The history and development of hypnosis from Mesmer to Erickson

Hypnosis

It is unknown as to the exact origins of hypnosis but it is commonly believed that a form of it was used by the Egyptian in their dream temples. "Some ancient Egyptian paintings depict an apparently sleeping person with others who seem to be making hypnotic passes over them" (History of Hypnosis). However in the modern times it is generally accepted that Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian, started using hypnosis in the late 18th century. He received great success in this field and the process of hypnosis which he used was then called "mesmerism." At that time Mesmer's techniques cured any disorder like convulsions etc. prevalent in the late 18th century. He is also known to have cured the eyesight of a woman who then refused to leave Mesmer and thus began a scandal. Unfortunately the French government carried out an intense investigation under the leadership of Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin along with other scientists studied Mesmer's techniques and finally declared this process to be false and a fraud and gave the credit of the curing abilities to imagination (G.M. Johnson). Later on the techniques of hypnosis was used by a well-known figure in history, Sigmund Freud. In the 19th century, Freud practiced hypnotism to learn about the conflicts within a patient that were hidden and old memories of psychic trauma. Realizing the power of hypnotism, Freud announced that hypnotism was a very powerful tool and that the control is more in the hands of the patient rather the hypnotist. Dr. Milton Erickson is given credit to for researching and developing the modern methods of hypnosis. He introduced these globally and it received great popularity by the 20th century. He brought awareness in others regarding the use of two methods in hypnosis known as "indirectly" and "permissively" accessing the subconscious of the patient to cure him. Indirectly was when the doctor or the hypnotist did not make any direct suggestions and permissively was where suggestions were made permissively. "The best publicized use of hypnosis to this end was the recent work of some hypnotherapists who were instrumental in 'uncovering' hitherto 'inaccessible' memories of childhood abuse in subjects" (John Sderlund).

METHODS AND TRAINING

For any hypnotist to begin his treatment, the patient's consent is very necessary. If the patient does not want to get hypnotized then the process will not work. Hence the willingness should be there for the effectiveness to be there (Methods of Hypnosis). If the patient believes that he cannot be hypnotized then it is not possible for the method of hypnosis to be effective and it is also important for the patient to be relaxed. These factors should be present before a hypnotist can actually begin the cure using the powerful tool of hypnosis. Once the patient is prepared, hypnosis is induced by six most widely used methods which include "eye fixation or fixed-gaze induction," "rapid," "progressive relaxation and imagery," "loss of balance," "Mental confusion methods" and "Mental misdirection methods."

Eye fixation is a method most commonly seen being practiced in movies where the hypnotist takes out a pocket-watch and swings it like a pendulum in front of the patient. This method is not very effective and a large number of people or patients do not get hypnotized using this method. However the concept is to get the patient to focus on the moving object with such a concentration that they disregard any other external stimuli. While the patient focuses on the object, the doctor, using a low soft tone talks to the patient. This puts the patient in a relaxed state. Used in the early days, this method is now becoming obsolete (Tom Harris).

The Rapid or Shock to Nervous System method is most popular among the stage hypnotists. In a surprising manner, sudden forceful and firm commands are given to overload the mind. The patient would either fight the trance or he will give in and fall into a hypnotic trance (Roy Hunter). For this the hypnotist has to be highly convincingly and forceful when he gives the command.

Progressive Relaxation and Imagery is used by the self hypnosis tapes one often finds available for purchase in stores. This method is also used by psychiatrists where the patient is spoken to in a soft voice bringing him finally into a trance of complete relaxation and the patient falls into hypnosis. "Mental imagery is used (with caution) to gain insight and new awareness" (Anonymous). Loss of balance is a method that is often seen practiced by mothers when they rock their babies to sleep. With the slow rhythmic rocking, a loss of equilibrium is created and the subjects fall into hypnosis. "This makes use of gentle rocking to get the subject into a trance" (Arvind Mathur). Mental confusion methods are formulated to cause confusion to the conscious mind which confuse the conscious mind "to the point where it just lets go and becomes relaxed" (Anonymous) thus making it easier for the subject to relax and go into a hypnotic trance while mental misdirection methods use imagination and response in order to lead a person in a certain direction (Anonymous).

Professional training is required to be able to hypnotize and anyone who has not had this professional training cannot use hypnosis as a means to cure a person. "Clinical hypnosis is a powerful technique which requires specialized training, such as that offered by professional societies and teaching hospitals" (Reid J. Kelly et al., p.8). In self hypnosis, the patient is put under a training program where he is taught self hypnosis. However before the training begins, an evaluation and diagnosis is carried out.

CONTRAINDICATIONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that responds best to anti-psychotic medications coupled with social rehabilitation. It is caused be the chemical imbalances in the brain and for such illnesses conventional medicines should only be used rather than Hypnosis. The symptoms for schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior and speech (Jeff Gazley). Hypnosis with people diagnosed with schizophrenia can cause severe disruptions and would do more harm than any good.

THE RESEARCH

The effectiveness of Hypnosis was explored in the case of the reduction of pain in osteoarthritis. Patients were involved who were experiencing this pain in either the knee of the hip area. The patients were divided into three groups and each group underwent three options. The first group was put through eight standardized sessions of hypnosis whereas the second group was given the same number of sessions of Jacobson relaxation. The third group served to be a control. After the completion of the sessions, it was observed that the group of patients, who had undergone hypnosis and relaxation sessions, experienced a much lower level of pain as compared to the control group. Comparing the two groups who received hypnosis and relaxation sessions, it was observed that the beneficial effects of the treatment kicked in earlier in the group of patients that underwent hypnosis. Moreover it was also observed that the first two groups, due to reduced pain could now decrease the dosage of the painkiller medications. Hence it was seen that the use of hypnosis in reducing the pain experienced in osteoarthritis was very effective. Such researches on hypnosis had led to an established conclusion that this alternate medicine is remarkably effective to treat many conditions and symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Hypnosis has been used by people to cure many conditions in the past and is seen widely used by the Egyptians, Greeks and many other civilizations. Even today we indulge ourselves in everyday forms of hypnosis by reading, driving, etc. Although Ben Franklin stated that Mesmer was not the cause of the cure that people were experiencing and it was only their imagination that was curing them, the importance of hypnosis cannot be denied and it is an established fact that alternate medical therapies have their own place and standing and are successful in providing appropriate benefits to those who are suffering from illnesses.

There have been numerous people who have received benefits from the use of hypnosis and there are some who have complained that stage hypnosis triggered schizophrenic symptoms in them (Justice Toulson's Judgment). However apart from stage hypnosis, there have not been any cases of mishaps and hypnotherapy is generally considered harmless. In cases of diagnosed schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression or personality disorders hypnosis should not be considered as an option and for these conventional medicine should be used to cure them (Editorial Team). Apart from these, hypnosis has proved itself to be highly useful in other conditions and people are widely undergoing hypnosis today. Many have been able to quit smoking and other addictions while many have dealt with the problem of being overweight. People have also benefited high self-esteem and confidence level that have changed them and made them successful in various fields of life.

Although hypnosis can be dangerous if practiced wrong, it should be practiced by the experts and it should be their moral duty not to take advantage of hypnosis for their personal or mischievous gains. It should be practiced strictly for beneficial purposes of the patients only.