Hypnosis and Scientific Progress

[R1986]

How exactly has hypnosis changed and altered its structure along with advances in physical and psychological medicine? I'm thinking mainly of enormous advances in understanding the human mind such as the work of Freud and/or Jung and how these may have altered hypnosis as a practice.

Are the disciplines very closely related or does hypnosis function as essentially separated from it?

Maybe this could have gone in 'Hypnosis for Beginners' but I thought this was more related to psychology, society and culture.

[markd]

That's a big topic because hypnosis has been very heavily researched with a wealth of theories.

The Wikipedia article on hypnosis has a good section on both theories and research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnosis#Theories

I would say that Freud probably messed up the field more than anyone else (not just hypnosis but psychotherapy in general) - his fanciful obsession with the unconscious and all this theories... based on a total of 30 clients over his whole life.

If we'd had Pavlov over here instead of Freud we would be so much further ahead. (apologies to all the regressionists).

Remember hypnosis has its roots in science. James Braid coined the term hypnosis in denote a type of neurological state that he observed in the Mesmerists and then reproduced himself. In so many ways hypnosis was the theory that debunked Victorian "new-age" energy therapies. i.e. it wasn't "mesmeric fluid" - it was the power of belief, suggestion and expectation.

Hmmm.... doesn't that make you wonder about why hypnosis is classed as a complementary medicine...

Also perhaps modern energy/meridian therapies are really about belief, suggestion and expectation...

(basically hypnosis is non-deceptive placebo)

Mark