MENSA Bulletin, August 2010 (by Thomas Elliot)
Like many, I’ve always been fascinated by hypnotism and even took a course or two (it turns out I can do it, but almost no one can do it to me). Anyway, this book provides an unusual take on the subject. The author is a European-trained hypnotherapist who devoted twelve years to researching most of the English, Dutch, German, and French literature of the past two centuries on hypnotism. Finding that hypnotism has always been universally regarded by both the public and health care professionals with Fear and Loathing, he set out to determine why this is so. “I intend to show that the history of hypnotism provides us with a clue to this unfortunate legacy; and I’ve neither spared anyone’s feelings nor pulled any punches in this quest to reveal the shamefully appalling level of incompetence and ignorance that has characterized the (mis)use of this phenomenon since its discovery by Mesmer more than two hundred years ago.”
This guy has done his homework as evidenced by a 35-page bibliography.
Fidelity: The Journal for the National Council of Psychotherapists (spring Issue, 2009)
“When I first saw the title of this book, my initial thought was “Oh no, not another book debunking hypnosis” so I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that it was, in fact, debunking the dreadful image given to hypnosis over the years by the media and sometimes by the very practitioners who were seeking to use hypnosis as a tool with which to heal people with afflictions both mental and physical.
The author has made a very intense study of the history ranging from early Mesmer to the latest utilization of hypnotic techniques, and has uncovered some fascinating and possibly little known facts along the way. His style of writing is intentionally amusing in order not to bore the reader (and let´s face it, reading about the history of hypnosis can be tedious to the point of glazing over, as no doubt most of our readers will know). There are also many astonishing (and often scary) illustrations, some dating back to the nineteenth century, which show very clearly where the public got the idea that hypnosis was something to be greatly feared and that hypnotists could make you do things against your will.
Indeed, many of the early practitioners did hypnosis no favours at all, particularly those connected with the Nancy School, which tended towards the authoritarian approach, very often frightening subjects into social compliance. There were also those who treated the use of hypnosis as a last resort, saying things like “it probably won´t work but we could give hypnosis a try” which virtually guaranteed failure, since the suggestion that it wouldn´t work had probably already taken root before the procedure had begun.
I could go on about this book but I wouldn´t do it justice. If you are interested in finding out more about the reasons for the way hypnosis is viewed by the majority of people and, perhaps, finding some way of reassuring your own potential clients by giving them a more informed view of why the image has become so distorted, I suggest you buy a copy of the book and have yourself a very entertaining and informative read.”
Cambridge College of Hypnotherapy & Cambridge Register of Advanced Hypnotherapists (by Josephine P Teague)
“This book was an absolute pleasure to read from beginning to end… it brought the history of hypnosis to life.
It is a superbly researched book… (that) captures the personalities of the main protagonists of hypnosis through the ages, and shows that the old ways of thinking are still with us… (and) the reasoning behind the negative attitudes to hypnosis that persist even today.
There is an extremely valid and useful discourse on the concept of depth testing and its limitations, along with suggestibility tests.
I enjoyed the quotes and the small personal asides within the text, (and) it is useful to follow the authors suggestion of reading the first part of the book first, and then reading it (again) along with the copious notes… (which are) a stand alone source… It was an excellent way to arrange the book…”
This review was written for the Cambridge College of Hypnotherapy, and for the Cambridge Register of Advanced Hypnotherapists by:
Josephine P Teague MSc BSc(Hons) DipPsych PGCE UKCP Reg ECP Reg World Reg DipTHP DHP PGDHP AccSupHyp AccSupHyp CertHypSup CertHypEd PNLP PDipNLP Senior Clinician
Practitioner of Forensic Hypnosis
Fellow Association of Professional Hypnotherapists & Psychotherapists
Fellow Cambridge Register of Advanced Hypnotherapists
Fellow National HypnoPsychotherapy Council
Fellow Royal Society of Medicine
Member Hypnotherapy Association
Member National Council for Hypnotherapy
Member National Guild of Hypnotists (USA)
Review: British Journal “Human Givens” (December 2009, by Pat Williams)
“Throughout human history individuals have been familiar with hypnotic states whether spontaneous or deliberately induced. Indeed, various forms of trance were, and still are, important in the religious and healing practices of many cultures. But the modern scientific concept of hypnosis, if indeed that word can be used at all for most of what went on, arrived in Europe round about 1770, ushered in by the German physician Franz Mesmer. With the briefest of nods to those earlier manifestations, it is with Mesmer that Saul Rosenfelds story really begins, and in his very first sentence he states succinctly the problems hypnosis faced from the start: sensationalism and lack of understanding. Mesmers name may have become an adjective for what spellbinds or entrances us mostly in a positive way, but hypnosis has been pretty much the orphan child of psychology and clinical practice, mocked, mistreated, exploited and misunderstood. It is a sorry tale, demonstrating every facet of human folly.
Mesmer decided that a mystical force which he called ´animal magnetism´ flowed from the hypnotist and somehow inflicted itself upon the subject, and he and most of his successors thought of this power as their personal endowment, to use as they liked. The bizarre phenomena that could be evoked within trance thus took precedence over more humane intentions, and created the impression of a practice in which subjects were helpless and practitioners unscrupulous – an ´image problem which lingers to this day.
Indeed, people wanting to work therapeutically with hypnosis, which we now know to be a profound communication function innate in all of us, often smuggle it into their work by other names (such as guided imagery) or no name at all. The author apparently listed over a hundred alternative words for hypnosis, but excluded them from his book, fearing readers would find it tedious.
This may, however, be the only piece of information omitted from his exhaustively researched, fascinating and idiosyncratic account of the history of hypnosis, which is in three parts, with copious end-notes and illustrations ranging from the dramatic and weird to utterly mind-boggling. They include advertisments for whizzing and flickering trance-inducing machines; a gizmo for hypnotising, would you believe, only the gum, for use in tooth extraction; a hapless subject entranced by a giant tuning fork almost larger than the she is; a Satyr groping a lady´s breast in a classically inspired 18th century engraving of a group entrancement; and a series of stern-looking Victorian hypnotists (male), and subjects (mostly female) with contorted facial expressions and collapsed postures.
The text is even more revealing than the undone state of the ladies. Mesmer, in lilac coloured coat, with assistants chosen for their youth and comeliness, walks up and down the “palpitating crowd”, gazing intensely into the eyes of females who enjoy it so much that, according to an observer, when they emerged from their trance ´begged to be thrown into it anew´. “In short”, comments Rosenfeld, “the world´s very first modern induction procedure managed to be both ethically and aesthetically objectionable, and … matters were soon going to deteriorate even further.” Mesmerism became virtually a synonym for everything “low and contemptible” — and the scientific establishment, shuddering, “cast it to the charlatans”.
Part 1 of Rosenfeld´s book covers this authoritarian, now-I-have-you-in-my-power phase. There were several disappointing false dawns, when serious men, such as doctors James Braid and James Esdaile, and later on French neurologist and anatomy professor Charcot, associate of Freud, employed and investigated hypnotic phenomena – but sometimes as insensitively as anyone else, shocking, scaring or bullying their patients into trance. Braid would on occasion wake his subjects by slapping them sharply with the flat of his hand. “Why was he in such a rush?” asks Rosenfeld, drily. The methodology of the stage hypnotists, he comments, was “almost gentle by comparison”. The word hypnosis, by the way, was coined by Braid in 1841, after Hypnos, Greek god of sleep and dreams. Thereafter Braid realised that the major phenomena of hypnotism could be induced without sleep, and tried to rename it ´monoideism´. Thank goodness it was too late.
Over the decades, daft theories proliferated, such as one which postulated that susceptibility to hypnosis was based upon the thinness of the skin and the softness of the hair, and another which announced that the most hypnotisable people were seldom punctual. There is even a suggestion, as the 20th century is about to dawn, that residents of entire countries were highly susceptible to hypnotism and suggestion, and that only certain races could be hypnotised. (The Brits, for instance. were thought too stolid to succumb). Even as late as 1977, by which time hypnosis has become a bit more respectable, a medical theorist opines that “The more fat a male physique has, the more likely is that individual to have a high capacity for hypnosis”.
As the story continues into the twentieth century, (Part II of the book), there is a growing understanding of the importance and subtle requirements of verbal communication in hypnosis. At the same time, phenomena become standardised, ´scientised´, ´theorised´ — and thus academically respectable. But fundamental understanding of the process still seems wide of the mark. Dozens of different tests and measurements were developed in the laboratory or devised for clinical use, such as, for instance, rapid suggestibility tests administered before a patient´s problem is even presented, or rapport attained. The implied message to the patient, commented clinician Michael Yapko, was: ´If you´re not responsive to me, then the hell with you”.
However Rosenfeld, a retired and clearly very experienced hypnotherapist, is not asking us only to marvel and mock. He is an insightful guide to the events which take hypnosis to the point where, in some quarters at least, it becomes not only a powerful therapeutic instrument, but also a respectful and creative one. In the twentieth century the ´image problem´, legacy of Mesmer and stage hypnotists, is still there, and theories of how it works still proliferate, but the ´good guys´ are surfacing, and redemption from at least some of the grotesquery and muddle-headedness is in sight. It arrives in Part III, in the form of the utilisation approach developed by Milton Erickson, characterised by extreme flexibility and careful, insightful attention to what the patient presents. The wheel has come virtually full circle, with the emphasis on therapeutic intention, now, rather than phenomena.
Erickson liberated hypnotherapists to work with decency and empathic intelligence. But his considerable contribution has already been organised and standardised, in spite of his insistence on the need to keep observing and learning. Kay Thompson, Erickson´s close friend and associate, says that his work has been simplified and narrowed to the point “that I am quite sure he would not recognise it as his own”. Rosenfeld cites an advert for a DVD: “Instant trance! Milton Erickson handshake induction! NLP Programming Junkies get this now!” Erickson must be turning in his grave, being NLP´d upon this way.
But it was ever thus. An instrument so apparently simple to use, able to alter or enhance perception and behaviour profoundly, virtually in a flash, will inevitably attract the power-mad, the greedy, the flaky, the lazy and the sensationalist that inhabit so many of us. And it also inevitably arouses mainstream suspicion by being too ´big´ to fit conventional beliefs about how mind and brain work. So it remains a Cinderella´s slipper, awaiting its rightful owner. Yet throughout the story there are always those who think straight and see clearly, such as Townshend who in 1841 writes, with welcome common-sense: “The mere fact that man can produce a kind of slumber in his fellow-man by a few and simple means, is surely not to be confounded with the heap of absurdities attached to it.” And why, he asks, should hypnotic effects be standardised, “seeing that the subjects who manifest them are so diverse? Does not the air produce different sounds from different instruments?”
Throughout his book, Rosenfeld talks very directly to his readers in an exuberance of italics, capital letters, and exclamation marks, clearly attempting to reproduce the cadences of the spoken word. His comments, too, have the directness of speech. For instance, after describing a procedure in the 1970s designed to exclude unhypnotisable subjects, he remarks testily: “Come on people, we can do better than this!
The self-publishing industry has enabled lots of valuable books to be published which would never otherwise have seen the light of day. Rosenfeld´s is surely one of them — unconventional certainly, both in style and presentation, but even so with amusements and rewards on every page. In my opinion the book would have been helped by a calmer writing style, proper margins and an index, but these are quibbles. What counts, and what comes through loud and clear, is that Rosenfeld is knowledgeable and passionate about his subject, and also a generous man – intent on sharing with us the fruit of his considerable research. Without seeming to be one, he is a true scholar, even finding and translating obscure tomes in Dutch and German in his search for primary sources. And his generosity extends further — he has put the preface and the first seven chapters on the Web, plus the book´s reviews so far, which means you can taste before you buy. (See http://www.HistoryOfHypnotism.com)
A further volume is promised. I look forward to that, and to discovering his take on the Human Givens understanding of hypnosis.”
Review (by Rubin Battino. M.S., Ph.D., Wright State University)
“This book was many years in the making and writing, and is a scholarly and critical history of hypnotism. The author´s bibliography is exceptional: going back in time before Mesmer, and providing citations and quotations from books and other sources published in many languages. It is perhaps unauthorized in the sense that the author does not have an advanced degree in one of the helping professions. Yet, the level of scholarship is undeniable.
The late Dr. Kay Thompson endorsed this book in a letter to the author dated March 22, 1994 that accompanied her return to him of the (preliminary) manuscript:
´I REALLY like it!! … I think you have done such an exhaustive historical and relevant analysis of hypnosis that people cannot not be impressed.
It is an incredible achievement – comprehensive, thorough and objective in the historical perspective. The fun part of your interjection of the tongue-in-cheek humor is what makes it so different from the usual tome, and piques the interest of the
reader… You keep things in perspective, and give the reader a scholarly view and an objective one at the same time. I cannot help but be impressed at the encyclopedic volume of reading/research it represents!´
The author´s mission is to provide an historical perspective to the way that hypnosis is generally thought of by the public, and many professionals. He writes, Despite more than two centuries of having tacitly recognized its enormous potential utility, the phenomenon of hypnosis has always been commonly regarded with outright Fear and Loathing. How is it possible that something as beneficial to humanity as hypnosis ever came to be viewed in such a horrible manner? He succeeds admirably in this endeavour with almost endless citations to things like the uselessness of hypnotizability scales and exotic (also erotic!) methods of induction…Although we would like to believe that modern hypnotists are not capable of the excesses of the past, this is not completely so…As an aside, I can comment that the historical illustrations are almost worth the price of the book…I heartily recommend this book to anyone who uses hypnosis, and anyone who is interested in an unauthorized critical history of hypnotism.”
UPDATE: This reviewer (Professor Rubin Battino, Wright State University) just sent me a copy of the following email (Dec. 24th)- which he sent to the Editor of the British publication “The Hypnotherapy Journal”- along with the text of this same review, which was published in the “Erickson Foundation Newsletter” (Vol. 29, #1, 2009), and in the “American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis” (July, 2009).
“Rob: Please find attached in rich text format a book review of a book I recently completed reading. The book by Saul Rosenfeld is an exceptional job of scholarship on the history of hypnosis, and why it has been treated so poorly over the years. The readers of /The Hypnotherapy Journal/ and the members of the National Council for Hypnotherapy will like it.”
Rubin
Testimonial: Dr. Carl. A. Hammerschlag (Yale-trained psychiatrist)
“Dear Saul,
On my recent trip to Hawaii, I read ´A Critical History…´ in the lush tropical paradise of Kauai which may account for my being entranced by it.
I thought your fears of being scorned by the ´powers that be´ unnecessarily defensive, perhaps even a projection of your wish to be ´the self-appointed scourge of traditional hypnosis´, because I loved the book…I actually thought your book was a real contribution that might help us out of the dark ages of vilification. Yours is a serious work of scholarship and I applaud you.
Sincerely and warmly,
Carl”
Dr. Carl A. Hammerschlag is a master storyteller and internationally recognized author, physician, speaker and healer. A Yale-trained psychiatrist; he has spent more than twenty years working with Native Americans. He is an expert on how to survive in rapidly changing cultures. Now one of the worlds leading proponents of Psychoneuroimmunology (mind-body-spirit medicine). He is a faculty member at the Univ. of Arizona Medical School, and founder of the Turtle Island Project, a non-profit, multidisciplinary organization whose programs integrate the principles of mind/body/spirit medicine with Native American rituals and ceremonies.
Dr. Hammerschlag´s life work has been chronicled in three critically acclaimed books: The Dancing Healers, The Theft of the Spirit, Healing Ceremonies, and two children´s books. He holds the highest honor given in the speaking profession, the CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame Award and is a recipient of the National Caring Award. Selected by the Caring Institute of Washington D.C. from more than a quarter million nominations, the award honors ´the ten most caring adults in America.´ In his presentations, Dr. Carl Hammerschlag brings his gift of storytelling, a wealth of legends, and unique insights which bridge the worlds of science, spirit, and culture. With poignancy and humor, he leads his audiences on a joyful journey that will stimulate and renew their creative potential.
Testimonial: Dr. E. P. Kremer
Absolutely the definitive text on hypnotism. Must reading for anyone studying, practicing or interested in hypnosis. A thoroughly researched, scholarly text on the subject, written in a most readable way. Packed with information and excellent historical detail. Written by an obvious master of the subject obviously with many years of clinical experience. Anyone with doubts about hypnotism will have them answered by this excellent book. I highly recommend it.
Dr E P Kremer OAM MB, BS (Syd) MRACMA, MRACGP, Fellow Faculty of PreHospital Care, RCS (Edin.) JP
Testimonial: Lynn Leibowitz, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Supervisor at the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy)
“Testimonial Excerpt:
Posted December 12, 2008, 3:01 PM EST:
This book is a pleasure. Not only does it offer an in-depth history of the misuses and misunderstandings that have tainted the practice of hypnotism, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. The author has a rare gift for combining superlative scholarship with a humorous writing style that both enlightens and engages the reader at the same time. He has whetted my appetite to learn more about the potential that hypnosis holds if practiced with the sensitivity and the understanding that this book conveys.”
Testimonial: Michael D. Yapko, Ph. D.
Dear Saul,
This holiday weekend has given me the time (finally!) to read your book, which I did in one long sitting. That alone tells you how much it held my interest. My congratulations on a job very well done.
You´re right – the writing style is unconventional. Your editorial comments peppered throughout made it quite clear how strong your opinions were about the topics you addressed. I´d wince occasionally (from the bluntness), but can´t really think of a time I flat out disagreed.
You did an amazing job of amassing a great deal of history in this book. A scholar´s endeavor and you pulled it off. You managed to find some extraordinary pictures along the way, too, most of which I´d never seen before.
Im glad I finally had the chance to read it, consider it, appreciate it and tell you about it.
With best wishes and appreciation.
Michael
Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist residing in Fallbrook, California. He is internationally recognized for his work in clinical applications of hypnosis, treating depression, and developing strategic, outcome-focused psychotherapies. He routinely teaches to professional audiences all over the world. To date, he has been invited to present his ideas and methods to colleagues in 29 countries across six continents, and all over the United States. Dr. Yapko is the author of numerous books, book chapters, and articles on the subjects of hypnosis, depression, and the use of strategic psychotherapies.
Dr. Yapko is a member of the American Psychological Association, a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a past Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicines Division of Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine (in England), a member of the International Society of Hypnosis, and a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He is a recipient of The Milton H. Erickson Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), twice a recipient of the Arthur Shapiro Award for the best book of the year on hypnosis from the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis for Treating Depression with Hypnosis (2001) and Hypnosis and Treating Depression (2006), and the 2003 Pierre Janet Award for Clinical Excellence from the International Society of Hypnosis, a lifetime achievement award honoring his many contributions to the field.
Testimonial: Michael Ellner (Hypnosis Educator of the Year 2008 – IMDHA)
5 Stars — Highest Rating!
Saul Marc Rosenfeld´s new book “A CRITICAL History of Hypnotism: the UNauthorized story” is a profoundly enjoyable and enlightening read. Rosenfeld tracks the history of the on-going confusion of the major players in current hypnotic theory and practice. I have no economic or financial ties to Saul Rosenfeld´s book. My interest and enthusiasm in promoting his book is that I believe Saul´s book is the most important book that I have read about hypnosis in the last 25 years. In my opinion, as a whole, this highly controversial book profoundly discredits many of the commonly taught hypnotic “facts” and that´s enough for me to actively support it. Beyond that, I appreciate the outstanding scholarship and presentation style Saul developed in order to share his opinions. I highly recommend this ground-breaking and controversial book to hypnosis practitioners of every persuasion!
Michael Ellner
Hypnosis Educator of the Year 2008 – IMDHA
NLP Educator of the Year, 2007 – NFNLP
Hypnosis Educator of the Year 1995 – NGH
Testimonial: Steven Gurgevich, Ph.D. (University of Arizona College of Medicine)
“A Critical History of Hypnotism by Saul Marc Rosenfeld is a unique book. It represents over a decade of reviewing historical documents and telling the story of why this beneficial mind-body method of healing has been tainted by fear and loathing over the past two centuries. Mr. Rosenfeld calls his book the Unauthorized story as it is written in a first person narrative without regard for stepping on the toes of doctors, scholars, or practitioners. And it reads like a personal, but unbiased story instead of a history book. The books 554 pages also include delightful drawings and pictures taken from the actual era produced. It is a great read, being informative and entertaining. I recommend it to all those who are curious about the inside historical story of hypnosis.”
Steven Gurgevich, PhD
Clinical Asst Professor of Medicine
Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine
University of Arizona College of Medicine
