Health and Happiness with Hypnosis

William Glassman is a psychology professor at Ryerson University in
Toronto.

For those considering hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis, this book provides
a basic understanding of what hypnosis is and how it is used in therapy.
The author is a practising psychologist and hypnotherapist.

The book, which includes a clear description of the history of
hypnosis, a context for current methods and applications of hypnosis in
therapy, and extensive examples from the author’s own clinical
experience, is highly readable and nontechnical.

Hypnosis is not completely understood, and while the author, like many
practitioners, regards it as producing an altered state of
consciousness, evidence about its true nature is lacking. As a result,
he tries to acknowledge the diversity of existing interpretations,
rather than arguing for any particular one. Similarly, when discussing
hypnotically triggered recall, Knight acknowledges the constructive
aspects of memory, and urges caution in dealing with “recovered”
memories, but stops short of taking a stand on this contentious issue.
In general, the book tends to underplay the difficulties in these
issues, and its lack of sources does not help. In popular accounts,
there is often a tension between simplifying for clarity and being
superficial. In the present case, it is difficult to decide whether
brevity is a virtue or not.