James Braid - Neurypnology

The Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology provides a complete digital copy of the 1899 edition, which includes Waite's extensive biographical introduction.

“He recognized that hypnosis was a subjective phenomenon, dependent entirely on the state of mind of the hypnotized and not on any mystical fluid or occult magical power wielded by the hypnotizer.” Peter Harrington Recommended Versions of the Article

James Braid’s seminal work, Neurypnology; or, the Rationale of Nervous Sleep (1843), is considered the foundational text of modern hypnotism. In it, Braid moved the field away from the mystical "animal magnetism" of Franz Mesmer toward a physiological and scientific understanding of trance as a state of "nervous sleep". Core Principles of Neurypnology NEURYPNOLOGY James Braid

“I regard this book as THE fountain head of hypnosis. Braid not only gives us the word we now use for our subject, but brought to it a clarity of thought and an energy of experimentation which is unparallelled.” Ragged University

Initially, Braid believed the state was caused by physical fatigue of the eyes and nervous system from fixed staring. Core Principles of Neurypnology “I regard this book

He argued that hypnosis is triggered by the fixation of attention on a single object or idea.

Braid’s work focused on the physical and psychological mechanisms that induce a hypnotic state: Braid’s work focused on the physical and psychological

Braid coined the terms "hypnotism" and "hypnosis" in this book, though he later preferred "monoideism" when he realized the state was not actually sleep.