I think it is useful to provide a definition of hypnotherapy and hypnosis before continuing and answering the question of this essay. Linnenkamp Doyle writes, “Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to treat disease,” something he documents in his case study. This medical idea of ​​hypnosis needs further exploration in terms of how it has evolved and has sparked debate among doctors and dentists. Four very significant hypnotherapists are probably Mesmer, Braid, Esdaile and Elliotson, all of whom place emphasis on the medical aspect of hypnotherapy. Mesmer, for example, dedicated his 27 Propositions of 1779 to animal magnetism. Closer to the present day, in his book Hypnotherapy, Dave Elman not only focuses on relaxation (a relevant topic in this essay), but also puts forward the fundamental medical idea of ​​hypnosis, specifically focusing on factors such as the use of anesthesia in hypnotic subjects before they undergo dental or medical procedures. This medical and dental use of hypnosis, which involves moving from hypnosis to hypnotherapy, has also introduced the related problem of people falsely claiming to have special abilities in this area. For example, D Zimmerman, chairman of the Council on Medical and Dental Hypnosis, wrote to the British Medical Journal in 1968, expressing concern that "hypnotherapeutic quacks" had invaded and jeopardized medical and dental procedures. Zimmerman writes that "it has been brought to the attention of this Society that hypnotherapy courses are being offered to doctors and dentists by persons who do not possess recognized professional qualifications". Zimmerman adds to this a request for validation from the official medical society and d...... middle of paper ...... identified, analyzed and made me understand the various definitions of hypnosis. It also demonstrated the psychological and physiological effects of the role of relaxation. Works Cited Hypnotherapy: A Handbook Michael Heap and Windy Dryden (Milton Keynes: Open University Press) Hypnotherapy Dave Elman (New York: Westwood Publishing, 1983) Hidden Depths: The Story of Hypnosis Robin Waterfield (New York: Brunner-Routledge, 2003) The British Medical Journal, 'Hypnotherapy'D Zimmerman (Vol. 3, No. 5616 (24 August 1968), p. 501) Hypnotherapy A Practical Handbook Helmut Karle and Jennifer Boys, (New York: Free Association Books, 1987) http: //web.archive.org/web/20040710162753/http://www.unbf.ca/psychology/likely/readings/mesmer.htm Franz Mesner (27 Propositions, 1779) http://www.brainandhealth.com/Brain -Waves.html