The History Of Hypnosis Revealed
Everyone knows what hypnosis is, but its history has been shrouded in mystery - until now. Explore the fascinating story of hypnosis from ancient shamanistic techniques to modern clinical applications of this powerful form of therapy.
Where did hypnosis come from? Legend has it that Ancient Egyptians often practiced an early form of consciousness alteration using a mix of chanting and altered breathing techniques. Modern psychologists believe these rituals were very similar to later forms of shamanism as practiced by aboriginal peoples in Australia, North America and South America.
Fast forward a few millennia, and the Greek physician Hippocrates is said to have prescribed sleep deprivation in combination with dancing as a treatment for various illnesses - an early example or rhythmic movement inducing altered consciousness on its own.
Hypnosis, like many other early forms of medicine, became restricted to those in power during the Dark Ages. This heavy use and widespread belief in the effectiveness of hypnosis led to its further spread around Europe throughout the ages.
The use of hypnotism as a form of suggestion is said to have been discovered during a period when many political officials were being hypnotized into giving over their power to charismatic figures like Charlemagne - and also by a female Roman priestess called Ostara.
During the 16th century, religious leaders described how they could induce an altered state of consciousness using special herbs and incantations - some even going so far as describing their experiences as "the rapture" or "the trance".
The first description of a clinical use of hypnosis was later in the 16th century when the famous surgeon Ambroise Paré described how he could induce trance in his patients by carefully stimulating muscle groups in the patient's body.
The various uses of hypnosis during this period were allowed to be published during the 18th century, and were often used to treat illnesses like stage fright, nightmares and even hysterical paralysis. This also led to its use as an aid to conjuring up ghosts.
But it is not until modern times that hypnosis was used as a medical treatment for both phobias and childbirth. The first recorded instance happened around 1860 with William James - who is known as "the father of modern psychology".
It was not until the turn of the 20th century that hypnosis finally became widely accepted and used by medical doctors to treat many different illnesses. This is mainly due to the efforts of a Canadian doctor called Wilhem Wundt who used hypnosis as a main component in his psychological experiments.
However, it was Sigmund Freud who made hypnosis a household name as he used it throughout many of his psychoanalytical treatments. Despite not being very successful with every patient, Freud claimed to have successfully treated over 50 patients for various illnesses using hypnosis.
Hypnosis continued to be practiced by doctors and psychiatrists throughout the 20th century but
true knowledge of how hypnosis works was still limited - until today. Recent research has provided solid data on how hypnosis affects the brain and what makes it such a powerful therapy tool.
Many researchers have begun to explore the evolutionary reasons why hypnosis has been able to survive for so long. And it is now becoming clear that hypnosis was an evolutionary tool that was originally designed to reboot the human brain and re-program the brain's internal "wiring".
During this process, a patient would be able to see and feel things in an altered state of consciousness which could help them deal with deep seated traumatic experiences from their past. These experiences could include reliving their early childhood, or even still being in a trance while they were being murdered.
This kind of trauma could have many detrimental effects on a person's life - even today. This is why hypnosis has been used so effectively to help people relive their traumatic experiences and reduce the harmful effects they have on their lives.
Understanding this deeper level of hypnosis can also explain many of the positive effects of hypnosis as a therapy. It was discovered that an individual's hypnotic state can be used to target particular areas of their brain in order to achieve desired goals.
This means that those in a trance would be able to target parts of their brain in order to boost their willpower and concentration levels, or create dissociation from traumatic events in their past - for instance, allowing a patient to relive but not re-live a danger event.
This is why hypnosis can be used to help patients relive certain traumatic events in their lives, but it becomes very effective when used to treat phobias, anxiety and even PTSD.
The first use of hypnosis as a therapy was also found to have many beneficial effects on the body's immune system - by regulating the effectiveness of stress response systems and releasing chemicals aimed at reducing the body's immune response.
This helps explain why those in a hypnotic state seem to be able to physically feel what their body is experiencing - especially if they are feeling pain or low levels of stress. This is why hypnosis continues to be such an effective treatment for pain related ailments today.
This naturally leads to the next question: what is hypnosis?
So, how exactly does hypnosis work? There are many different theories that try to explain how hypnosis works at a biological level. One of the most widely accepted theories comes from a Germany neurologist named Franz Anton Mesmer - who believed that the human body was made up of magnetic fluids that could be manipulated. This led to his invention of a medical procedure called "Mesmerism" which was used as an alternative treatment for both paralysis and blindness in 18th century Europe.
Although there is little evidence to prove it, Mesmer's theory on hypnosis became very popular in France during the 1800s.
Many famous artists and thinkers have come up with their own versions of hypnosis. One of the most well known is Sigmund Freud who believed that hypnosis was a state of mind that allowed people to repress what he called their "superego" - or their higher morality.
Freud's idea that hypnosis is a state of mind that allows a person to repress their conscience became the centerpiece to his psychoanalytical techniques - but it was later dismissed as unreliable by other researchers and doctors.
In 1968, the book "Hypnosis: Fact and Fiction" by Orne Ramsey was published, which argued against Freud's interpretation of how hypnosis works in the brain.
While Freud thought that hypnosis was a way to push aside the conscience, Orne Ramsey believed that it was an unconscious defense mechanism that protected us from pain and trauma. To sum up, hypnosis is simply a very effective form of therapy which has been used and developed over thousands of years.
The brain's own ability to re-program itself in order to prevent any further damage or illness is what makes hypnosis so effective when it comes to having lasting results on the body and mind.
Hypnosis for weight loss, smoking cessation and other issues: A new study is providing evidence as to why hypnosis is still so popular as a therapy - despite its long history.
Conclusion:
The newest round of research on hypnosis comes as no surprise to experts who have been treating patients with hypnosis for years - because it is an extremely effective method of treatment.
In fact, the latest research shows that hypnosis treatments are not only able to help people stop smoking, they can also help them lose weight and treat their phobias. After studying patients who went to see a hypnotist for these conditions, researchers have found that their results were often lasting - even when they stopped seeing the hypnotist or taking the medication they prescribed.