The earliest references to hypnosis date back to ancient Egypt and Greece. Indeed, 'hypnos' is the Greek word for sleep, though actual state of hypnosis is very different from that of sleep. Both cultures had religious centers where people came for help with their problems. Hypnosis was used to induce dreams, which were then analyzed to get to the root of the trouble.
     There are many references to trance and hypnosis in early writings. In 2600BC the father of Chinese medicine, Wong Tai, wrote about techniques that involved incantations and passes of the hands. The Hindu Vedas written about 1500BC mention hypnotic procedures. Trance like states occur in many shamanistic, druidic, voodoo, yogic and religious practices.
See other websites about Hypnosis
www.nlp-consortium.com
www.erotic-hypnosis.org