The practice of hypnosis has ancient roots, with traces found in many early civilizations, including Ancient Egypt, Greece, and India. In these cultures, altered states of consciousness were often induced during religious ceremonies and healing rituals. The “sleep temples” of Egypt, for example, used chanting and rhythmic sounds to guide individuals into trance-like states for healing purposes.

The term “hypnosis” itself wasn’t coined until the 19th century, but the foundations of modern hypnotic practice began to take shape in the 18th century. One of the earliest figures associated with hypnosis was Franz Anton Mesmer, an Austrian physician. In the 1770s, Mesmer developed a theory called “animal magnetism,” suggesting that an invisible natural force could be manipulated to heal the body. Though his ideas were eventually discredited scientifically, Mesmer’s work laid the groundwork for the exploration of trance and suggestion.

In the early 19th century, Scottish surgeon James Braid observed hypnotic phenomena and, distancing himself from Mesmer’s mystical theories, coined the term “hypnotism” from the Greek word “hypnos,” meaning sleep. Braid proposed that hypnosis was a psychological state, not a supernatural one, and began to explore its therapeutic applications in pain control and anesthesia.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hypnosis gained attention in the fields of psychology and medicine. Sigmund Freud experimented with hypnosis in his early work before developing psychoanalysis. Meanwhile, practitioners like Jean-Martin Charcot and Hippolyte Bernheim further explored its connection to hysteria, suggestion, and the unconscious mind.

In the 20th century, American psychiatrist Milton H. Erickson revolutionized the field with his more informal and conversational approach to hypnosis, which emphasized storytelling, metaphor, and the use of indirect suggestion. His techniques laid the foundation for modern hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).

Today, hypnosis is widely recognized as a legitimate therapeutic tool, used to treat anxiety, phobias, pain, smoking cessation, and more. Scientific studies have increasingly validated its effectiveness, and it continues to evolve within both clinical and holistic health settings. Despite centuries of skepticism and change, hypnosis remains a powerful method for accessing the subconscious mind and promoting healing and transformation.