Greek and Roman Times

Ancient records indicate that hypnotic-type treatments were used to help people with illness all the way back to Greek and Roman times.

For example, some of the early techniques referred to the laying on of hands by priests, medicine men, kings, or others in high esteem, with miraculous healings as a result (Spiegel H and Spiegel G, 1978; Kroger W, 1977; Crasilneck H and Hall J, 1975). In these accounts, it is common to read of the patient entering a sleep-like state, swooning, or convulsing when they were touched by the powerful healer.

Spiegel, H. and Spiegel, D. Trance and Treatment. New York, NY: Basic Books, Inc., 1978, pp. 11-22.
Kroger, W. Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1977, pp. 1-7.
Crasilneck, H. and Hall, J. Clinical Hypnosis Principles and Applications. New York, NY: Grune and Stratton, 1975, pp. 5-13.

1700s

As people and cultures evolved, scientists created theories that looked beyond the power of the healer in order to explain the healing phenomena. One such theory was developed by Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) from whose name the term "mesmerism" was coined.

Mesmer believed that human health was a function of the gravitational pull of magnetic forces. Disease was caused by an imbalance in the force and cures could be achieved by redistributing it. He called this theory "animal magnetism." In his practice, Mesmer employed magnets, hands-on healing, and eventually, trance-like states that he called "crises" to redistribute magnetic force.

In his time, furious debate over Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism and his successful treatment of many illnesses resulted in the formation of two commissions to study his theory, with Benjamin Franklin serving on one of the commissions. The result of these inquiries was that animal magnetism was rejected as an explanation of the miraculous results. Instead, the effects were attributed solely "to the imagination."

1800s

After Mesmer, the serious study of how to effectively use the imaginative power of the mind was largely abandoned by the medical community for many years. In fact, several respected physicians were banished from their profession because they showed an interest in hypnosis.

One such figure was a British professor named John Elliotson (1791 - 1868), who introduced the stethoscope to England and was one of London's leading physicians. After writing of his success with mesmerism, he was severely chastised in Lancet, which forced him to resign his faculty position.

1880-1940s

In the late 1880s, Jean Charcot, a neurologist, revived interest in hypnosis with his theory that it was a disorder of the central nervous system. Freud studied with Charcot, and developed his psycho-social theories of mental illness after observing hysterical patients under hypnosis.

In the United States, P.C. Young completed the first systematic work on hypnosis in his doctoral dissertation in 1923. Clark Hull did an extensive set of experiments at the University of Wisconsin in the 20s and Yale in the 30s.

After World War II, Ernest Hilgard, a widely known and respected psychologist, founded a laboratory for hypnosis research at Stanford, and in doing so, established hypnosis as a legitimate subject of scientific research.

1950s

Following the statement of the British Medical Association's formal support for clinical hypnosis in 1955, the American Medical Association (AMA) recommended in 1958 that medical schools and professional training centers offer training in hypnosis.

The AMA also recognized two professional hypnosis associations: the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis and the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis.

Today

Following the AMA recommendation, the University of Minnesota Medical School Office of Continuing Education, in collaboration with the MN Society of Clinical Hypnosis, started training in hypnosis in the 1970's. It has trained over 2,000 physicians, dentists, psychologists, marriage and family counselors, nurses, and masters-level social workers in clinical hypnosis in the last 20 years.

Hypnosis is increasingly seen as a process wherein the patient uses his or her mind to affect the body. The healthcare provider's role is as teacher or facilitator of the hypnotic process.