Hypnosis is a trance-like state in which a person becomes more aware and focused and is more open to suggestion. Hypnotherapy has been used to treat health conditions or to change behaviors. Hypnosis-like practices can be found in ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Britain, Scandinavia, America, Africa, India and China. Modern Western hypnotherapy is often traced to the Austrian physician, Franz Anton Mesmer.
