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Hypnosis has moved from the world of magic into
the world of medicine. Hypnosis is being used to help people stop
smoking, lose weight, overcome phobias and control pain in a variety
of medicinal situations from childbirth to cancer.
Trance, which occurs spontaneously under certain
psychological conditions, is artificially induced by means of
hypnosis.
From 1845 to 1851 Dr Esdail was treating patients
under mesmerism in Imambura hospital at Hoogly, Calcutta. Before he
left India he had performed three hundred major operations and
innumerable minor ones- all of them in mesmeric trance. He reduced
the mortality in the operation for scrotal tumors from about 50
percent to 5 percent.
Esdail's, ‘Mesmerism in India and its practical
application in surgery and medicine, 1847', gives a good account of
his work.
A committee appointed by the Bengal Government
consisting J.Atkinson, Inspector-General of Hospitals and six other
Europeans, three of whom were doctors, to go into these mesmeric
cures gave a favourable report.
Hypnosis is used:
1)by a dentist to get an extra nervous patient to
relax and cooperate
2)by an obstetrician to relieve fear and pain
during child birth
3)by a psychiatrist to treat anxiety and phobias
4)by a cancer specialist to help patients tolerate
intense pain
Hypnotic suggestions or auto-suggestion made under
the trance is not a trivial affair.
By hypnotic suggestions even the electrical rhythm
of the brain is modified to accord with the suggestion.
Hypnosis is achieved progressively revealing
increasing depths of susceptibility. Hypnotic suggestibility forms a
graded continuum, different people being susceptible to different
degrees. The hypnotic rapport reaches its maximum strength in
somnambulic stage, when the subject becomes effectively suggestible.
The subject may be told that a lemon is sweet
orange. He will eat it skin and all and behave in all respects as
though the lemon were a juicy, sweet, succulent orange.
Hypnosis is to be carried out by a real hypnotist.
But some quacks treat people with hypnosis using the names like mind
control, relaxation which is unscientific.
Hence those who want to get cured by hypnotherapy
should approach a skilled hypnotist only.
The Indian Yogis achieved Para psychic powers
through the psycho-physical disciplines known as Yoga. By
understanding Yoga one can understand how and why hypnosis works.
S. Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by
profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines
and published 18 books so far. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom
through T.V.Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His
email address is:
snagarajans@gmail.com
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