 | By Don Stikvoort |
Then there is Bramwell.
John Milne Bramwell, 1852-1925, again a medical doctor from Scotland! You will remember that the other hypnosis demonstration I performed was by another Scottish surgeon James Braid. What’s with Scotland and hypnosis , whisky?
Courtesy of Wikipedia
His book “Hypnotism: its history, practice and theory“, from 1903 is a standard work on the topic. It provides a very good overview of the subject of hypnosis, its history and theories. Well worth a read!
Bramwell first used lights and devices with mirrors for his inductions, basically using fixation. He abandoned this later as he found that simply studying the client’s case well and then using verbal suggestion, worked better. The method he describes in his 1903 book (p.50) I’ll explain and demo in a moment. (Continued below the video)
What was Bramwell’s process all about? Here it is:
- Rarely induce hypnosis the first time
- First time hear patient talk about himself, and find out attitude towards hypnosis
- Pre-talk to explain about hypnosis, remove wrong ideas, and start instilling the idea in client that hypnosis will work for him
- Explain to patient how much depends on the client to take responsibility and to simply carry out instructions
- After that follows the induction itself:
“Presently I shall ask you to look at my eyes for a few seconds, when probably your eyelids will become heavy and you will feel impelled to close them. Should this not happen, I shall ask you to shut them and to keep them closed until I tell you to open them. I shall then make certain passes and suggestions but I do not wish you to pay much attention to what I am saying or doing, and above all you are not to attempt to analyze your sensations. Your best plan will be to create some monotonous drowsy mental picture and to fix your attention upon that.
You must not expect to go to sleep. A certain number of hypnotized persons pass into a condition more or less resembling sleep; few do so at the first sitting however, and you must expect to feel drowsy and heavy.”
- Darken the room, ask spectators to remain quiet
- Only then with the client sitting in a comfortable chair
- With your face 10″ from them continue:
“Now I want you to look at my eyes and feel your eyelids get heavy wanting to close ,.”
- If no immediate closure, continue suggestions (these are twofold: the patients attention is directed to the sensations he probably is experiencing, and the others, which I wish him to feel, are suggested)
“Your eyes are heavy, the lids are beginning to quiver, the eyes are filling with water. You begin to feel drowsy, your limbs are becoming heavy, you are finding it more and more easy to close your eyes and keep them shut”
- Usually this produces the desired result; the eyes close and the first stage of hypnosis is induced. If this does not take place, direct the patient to CLOSE HIS EYES
- Finally, make passes over the head and face, either with or without contact, repeating meanwhile the APPROPRIATE VERBAL SUGGESTIONS. This is continued for half an hour, but in my experience I did not find this necessary. Most people can achieve trance in a far shorter amount of time and be perfectly receptive of suggestions.
- Bring them out of trance.