A short history of hypnotic trance as it relates to the era in which its various phenomena were observed. This short booklet attempts to understand hypnosis from the point of view of many cultures and civilisations and takes us from Ancient Egypt all the way up to modern-day America. It goes from humanity's early use of sleep temples to the latest investigations involving the use of fMRI technologies. This current version has been updated and includes a new chapter that explains the latest findings in this field and how they shed a new light onto what is actually occurring in hypnosis.