Volume 9b - History of Anaesthesia Society

ack to old
Fakirs and yogis used autohypotic anaesthesia
and trance for their meditations. Eetween 2350 and 1350 B.C. we find
hyposuggestive techniques in Persia and Greece, with rituals similar to
group hypngsis today. Ekr's p3pyrus describs the we of hypnosis for
analgesia. Specific hypotherapy was carried out in the Egyptian sleep
hospitds of Isis and Csiris. Wing the sleep (incubation) the god3ess
of Isis was irmgind to relieve ptients of their complaints. Sleep
temples of Eqypthad a great influence later on similar constructiuns in
Greece.
Ihe pnelWlenhtic era of hyplosis
In Homer's Odyssey XIX 457, Odysseus stops the bleeding of a wound
through suggestion. Asklepios learned hypnosis from the Cenuurus
Cheiron (Cheir - Gr. = hand).
Achille3 knew the method too (the Iliad IV 219, XI R23). The Delphi
Oracle used direct suggestive methods as well as herbs and drugs for
induction.
Ihe Aelldc era of hyplosia
'Ihe Asklepion influence was of the greatest importance for hypnosis in
the Hellenstic era. Patients came to the Asklepionan tarrplzs seeking
relief from their maladies. The most famy of these temples w?re at
Epidams, Kos, Knidos, Cmtana and Cyrene. Patients had first to
perfonn washing rituals at natural wells. After these rituals the
patients had to sleep outside the tenples for 3-5 nights. AFter this,
they were admitted to the anteroom of the temple where they had to stay
several days while praying and listening to the speeches of the priests.
Later the patients could go into the holy part of the temple (Ahaton)
which was attrilxlted with a magic force. The basis of t'lis kind of
hyplosis was the incubation = lying in a relaxed way. Suggestions were
given before and during the trance period, either directly or by
prescription of remedies.
!Ifbe B y Z a I l era ~ of ~ hyplosis
lhe Aesculapian form of therapy continued for many years, hut was
changed by Galen of Pergmn (129-199 A.D.). me temple sleap method
was changed by Galen to pre-sleepsuggestion-induction. me piltient
received suggestions in the pre-sleep phase with the instn~ction to
imagine a specific dream. lhis form of hypnosis therapy was ussd well
into the 6th century.
Wnile in Byzantine and Islamic states, mejicine reached a high level,
the situation in mope was quite different. In the middle ages
hypnotherapeutic techniques wsre used predominantly by mnastic orders
who performed m y so-called 'wonder healingal with hypnosis. This
nonastic practice supplanted Calenic medicine. One of the ,advances at
this time was the use of an associative technique of suggestions to be
able to distinguish between 'demons' ad real illnesses.