Freud's Relevance to Hypnosis: A Reevaluation

Abstract

In this paper we examine Freud's life and thinking, based on his collected works, and reevaluate some of his ideas in the light of various aspects of contemporary hypnosis research. Although Freud has often been blamed for simplistic thinking about hypnosis and for its eclipse during the opening decades of this century, his writings reveal a rich theory of hypnosis and a frank acknowledgement of the debt psychoanalytic theory and practice owe to it. Even though he abandoned hypnosis as a clinical tool, Freud maintained a theoretical interest in the subject and in many respects anticipated issues in current research. Whereas his emphasis on the hypnotist's skill may have been exaggerated, his insights concerning attention, social expectations, group dynamics, reality testing, and the relationship between hypnosis and sleep have been borne out by empirical investigations.