The Illustrated History of Hypnotism
by John C. Hughes
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Book Summary Information
Author: John C. HughesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-25
ISBN: 1885846142
Number of pages: 476
Publisher: National Guild of Hypnotists, Inc.
Book Reviews of The Illustrated History of Hypnotism
Book Review: A Comprehensive and Empathetic History
Summary: 5 Stars
John Hughes has written a masterful book that I recommend to everyone interested in the hypnotic arts and sciences.
The casual reader may not know that the hypnotic community is divided into two broad camps. The first consists of people who are trained in one of the healing arts such as medicine or psychology. People in this camp use hypnotism as a tool in the practice of their primary profession. The second group consists of people who have trained primarily as consulting hypnotists, and make hypnotism their primary focus.
Regretfully, the two camps have not gotten along. Histories of hypnotism have tended to emphasize the contribution of the historian's camp and ignored the contribution of the other. This leaves the reader with an incomplete and lopsided perspective, especially as the two camps have often intermingled at an informal level, with the members of one camp passing insights to the members of the other.
John Hughes has written a book that rises above this narrow perspective. This is a careful and scholarly history of hypnotism that takes seriously the work of all hypnotic practitioners, from Chicago stage hypnotist Herbert Flint in 1903 to the work of the gifted psychiatrist Milton Erickson.
Hughes writes in an evenhanded way, tracing how theories about hypnotic trance and suggestion developed and modified over time as they were passed from one practitioner to the next generation.
The book contains the best account of the life and teaching of Franz Anton Mesmer I have ever read anywhere. Hughes gives us a coherent account of the complicated rivalry between Jean-Martin Charcot and the team of Liebeault and Bernheim in 19th century France, that changed the world-wide understanding of hypnotism at the time.
He explores the work of Erickson with empathy and depth, pointing out how Erickson's methods have come to be misunderstood by many today.
In every case, the career and contribution of the hypnotic pioneer in question is told with empathy and warmth. The reader will come away feeling he or she knows more about the important historical figures of hypnotism than before, and will also understand more about who they were at a personal level.
Finally, this book contains fascinating insights about the impact of hypnotism on the literary world, chronicling the involvement of Balzac, Victor Hugo, Coleridge and Charles Dickens with hypnotic practices. Hughes explores how hypnotic study changed both their private and public lives and is careful to give specific examples and details about the people involved.
This is a volume the reader will return to many times, both for reference due to the high quality of its scholarship, and for insight due to the quality of the analysis Hughes has put before us.
by the Rev. C. Scot Giles, D.Min.
Board Certified Chaplain, Association of Professional Chaplains
Board Certified Diplomate, National Guild of Hypnotists
Summary of The Illustrated History of Hypnotism
This monumental history charts the development of hypnotism from ancient times to the start of the modern era. This classic book is a major contribution to the literature of hypnosis and will be used as a source book and reference volume for many years to come.Hypnosis Books
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