History of hypnosis

The Brain: When we take birth and arrive on the planet it is ensured that we are all born with infinite possibilities. Infinite possibilities to harness resources that nature has bestowed upon us or to understand and create an uncharted path for our own life. It seems everything is in control and the human brain, the central repository, is capable of handling any question thrust upon it. The question that has always eluded mankind is whether it is able to make effective use of available brain capacity. Thus came Hypnosis, as a mean to look into the mind and control and manage the subconscious.

The Art: History of Hypnosis is full of incomprehensible stories and the amazing feats that the practioners of the art were able to achieve. The art of Hypnosis is actually a word that is utilized to describe a completely natural state that exists inside the unconscious mind. The art focuses on hypnotizing a person and entering the subconscious mind and gain an insight. This is done in order to access the ``sleeping mind'' and etch some course correcting messages and ideas into it for implementation after the conscious mind takes control.

The Parable: Hypnosis is besieged by misconceptions. Most of the misapprehensions were passed down from generations without an iota of verification or justification. Generally Hypnosis and History of Hypnosis is regarded as a well concocted potion which hard to swallow. The improbable adventures people undergo during Hypnosis sessions are part of folklores. Many stories have been attributes to Hypnosis without any remorse or inkling of guilt as it was always thought to be something beyond the realm of humanity, much like talking to the dead. An average person responds with many amusing answers viz. mind control unconsciousness, slavery, or even magic.

Flashback: Present day Hypnosis has been fine tuned to the present state by Mesmer, an Austrian. However, hypnosis has been around mankind, amazing it since ancient times. As a matter of fact, it can be dated back to the Evers Papyrus of Egypt which existed 3,000 years ago. However, it was Mesmer who really laid the foundation for the present day hypnosis. The history of Hypnosis cannot be complete without understanding Franz Anton Mesmer. He was only 32yr old when he got his medical qualifications. Mesmer used his magnetism techniques to cure many patients. After moving to Paris at the age of 43 and meeting the intellectuals he realized that the patients he had been claiming to cure using magnetism had done so by making proficient use of powers of their self imagination and came to a conclusion that their cure had nothing to do with Franz Anton Mesmer along with his concept of Magnets.

New Dawn: Dr. James Braid cultivated the term hypnosis from the Latin word Hypnos who is the famous Greek god of sleep and was also instrumental in uncovering the ``fixed gaze technique''. In the twentieth century it was Milton Erickson who finally tried and was successful in attaching hypnosis during his psychiatric practice. The history of hypnosis is replete with the useful exploitations and disdainful misuse. Even before being used in medicine practice, hypnosis was widely used for healing and religious practices. Hypnosis in present age has got the acceptance as a scientifically approved approach to self discovery and change.