Perceptual reconstruction in the treatment of inordinate grief.

Troubled by continuing emotionally painful memories of her ill mother's face as she struggled to breathe during her terminal days in the hospital, an adult daughter requested hypnosis to "erase" those images from her memory. Since that is not feasible, the subject instead was provided in a single session with a hypnosis-based, imagery-focused strategy in which the disturbing images of her mother were replaced by hypnotically reconstructed positive memories as she had appeared in prior, happy times. This was successful: the restructured images were maintained and grew stronger over time as reported four months post-session. It was concluded that hypnotically restructured memories can be useful techniques in the management of inordinate grief.

Mesmerism and Masonry: early historical interactions.

During the early years of animal magnetism, the Mesmeric and Masonic movements in France frequently shared membership, philosophical positions, ambience, and ritualistic style. There was even a proposal to establish a blend of the two to be called Mesmeric Masonry, although nothing came of that. This article documents such interactions and notes that important Mesmeric figures including Mesmer, the Puységur brothers, Lafayette, and Gébelin, were also active Masons. Both movements were suppressed in France during the revolution, because they were considered to be threats to revolutionary goals.

Specialized journals in hypnosis: further listings.

Until now, previous research had identified the names of 159 scientific journals pertaining to hypnosis. The present study adds another 15 titles to this total. Most of the new listings were published in France and the United States, with others elsewhere in Europe. Nearly all of the journals were published briefly and very few survived for any appreciable time.

Inability to dehypnotize--implications for management: a brief communication.

One of the possible complications of working with hypnosis, and a concern of some, is difficulty in alerting the patient from the hypnotic condition. Although such adverse reactions are rare and infrequently observed, they have been noted for many years. This article presents two cases of inability to dehypnotize and discusses the implications for clinical management of the dynamics that were found to be causally related to such behavior.

Hypnosis in the treatment of functional infertility.

The literature was reviewed and found to contain sparse information regarding the applicability of clinical hypnosis in the treatment of functional infertility. Two cases were then described in which hypnosis based on imagery and a relaxation strategy was successful in facilitating pregnancy in both instances. The treatment was considered to have resulted in beneficial modification of attitude, optimism, and mind-body interaction.

First admission (1846) of hypnotic testimony in court.

The record of an 1846 trial for murder in New York state was reviewed. This was the first case in which testimony based on hypnosis (mesmerism) was admitted without objection in an American court of law. The allegations against the defendant were not supported by the evidence offered, and a verdict of not guilty was rendered.

Early American mesmeric societies: a historical study.

Following an unsuccessful attempt by Mesmer to bring animal magnetism to the United States in 1784 through the Marquis de Lafayette, there was a period of little activity there for several decades. Then, concurrent with its revival in Europe and led by a few American practitioners who had been trained in France, several early societies of American magnetizers were founded beginning about 1815. These were initially organized in New York City and subsequently in New Orleans, Boston, Clinton, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Philadelphia. They played an important role in the development of hypnosis in America.

The first use of self-hypnosis: Mesmer mesmerizes Mesmer.

Self-hypnosis is an important modern therapeutic method. This article traces its initial use in either 1778 or 1779 by Franz Anton Mesmer, the founder of animal magnetism, which, in turn, led to the present modality of hypnosis. According to a contemporary account written by a colleague, Mesmer successfully treated himself for a condition described as a blockage in the lower part of his body. He may have also taught the method of self-magnetization to others in his clinic.

Early journals in hypnosis: an update.

To date, 139 journals concerned primarily with hypnosis have been identified. This article lists another 20 periodicals, including the first American journal, the Magnet, which was briefly published in 1835 in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Etienne Félix d'Hénin de Cuvillers: a founder of hypnosis.

Etienne Félix d'Hénin de Cuvillers (1755-1841) was one of the few followers of Mesmer who continued to study, practice, and refine animal magnetism after its eclipse resulting from the 1784 publication of the essentially negative investigatory reports of the French commissions. He differed from Mesmer in that he denied the existence of a magnetic fluid, emphasized the role of mental processes in mesmerism and in general behavior, and anticipated the much later psychodynamic constructs of transference and countertransference. In addition, he used and publicized a system of scientific nomenclature based upon the "hypn-" prefix for which Braid has usually, but inaccurately, been given credit for originating.

Influence of self-induced hypnosis on thermal responses during immersion in 25 degrees C water.

The efficacy of self-induced post-hypnotic suggestion to improve thermogenic responses to head-out immersion in 25 degrees C water was evaluated in 12 males. An on-line computerized system permitted the change in body heat storage to be used as the independent variable and immersion time as the dependent variable. Test-retest reliability was good, exhibiting a coefficient of variation of less than 5% for exposure time. Immersion profiles consisted of the following: rest until 200 kJ of heat were lost, leg exercise at VO2 approximately 1.5 L.min-1 to regain 200 kJ, rest until 100 kJ were lost, and repeat the exercise to regain 100 kJ. A control immersion was done prior to two 1-h hypnotic training sessions. A second immersion (hypnotic) occurred within 24 h after training. There were no differences in rates of heat production, heat loss, mean skin temperature, or rectal temperature between control and hypnotic immersions. Individual hypnotic susceptibility scores did not correlate with changes in thermal status. Ratings of perceived exertion during exercise were similar for both immersions, but perceived sensation of cold was lower during the second rest period of the hypnotic immersion. Three subjects used images of warm environments during their hypnotic immersion and lost heat at a faster rate than during control immersions. These results indicate that brief hypnotic training did not enhance the thermogenic response to cool water immersion.