The Modern Era Of Hypnosis And Hypnotherapy - 941 Words

The modern era of hypnosis and hypnotherapy began with Franz Anton Mesmer, the Viennese physician. Mesmer favored an altogether gentler approach, and his devotion to his patients was quite extraordinary. His breakthrough case was that of Franzl Oesterline, a 27 year old woman suffering from what Mesmer described as a convulsive malady, â€Å"the most troublesome symptoms of which was that the blood rushed to her head and there set up the most cruel toothaches and earaches, followed by delirium, rage, vomiting and swooning†. These symptoms were so severe that Fraulein Oesterline moved into Mesmer’s house to receive round-the-clock care. Returning to the theories of his student days, Mesmer introduced a cure by using a magnet to disrupt the gravitational tides adversely affecting his patient. He successfully induced in Fraulein Oesterline the sensation of a fluid draining rapidly from her body, taking her illness with it. Her recovery after that was complete and virtually instantaneous (Kirsch et.al., 1995). From a modern perspective, we can see that the results were produced by the hypnotic suggestion of a fluid draining from the body, a wonderful healing metaphor that wouldn’t be out of place in a 21st century hypnotherapy practice. Even Mesmer realized that the magnet had nothing to do with the cure. His system rested on the belief that illness was caused by depleted levels of animal magnetism, and that these could be replenished by the healer transmitting some of his ownShow MoreRelatedHypnosis : A Form Of Complementary Therapy1379 Words   |  6 PagesHypnosis (hypnotherapy) is â€Å"a form of complementary therapy that the old power of positive suggestion to bring about sub-conscious change to our thoughts, feelings and behavior. The process itself aims to alter our state of consciousness in a way that relaxes the conscious part of the mind while simultaneously stimulating and focusing the subconscious part. This heightened state of awareness to reached using skilled relax ation techniques and allows the therapist to then make appropriate suggestions†Read MoreThe Roots Of Hypnosis And The Early Ages Of Ancient Civilizations Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesSpeech 101 Ani Hovhannisyan All about Hypnosis Ancient Greek fabulist Aesop once said, â€Å"Persuasion is often more effectual than force.† Persuasion, particularly altered state of mind, can be achieved by utilizing mind-control and hypnotic techniques. The roots of hypnosis trace back to the early ages of ancient civilizations. Ever since the 18th century when the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool was brought to the attention of public, it has continuedRead MoreDebate Topics6648 Words   |  27 PagesHypnotherapy is therapy that is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis.[citation needed] The word hypnosis (from the Greek hypnos, sleep) is an abbreviation of James Braid s (1841) term neuro-hypnotism, meaning sleep of the nervous system. A person who is hypnotized displays certain unusual characteristics and propensities, compared with a non-hypnotized subject, most notably hyper-suggestibility, which some authorities have considered a sine qua non of hypnosis. For example, Clark L. HullRead MoreThe Mind Body Concept Of Healing1757 Words   |  8 Pagesconcept of healing is not new. What is now called Hypnosis has been known to exist in almost all societies in the past, although its nature has hardly been understood. Although the term â€Å"hypnosis† has been used only since the 1840s, priests, shamans, healers and medicine men began using this technique, or some form of it, centuries earlier. Evidence of hypnotic-like phenomena appears in many ancient cultures. There are written records about hypnosis going back 5,000 years in Mesopotamia and Egypt