Rick Collingwood
For three years I was a dedicated Ericksonian practitioner and had a rather dubious opinion about the rapid hypnosis performed by so called stage hypnotists. Until recently there was very little information about rapid inductions and so it was more comfortable to accept that rapid inductions and having people do things against their will was all nonsense, and that stage hypnotists were simply dealing with the more gullible individuals, or had an entourage of “Ring Ins” following them from show to show. Despite that, I still had an interest in so called rapid inductions and eventually I found a script that explained the mechanisms and gave the words for an instant induction. Eagerly I went through the process with a friend. He just stood there after I’d followed the instructions to a tee and asked me “What are you doing you idiot”? His response helped to re enforce my first assumption and so I didn’t consider rapid inductions again for about another year.
I’d developed an interest in the early Magnetists and Mesmerists and began collecting old hypnosis books from the 17, 18, and 19 hundreds. I have copies of James Braid’s and James Esdaile’s original works, a copy of Mesmer’s original dissertation, and many volumes written by other notables of the past. As I collected and read these historical volumes it became evident that there was and still is plenty of merit in the original and undiluted practices, more merit in fact than in the so called “new” ways, “new” meaning post 1950. Personally I now believe that there were many other great hypnotists who were closed out by Erickson and others in the US medical establishment in the 1950’s and 60’s, great hypnotists such as Daeve Elman and Harry Aron’s (R.I.P). Whatever way you look at it and whatever style is used, if the hypnotist is well experienced, hypnosis and hynotherapy can help.
Rick Collingwood – Australia’s Premiere Clinical Hypnotist and Hypnosis Trainer.
