Since the time of Mesmer there has been a general attitude of prejudice against, and fear of, hypnosis. Mesmer´s own attitude did much to clothe the phenomenon in mystery and occultism and to awaken strong criticism against his discovery. The absurd claims made and the fantastic explanations given contributed to the development of scientific antagonism to the art. Further the later utilization of [tag-tec]hypnotism[/tag-tec] by charlatans made every honest man extremely wary lest even his sincere interest in it bring him into disrepute. Fortunately, however, not all true scientists were frightened by the bugbear of public misunderstanding, and such men as Charcot, Liebault, Heidenhein, Janet, James, Hall, Prince, and Sidis have contributed greatly to a present rational attitude on the subject.

As a result there is a growing realization among the general public, both lay and professional, that hypnosis is a normal phenomenon of the human mind, fairly explicable, as are all other psychological processes, in our crude concepts of mental mechanisms. Further, there is a rapidly increasing realization, as well as a somewhat slower development of its usefulness in the therapeutic field. In the latter regard there is still tendency to expect extravagant therapeutic results and, if they are not forthcoming, to discard the method as of little or no value. As is obvious, such utilization is wrong, since [tag-tec]hypnosis[/tag-tec], like every other psychotherapeutic procedure, should be looked upon as a means of approach to the problem and not as the royal road to the achievement of miracles. As yet present limitations upon the knowledge and understanding of hypnotism itself suggest that its greatest value lies in the field of psychological investigation and experimentation.

Its use in psychotherapy is essentially empirical. No really rational use of it can be made until psychologists and specially trained investigators capable of plumbing the depths of ignorance surrounding [tag-ice]hypnosis[/tag-ice] and properly evaluating the psychological principles upon which it is based have explored it as a problem complete in itself. As a fertile field for investigation its intrinsic value cannot be questioned. Whether or not the eventual findings will be of immediate and positive profit is entirely speculative and quite beside the question, since every realm of human activity and behavior is worthy of scientific examination.