History of Hypnosis

Hypnosis has been recognized as a healing and relaxation technique since the early 1700s. The first famous hypnotist was the Austrian Franz Anton Mesmer, from whose name the term “mesmerize” is derived. Mesmer’s, work paved the way to serious study of the relevance of hypnosis in medicine.

James Esdaille, an English surgeon practicing in India, began using hypnosis before the advent of anesthetics and was successful in reducing the mortality rate of his patients from 50 to 5 percent. Esdaille’s procedures were scientifically studied and enthusiastically reported in medical journals of the day.

Hippolyte Bernheim, a renowned French physician, was instrumental in opening the famous French Nancy Clinic using only hypnosis as therapy. His results were so positive that the clinic attracted medical practitioners from all over the Western world, Sigmund Freud among them.

Although Freud worked in the clinic with Dr. Bruer, one of the best medical hypnotists of the time, he understood very little about hypnosis himself. Due to Freud’s fierce competition with Bruer and his poor ability to establish rapport with his patients, his skill in hypnosis never developed. He soon abandoned hypnosis to develop free association and dream interpretation.

Although Freud contributed greatly to our understanding of the mind, his indifference blocked the clinical acceptance of hypnosis for nearly fifty years. Unfortunately, even today many psychiatrists have little interest in and information about hypnosis. However, as verifiable scientific research methods have improved, hypnosis has become more understood and accepted in the professional medical community.

In 1955 the British Medical Society approved hypnosis as an adjunct modality to medical practice, followed by the American Medical Association in 1958. Mainstream acceptance of hypnosis continues to grow as understanding of its powerful results deepens.