On the Passing of Dr. Herbert Spiegel
Sunday, January 10th, 2010I was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Dr. Herbert Spiegel, a distinguished psychiatrist from New York, long associated with Columbia University. While gone, Dr. Spiegel has left those of us involved with hypnosis and hypnotherapy a valuable gift that will live on indefinitely. That gift is the HIP, or Hypnotic Induction Profile as defined in his famous book, Trance and Treatment, written with his son, Dr. David Spiegel.
The revolutionary part of the HIP was the relationship between the natural ability of a person to roll their eyes up and hypnotizability. This was the physiological part of the HIP and when coupled with suggestibility tests, produced a score that could be used by the hypnotist or hypnotherapist to better suit their methods to that particular subject.
Suggestibility tests have long been part of hypnotic appraisal and conditioning, but identifying the significance of the eye-roll in the ability to achieve trance was truly revolutionary. If you haven’t already, do read Trance and Treatment as it is a must read for anyone who is a practitioner or student of hypnosis.
Thank you Dr. Spiegel.
Joseph Nunan CH,CI is an internationally known, fully Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified Hypnosis Instructor and member of the Teaching Faculty of The National Guild of Hypnotists, the oldest, largest and most respected hypnotism accrediting organization in the world. Chester County Hypnosis operates according to the National Guild of Hypnotists’ Code of Ethics and Professionalism, and we consistently provide our clients the very best services, to help them easily accomplish and even surpass all of their desired goals. Our primary purpose is to enable our clients to quickly and easily achieve positive personal change and to take control of their lives.
