"Throughout the twentieth century, hypnotism became confused in the public imagination with notions derived from mesmerism. The most common fallacies about hypnosis are that it is a state of unconsciousness and that the subject is completely under the control of the hypnotist, who can make him do what he wishes. Research has shown that holding these misconceptions actually makes people less likely to benefit from hypnosis. However, these are both notions derived from mesmerism. Braid tried to refute from them by emphasising that in his “hypnotism” subjects remained conscious nine times out of ten, and that their consent and collaboration was required. Indeed, Braid soon concluded that his method of hypnotism bore considerably more resemblance to meditation than to mesmerism, and that it was largely self-induced by the subject focusing their attention upon a single dominant train of thought, and doing so with the expectation of producing certain responses."
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Donald Robertson, in "The Discovery of Hypnosis: The Collected Writings of James Braid}, quoted in “The Original Philosophy of Hypnotism”.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Braid
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James Braid
James Braid (surgeon) (June 19, 1795 – March 25, 1860) was a Scottish surgeon and "gentleman scientist". He was a significant innovator in the treatment of club-foot and an important and influential pioneer of hypnotism and hypnotherapy.
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