A brief history of hypnosis


The use of the art of Hypnosis, sometimes known as “Animal Magnetism” or “Mesmerism,” has been traced back to healers in various ancient civilizations, such as the Hindus, the Hebrews, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, such as Avicenna (980-1037), the Druids in early Europe, and many others.  It is also said that the early Christian saints used self-hypnosis to perform some of the miracles accredited to them.[i]


Beginnings in Europe, Before the 19^th Century

Hypnosis in Europe has its roots in the “Magnetism” movement, which started back in the 1400s. A Swiss physician named Paracelsus (1493-1541), is said to have been the first doctor to use magnets in his work. Many of his patients claimed to have been healed after he had passed magnets, or lodestones, over their bodies.[ii]
Franz Mesmer (1734-1815), a German physician, was also interested in the use of magnets to heal, and took the work a step further by developing a:

theory of “animal magnetism” which held that an invisible fluid in the body acted according to the laws of magnetism and that disease was caused by obstacles to the free circulation of this fluid.[iii]

In the process of his work, particularly after his arrival in Paris in 1778, he became skilled in inducing in his patients the trance state, which became known as “mesmerizing,” and though he always used the term “animal magnetism,” the practice was soon known as “Mesmerism.” His theories and methods became so controversial that in 1784 the French king, Louis XVI, set up a Royal Commission to investigate the matter.

The Commission, which included Benjamin Franklin and several prominent members of the French scientific community, accepted the truth of Mesmer’s cures, but “concluded there was no evidence of the existence of his magnetic fluid, and that its effects derived from either the imaginations of its subjects or through charlatanry.”[iv]
Other notable names in the field during the 1700’s were two priests: Maximilian Hell (1720-1792), a Jesuit who used magnet therapy for healing,[v]  and Abbé Feria (1746-1819), originally from Gao, India, who introduced the oriental style of suggestive trance to Paris.  Feria understood that “nothing comes from the magnetizer [hypnotist]; everything comes from the subject and takes place in his imagination.” [vi]


Europe in the 19^th Century

In 1841, James Braid (1796-1860), a British doctor, saw publicity regarding Charles Lafontaine (1803-1892)[vii], a failed actor and “animal magnetizer” from Switzerland, who was giving performances of his abilities in Manchester.  Braid set out at first to expose Lafontaine as a fake, but soon realized that he was witnessing a real phenomenon.  Thinking it had to do with sleep, Braid coined the term “Hypnosis,” after Hynos, the Greek god of sleep.  A few years later, however, he realized that the state of trance was not really associated with sleep, and tried to rename it, but by then the word had already been taken over and translated into all the major European languages.[viii]

Other important practitioners of Braid’s time were John Elliotson (1791-1868), a British physician who founded a mesmeric hospital, used hypnosis to alleviate pain, and was also among the first to advocate the use of the stethoscope;[ix] James Esdalie (1808-1859), who worked primarily in India, and is said to have performed more operations under “hypnoanesthesia” than any other physician;[x] Jean Martin Charcot (1825-1893), founder of the Neurology Clinic at Salpetiere,[xi] and Hippolyte Bernheim (1837-1919), both well-known neurologists whose collaboration led to the development of the Nancy School, which abandoned the fluid theories of Mesmer and worked directly with the ideas of suggestion.[xii]  Bernheim was taught by Ambrose-Auguste Liébeault (1823-1904), also a medical doctor and practitioner of hypnosis.[xiii]

Another important figure was Josef Breuer (1842-1925), who was the first to use hypnosis to find the origin of hysteria, tracing back a patient’s inability to drink water to a cruel governess who had “permitted a dog to drink water from a glass in her presence.” [xiv] Recalling this scene allowed the patient to rid herself of her hysterical reaction.  Up to that time, the art had been used mostly to alleviate pain and other symptoms by suggestion.


Twentieth Century Hypnosis

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the Father of Psychoanalysis, who studied under Breuer, Charcot and Bernheim, used hypnosis for a while; then tried to discredit the technique.  Although toward the end of his life he acknowledged its value, some might say that his actions set hypnosis back 70 or more years.[xv]  Emile Coué (1857-1926) was also an important figure in hypnosis history, as he worked to develop the technique of self-hypnosis, or “autosuggestion,” creating the most famous positive suggestion of recorded history, "Everyday in every way, I'm getting better and better."[xvi]

The most well-known American, who has put hypnosis on the map in this country, is Milton Erickson, M.D (1901-1980). At the age of 17, he was paralyzed by polio, discovered self-hypnosis and used it to overcome the illness. Once recovered, Erickson dedicated his life to help others learn  how to use hypnosis.[xvii] It is interesting to note that Erickson set up his office in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1950, and his Foundation is still there, at 3606 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016-6500.[xviii]

If you allow yourself to delve deeper into it, you will discover that Hypnosis is a fascinating subject, with many useful applications.  Hypnosis is not the mysterious force that the silver screen would have us believe; it is a natural phenomenon that is accessible to everyone. We hope that you will really become “entranced” with trance, allowing it to become a part of your life, so that you will enjoy hypnotizing yourself, learn how to do it and share its power with those you hold dear. Trance is a gift that enables you to make changes for the better.  
Open yourself to it, and enjoy the ride!