A History of Hypnotism III
In 1894, George du Maurier's book entitled "Trilby" was released. It was the story about Trilby, a
young women who came to be under a hypnotist's control. The hypnotist was named "Svengali". The
illustrations of Svengali show a bearded, dark haired man with piercing eyes. The name
Svengali, became the buzzword for those who possessed dubious hypnotic influence. This
characterization of the Evil Hypnotist is utilized, even today, in science fiction movies, books, and television.
1894 "Svengali"
The 1900's
As movies became more popular during the early 1900's, Hypnotism found it's way into the theatres.
Trilby appeared as a movie in 1914. As the sensationalism of Hypnotism grew, the actual practice of
it as a functional modality started to decline. If it wasn't for the Stage Hypnotist, Hypnotism may have
died out between 1920 and 1950. The Stage Hypnotist passed on hypnotic induction methods from one
Stage Hypnotist to another and kept Hypnotism alive during that time period. Some of the Stage Hypnotists responsible for keeping the Hypnotism torch lit were Franz Polgar, Arnold Furst, Harry Arons, and, of course, Ormond McGill, who is known as the Dean of American Hypnotists and has written the most authoritative books on the subject.
Carl Sextus wrote the book entitled Hypnotism, The correct guide to the science and how people are
influenced. In the preface, he states "I have named the so called Mesmerism and Hypnotism -
Puysegurian Somnambulism, because all my inquiries have shown that he was the real discover of
artificial somnambulism". It is one of the most interesting historical books on hypnotism I have read.
1893 Carl Sextus
It is interesting to note that it was the hypnotic stage performer who grabbed the attention of many of those who, later in history, had an impact on the development of Hypnotism as a formalized methodology and tool for heightening communication, both interpersonally and intrapersonally.
