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The concept of hypnosis has probably been around for as long
as that of humankind. Drumming, chanting and dancing were
used to create altered states of consciousness. Some were
faith healing rituals and others like rain dances were directed
at Gods.
The word Hypnosis is derived from the Greek God of
sleep, Hypnos. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians
and Romans all recognised the power of the mind. Different
forms of healing and meditation were used by these great civilisations.
Mesmerism is another word for hypnosis. In the 18th century,
Franz Anton Mesmer (1751-1825) practised hypnosis until his
work was disregarded by the medical profession. A physician,
John Elliotson (1791-1868) was dismissed from his professional
post at the University College Hospital in London because
he was using hypnosis to perform painless surgeries. The Scottish
surgeon James Eskdaile (1808-1859), inspired by Elliotson,
used mesmerism to perform over 300 major painless operations
without using conventional anaesthesia. They included excisions
of tumours and amputations. He was able to decrease the typical
surgical mortality rate from 50% to 5% with the use of his
technique.
The use of mesmerism for surgical purposes declined after
the development of chemical anaesthetics like nitrous oxide
in 1844 and ether in 1846. Mesmerism was then revived by a
surgeon from Edinburgh James Braid (1795-1860). He changed
the name from mesmerism to hypnotism. Even though he later
recognised that hypnosis was not sleep, the name hypnosis
remains to this date.
In 1955, the British Medical Association officially recommended
that medical schools add hypnosis to their curriculum. An
American physician Milton Erickson (1901-1980) conducted numerous
clinical studies and is best known for the practical use of
indirect suggestions. The University of Oxford Medical School
was the first medical school in the United Kingdom to offer
a clinical hypnosis module to its students in 2002.
Hypnotherapy today is a highly sought after tool for healing
and for changing human behavioural patterns. It is particularly
effective when dealing with anxiety, phobia, stop smoking,
weight control problems, habit forming addictions, pain control
and arthritis.
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