by Carol H. Morgan

Created on: September 29, 2008

In a lead-in to an article about the dazzling clinical resurgence of hypnotherapy (HT), a reporter from the Oregonian quipped: "Hypnosis is more than a quirky stage act!" Very true... It is a quirky stage act that can often cost 200 dollars an hour! (A 50-MINUTE hour, no less!) But despite high-reaching ambitions of hypnotists to treat smokers, nail biters and chronic pain sufferers, it isn't clear whether HT fares any better than it did at its introduction.

Franz Mesmer (1734-1815), the founder of the practice, was off to a rather sleepy start in his career before introducing hypnotic trances and perhaps his real legacy: creating a forever-secure market for pocket watch manufacturers. He began an unsuccessful practice in medical astrology with a doctoral dissertation he plagiarized from his best friend. Apparently getting away with that, Mesmer was soon accused of quackery for another reason, which considering what passed as legitimate practice those days, was harsh criticism. His focus during his lifetime was 'animal magnetism,' involving such things as having his patients swallow iron moving it around with magnets. It was the investigation of this that resulted in Mesmer's being driven into exile. This was probably just as well because the investigation was led by Louis XVI, who along with Mesmer's bourgeoisie patients ended up getting some close scrutiny themselves later on in France.

Because so many practitioners are today embracing Mesmer's theories, many HT centers are popping up, operated by traditional psychologists but also medical workers and laymen trained only in hypnosis. When I say 'trained' this is vague, because there is actually no formal training or methodology for the practice WHATSOEVER. Dr. Robert Butler, a clinical psychologist at Oregon Health Sciences University who uses hypnosis or 'guided imagery' to treat pain relief, put it that "there is this ongoing question, never been resolved, about WHAT EXACTLY HYPNOSIS IS."

Not exactly a glowing endorsement, coming from one of its proponents, but at least it is honest.

Butler said that theories range from 'pure access of the subconscious' to the theory that clients go along with it to please the therapist. "I'm somewhere in the middle," Butler said. "Why it works is less important than the fact that, for many people, it does work."

But considering the fact that this kind of subjectivity can result in 30% or so whose positive response is purely placebo, what are the limits to what can be done for

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