Most people have limited experience with hypnosis. Maybe you've been to an event where a stage hypnotist convinced a friend to act like a duck; perhaps you've heard amazing claims about hypnotherapists who are able to rid their patients of the need to smoke or drink or overeat in a few hours. Unless you were the one quacking at that cocktail party, you may not be sure if hypnosis is real, and may not be aware of its history and proven benefits in the treatment of psychological problems. In this article, I will discuss the history of hypnosis, why it can change behavior, and how you can use it for self-improvement. There are a lot of popular misconceptions about hypnosis, but the truth has the potential to be much more amazing – and much more useful – than the most far-fetched story.

A Brief History of Hypnosis

Hypnosis was uncovered in its most primitive form by Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian physician, in 1778. Mesmer's method of inducing trancelike states was based on animal magnetism, the belief that living creatures had magnetic fields that influenced unseen forces around them. By immersing a patient in a vat filled with chemicals, Mesmer believed he could alter their magnetism and induce emotional fits, characterized by laughter, crying, and other extreme outbursts, that would leave them clean of whatever ailment they suffered. We now know that although animal magnetism never cured a single patient, some of those Mesmer treated found their symptoms alleviated or even relieved completely.

Around the turn of the century, psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud discovered more efficient ways to use the mind to overcome physical symptoms. Freud believed that the majority of negative behaviors people exhibit were due to the subconscious mind, a portion of the mind which constantly catalogs our experiences and influences us to act in ways that encourage survival. The subconscious mind does not use the same logic we do, and when it makes incorrect assumptions about what is and is not dangerous, dysfunctions result. By inducing a hypnotic trance in his patients, Freud was able to find out about past traumas that led to their undesirable conditions.

In the mid-20th century, Dr. Milton Erickson expanded on the research of Freud and other first generation hypnotists, developing new methods to help patients access their subconscious. Erickson addressed Freud's concern that hypnosis might be too powerful to be used safely by pioneering the use of hypnotic suggestions, proposed changes in behavior that the subconscious is free to adopt or discard naturally. Erickson made many other changes which allowed patients of hypnosis to influence their subconscious using a variety of simple verbal and mental techniques.

Recent research has proven that hypnosis can be used by anyone to make positive changes in their behavior. Hypnosis is used by the patient to uncover hidden motivations of the subconscious and suggest alternatives that are more in line with conscious desire. Hypnosis can be used to help overcome any problem or achieve any goal. Anyone can be hypnotized, and no negative side-effects are possible in self-hypnosis.