Overpowered!: the Science and Showbiz of Hypnosis

Hypnotism has fascinated and inspired people since the mid-1800s, when entertainers and medical professionals enthusiastically took up this Far Eastern practice. 

Overpowered! by Christopher Green is the first popular, illustrated history of hypnosis. It tackles the (relatively) reputable aspects of the subject - brain imaging, clinical trials and hypnotherapy - alongside the smoke and mirrors of stage hypnosis. The author has uncovered intriguing stories about the larger-than-life characters who inhabit the world of hypnosis. From Professors of Mesmerism to Princes of Necromancy, this book explores the different guises of hypnotism as portrayed by pseudo-scientists and showmen alike. It takes a very personal approach to the central questions posed by hypnosis: why do we want to give up our power? Why do we think someone else can change us, if we can't change ourselves? Why do we want to alter our normal patterns of cognition? Why would anyone go on stage and do what a sweaty guy in a cheap suit tells them to do? An accredited hypnotherapist and performer himself, the author examines the connections between stage hypnosis and hypnotherapy or, in other words, the point at which showbiz meets self-help and sleight-of-hand meets scholarly research. The book is practical, informative and entertaining, and fully illustrated with colourful source material from the archives of the British Library.

Christopher Green is an Olivier award-winning performer and entertainer and was the first artist in residence at the British Library. His solo work includes comic creations such as US country music singer Tina C and pensioner rap star Ida Barr, both of whom appear regularly on BBC Radio 4. He makes theatre shows such as Office Party and The Frozen Scream, written with one of the UK's best-selling novelists, Sarah Waters. He is trained in both hypnosis and hypnotherapy.