Self-hypnosis: One Theory for How Characters and Alternate Personalities are Created

In an article about where Freud went wrong, Dr. Eugene L. Bliss explains that Freud mistakenly abandoned the key findings from the famous case of Anna O: She was creating her symptoms in trauma-prompted “hypnoid states” by self-hypnosis.

And once a person, in childhood, gets into the habit of using self-hypnosis to create alternate personalities, the practice continues, and is relatively easy:

As Dr. Bliss reports, “It was possible in some cases [of multiple personality] to obtain, without prompting, descriptions by personalities of how the patient created an [alternate personality], employing a process identifiable as akin to a hypnotic induction. Some personalities become allies to the therapist and often are perceptive observers. One such personality said of the patient, ‘She creates personalities by blocking everything from her head, mentally relaxes, concentrates very hard, and wishes.” Another description was, ‘She lies down, but can do it sitting up, concentrates very hard, clears her mind, blocks everything out and then wishes for the person, but she isn’t aware of what she is doing’ ” (1).

Most fiction writers have little rituals of one sort or another for getting themselves into, and remaining in, the right frame of mind to be productive. I have quoted some writers as actually using the term “self-hypnosis.”

Search “self-hypnosis” for previous discussions.

1. Eugene L. Bliss, M.D. “A Reexamination of Freud’s Basic Concepts From Studies of Multiple Personality Disorder.” Dissociation, Vol. I. No. 3: September 1988, pp. 36-40. https://www.empty-memories.nl/dis_88/Bliss_freud.pdf