A Brief History of Hypnosis
by Marcia McMahon, M.A.
Hypnosis has been around since ancient times. It is now believed that hypnosis originated in the practice of yoga in ancient India. Indians Saints were regarded as somehow disciplining the mind and going into a trance state in order to perform feats otherwise unattainable to the average person.
This was referred to by historian Will Durant who cited the Hindus of ancient India who took their sick to temples to be cured by hypnotic suggestion.
Some of this belief system then filtered in to Persian belief systems in about 900 A.D. Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (980–1037), premises being based on India. Wikipedia. He was both a psychologist and physician and was the earliest to make a distinction between hypnosis and sleep in his book of healing published in 1027 A.D.
Then later a Jesuit priest known as Maximilian Hell, used magnets applied to the human body. He was a young medical student and found that it often worked.
Thus the term magnetism and "animal magnetism" began to be used about that time. 1771.
Franz Mesmer of physician from Austria started investigating animal magnetism. This rather referred to an animal quality within oneself or what we could term today life force energy. The term animal actually referred to the breath. Once again this harkens back to yoga and breath exercises although he was not aware of yoga.
Mesmer’s work was actually challenged by the French king and even Benjamin Franklin was invited to the French court to observe his experiments on humans.
Later James Braid, a Scotsman and the physician, coined the term neuro-chemical meaning sleep of the nerves. James Braid is regarded as the father of modern hypnotism. This is because he disputed the idea of the magnetism including Mesmer’s theory of "animal magnetism" and instead stated that it was simply a psychological response.
Later James Braid coined the term hypnotism from the Greek word meaning sleep. Braden wrote the 1st book on hypnotism and also observed once again going back into ancient history school of religions and ancient Persian text describing yoga.
“That the eastern saints are all self-hypnotizers, adopting means essentially the same as those which I had recommended for similar purposes.[7] Braid, J. ‘Wikipedia
Braids method included fixating on a single object and hence the pendulum came into popular use for hypnotism. He rejected the religious part about trances induced in Indian or Persian culture. Instead he insisted it was just a matter of an altered state of awareness.
The neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893) endorsed hypnotism for the treatment at the Styria and demonstrated at medical schools.
One of the most famous doctors to use hypnosis was Sigmund Freud who utilized hypnosis in his early practice. In the end he developed an abreaction* therapy form of hypnosis. He later abandoned hypnosis and favored another type of therapy, known as psycho-analysis.
Later the Catholic Church formally adopted a policy of an okay on hypnotism in the 1950s by Pope Pius. He went on to declare that it was a form of medically useful anesthesia. Later the AMA formally approved the use of hypnosis. The American Psychological Association endorsed hypnosis as a branch of psychology.*
The British Medical Association has endorsed medical hypnosis as a valid treatment to be given only by a trained person.
In the 20th century the use of hypnosis was found to be effective for Post-traumatic stress syndrome after both wars.
References
Wikipedia, and the National Guild of Hypnotists. www.ngh.org Retrieved February 3, 2016 The APA today uses hypnosis. It is a separate profession from psyho-therapy. If you have a mental illness you should seek professional help.
