In the19th century, hypnosis was widely practiced by Doctors, particularly in Europe. In days before drugs were part of the arsenal of physicians, it was used as an anaesthetic and analgesic.  

Various forces led to its going underground--or actually "on stage," since stage hypnotists kept it alive during the early part of this century. Undoubtedly the widespread availability of chemical anaesthesia and analgesics was a strong factor.  

 Another strong factor in its demise as a therapeutic tool was Freud's disenchantment with it. Freud admits in his writings that he was not very good at hypnosis---undoubtedly one reason he stopped using it.  

 If the symptom is a way of coping with a trauma that is present in the person's life - for example, a bad marriage -" hypnosis simply will not work without dealing with the trauma itself."  

   The idea that hypnosis is harmful has now been discounted.