Gurdjieff and Hypnotism
As always, familiarity with fundamental fourth way texts is assumed. Please see Introduction and Bibliography for guidance, and for full citations of abbreviated references.
The subject of hypnotism comes up again and again in Gurdjieff's writing and in the transcriptions by pupils of his talks. For example, in In Search of the Miraculous, he talks about hypnotism in the overt sense,1 as well as the hypnotic sleep of ordinary life.2 And in his first series, he has two chapters on hypnotism,3 as well as explicit and implicit mentions elsewhere in the book.
At times in his life, Gurdjieff was a professional hypnotist - a "physician-hypnotist."4 For example, he says in The Material Question,
'One of the best sources of income during these months [after moving in to the Prieuré, Fontainebleau in 1922 5] was the psychological treatment of certain difficult cases of alcoholism and drug addiction. I was widely considered one of the best specialists in this field, and the families of these unfortunates sometimes offered me very substantial sums for giving up my time to them.
'I remember especially a rich American couple who entrusted me with their son, judged to be incurable, and who spontaneously doubled the agreed fee in their joy at his cure.'6