How has the history of hypnosis influenced its present? Does the history of hypnotism validate it as a science, or as an art, or both? And should we analytically research the history of hypnosis simply to examine its scientific aspects? Or would it be wiser to consider how the history of hypnosis might be different if it had been done as an art? And will hypnotism survive as an art, or as a science, or as both?

Music could most certainly be examined and analyzed into a pure science of mathematics. One could create countless presentations on the components of the musical scale, harmonics, musical timing etc. and there are excellent teachers of all aspects of music, including its history. But, when it gets down to performance time, it is the artist performing with feelings that touches our emotions. A musical presentation that is mathematically correct with all the notes performed accurately and in proper timing can still leave the listener cold if no artistic feelings exist.

Most certainly, we do not have to become experts at the history of art, be it hypnosis or music, in order to master the performance of that art. But, it is also unwise for any hypnotist to be uninformed about the amazing history of hypnosis.

Even though the use of hypnosis was common with many primitive civilizations, its true nature still seems like a mystery to most people even to this day – as is evidenced by the movies.

The long and unhappy history of hypnotism demonstrates how belief, imagination, expectation and conviction are woven in throughout time and how ignorance of these vital ingredients of hypnosis resulted in incorrect theories.

The “up side” of all this, however, is that some wonderful benefits have taken place throughout time for many fortunate people on the receiving end of hypnotic research and enough advances have been made to keep the interest alive.

Hypnotism still has its scientific aspects. It has its experimenters and pioneers, its lucky guessers and martyrs – and they all left their marks on the history of hypnosis.