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A Brief History of Hypnosis
Where did it all
start?
Hypnotherapy has been used
therapeutically for hundreds of years.
It was James Braid who ‘invented’ the word ‘Hypnotism’
It came from the Greek work hypnos which means sleep. During
this period (around the 1840’s) it was thought that when
people experienced hypnosis, they were asleep. It was later
realised that in fact, they were not asleep, but by this
time the word ‘hypnosis’ was being used widely & so
it has stayed to the present day.
Hypnosis was being used for many years before it had a name.
You may have heard of the term ‘mesmerised’, this comes
from Dr Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) who undertook
studies into what is now known as hypnosis. He believed
that it was caused by a magnetic force, given off from one
person to another. Jean Martin Charcot (1825-1893)
continued to develop and understand hypnotherapy, broadening
its therapeutic uses.
Psychologist Pierre Janet (1859 - 1947) also studied
hypnotherapy closely and published several papers detailing
his findings. By this time the understanding of hypnotic
states had become quite comprehensive, and in 1955, the
British Medical Association published a report recommending
that hypnosis should be used therapeutically by psychiatrists,
anesthetists and obstetricians. To do this they would have
had to have undergone training in a whole new field, so
understandably, few practitioners took up the suggestion.
In the present day, hypnosis is mainly used therapeutically
for life & career coaching, & by therapists in various
professions such as psychology, psychotherapy and counseling.
When choosing a Hypnotherapist, it is advisable that the
therapist is suitably qualified, and abides by a code of
conduct and ethics.
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