Dr. Herbert Spiegel has passed. According to this New York Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/health/10spiegel.html he passed away on Dec. 15 in his sleep at the age of 95. He saw patients up until the end, just a few days before his death.
Spiegel was an extremely influential hypnotist in the twentieth century, a contemporary and friend of Milton Erickson, although the two had different views about hypnotizeability. There is an anecdote of Spiegel once setting Erickson up that is delightful in that it so fully represents the views and stubbornness of the two men. Spiegel believed that a certain percentage of the population is highly hypnotizeable and a percentage are absolutely non-hypnotizeable while Erickson believed that anyone can be hypnotized. So, when Erickson was visiting one of Spiegel's classes, Spiegel brought in a trance partner who had previously tested as non-hypnotizeable and asked Erickson to "try" to hypnotize him. Read Spiegel's biography, The Inner Source: Exploring Hypnosis by David S. Connery for the full account of the story.
While his impact on hypnosis and his popularization of hypnosis were fundamental, he has been overshadowed by the impact of Erickson and Elman. However, his importance should not be underestimated by modern hypnotists.
See his major book on hypnosis, Trance and Treatment: Clinical Uses of Hypnosis co-written with his son Dr. David Spiegel, for more.
It amazes me sometimes the number of working hypnotists who self-describe themselves as well read or well schooled who are unfamiliar with Spiegel's work. My students will recognize the Spiegel Eye Test for Suggestibility which I teach in most of my hypnosis courses, albeit with different conclusions than Spiegel (I believe it's extremely effective in helping to quickly spot high responders but that the low response on his scale does not mean a person is unhypnotizeable).
Please read the New York Times piece . . . and join me in noting the passing of a great hypnotist and celebrating a life of contribution.
All the best,
Brian
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Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [brian@briandavidphillips.com]
Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist, Intuitionist, Trance Wizard
President, Society of Experiential Trance
Associate Professor, NCCU, Taipei, Taiwan
