’s theories. Freud was an early devotee of hypnosis. Although Freud later abandoned his techniques for phycoanalytic therapy, they are still commonly used today
The early 1900’s became a closed and experimental time for hypnosis. Hypnotherapy even though recognized was not used commonly outside laboratories and classrooms. Research moved from Europe to America.
Joseph Jastrow and in turn Clarke Hill (taught by Jastrow) ran a long-running course at the University of Wisconsin on the medical uses of hypnosis. Clark Hull released a landmark text in 1933. Hypnosis and Suggestibility is the first major book to compile the results of laboratory experiments in hypnosis, and the first to apply the techniques and standards of modern experimental psychology. He also instigated the state/none state debate.
Milton Ericson believed that the unconscious mind is always listening and that suggestions can be made which can have a hypnotic influence, as long as those suggestions finds some resonance/connected with the patient at a subconscious level. This paved the way for the neurolinguistic programming techniques of today.
Through the latter part of 1900’s Martin Orne concluded that childhood or previous experiences can affect our behavior and that regression through hypnosis can help identify these and hence influence change on behaviors. Meanwhile Theodore Sarbin and Theodore Barber paved the way for Cognitive behavioral therapies.