The 9th International Congress of Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine expresses the continuity in the effort to gain scientific knowledge of hypnosis and scientific status for it, ever since the 1st International Congress for Experimental and Therapeutic Hypnotism was held in Paris in 1889, attended by many of the best-remembered psychiatrists and psychologists of the day - men such as Babinski, Bernheim, Binet, Delboeuf, Freud, James, Lombroso, F. W. H. Myers, Ribot, and many others. The continuity was broken by the period of reduced interest in hypnosis between the time of the 2nd Inter national Congress for Hypnotism in Paris in 1900, and the revival of interest shown by the 3rd International Congress for Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine in Paris in 1965. Since then, the Congresses have met more regularly, making the one of which this is the report, the 9th. The programs of these Congresses have become increasingly rich through the years, with many of the older problems still with us but now studied more dispassionately in the light of new knowledge and new scientific methods in the design of investigations and the vali dation of scientific findings.

In this volume are papers selected from the 1982 Annual Confer ence of the American Association for the Study of Mental Imagery, as well as several others that were later invited. This conference, a yearly one, was held at the University of Southern California. Participants and invited speakers come from around the country and present current material on the status of theory, research and practice involving imagery. These conferences began in 1979 and typically have attracted two hundred or more persons. In the opening paper by Paul Bakan we have a discussion of imagery from an historical perspective. He traces the various attitudes toward imagery starting with biblical times and argues that the behaviorist revolution and its antagonism towards imagery were likely reflective of more than a negative ·attitude toward imagery as a consequence of its being associated with consciousness and mental istic concepts. We have apparently been ambivalent towards imagery over the millenia. He closes with some suggestions of how we may more happily resolve this situation.

The Oxford Handbook of Hypnosis is the successor to Fromm and Nash's Contemporary Hypnosis Research (Guilford Press), which has been regarded as the field's authoritative scholarly reference for over 35 years. For postgraduates, researchers, and clinicians, this book is the definitive reference text in the field.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

It has been said that "hypnosis is a collection of techniques in need of a unifying theory." (James A. Hall, Hypnosis: A Jungian Perspective). While the varied substrates of these techniques preclude the formation of any one theory of hypnosis, this volume presents a "state-of-the-science" view of existing theories of hypnosis. Written by eminent scholars and researchers, this uniquely authoritative resource also provides a wealth of information about the history of hypnosis, clinical and research perspectives on hypnosis, and the strengths and weaknesses of empirical methods used to address crucial theoretical questions. The streamlined organization of the volume facilitates the reader's ability to contrast and compare research findings and concepts across theories. In the introductory chapters, the editors describe hypnosis paradigms and schools of thought, including major points of convergence and divergence, as well as a broad vista of different perspectives on the history of hypnosis. The theoretical chapters that follow present definitive statements by an international array of eminent scholars who are at the forefront of conceptual advances in the realms of clinical and experimental hypnosis. Their contributions, written in lively first-person narratives, explore current thinking about hypnosis and represent important clinical and research traditions that extend beyond the territory of hypnosis to mainstream psychology. Providing a thorough discussion of hypnotic phenomena, the book tackles tough questions such as whether hypnosis evokes an altered state of consciousness; whether hypnotic behavior is involuntary; whether hypnotizability is stable, trait-like, and modifiable; and whether hypnotic and non-hypnotic behavior can be distinguished in meaningful ways. The diversity of viewpoints, including competitive ones, illuminates the debates which have expanded the frontiers of knowledge about hypnosis. In the concluding section, the editors compare and contrast these theories, discuss pertinent research issues, and lay out an agenda for future research. Given its stellar list of contributors and the unique niche it occupies as the first authoritative survey of its kind, THEORIES OF HYPNOSIS is of value to anyone interested in the topic. The editors' ten years of experience teaching hypnosis to psychology and medical students has resulted in a book with enormous appeal to students and instructors, as well as clinicians and researchers. A wide variety of professionals--academics, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, dentists--will find it an authoritative introduction and invaluable reference to this still-growing, ever-fascinating field.

Modern hypnosis can be traced back to the 18th century and during this period mesmerism, as it was then known, was a healing practice which spread throughout Europe and North America. Since then hypnosis has been treated primarily as a psychological phenomenon and theories about hypnosis are grounded in mainstream psychology and its related disciplines. Most recently it has been subject to extensive clinical trials to investigate its therapeutic effectiveness. In their comprehensive introduction to this invaluable collection the editors trace the historical development of hypnosis, providing an excellent review of the theories that have tried to explain how hypnosis works and reflecting on the cultural and scientific attitudes and practices that prevailed at various times. They have selected the most important previously published papers that reveal how a scientific approach to understanding hypnosis as a psychological phenomenon has emerged over the last 70 years. They have also included a selection of reports on clinical applications and on legal and forensic issues. As such this volume will prove an invaluable reference resource for researchers and students already in the field and new scholars interested in learning more about hypnosis.