Hypnosis: A Brief History

by Judith Pintar, Steven Jay Lynn

Overview

Hypnosis: A Brief History crosses disciplinary boundaries to explain current advances and controversies surrounding the use of hypnosis through an exploration of the history of its development.

• examines the social and cultural contexts of the theories, development, and practice of hypnosis
• crosses disciplinary boundaries to explain current advances and controversies in hypnosis
• explores shifting beliefs about the nature of hypnosis
• investigates references to the apparent power of hypnosis over memory and personal identity

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405134521
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	10/13/2008
Series:	Blackwell Brief Histories of Psychology , #8
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

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.

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Table of Contents

Illustrations x

Preface xi

Chapter 1 Trilby and Svengali 1

The Hypnotic Relation 2

The Nature of Hypnosis 6

Assessing the Myths of Hypnosis 8

From Trilby to Svengali 9

Chapter 2 Animal Magnetism and Magnetic Sleep 12

Origins of Animal Magnetism 13

Magnetism and Exorcism 15

Practicing Magnetism 17

Magnetism Assailed 20

Mesmerism Transformed 23

From Animal Magnetism to Magnetic Sleep 24

Chapter 3 Magnetism and Hypnosis 31

Fluidism and Animism 32

Mesmerism at University College Hospital 35

Magnetism in Parlor and Sickroom 39

Mesmeric Anesthesia 40

Neurohypnology 43

From Magnetism to Hypnosis 46

Chapter 4 Body and Soul 54

Mesmerism in the United States 55

Phrenomagnetism and Electrobiology 57

Mesmerism and Spiritualism 61

Mesmerism and Swedenborgianism 63

New Thought and Christian Science 66

From Body to Soul 70

Chapter 5 Salpêtrière and Nancy 76

Hypnosis at the Salpêtrière 77

The Nancy Approach to Hypnosis 81

The Fall of Hypnosis 84

Hypnosis outside the Mainstream 87

From Salpêtrière to Nancy 92

Chapter 6 Laboratory and Clinic 98

Hypnosis Research in the Early Twentieth Century 99

Hypnosis Research during the World Wars 103

Psychological Healing in the Early Twentieth Century 106

The Resurgence of Clinical Hypnosis 108

The Rise of Popular Hypnosis 111

From Laboratory to Clinic 113

Chapter 7 State and Trait 120

Neodissociation Theory 121

Altered State Theories 123

Non-State Theories 126

Convergence in the State/Non-State Debate 130

The Trait Debate 133

From State to Trait 134

Chapter 8 Memory and Identity 143

Repression of Traumatic Memory 144

Hypnosis and Memory 147

Dissociation and Traumatic Memory 148

Challenges to the Posttraumatic Model 150

Hypnosis and Dissociation of Identity 152

From Memory to Identity 156

Chapter 9 Present and Future 166

Medical Applications of Hypnosis 167

Psychotherapeutic Applications of Hypnosis 169

Unanswered Questions in the Trait Debate 173

Unanswered Questions in the State Debate 177

From the Present to the Future 178

References 187

Index 213

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"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