--- In hypnosis-hypnotherapy@yahoogroups.com, Johnie Fredman
<johnie@...> wrote:
> You'll notice my post never mentioned somnambulism. That is because
I too am not sure where that concept developed or how accurate it is.

The concept of "artificial somnambulism" derives from the Marquis de
Puysegur, a follower of Mesmer. It was traditionally used in
Victorian hypnotism to refer to the small minority (5-10% as Braid
claims) of hypnotic subjects who spontaneously experienced
(reversible) amnesia for most of the session. It was also called
the "double consciousness" state by Braid because it was believed
that the subject responded by means of a dissociated personality,
independent of their waking personality.

Elman probably misuses the terminology, as he also does (very badly)
with the term "abreaction". He wasn't much of a theorist.

To point out a glaring anomaly... If a state of blanket amnesia is
being induced then how on earth do Elman's clients continue to
remember and discuss what they relived during regression after being
emerged? If you listen to the tapes of his sessions it seems pretty
obvious that his clients aren't experiencing amnesia at all.

It seems likely that Elman, and those people who depend upon his
work, have misunderstood what "somnambulism" usually means in
hypnosis and are causing further confusion by their misuse of the
term.

In terms of gettting people to fade the numbers from their mind, by
far the easiest way to overcome lack of response is to briefly role-
model it yourself so that the client has something to imitate.

Donald Robertson