How Hypnosis Harnessed the Power of the Mind to Change the World
The origin and evolution of hypnosis have long fascinated the world. Even before it had a name, people have marveled and wondered about this primal connection between mind and body.
While hypnosis may seem like a fairly new practice, it actually gained awareness to the general public in the eighteenth century. But the truth is the origins of hypnosis go back much further.
The word hypnosis itself derives from the Greek word “hypnos” meaning sleep.
A relaxed state was always the basis of hypnosis as it went through various forms as it developed into the version we know today.
And what exactly is hypnosis?
Let’s start with what it is not. Hypnosis is NOT mind-control, mindlessness, being gullible, or performing against your will. The person undergoing hypnosis is always in control of their responses. They’re the ones who ultimately decide whether or not to accept a hypnotic suggestion.
Hypnosis is a highly relaxed, naturally heightened state of awareness. No one has ever been harmed by hypnosis, hence it can be practiced without state regulations.
That said, it’s always best to see an accredited and experienced hypnosis practitioner.
Let’s learn more about the history of hypnosis.
Hypnosis in the ancient world:
In the firelight of ancient Greek “trance temples,” the physicians of the time (most notably a priest named Asclepius) used a version of hypnosis to put their patients in a trance-like state. Incense smoke helped relax patients in healing ceremonies, meant to be a holistic approach to treating ailments of both the body and mind.
Hypnosis also made an appearance in Eastern philosophies like Taoism and ayurvedic medicine. They included a meditation as a way of liberating from earthly attachments and gaining wisdom and enlightenment. 1
Franz Anton Mesmer: Scientific Revolutionary
Like many young people, Franz Anton Mesmer cycled through several different paths of study like philosophy, law, and theology before deciding on medicine. During the young German physician’s life, common medical treatments included herbal remedies and bloodletting by leeches. 2 As time went on, he became disillusioned by their efficacy and looked to the skies above him.
Inspired by the work of 16th Century alchemist, Paracelsus, Mesmer did his dissertation on the gravitational influence of planets on the human body. He took it even further when he became intrigued by the work of a Jesuit astronomer and physician, Maximilian Hell. Hell used magnets on the body to ease the suffering of his patients. 3
Mesmer took this practice further and started experimenting with more magnets, a technique later dubbed “Mesmerism.” He thought there was possibly some invisible astral fluid that would stream through people to heal them. He eventually abandoned the magnets and brought about the idea of a “flow” of healing from healer to patient. He called it “animal magnetism” and believed it flowed like magnetic streams from healer to patient, correcting an internal flow which had gone off course.
Even though his magnetic approach found success, the medical establishment found no sound proof that Mesmer’s modality worked. Was the healing all in the minds of his patients? Mesmer became a controversial figure, but his work ignited curiosity among his followers.
Marquis de Puysegur: Historic hypnosis breakthrough:
The work of Marquis de Puysegur, a student of Mesmer, made the discovery that led to the basis of modern-day hypnosis.
He realized that the power to heal didn’t come from the healer. It also wasn’t coming from some external force or magic magnets. The power was inside the patient the whole time.
Marquis de Puysegur put patients into a peaceful, trance-like state he called “artificial somnambulism.” He found that people were susceptible to hypnotic suggestion with little memory of what had transpired afterwards. When fully awake, they could behave as was suggested. 4
This realization changed everything in the arena of personal development. The power to transform your life, to overcome your limiting beliefs, to create the changes you want wasn’t outside of you . . . it was already inside you.
Puysegur’s insight became the foundation for what we now call hypnosis. He shifted the entire paradigm from “I need someone else to fix me” to “I have the power to change myself.”
Major schools of thought about hypnosis:
By the early 1800s, there were two camps arguing about how “Mesmerism” worked:
The “Fluidists” believed that the real power was from the subject themselves. This was believed to be the root of the term “animal magnetism,”
The “Animists,” on the other hand, said that Mesmerism was a combination of suggestion and belief.
It was the age-old question of the physical versus the mental, external versus internal. The people who want to medicate versus the people who believe in the power of a positive mindset.
The Animists took the lead when a Catholic priest named Henin de Cuvillers figured out that the “magic” indeed happened through the combination of suggestion and belief.
James Braid: The Father of Hypnosis:
James Braid, a Scottish surgeon who became known as “The Father of Hypnosis,” made the biggest leap since Puysegur. In the 1800s, Braid was studying the malleability of the brain.
He understood that the brain (aka the subconscious) can change. With focused attention, it can literally “rewire” how one thinks and responds.
He talked about the phenomenon of double consciousness. He espoused that hypnotism was a scientific tool to investigate this duality and cure “hysterical paralysis.” 5
Braid believed that hypnosis heightened your ability to focus your attention. This jibes with the modern belief that the relaxed state of hypnosis allows one to more effectively address their deeply rooted issues and shift their emotional perspective around said issues.
It was a holistic way of helping uncover both physical and mental ailments and quickly gained popularity. By 1843, there were 200 professional “mesmerizers” working in Boston. 6
Meanwhile, over in Europe, they had two different schools studying this. The Salpetriere Asylum worked only with people in crisis. The Nancy School worked with normal, healthy people who just wanted to improve their lives.
Then came Freud:
Famed psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, is actually believed to have contributed to the downfall of hypnosis. He actually incorporated some hypnosis techniques into his methodology, but renamed them with psychoanalysis terminology.
Hypnosis practitioners jumped on his psychoanalysis bandwagon. The ironic twist? Freud’s theories about the subconscious mind were partly built on the hypnosis research he was trying to replace.
Clark Leonard Hull: Validating Progress:
In the 1890s, Clark Leonard Hull, a student of psychology and professor, Joseph Jastrow, at the University of Wisconsin, decided to bring real scientific rigor to hypnosis.
Hull remarked, “All sciences alike have descended from magic and superstition, but none has been so slow as hypnosis in shaking off the evil association of its origin.”
Hull acknowledged the problem so many of his predecessors encountered: How do you prove something works when you can’t measure it properly?
So, Hull developed the first scales for measuring suggestibility. Finally, there was a way to quantify and validate what practitioners had been seeing for decades.
Crisis creates a breakthrough:
World Wars I and II changed everything. When soldiers were coming back with psychological trauma that traditional medicine couldn’t touch, military doctors turned to hypnosis out of desperation.
Colonel M. Ralph Kaufman set up a psychiatric field hospital in the Philippines where hypnosis became a primary tool for helping psychological casualties recover. 7
The official recognition of hypnosis:
Respect for hypnosis had finally made its way to the mainstream.
In 1949, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis was founded. The group was made up of “health care professionals who are dedicated to the highest level of scientific inquiry and the conscientious application of hypnosis in the clinical setting.” They put great importance on “sound clinical practice is built upon serious scientific inquiry and important empirical questions.” 8
Later in 1958, the American Medical Association officially recognized hypnosis as a legitimate treatment method. 9
How The Flow Center can help you with hypnosis:
The Flow Center’s program has been helping people for decades who want to banish their negative thoughts and habits and transform their lives:
Journey deep into your subconscious: You’ll be guided into a deeply relaxed state that lets all other thoughts fall away so your mind can focus. This allows your subconscious to be more receptive to suggestion. The hypnotist will begin to unlock issues that have prevented you from experiencing self-acceptance and bring them to the surface.
Create new lovable habits for yourself: The hypnotist will then reprogram your old internal belief system and rewire it to accept self-love. This new “coding” will allow you to transform the way you see, respond, and attach meaning to your issues. Instead of the negative emotions and patterns you once had, you’ll be able to create new and lovable habits surrounding the way you see yourself.
Develop new positive and loving beliefs: The voices in your head telling you that you’re not enough will be silenced. No more beating yourself up. Instead, you’ll have effortless kindness and respect for the amazing person you already are. You’ll be able to step confidently into new habits that celebrate all your strengths and see your old habits with more compassion as they depart from your life.
Imagine a future where it is all possible: You’ll be able to take more chances now that nothing is holding you back. Boldly embrace a new mindset where the opportunities open to you are endless. Nothing is beyond you. In fact, success is at the forefront of your mind.
Additionally, imagine a future where you break the cycle of negative thinking so your children don’t have to go through what you did.
See the benefits of self-love: The result is a gentle and effective ability to return to your natural love for yourself. It’s always been there, but it eroded over time when those negative beliefs crept in. Now that you’ve released those feelings, you have more space to allow your self-esteem to blossom.
READ MORE: How to Use Hypnosis to Boost Confidence and Self-Esteem Quickly
What the history of hypnosis can teach us:
The biggest takeaway from learning the story of how hypnosis came to be?
Your mind is far more powerful than you’ve been taught to believe.
Your subconscious mind is like the hard drive of a computer, storing all your habits, beliefs, and memories. Hypnosis is like updating the software so your system runs better.
And here’s the most empowering part of this entire story: About 95% of people can be hypnotized. Which means 95% of people have access to this tool for reprogramming limiting beliefs and installing empowering new patterns.
If you’re ready to rewrite your story and transform your life with hypnosis, we at The Flow Center can help you. Whether you’re in Dallas or on the other side of the world, we can help you in-person or with virtual appointments.
3. https://exhibits.stanford.edu/super-e/feature/franz-anton-mesmer-1734-1815
4. https://psych.athabascau.ca/html/History/demo_glossary.cgi?mode=history&term_id=1139&color_id=2
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3048116/
6. Judith Pintar and Steven Jay Lynn, Hypnosis: A Brief History, 1st ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008)
7. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451173