Prof. Dr. Walter Bongartz

Taught Psychology at the University of Konstanz and is now mainly interested in the anthropological roots of hypnosis. He is a past president of the German (DGH), the European (ESH) and the International (ISH) Societies of Hypnosis.

Hypnos never hypnotized: Unlocking hidden potential from the archaic past of hypnosis

When we take a historical look back to the roots of hypnosis it is usually focused on Mesmer’s animal magnetism. It will be shown that the roots of hypnosis are very much earlier and that language, interventions and basic therapeutic principles of hypnosis can be traced back to the use of trance in archaic and traditional societies.