This work investigates the clinical applications and psychological mechanisms of hypnosis through the professional lens of Dr. Herbert Spiegel. Donald S. Connery, an experienced journalist, synthesizes biographical details with medical observation to explain how hypnotic trance states function within a therapeutic framework. The text aims to demystify the practice by grounding it in the career and methodology of a recognized expert in the field.

Readers frequently note the accessible prose style that makes complex medical concepts understandable for a general audience. Experts highlight this text as a useful historical record of mid-20th-century clinical approaches to hypnosis.