The Secret Behind A Christmas Carol

How Charles Dickens Used Hypnosis
to Enchant the World

by Ralph Benko

“Ralph Benko brings his exceptional knowledge of hypnosis, history, and storytelling together in a fascinating work that sheds new light on one of the world's most beloved classics. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Charles Dickens, hypnosis, or the remarkable power of the human mind.”
— Eric F. Damon, CEO, National Guild of Hypnotists®God bless us, every one.
— Timothy CratchitThe man who wrote A Christmas Carol was not merely a novelist. He was also a trained and enthusiastic practitioner of hypnotism.When Charles Dickens sat down to write a story about a man transformed by visions of his past, present, and future, he was not only drawing on his literary imagination but, also, on his knowledge of how we, like Scrooge, can find personal growth through guided introspection.A Christmas Carol is a story designed — whether by conscious craft or the mysterious operations of artistic genius — to conjure hypnotic transformations within its readers and audiences, transformations similar to those Dickens and his fellow mesmerists accomplished during their own extraordinary sessions with family, friends, and colleagues. Through the power of A Christmas Carol’s hypnotic induction, Dickens annually guides millions towards greater kindness and generosity.This is the story of how he achieved this; the story of Charles Dickens as mesmerist, as writer, as performer... and as agent of transformation.