Origins of Hypnosis

Evidence of hypnotic-like phenomena appears in many ancient cultures. The writer of Genesis seems familiar with the anesthetic power of hypnosis when he reports that God put Adam “into a deep sleep” to take his rib to form Eve. Other ancient records suggest hypnosis was used by the oracle at Delphi and in rites in ancient Egypt (Hughes & Rothovius, 1996). The modern history of hypnosis begins in the late 1700s, when a French physician, Anton Mesmer, revived an interest in hypnosis. He effected many medical and psychiatric cures with an elaborate and flamboyant ritual using hypnotism —he called it animal magnetism. His successes offended the medical establishment of the time, who arranged for an official French government investigating committee. This committee included Benjamin Franklin, then the American ambassador to France, and Joseph Guillotin, a French physician who introduced a never-fail device for physically separating the mind from the rest of the body. This investigating committee declared Mesmer’s claims to be fraudulent; his cures were not caused by his animal magnetism. For Paris, Mesmer’s career and hypnotism itself were at an end, at least temporarily. One lasting contribution of this pioneer was the term mesmerism, an early and still-used term for hypnotism.

Medical Applications in the 1800s

In the early 1800s, several British physicians explored the use of hypnosis in healing and as an anesthetic in surgery. As ether and other chemical anesthetics came into use in the middle of the 1800s, interest in using hypnosis as an anesthetic in surgery fell off almost completely. The official medical establishment has always been slow to recognize the effectiveness of hypnosis. This was true for Mesmer, for the British physicians, and is true to some extent for athletes and coaches today.

Hypnosis Today

In the past several decades, there has been a revival of interest in hypnosis. Although the sports world has not used hypnosis extensively, other professions have recognized the contribution that hypnosis can make to their fields. In 1957, the American Medical Association adopted a policy statement recognizing hypnosis as a useful and legitimate treatment in both medicine and dentistry. The British Medical Society had done this two years earlier (Crasilneck & Hall, 1985). Hypnosis has long been a staple treatment in psychotherapy. Although today hypnosis has an established place in medicine, dentistry, and psychotherapy, in sports it is often regarded as irregular and a little suspicious. However, its use is expanding—sometimes openly, but frequently under the guise of relaxation, guided imagery, or visualization. The Executive Committee of the American Psychological Association, Division of Psychological Hypnosis, has prepared its own definition of hypnosis.

DEFINING HYPNOSIS

Hypnosis is a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests that a client, patient, or subject experiences changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. The hypnotic context is generally established by an induction procedure. Although there are many different hypnotic inductions, most include suggestions for relaxation, calmness, and well-being. Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences are also commonly included in hypnotic inductions. People respond to hypnosis in different ways. Some describe their experience as an altered state of consciousness. Others describe hypnosis as a normal state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed. Regardless of how and to what degree they respond, most people describe the experience as very pleasant.

Some people are very responsive to hypnotic suggestions, and others are less responsive. A person’s ability to experience hypnotic suggestions can be inhibited by fears and concerns arising from some common misconceptions. Contrary to some depictions of hypnosis in books, movies, or on television, people who have been hypnotized do not lose control over their behavior. They typically remain aware of who they are and where they are, and unless amnesia has been specifically suggested, they usually remember what transpired during hypnosis. Hypnosis makes it easier for people to experience suggestions, but it does not force them to have these experiences.

Hypnosis is not a type of therapy, like psychoanalysis or behavior therapy. Instead, it is a procedure that can be used to facilitate therapy. Because it is not a treatment in and of itself, training in hypnosis is not sufficient for the conduct of therapy. Clinical hypnosis should be used only by properly trained and credentialed health care professionals (e.g., licensed clinical psychologists) who have also been trained in the clinical use of hypnosis and are working within the areas of their professional expertise.

Hypnosis has been used in the treatment of pain, depression, anxiety, stress, habit disorders, and many other psychological and medical problems. However, it may not be useful for all psychological problems or for all patients or clients. The decision to use hypnosis as an adjunct to treatment can only be made in consultation with a qualified health care provider who has been trained in the use and limitations of clinical hypnosis. In addition to its use in clinical settings, hypnosis is used in research, with the goal of learning more about the nature of hypnosis itself, as well as its impact on sensation, perception, learning, memory, and physiology. Researchers also study the value of hypnosis in the treatment of physical and psychological problems.

This definition and description of hypnosis was prepared by the Executive Committee of the American Psychological Association, Division of Psychological Hypnosis. Permission to reproduce this information is freely granted.