"Hypnotizzy" in the Cold War: The American Fascination with Hypnotism in the 1950s

Genter investigates Americans' fascination with hypnotism in the 1950s. Unquestionably, the practice of hypnotism helped to legitimate what Life magazine referred to in 1957 as the "age of psychology." The efficacy of hypnotism combined with its demonstrable nature made psychoanalytic treatment seem more pragmatic and more efficient. But by the early 1960s, the fascination with hypnotism had begun to wane. As therapy became more domesticated and more ordinary, the need for hypnotism as a time-saving device decreased.