Product reviews for Hypnosis and Suggestibility

This book, first published in 1933, was undoubtedly a milestone and landmark in hypnosis in its time. Hull (1888-1952) was a psychologist and experimenter at Wisconsin university and later at Yale became a past president of the American Psychological Society. He was Milton Erickson's professor at the university of Wisconsin and largely responsible for igniting Erickson's experimental thirst for research, although Erickson never really acknowledged fully Hull's contribution to hypnosis in that area. This book was largely responsible for new interest in hypnosis at that time particularly after a very dry period of interest and experimentation in the subject because of Freud publicly turning his back on the subject.

The criticism and cynicism that Hull received for his work was largely responsible for him distancing himself somewhat from hypnosis and later focusing on behaviorism. It is important for the reader to understand the way in which hypnosis was viewed by the scientific community of the time as hocus pocus mysticism. As Crown Publishing includes this book in its run of republications, Michael Yapko cautiously writes a new introduction, attempting to places Hull's work in its historical context.

For its time this book conveyed a disciplined and experimental approach to the subject of hypnosis in the way it investigated and considered the phenomenon. It is a very interesting read for the seasoned hypnosis student practically who may consider Hull's techniques of inducing hypnosis by grammophone as naive. What does come across strongly, however, is his deep commitment to the genuine scientific experimental approach.

This is a thoroughly interesting read for any hypnotist and certainly a valued addition to any library that considers hypnosis in its historical context. It is a great pleasure to be able to access this material via reprinting and I would advise any serious hypnotist to get their copy while stocks last.