History Of Hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis and hypnotic suggestion have been a part of healing practices for thousands of years. The word comes from the Greek ‘hypnos’ which means sleep. The induction of trance like states and the use of therapeutic suggestion were important features of early greek healing temples. Variations of those techniques were practised throughout the ancient world.

Modern hypnosis can be credited to the venese physician Franz Anton Mesmer, who believed that imbalances in magnetic forces in the human body were responsible for illness. Mesmer applied a therapy, which he called Mesmerism, involving the use of tranquil gestures and soothing words to relax patients and restore the balance to their magnetic forces.

Sigmund Freud the father of psychotherapy found hypnosis useful for treating hysteria, but later abandoned the practice after observing that his techniques stirrred up powerful emotions with his patients. Eventually the notion of using a state of altered awareness gained greater acceptance in conventional Western medicine. Today hypnosis is widely used in Western countries and when conducted under the care of a trained hypnotherapist is considered safe as a complimentary method.