Woman pictured having Eye focus Hypnotherapy Induction (one of many types of induction)
Compare and Contrast Early Ideas About Hypnosis With Modern Ones
An online search for hypnotherapy comes up with plenty of hits, suggesting it is a popular, accepted form of therapy today. With a big client base.
Look at those search results further and you may see a whole variety of uses for hypnosis and ideas about hypnosis.
Dictionary.com describes hypnosis as: “An artificially induced trance state resembling sleep, characterized by heightened susceptibility to suggestion.” (1)
Talking to my family and friends over the years about the idea of hypnosis, got very mixed results.
There were many jokes, including the Little Britain comedy sketch “look into the eyes not around the eyes” and references to pocket watches.
Ideas ranged from total dismissal: “It’s a load of rubbish” and “No thanks, it is mind control”.
To complete acceptance: “It has really helped me, it should be available on the NHS”.
A look into the history of hypnosis may answer the question-
Where do these modern ideas stem from?
Svengali a fictional hypnotist from the1932 film Svengali and book Trilby 1894, is described as “A person who exerts total mental control over another, usually for evil ends” (2a)
This film “heightened the fears of Victorian matrons and maidens about Jews and the dangers of hypnosis” (2b)
Looking at Svengali, pictured below, you may understand why! But does this character still influence believes today?
Svengali
The word hypnosis may not have been used until mid-1800s; however, hypnosis can be dated back to the druids, and many other ancient civilisations. Egypt, Greece, China, Shamanism, Native American. (3), (4), (5).
Sleep temples of Egypt and ancient Greece caused sensory deprivation, Native Americans used music and dance to create hypnotic states, Yogis had meditation and chanting.
This ancient “hypnosis” be it herbally or otherwise induced, was not understood and the effects were associated with magic, ritual, healing, spiritual/religious practices and the occult.
These associations are reflected in today’s media (6), (7), (8a) and therefore society if arguing “mass media reflects societies diverse views” (9).
We don’t know much about the Druids which makes them all the more interesting, mystical and greater story matter today, they are not a reflection of society today, they do not exist, but they could still reflect a modern societies idea of hypnosis.
The modern popular TV series Britannia shows Druid character Davis using hypnosis, manipulating two Romans to do his will in a wow he can do magic kind of way (8b).
Ghengis Khan, founder and great Khan of the Mongolian empire was believed to have used the idea of hypnotic suggestion on his soldiers, causing hallucinations, to gear them up for battle.
He united many civilisations and welcomed others religious believes, known in history as a great conqueror, estimated to be responsible for 40 million deaths (10).
You may be familiar with the term mesmerised, often used to describe a wonderful, besotted state in a romantic novel, where the hero is: “totally mesmerised by her beauty”
The term derives from Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) a famous early pioneer of hypnosis. He called it Mesmerism.
His workings were influenced by a priest, Isaac Newton’s laws of gravity, and how the tides of the sea on earth were influenced by the gravitation pull of the moon.
Richard Mead physician who attended Queen Anne and Newton theorised that the pull of the planets affected a nervous fluid in the body, Mesmer went further to say that planet’s created tides in the body, in the same way as they affect the seas tides.
He called this Animal Magnetism (yes really!), thinking it was carried around the body by an invisible magnetic fluid. An imbalance in this made us unwell, but could be rebalanced using magnets.
He later discovered that just talking to the subjects could help, telling them to reach further into their minds and focus on the heavenly powers of their bodies.
Many patients had convulsions or a grand crisis which he saw seen to be a sign of success. Today doctors might diagnose epilepsy or some form. Hypnotherapists may argue it is an abreaction- a modern term for a condition which may occur during the hypnotic process.
Mesmer dramatized his methods, like performing a ritual, wearing an elaborate cloak with occult symbolism, playing ethereal music, and in exotic surroundings. This is were some may get their ideas about hypnosis being entertainment, controlling or a load of rubbish.
The early medical professions believed causes of disease were physical, and therefore should be seen and treated in physical ways. Teeth were removed to treat mental illness! (11), (12), (13).
It was also dominated by male, wealthy upper classes. They wanted to keep any therapy to the medical profession, banning the term therapist or anyone who wasn’t a medic from using the term.
Discrediting anyone outside the medical profession who used healing methods was easy. For the rich and influential they could just call con artists or witch, under the 1734 Witch Act (14).
Consider it was only 1941 when the last person, Helen Duncan, was imprisoned by the 1734 Witch Act. Leading to a change of law in 1951and today we have The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. (15), (16), (17)
Medics campaigned to king louis 111 to reveal Mesmer as a con artist.
This kind of ethical control today is performed by suitably qualified governing bodies (18), (19), (20) and having an ethical code of conduct. Although membership is presently voluntary, this offers reassurance of professional standards. We wouldn’t go to the queen with such issues.
Modern Practioners also maintain continued professional development to stay up to date with techniques (21) and remain competitive.
In history hypnosis has been used for pain relief and anaesthetics, A Scottish surgeon practising in an Indian Hospital had some remarkable results during 300 major operations and 19 amputations.
There was no imaging to plan surgery from, the amount of pain, blood loss and shock could have been huge to his patients, yet they all recovered well.
Back in Britain however, his findings were dismissed, there were other developments in medicine like chloroform, and the stigma of mesmerism lingered and Britain thought they were more civilised and less open to “magic”
Another surgeon practising hypnosis faced similar barriers to his success back home,
1840-50s James Braid- A medic at Edinburgh and Manchester hospital was responsible for the first use of the word hypnosis in English. He used the eye fixation trance induction, developed by Abbe Faria circa 1815. This was probably the start of the association with hypnosis and pocket watches, which were popular at the time, although Braid used Gas lights.
The famous Freud changed from neurologist to psychologist after following hypnotherapy research and changed the field of mental health forever.
However, for some reason Freud dismissed hypnosis as having temporary effects.
Freud was so influential at the time and it is because of his loss in its favour that hypnosis was not taught at medical school.
However, today most people have heard of Freuds work, including his Iceberg model of the mind. (22).
Illustration of The Iceberg Model Of The Mind And Brain Waves In Frequency At Various States Of Mind (Full consciousness to Deep Unconsciousness)
Adapted from (22) and notes
Where the mind is divided into 3 basic parts, conscious, subconscious and unconscious.
The water line is where the critical faculty sits.
During hypnosis the critical, analytical mind is less active and therefore in this state you are more open to suggestion. That is how hypnosis works, however,
the critical faculty is what naturally kicks in during subconscious thought processes (hypnosis) if there is a perceived danger, strong disagreement with the therapist’s suggestion, and explains why you cannot be controlled during hypnosis.
Now we understand so much more about the mind and how it works. Accepting that mental health and disease are not necessarily visible. Scientists recognise the changes in physiology during consciousness, day dreaming, meditation, hypnosis, higher state of consciousness. On the scale of consciousness to total unconsciousness there are differences in brain wave frequency.
Today hypnotic induction has many methods. There are seven basic ones:
Relaxation, eye fixation, posthypnotic suggestion, mental misdirection, confusional, loss of equilibrium, and shock to the nervous system. You don’t need a pocket watch.
The Americans Erickson and Elman influenced the profession massively.
Erickson probably the most well-known hypnotherapist of 20th century, grew up very poor with many health issues, He used hypnosis to treat his pain.
Elman was showcased as "The Worlds Youngest and Fasted Hypnotist". The Elman Induction remains a classic hypnotherapy induction to this day.
Around the same time in Britain hypnotherapy was used to treat battle trauma, shell shock, in WW1 and WW2, what we now call PTSD.
“Hypnotism has been accepted as a valid therapeutic technique by both the British (In 1955) and American (in 1958) Medical Associations” (2c).
The use of the word Therapy in hypnosis positively influenced people’s ideas of its use and applications. Hypnotherapists were taken more seriously. The word hypnotist became more associated with entertainment.
Hypnosis gains positive media coverage as a mental health, wellbeing tool, featuring on This Morning TV, Paul McKenna, life coaching and counselling programs (23)
You can see hypnotic ideas in other areas of therapy, relaxing techniques and coping strategies.
It has Merging similarities with meditation. If you search on You tube for a relaxing meditation many will have hypnosis in the title.
I used a hypnobirthing DVD to be mentally prepared for my second child and I owe this to a much better birthing experience (24)
I also struggled with IBS. Hypnotherapy was recommended to me by my consultant and had great results.
In history hypnosis had a bad press of only being suitable for treating hysteria in women, not been taken seriously by the medical professions, having “sexual undertones” (2b) and threatening social hierarchy.
Now In the 21st century hypnosis is applied to giving up bad habits like smoking, weight loss, anxiety, phobias, pain relief, anaesthesia during surgery, confidence, self-esteem, low mood, developing healthy habits, PTSD, forgiveness, letting go, past life regression. Coping with Autism, performance in business, or motivation in sports (25). (26)
Due to more education the use of Hypnosis is less popular in entertainment, or a show. But many jokes still exist. (27), (28) See images below.
With the development of online media, social media, Covid restrictions, hypnosis has spread greatly, and hypnotherapy is now available to all… for a small fee.
Above image from the comedy show Little Britain 1997
“Look into the eyes not around the eyes”.
With similar hand gestures as the illustration below of Mesmer using his animal magnetism, in 1800s.
A Mesmer illustration
Referencing
1 Dictionary.com Accessed 26/09/2021
2 a, b, c, d Waterfellow Robin, Hidden Depths The story of hypnosis, 2016 pan books, Amazon Britain p1, p4, p15, p248.
3 Hypnosis History (johnmongiovi.com) You tube
4 J Melton, History of Hypnosis HMIGRADS You tube and course notes
5 Pre-History of Hypnosis (History of Hypnosis Documentary Series- Episode 1, You Tube 18/oct 2020
6 Molly Moon And The Incredible Book of Hypnotism 2015 film,
19 May 2021 Accessed 26/09/21
8a, b Britannia. I 18th January, 2018 Sky Atlantic, Episode 1.
9 https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/media-reflection-society-393272. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.
10 10 Things You May Not Know About Genghis Khan - HISTORY last accessed 10/10/21
11 Henry Cotton (doctor) - Wikipedia accessed 17/10/2021
12 Ian Freckelton. Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine. (Book review), Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, Vol. 12, No. 2, 2005, pp. 435-438.
13Anthony Daniels (May 8, 2005). "The madness of a cure for insanity". telegraph.co.uk. accessed 17/10/21
14 The Witch Act,1734
15 The Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951.
16 The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
17 Witchcraft Acts - Wikipedia accessed 17/10/2021
18 Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
19 Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).
20 Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (APHP)
21 What is Hypnotherapy CPD? (Continued professional development) (hypnotc.com) accessed 18/102021
22 McLeod, S. A. (2015). Unconscious mind. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html
23 Psychologist/Clinical hypnotherapist Jason O' Callaghan This Morning TV
12 May 2021
24 Lee Tara, Pregnancy Yoga with Tara Lee DVD, 2014 Tara Lee Yoga LTD,
Graves Katherine hypnobirthing in Prepare section
25 Wobst.A Hypnosis and Surgery: Past, Present and Future. Medicine Anaesthesia and analgesia 2007
26 O’Shea, L Dodd, S. Panayiotou, S. Palmer Medicine British Journal of anaesthesia 2011
27 Kenny Craig | Little Britain Wiki | Fandom last accessed, 10/10/21.
28 BigFanTrain Big Train- Evil Hypnotist.
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