With thanks to our member, Michael Hall for this article.
When we talk about the history of hypnosis, most people throw around names like Franz Mesmer, James Braid, or Milton Erickson — the “big guys” whose stories fill the textbooks. But here’s the thing: behind the scenes (and often completely out of the spotlight), there were some incredible women who helped shape the world of hypnotherapy we know today.
These women weren’t just side characters. They were trailblazers, thinkers, healers, and total rebels in their own right — pushing forward ideas, running clinics, and championing hypnosis at a time when women weren’t even supposed to have a seat at the table. So, let’s pull back the curtain and shine a light on some of these unsung heroines.
Let’s start with Anna Kingsford (1846–1888), an English powerhouse who became one of the first women in the country to earn a medical degree. Anna wasn’t your typical Victorian doctor — she was a fierce anti-vivisection campaigner and a spiritual thinker who believed deeply in the mind-body connection. For Anna, hypnosis wasn’t just some quirky party trick; she saw it as a profound way to explore the human psyche and unlock healing. Imagine her, a woman in a time when women weren’t even allowed to vote, talking about the power of the subconscious mind and the mystical side of healing. She was blending medical knowledge with spiritual philosophy in a way that raised eyebrows and opened minds.
Hop over to Austria, and you’d meet Elisabeth von Morgenstern (1850–1914), another woman way ahead of her time. Elisabeth was one of the rare women who cracked into the world of medicine, working alongside famous male hypnotists like Oscar Vogt. While male colleagues were often hogging the spotlight, Elisabeth was busy doing the work — documenting cases, researching how hypnosis impacted patients with nervous disorders, and looking at the fascinating connections between hypnosis and brain function. Her reports were respected by her peers, though, unsurprisingly, her name didn’t get the same lasting fame. Still, her work helped give hypnosis a boost of scientific credibility just when it needed it most.
Now, if you’re familiar with Émile Coué, the Frenchman known for promoting autosuggestion (you know, the classic mantra “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better”), you might think the story ends with him. But no! Coué’s techniques spread like wildfire thanks to a network of amazing women who took his ideas and ran with them. Women like Élise Lemoine and other Nancy School-trained practitioners set up groups, clinics, and public demonstrations, showing women how to use positive suggestion to handle childbirth pain, anxiety, and the pressures of daily life. These female practitioners knew what they were doing — they weren’t just following a script; they were adapting the techniques for real-world, everyday women’s needs, long before the medical world caught on.
Across the Atlantic, Margaret Cleaves (1848–1917) was shaking things up in the United States. Margaret was a doctor, hypnotherapist, and all-around pioneer, using hypnosis specifically in women’s health. She wasn’t afraid to explore “taboo” topics, applying hypnotic techniques to manage menstrual pain, emotional distress, and even gynaecological procedures. At a time when many doctors brushed off women’s complaints as “hysteria,” Margaret treated them seriously, advocating for hypnosis as a tool that could genuinely improve women’s lives. She wasn’t just treating symptoms — she was pushing for empowerment and agency at a time when women’s health was often dismissed or misunderstood.
What ties all these women together? Grit. Determination. And an unshakable belief in what they were doing. Remember, these were women operating in a world where medical schools often barred female students, professional groups excluded them, and even their own colleagues doubted their abilities. But they pushed forward anyway. They wrote articles, ran practices, mentored other women, and brought hypnosis out of the shadows of magic shows and into the world of legitimate, respected therapy.
Thanks to their efforts, hypnosis began to shed its old reputation as a mysterious or even dangerous phenomenon and took its place as a serious clinical tool. These women expanded the scope of hypnotherapy, applying it to everything from pain relief to emotional healing — not just focusing on what was seen as “scientifically interesting” but on what was practically useful for everyday people, especially women.
Fast forward to today, and women are everywhere in hypnotherapy — as practitioners, researchers, teachers, and leaders. But it’s important to remember that this visibility didn’t happen overnight. It’s built on the efforts of these early pioneers, many of whom worked quietly, behind the scenes, and without the recognition they deserved.
Celebrating these hypno heroines isn’t just about giving credit where credit is due (although they absolutely deserve it!). It’s also about reminding ourselves that the history of hypnosis has always been shaped by diverse voices — not just the loudest or most famous ones, but by the many people (especially women) who brought creativity, compassion, and resilience to the field. Their legacy is a powerful reminder that innovation often comes from the margins, from those willing to push past barriers and imagine something new.
So next time you reflect on your own practice or read about hypnosis’s big historical moments, remember Anna, Elisabeth, Margaret, Élise, and all the other forgotten trailblazers. They helped make modern hypnotherapy what it is today — and they did it with heart, vision, and a refusal to let the odds hold them back.