Century (coinciding with the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason). It’s important to remember, however, that what we see as occultism was the scientific establishment of its day, with exactly the same purpose as modern science – curing human ills and increasing knowledge.įrom a Western point of view, the decisive moment in the history of hypnosis occurred in the 1. These practices tend to be for magical or religious purposes, such as divination or communicating with gods and spirits. Recorded history is full of tantalising glimpses of rituals and practices that look very much like hypnosis from a modern perspective, from the “healing passes” of the Hindu Vedas to magical texts from ancient Egypt. Those who believe that hypnosis can be used to perform miracles or control minds are, of course, simply sharing the consensus view that prevailed for centuries. 1st century, there are still those who see hypnosis as some form of occult power. The history of hypnosis, then, is really the history of this change in perception. Hypnosis itself hasn’t changed for millennia, but our understanding of it and our ability to control it has changed quite profoundly. On the other hand, it’s only in the last few decades that we’ve come to realise that! Like breathing, hypnosis is an inherent and universal trait, shared and experienced by all human beings since the dawn of time. On the one hand, a history of hypnosis is a bit like a history of breathing. The history of hypnosis is full of contradictions.
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