The methods employed in inducing hypnotic trances vary widely among hypnotists. A good operator varies the details of his technique considerably from subject to subject, fitting it to the peculiarities of each and every personality.
Mesmer's method was to put his hands upon the shoulders of the patient and then to stroke the arms downward to the fingers. In addition, he made various passes and gentle, soothing contacts with his hand over forehead and the part to be healed. Esdaille usually put the subject to be hypnotized in a darkened room and told them to sleep, and then made passes without contact over the entire body. Braid customarily had his subjects look at some bright object and instructed them to relax and to fall asleep. Later, he slightly modified his technique to that of the direct verbal method in which repeated suggestions of fatigue and sleep were often given.
As a result of the present-day scientific understanding of hypnosis, the direct verbal suggestion technique has become the more common one. Drugs also may be utilized to produce hypnotic states, but the results are unsatisfactory since the narcotic effects very frequently interfere with trance manifestations. Drugs which may be used are paraldehyde, barbital compounds, and amytal.
Usually the best method of inducing a trance consists of placing the subjects in a very relaxed and comfortable position, giving them at the time a few brief explanations in order to relieve any misapprehensions and at the same time afford them some idea of what is about to happen. Then, suggestions are always given in a very carefully graduated form to the effect that they are getting tired and more tired, that they are getting sleepy and even more sleepy, and that they will gradually go into a light sleep and thence into a deeper and deeper sleep. The period of time required varies considerably with every subject, some taking less than one minute to go into the deep sleep for the first time and others requiring many hours of effort.
Once the subject is asleep, the same manner of technique is utilized to elicit any of the characteristic manifestations of the trance state. Repeated suggestions to the effect desired are often given until the subject responds. The trance is usually terminated by the request to awaken, but occasionally it becomes necessary to arouse the hypnotized subjects slowly by suggesting wakefulness in the same manner that sleep was suggested.
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