|
By Colin Aldridge
A short history of hypnosis by Colin Winston Aldridge,
Hypnotherapist;
Where to start when discussing hypnosis, it’s a massive topic
that has been part of human civilisation for many thousands of
years, so it is a brief look at the history of hypnosis that l
present to you.
Hypnosis pre-dates most of our modern day religions and
medical
practices alike and its existence can be traced back to the
days
of the pharaohs and ancient Greeks alike –this paper is a
potted
history –
So we will have to leave the Egyptian dream temples to one
side
and come quickly to modern hypnosis and its acknowledged
forerunner Franz Mesmer who died recently as 1815, less than
200 years ago, having been born in Vienna. Mesmer is
considered
the father of hypnosis. He is remembered for the term
mesmerism
which leads to “being mesmerised” which described a process of
inducing trance through a series of passes he made with his
hands and/or magnets over people. He worked with a person’s
animal magnetism, another well know phrase we are all used to
hearing in today’s world. Jealous of his success the medical
community eventually discredited him despite his considerable
success treating a variety of ailments. As his successes
offended the medical establishment they arranged for an
official French government investigating committee to sanction
him and his work. This committee included Benjamin Franklin,
then the American ambassador to France, and Joseph Guillotine,
a French physician who went on to introduced a device for
physically separating the mind from the rest of the body which
in fact is all Mesmer had done but without the permanent
consequences of Guillotines work!
The next significant step for us here is that in 1841, Doctor
James Braid began using mesmerism for his patients. He used a
shiny object to put them into a deep “hypnotic sleep” in which
they could accept healing suggestions. He believed staring at
the shiny object exhausted the nervous system. He was the
first
to use the word “hypnosis It was in 1842 that Braid renamed
magnetism and mesmerism to hypnosis and deemed it a
psychological phenomenon. He used the word “hypno” from the
Greek language; its meaning is “to sleep”.
During his research into hypnosis he formed the following
ideas, most of which still stand today:
5.That in skilled hands there is no great danger associated
with hypnotic treatment and neither is there pain or
discomfort.
6. That a good deal more study and research would be necessary
to thoroughly understand a number of theoretical concepts
regarding hypnosis.
7. That hypnosis is a powerful tool which should be limited
entirely to the medical and dental professions.
8. That although hypnotism was capable of curing many diseases
for which there had formally been no remedy, it nevertheless
was no panacea and was only a medical tool which should be
used
in combination with other medical information, drugs,
remedies,
etc., in order to properly treat the patient.
James Braid died suddenly of a heart attack on March 25th
1860,
at the age of 85 years. He maintained an interest in hypnotism
throughout his life and made major contributions to the
therapy
that we use today.
In the medical world some of the most significant advances
were
made by Doctor James Esdaile. He completed his first operation
without using anaesthetic in Calcutta, India in or around
1845.
The client was placed into a trance state in which he remained
throughout the procedure. Esdaile assisted in 300 major
operations and over a thousand minor ones. Esdaile’s mortality
rate was 5 percent. This was good at the time in India, as
most
other physicians had over a 50 percent death rate while
completing the same operations as Esdaile was performing. This
form of anaesthetic was soon put into second place due to the
arrival of chloroform. It was thought easier to inject someone
than to assist them to enter a trance state. Using hypnosis is
still widely preferred as an alternative to conventional
anaesthetics, especially in the dental profession.
A segue to this is the life and times of Sigmund Freud, born
in
May 1856 in Freiberg, Moravia, he is a name we have all heard
of. He got involved in hypnosis around 1883 and practised it
for some time before abandoning it to concentrate on
developing
psychoanalysis. One of Freud’s pupils was another name we are
all also familiar with nowadays and that is Jung.
Carl Jung was a student and colleague of Freud’s, who rejected
Freud’s psychoanalytical approach and developed his own
interests. He developed the concept of the collective
unconscious and archetypes. Though he did not actively use
hypnosis, he encouraged his patients to use active imagination
to change old memories. He often used the concept of the inner
guide, in the healing work. He believed that the inner mind
could be accessed through tools like the I Ching the Chinese
book of changes and astrology. He was rejected by the
conservative medical community as a mystic. However, many of
his ideas and theories are actively embraced by healers to
this
day.
Although Freud and Jung were not directly involved in hypnotic
practise they are associated with its experiential growth in
modern times by eliciting the trance state during session.
The 20th century saw no abatement in the use of hypnosis in
fact far from it
During World War II it was widely used among psychiatrists and
physicians to treat problems such as stress and battle
fatigue.
There have also been formed many councils, associations and
organisations all over the world during the last century in
order to assist the modern-day therapist to keep in touch with
the latest information and discoveries. And most have a “Code
of Ethics” for their members to follow.
Here in Britain The Hypnotism Act of 1952 was introduced to
protect the public against dangerous practices in hypnotic
shows, and the performer is still required to get a license
granted in a Magistrates Court prior to such a show.
In 1970 the British Police tried experimenting with hypnosis
for interviewing witnesses to certain crimes. Hypnosis was
reported to be particularly effective in helping witnesses and
victims recall detailed descriptions of criminals and
perpetrators relate the details of violent attacks and recall
the scenarios immediately preceding certain accidents.
Milton H. Erickson
To give full credit to Milton H. Erickson’s (1901-1980) life
story in hypnosis, it deserves a complete section of its own,
however here I will just explain briefly the outstanding
achievements he made during his life. Prior to his death in
1980 Erickson certainly played his part in shaping
hypnotherapy
into what it is today.
Erickson was a psychotherapist who used hypnosis throughout
his
career to aid his clients’ progression and recovery. He was
excellent at intently observing people and rapidly building
rapport with them. Metaphors, confusing statements, surprise,
imagery, and humour were part of his vast range of therapeutic
tools.
His methods of trance induction are nowadays referred to as
Ericksonian hypnosis, and without a shadow of a doubt, he
added
another era to the history of modern hypnotherapy.
Hypnosis today in the 21st century
And so we arrive at the current day in the history of
hypnosis.
There are many leading figures and pioneers in the world of
hypnotism today. And the story of hypnotism does not end here,
quite the opposite in fact. There are new and exciting
discoveries being made all the time and also “add-on”
therapies
that complement hypnotherapy, many of which have their roots
in
hypnosis. These are continually being developed, and the list
is endless of the psychological problems, phobias and fears
that can be put in their place by these well-founded
therapies.
Below are some examples:
12. Stopping smoking
13. Weight loss
14. Improving low self-esteem and motivation
15. Dealing with anxiety and panic
16. Increasing athletic performance
17. Curing procrastination or putting off doing something,,
especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness
18. And curing phobias such as:
19. Fear of heights
20. Fear of spiders, snakes and other animals
21. Fear of public speaking
22. Fear of enclosed spaces
This is enough to give you an idea of the vast possibilities
of
the therapeutic uses of hypnosis today.
In conclusion, the story of hypnosis starts way back as l have
said, before history as we know it was even recorded. Down the
line it has received contributions from many colourful
characters and cultures, but the true fact is that hypnosis is
really a fully natural phenomenon. It occurs to people all the
time in everyday life and it has been harnessed in many ways
over the years, by many individuals who wish to progress the
phenomenon and bring it up to date in their time.
This is not by any means a full account of the history of
hypnosis, more of a brief overview. There are many more
characters who had their part to play, and should not be left
out of this but this is a short essay embracing only the most
significant aspects of the topic.
Colin Winston Aldridge, Hypnotherapist.
About The Author: My name is Colin Winston Aldridge, l am a
clinical hypnotherapist based in Chelmsford, Essex UK -
www.hypno-therapist.net
|