Hypnotherapy is not magic, it is essentially an approach which employs the belief that the answer to most of the problems we encounter is contained within us in our subconscious. The subconscious is the part of our mind that never forgets, that is always listening and which is less analytical, and because of this can make associations more freely between situations and events than our conscious mind is capable of. So what are the origins of it all? Well to most scholars’ knowledge, the earliest known form of hypnosis was in ancient Egypt. In these ancient times, priests would induce sleep in people and when they were asleep chant helpful healing messages to the sick.
The person who was most well-known for developing hypnosis into the more recognisable form of today was Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian doctor. He coined the phrase “animal magnetism” and believed that the body was filled with fluids and that magnetic force and blockages in the system could lead to illness, and he treated those he saw with magnets.
In more modern times, and probably the most influential in my own practice, is Milton Erickson. He was an American psychiatrist who suffered from polio and in later life, he used a wheelchair. In his approach, he used humour and confusion but he is best known for utilising whatever the client brings into the therapy room, and employing metaphor to achieve change as a means of communication with the subconscious.
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