When was hypnosis introduced

His writings and the stories of his cures attracted the prominent physician Hippolyte Bernheim to visit his clinic. Bernheim was a renowned neurologist who was at first skeptical of Liebeault, but after observing Lieubault he was so amazed by that he abandoned internal medicine to become a hypnotherapist.

Liebeault and Bernheim are the innovators of modern psychotherapy. Their views prevailed, and to this day hypnosis is still seen as a suggestion phenomenon. Some of the pioneers of psychology studied hypnosis in both the Nancy and Paris Schools.

Pierre Janet , who developed theories of unconscious processes, dissociation, and traumatic memory, studied hypnosis with both Bernheim in Nancy and the rival school of Charcot in Paris. Sigmund Freud also studied hypnosis with Charcot and later observed Bernheim, and Liebeault. Freud began practicing hypnosis in , and hypnosis was crucial to his invention of psychoanalysis. During the period of intense psychological investigation of hypnosis , a number of physicians developed the use of hypnosis for anesthesia.

In , the British surgeon John Elliotson, who introduced the stethoscope to England, reported numerous painless surgical operations using hypnosis. James Esdaile, the Scottish surgeon, performed over 2, minor and major operations using hypnosis in the s and s. The Scottish ophthalmologist James Braid is the father of modern hypnotism. Braid had visited a demonstration of a French magnetist, La Fontaine in He scoffed at the ideas of the Mesmerists, and was the first to suggest that hypnosis was psychological.

Braid is perhaps the first practitioner of psychosomatic medicine. Just as hypnosis was investigated intensely by psychologists, hypnosis was used in medicine as anesthesia, with thousands of surgical operations performed using hypnosis. Hypnosis was commonplace in the mids when chemical anesthetics were discovered. It was at one of these shows that Horace Wells first got the idea of use nitrous oxide for dental extractions. As chemical anesthetics became popular, the widespread use of hypnosis for anesthesia declined.

In the s in America there was also a deep interest in metaphysical, psychic, and spirit phenomena, and this spawned different types of spiritual healing and mental healing movements. Like breathing, hypnosis is an inherent and universal trait, shared and experienced by all human beings since the dawn of time.

The history of hypnosis, then, is really the history of this change in perception. In the 21st century, there are still those who see hypnosis as some form of occult power.

Those who believe that hypnosis can be used to perform miracles or control minds are, of course, simply sharing the consensus view that prevailed for centuries. These practices tend to be for magical or religious purposes, such as divination or communicating with gods and spirits. From a Western point of view, the decisive moment in the history of hypnosis occurred in the 18th Century coinciding with the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason.

Mesmer was the first to propose a rational basis for the effects of hypnosis. Mesmer was also the first to develop a consistent method for hypnosis, which was passed on to and developed by his followers. It was still a very ritualistic practice. People who volunteer for stage hypnosis tend to have a desire to get attention or entertain people. For example, if a client wants to enhance their self-esteem, suggestions could include the words that can enhance it. Or if a client wants to feel more confident, suggestions could include the words that can give them more confidence or words associated with their previous good performance.

In order to maximise the effects of suggestions, induction is necessary, and often this is done via relaxation. The more relaxed you are, the more power the words can have. Speaking from my own experience of hypnosis, I cannot help but notice the power of language. The language we use significantly affects the way feel, yet not many people know what kind of words make themselves feel good, relaxed, and so on.

The language we use shapes our experience. For example, my studies have found that reframing is one of the most useful skills among licenced career consultants. They reported that how their clients label their personalities or situations significantly affects their career attitudes and successes.

In NLP, what I am specialised in, the importance of language is emphasised, as you can see it in the title. The first step is to notice what kind of language you are using when you are happy, relaxed, stressed etc.