Hypnotism:

What is Hypnosis? Many people have the view that hypnosis is a stage trick used only for entertainment. They laugh hardily when a skilful hypnotist makes audience members cluck like chickens or believe that they are Eminem. However, hypnosis is a very powerful tool that can be used for so much more than entertainment! The old phrase “you are getting sleepy” is very often associated with hypnosis, a man with a long white beard and a swinging pocket watch. Although hypnosis does come from the Greek “Hypnos”, who was the god of sleep, it has nothing to do with sleeping. The word hypnosis was first coined by James Braid, a Scottish physician, and is somewhat misleading. However this is a misconception that is not recent but has existed for thousands of years. As far back as ancient Egypt hypnosis was used frequently and was thought of as a sleep like state. In ancient India many people were taken to sleep temples to be cured. These patients were actually hypnotized and given post hypnotic suggestions to help the healing process. Although this may sound like the work of uneducated or uncultured minds these ancient civilizations were more cultured than we may now think as hypnosis is now a well established medical practise in the 21st Century. In fact hypnosis has now been fully integrated into coventional medical treatments and is fully endorsed by modern science! Hypnosis Beginnings An early forerunner of hypnosis, and probably the most influential, was Mesmerism. Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), an Austrian physician, created mesmerism when he apparently observed an effect known as animal magnetism. Mesmer believed that magnets and magnetised wood could stop bleeding due to its healing properties. Although he was extremely popular amongst the wealthy at time his claims were strongly refuted by the medical establishment. The medical establishment, at the time of Mesmer, were keen to demonstrate the inability of mesmerism to have any type of effect. In a double blind experiment, instigated by a French Board of Inquiry, which was conducted by Benjamin Franklin, it was shown that there was no difference in results when magnetized wood or un-magnetized wood was used on patients. It was therefore concluded by the French Borad of Enquiry that mesmerism produced results merely through imagination and the power of suggestion. Thus the seeds of post-hypnotic suggestion were planted. In 1814 mesmerism was once again being used, albeit with a twist, by a priest named Abbé Faria, who claimed that it worked by the power of suggestion and due to a willingness and expectancy on the part of the subject! By 1821 a physician named Récamier was using hypnosis for anesthesia on patients by placing them in a mesmeric coma. It was in 1842 that hypnosis became what we know today when James Braid coined the term and began to experiment in its use. Although in the early days, of animal magnetism, hypnosis was banned by the Catholic Church and rejected by mainstream science and medical establishments, today hypnosis is firmly rooted in the medical establishment. Hypnotic Example Hypnosis Uses Hypnosis is now widely used to treat many medical conditions and mostly employed as a method for pain control. However, its uses as a self improvement tool have been well documented and it is very popular in the personal development arena. The uses of hypnosis are only limited by your imagination! In fact many people use hypnosis as an aid to reaching their goals. As a goal-achievement tool it is extremely powerful. To learn more about how hypnosis can help you create your life’s desires read the excellent product reviews at self hypnosis or search for a hypnosis topic of interest below.