History of Hypnosis: Overview (Click here to return to previous page)

The word 'hypnotism' did not exist until the mid 1800s although the phenomenon has been known of since antiquity. Many ancient cultures had drawings, for instance, on cave walls & pottery which show people being lead into this mysterious state thus allowing doctors to set bones, pull teeth and so on. This evidence indicates that hypnotic or suggestive therapy may be one of the oldest healing skills.

The modern era of hypnotism began with the Mesmer period from 1760 to 1842. Franz Anton Mesmer, a physician working in Vienna & Paris found that he could lead people into a trance like state by means of which he (erroneously) believed to be animal magnetism. Despite its successes, this process, known as Mesmerism was subsequently discredited.

In the Braid period, from 1842 to 1860, James Braid, a doctor working in England, reexamined Mesmerism and discovered that this therapeutic state could be induced by simple suggestion. He coined the phrase 'Hypnotism' and for a time, it achieved scientific respectability.

Unfortunately, in the early part of the 20th century, hypnosis was almost exclusively used on stage for entertainment purposes, thereby creating a distorted view of the subject which has persisted in the public mind to this day. However in 1955, the British Medical Association endorsed the practice of hypnosis since when it has became, once again, a valuable adjunct to conventional medicine.