Hypnosis is in trancelike state of heightened susceptibility to the suggestions of others. In some respects, it appears that they are asleep. Yet other aspects of their behavior contradict this notion, for people are attentive to the hypnotist’s suggestions and may carry out bizarre or silly suggestions.
Hypnosis is an induced condition of extreme suggestibility to the hypnotist. The typical hypnotic trance looks like sleep but is probably a very different state-the EEGS of people in hypnosis are apparently different from patterns associated with sleep. Despite the long history of interest in hypnosis not much is understood about the condition. But it is clearly a real and potentially powerful phenomenon. As far back as the mid-nineteenth century two British surgeons, Braid and Esdaile, were performing successful battlefield surgery using hypnosis as a general anesthetic. This development stopped with the invention of chloroform.