Hypnosis in psychotherapy, psychosomatics and medicine. A brief overview.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2024 Burkhard Peter
Hypnosis is examined across its 250-year history, from Franz Anton Mesmer's animal magnetism to modern applications in psychotherapy, psychosomatics, and medicine. Imagination was recognized as essential as early as 1784. Hypnosis contributed to psychoanalysis but was abandoned by Freud after 1900. Techniques combining imagination and relaxation integrate findings from cognitive psychology. The debate continues whether hypnosis is a special state of consciousness or normal social interaction. Experiments depend on hypnotizability; difficult phenomena like paralysis or hallucinations occur only in highly hypnotizable subjects, yet moderately hypnotizable individuals also benefit. Imaging studies confirm these are not mere compliance.