Is Hypnosis Real? A Historical Deep-dive

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Most people only know hypnosis from movies and stage shows. Someone snaps their fingers, a person drops into a trance, and suddenly they act in strange and dramatic ways. It looks mysterious and almost magical, and it naturally raises the same questions for nearly everyone:

Is hypnosis real?

Is it scientific?

Does it actually work, or is it just stage magic?

The real story of hypnosis is far more interesting than most people realize. It began with a bizarre idea, went through rigorous scientific investigation, and eventually evolved into one of the most research supported tools for changing thoughts, behavior, and even chronic pain.

Here is a clear breakdown of how hypnosis actually works, where it came from, and what modern science says about it today.

It Started with a Strange Idea, but Something Real Was Happening

The history of hypnosis begins in the late 1700s with Franz Anton Mesmer. Mesmer believed he could heal people through a force he called animal magnetism. To modern ears this sounds supernatural and impossible, but something important happened during his sessions: people reported having convulsion-like reactions, seizures and borderline hysteria.

This drew so much attention that the King of France created a special scientific commission to investigate. It was not a small committee either. The commission was led by Benjamin Franklin and consisted of the following top scientists of their time:

• Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (the guy the guillotine is named after)
• Antoine Lavoisier (the guy who named oxygen and hydrogen)
• Jean-Sylvain Bailly (the guy who determined the orbit of Jupiter’s moons)

Their conclusion surprised everyone. They found no evidence for animal magnetism. There was no invisible force. But the results people were experiencing were real. The commission concluded that the effects came from three core characteristic: imagination, suggestibility and expectation.

Those same ingredients are still at the heart of how hypnosis works today.

How Hypnosis Became “Real Science”

About sixty years later, James Braid, a Scottish surgeon, observed something unusual. He watched a stage hypnotic performance where people appeared to fall into strange states. Braid did not accept the supernatural explanations, but he also knew something genuine was happening.

So, he studied it carefully.

He realized that hypnosis is not caused by a magnetic force or anything mystical. Instead, it’s a state of focused absorption. It’s a mental skill where the mind becomes deeply engaged in a single idea or suggestion. Braid treated hypnosis as something practical and as a learnable skill.

This was a turning point. It shifted hypnosis from a mysterious phenomenon into a structured method that could be taught, tested, and refined.

This is the moment hypnosis began moving from myth to science.

What Modern Science Says About Hypnosis

Today, researchers study hypnosis using brain imaging, cognitive science, and controlled clinical trials. Two main theories exist:

The state model, which claims hypnosis is a special altered state of consciousness.

The non-state model, which says hypnosis works through natural mental processes such as focus, imagination, expectation, and suggestion.

Modern clinical hypnosis and hypnotherapy are based on the non-state model. This means the effectiveness of hypnosis does not depend on entering a special trance or altered state. Instead, it uses mental abilities you already have, such as attention, imagination, and the ability to respond to guided suggestions.

Research consistently shows that:

• People are not asleep during hypnosis
• They are not unconscious
• They are not controlled by someone else
• Hypnosis does not rely on a specific brainwave or unique trance

Brain scans show no single hypnotic signature. People can even be hypnotized while sitting upright, eyes open, fully aware, and actively participating.

The most evidence supported view is that hypnosis uses natural mental processes that everyone experiences every day. It is simply using these processes with intention.

The Most Effective Hypnosis Is Transparent and Collaborative

Real clinical hypnosis is not something a practitioner does to you. It is something created between the practitioner and the client.

One of the core principles in clinical hypnosis is that all hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis.

The practitioner guides the process, but the client’s mind does the work. When people understand what is happening, they feel safe, engaged, and empowered. This is why modern hypnotherapy is transparent, educational, and collaborative.

This is also why we combine hypnosis with neural circuit retraining at mindbodyconnection.org. When clients understand how their brain works and why certain patterns continue, change happens more quickly and more consistently. Their mind begins working with them instead of against them.

This approach is especially effective for professionals dealing with chronic pain and IBS, because these conditions involve learned neural pathways that respond extremely well to suggestion, imagery, and nervous system retraining.

The Real Story of Hypnosis Is More Interesting Than the Myths

If you want to understand hypnosis, you do not need stage tricks, swinging watches, or movie effects. You only need to understand how the mind works.

Hypnosis grew out of a strange idea, survived scientific scrutiny, evolved through careful study, and is now supported by decades of research. It is not magic or mind control. It is a learnable skill that uses natural mental processes to help people change the way they think, feel, and respond.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we use hypnosis to help people out of chronic pain and IBS, you can learn more about our 8-week Pain to Peace Program.