Jack Stanley Gibson (1909–2005) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
surgeon remembered for having advocated the use of
hypnosis
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...
as an alternative to
anaesthetics
An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia — in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...
, not only through his surgical practice, but also through popular
phonograph records
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...
, books, and
videotape
Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...
s.
Life and career
Gibson graduated from the
Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...
,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, in 1933.
The following year, he was the youngest surgeon ever to become a Fellow of the College, at the age of 25. After
locum
A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...
s in
Aden,
Nyasaland
Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...
, and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, he became Dean of
Durban Medical School in 1939. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he served with the
Emergency Medical Service
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
in Britain, treating wounded soldiers.
After a brief return to private practice in South Africa, he spent the 1950s in
Guernsey. In 1959 he briefly went to
Hailie Selassie Hospital in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
as a surgeon, then back to Dublin to take an appointment at Dr Steeven's Hospital.
In 1959 Gibson became County Surgeon for Kildare in the Republic of Ireland, working mainly at Naas Hospital until he retired in 1979. He then dedicated himself to treating psychosomatic illnesses, using deep relaxation techniques and expanding his Relaxology Series of self-help recordings, until he died 25 years later.
In 1965, Gibson began producing his
self hypnosis
Self-hypnosis or auto-hypnosis (as distinct from hetero-hypnosis) is a form, a process, or the result of a self-induced hypnotic state.
Frequently, self-hypnosis is used as a vehicle to enhance the efficacy of self-suggestion; and, in such cas ...
material in popular media. ''How to Stop Smoking'' was Ireland's best-selling
LP of January 1971.
Gibson died in the Naas General Hospital on 2 April 2005, at the age of 95.
Works
Recordings
* "How to Relax" (EP, 1969);''How to Stop Smoking'' (LP, 1971); "How to Lose Weight" (LP, 1972); "How to Sleep Better" (LP, 1972); "Painless Childbirth" (LP, 1972); and 30 subsequent recordings between 1972 and 2002 covering Accidents, Acne, Acting, Adolescence, Anorexia, Arthritis, Asthma, Bed-Wetting, Binge-Eating, Blushing, Business Efficiency, Dermatitis, Drinking, Fear, Flying, Migraine, Nail-Biting, Pain, Period Pain, Relaxation, Perfectionism, Snoring, Stammering, Studying, Warts and many others.
Videotapes
* ''The Power of the Subconscious'' (in which he performs eye surgery under hypnosis)
A Compilation of the Work of Dr Jack Gibson(comprising 4 TV Documentaries over 40 years)
Books
* ''The Life and Times of an Irish Hypnotherapist '' (1989)
* ''Relax and Live - A Practical Guide'' (1992)
* ''Memoirs of an Irish Surgeon—An Enchanted Life'' (1999).
References
Learn more by visiting
Dr Jack Gibson: How Hypnotherapy Can Aid Weight LossDr Jack Gibson: How Hypnotherapy Can Reduce Your AnxietyDr Jack Gibson: Self Hypnosis: Myth vs FactDr Jack Gibson: Self Hypnosis: Hypnotherapy To Quit SmokingDr Jack Gibson: The Secrets Of Relaxation
External links
Dr Jack Gibson: Relaxology Series: Self-Help Treatments, DVDs & eBooks, Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Jack Stanley
1909 births
2005 deaths
Irish surgeons
Irish writers
Medical doctors from Dublin (city)
Irish hypnotists
20th-century surgeons