Hypnosis History
Hypnosis has been studied and practiced for over 3,000 years, but it was not until the work of Dr. Franz Mesmer in the 1800's that Hypnosis came under scientific scrutiny. Hypnosis during this period following the work of Mesmer was referred to as Mesmerism. In 1848 another pioneer in the field, Dr. James Braid, coined the term Hypnosis. Doctors Sigmund Freud, Milton Erickson, and John Kappas used Hypnosis in their practices and conducted clinical studies of its efficacy, greatly contributing to the scientific understanding in this field.
In 1955, the British Medical Association recognized Hypnosis. In 1958, the American Medical Association approved a report on the medical uses of Hypnosis. Then, in 1960, the American Psychological Association endorsed Hypnosis as a branch of Psychology.Hypnosis is highly effective in treating a wide range of issues from weight loss to smoking cessation, stress, anxiety, lack of motivation and concentration, procrastination, fears and phobias, low self-esteem, insomnia, addiction issues and managing chronic pain. Since the founding of the Atlanta West Hypnotherapy Clinic by Laura La Rain PhD.D/C.Ht.in 1978, our clinic has successfully used hypnosis to help individuals, couples, families, and children.
