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HypnoMedia

@hypnomedia.bsky.social

160 followers 190 following 400 posts

Gentleman Adventurer Author, Editor, Photographer, Videographer, Hypnotist, Programmer, Philosopher, Drone Pilot he / him / his

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HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 18h

I don't have a good scan of the ad (it got corrupted somehow) but if I find the source, I will rescan it. (The image of the female hypnotist and male subject was the same size as the one in the ad shown above. I only noted it because it was so unexpected.)

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

There were several versions of this ad, including one where the hypnotist was a woman, hypnotizing a man: it may be the only such one, it was certainly the only one I ever found.

I gave a copy of one of these (mounted and framed) ads to Wiseguy a couple of years ago, just for grins and giggles.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

A couple of notes: there were a lot of different full page ads for hypnosis books during the 1950's and 60's. Some don't name the books, and they sometimes show a sort of generic cover, but I suspect some might have been cheap reprints of early 1900's (and out of copyright) hypnosis books.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

I have a stack of about 20 books that I will be posting about, ones that I pulled put while cataloging. It just takes time getting everything together.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

Stage magicians as a social group remember people, so I found her biography online, as well as a website (the latter not well maintained.)

geniimagazine.com/magicpedia/J...

Joan Brandon - Magicpedia

geniimagazine.com

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

... and she did. There is another shot of the photographer in a trance as the last photo of the set.

"Science of Self-Hypnosis" is a thick pamphlet, reprinting much of her first book with much better glossy paper.

I was rather surprised to find so much information about her.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

"Successful Hypnotism" is a hardcover book reprinting much of "The Art of Hypnotism", including the photographs. One new set of photographs shows the pro photographer taking closeup pictures of Brandon: she writes that she wanted to trance the photographer while he was concentrating on her eyes ...

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

"The Art ..." includes a large section on the Bridey Murphy phenomenom, with a full-page ad for "The Search for Bridey Murphy" inside the front cover. There are also a large number of professional photographs demonstrating segments of her stage hypnosis shows.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

"Help Yourself Through Hypnotism" is a large format pamphlet with text intermixed with photographs of her stage shows and reprints of newpaper stories.

"The Art of Hypnotism" is a thick, perfect-bound pamphlet, with more articles and information, published through Melvin Power's company.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

She appeared on American TV and radio as a stage hypnotist, and published four books, all of which are in The Collection:

* Help Yourself Through Hypnotism and Self-Hypnosis (1953)
* The Art of Hypnotism (1956)
* Successful Hypnotism (1956)
* Science of Self-Hypnosis (1959)

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

She was born into a performing family: her father was a prominent stage magician "The Great Brandoni" and she was also a dancer and musician. She was the first female stage magician to appear on television (BBC London, Paris, and New York) before switching to stage hypnosis in 1953.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

"Successful Hypnotism" by Joan Brandon was another book on hypnosis I can identify from the front cover in one of these ads.

Joan Brandon, herself, is a story in her own right. She was possibly the best known female stage hypnotist of her time, a decade before Pat Collins.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

The photographs are also high (studio) quality, although a few have lighting issues.

This is one of many such books of this period, but I think it is one of the best. It was also one of the earliest books I found for The Collection.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

I was surprised at the quality of the text, however. Hypnosis is described as a joint endevour, with a teacher-pupil type of relationship. It sticks with both the progessive relaxation and hand levitation inductions and a count-down deepener, but does a good job explaining everything.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

The text is tight: it skips any history lessons and delves right into the hows and whys. There are short chapters on the setting, pre-talk and testing before going into inductions, deepeners, and depth tests, then waking the subject. There's also a chapter on mechanical aids.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 1d

"How to Hypnotize" by Bradford Chambers. This was a common ad on the backs of 1950's and 1960's comics and magazines. (There were several such ads, but this is one where I can accurately determine the book being sold.)

It is a slender book, only about 50 pages, 'photographically illustrated'.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 2d

You are loved, dear heart.

(And I am up entirely too early this morning. Helping a friend with shopping and stuff.)

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 4d

If you see this, post a robot.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 5d

Best of luck to you in your job search.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 5d

Hmmmm ... two hours of blissfully falling into a trance? Sounds like fun.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 6d

There were other hypnosis books around this time with photographs of subjects, but never of this size, or professionally photographed as here. Those were staged in an office, with distracting backgrounds, or poorly composed or shot. I'll get into those, later.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 6d

"Advanced Techniques" shows a woman being hypnotized by the hypnotist stroking her forehead: the caption states "This procedure has a pleasant physiological effect on the subject." The subject is also shown hypnotizing herself with a dangling crystal or staring into her own eyes in a mirror.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 6d

Both books begin with several full-page photographs of an attractive woman as the demonstration subject for inductions and suggestions. "Hypnotism Revealed" shows staring into a hypno-disk and her eye fixation induction, hand and arm catalepsy tests, and her lack of reaction to pain or smell tests.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 6d

Powers wrote many of the hypnosis books, particularly "Hypnotism Revealed" and "Advanced Techniques of Hypnotism". Both are slender solfcover books, not particularly different from any other such book, but with one difference: photographs.

HypnoMedia @hypnomedia.bsky.social · 6d

Wilshire Book Company / Melvin Powers was a powerhouse of a publisher of self-help / self-improvement / hobbies books in the 1950's and 1960's. Their catalog of over 250 books had books on astrology, gambling, health, metaphysics, pets, self-help, and sports.

And almost 30 books on hypnosis.