Hypnosis

Judith Pintar is ahistorical sociologist whose work focuses on trauma and mental illness. She is a research associate in the Department of Sociology and the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has written numerous book chapters and articles and is the author of two books. Steven Jay Lynn is a leading clinical psychologist and hypnosis expert. He is a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Binghamton, and the author of 14 books and more than 250 articles and chapters. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Discovery Channel, and Science News.

"Hypnosis is the 'mother' of psychotherapy. Pintar and Lynn have done a great service to the field. Hypnosis: A Brief History is a comprehensive, well-organized academic treatise that surveys the development of hypnosis from its birth to its contemporary maturity. Destined to be a classic, it is a welcome addition to the library of students of hypnosis." - Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D., The Milton H. Erickson Foundation "The fascination of hypnosis, the shifts in its use and understanding over time, and the importance of scientific and societal influence are all captured in this engaging and accessible book. The intrigue of hypnosis and the passion of those who seek to understand it are hallmarks of this brief history." - Kevin M. McConkey, The University of Newcastle, Australia "Pintar & Lynn's book is simply superb. In one convenient package, truths about hypnosis are revealed and myths are exposed. Readers come to understand how hypnosis is useful for treating pain, anxiety, and other medical and psychological conditions. But, we also learn, it can be dangerous in the hands of incompetent or unknowledgable practitioners, especially when it leads to the production of pseudomemories. The winding and complicated history of the study of hypnosis is not only fascinating in its own right, but it serves as a starting point for glimpsing the future of this captivating phenomenon." - Elizabeth Loftus, University of California, Irvine

• Illustrations xPreface xiChapter 1 Trilby and Svengali 1The Hypnotic Relation 2The Nature of Hypnosis 6Assessing the Myths of Hypnosis 8From Trilby to Svengali 9Chapter 2 Animal Magnetism and Magnetic Sleep 12Origins of Animal Magnetism 13Magnetism and Exorcism 15Practicing Magnetism 17Magnetism Assailed 20Mesmerism Transformed 23From Animal Magnetism to Magnetic Sleep 24Chapter 3 Magnetism and Hypnosis 31Fluidism and Animism 32Mesmerism at University College Hospital 35Magnetism in Parlor and Sickroom 39Mesmeric Anesthesia 40Neurohypnology 43From Magnetism to Hypnosis 46Chapter 4 Body and Soul 54Mesmerism in the United States 55Phrenomagnetism and Electrobiology 57Mesmerism and Spiritualism 61Mesmerism and Swedenborgianism 63New Thought and Christian Science 66From Body to Soul 70Chapter 5 Salpêtrière and Nancy 76Hypnosis at the Salpêtrière 77The Nancy Approach to Hypnosis 81The Fall of Hypnosis 84Hypnosis outside the Mainstream 87From Salpêtrière to Nancy 92Chapter 6 Laboratory and Clinic 98Hypnosis Research in the Early Twentieth Century 99Hypnosis Research during the World Wars 103Psychological Healing in the Early Twentieth Century 106The Resurgence of Clinical Hypnosis 108The Rise of Popular Hypnosis 111From Laboratory to Clinic 113Chapter 7 State and Trait 120Neodissociation Theory 121Altered State Theories 123Non-State Theories 126Convergence in the State/Non-State Debate 130The Trait Debate 133From State to Trait 134Chapter 8 Memory and Identity 143Repression of Traumatic Memory 144Hypnosis and Memory 147Dissociation and Traumatic Memory 148Challenges to the Posttraumatic Model 150Hypnosis and Dissociation of Identity 152From Memory to Identity 156Chapter 9 Present and Future 166Medical Applications of Hypnosis 167Psychotherapeutic Applications of Hypnosis 169Unanswered Questions in the Trait Debate 173Unanswered Questions in the State Debate 177From the Present to the Future 178References 187Index 213