History of Covert Hypnosis

Copyright (c) 2010 Nick Clipton

Historically, one of the oldest techniques in persuasion is hypnosis. It all started several thousand years ago. The technique was developed by priests and healers. Coincidentally, every culture has their own hypnosis history. The techniques were developed to help individuals deal with health, relationships, prosperity, personal and spiritual development and the search for eternal happiness.

Most of the hypnotic technique however was used in health and in war. Priests and healers used the technique to help the helplessly ill bear the pains of disease. The rulers and generals used their hypnotic skill to give their armies the drive to go and run headlong into a battle which they know will end in a lot of lost lives. These were the earliest uses of covert hypnosis, so contrary to popular belief, no, Erickson did not start the technique, and he only embellished it.

Go through the annals of history and see that every single culture used these to manipulate their societies. Some peoples rebelled when they realized the manipulations, and because they could not understand the technique itself, they labeled them as either the work of the devil or witchcraft. In short, practitioners devised means and ways to keep the technique a secret, only to be taught to a deserving few.

As time went on, modern society rose and in came those who would use the technique for their own ends. Come in Mesmer and the technique called 'mesmerisation." Anton Mesmer used this to gain money and prestige and to go around the high society, yes; he was a social climber who did everything in his power to subject his will on helpless and gullible societal women.

Of course history showed how it all ended, and then came in the psychologists. Dr. Milton Ericson was a psychotherapist, a very successful and effective psychotherapist. He used the technique to help his patients get over life's difficulties through indirect hypnosis by using metaphors, surprise, confusion and humour.

He was so successful that people did not realize that he was subjecting them to the hidden technique of hypnosis. Eventually, this was renamed as Neuro-linguistic programming, or lay man's term, covert hypnosis and conversational hypnosis.

Today, the teachings and techniques of Dr. Erickson have emerged to be one of the more reliable techniques for marketing. More and more people have seen the success of the technique to increase sale and profits, by using metaphor, manipulative language and such to open the imagination of people and make them react.