Sydney James Van Pelt Explained

Sydney James Van Pelt (born 1 February 1908 in Melbourne;^[1] † 7 January 1976^[2]) was an Australian medical practitioner and a pioneer of modern medical hypnosis and hypnotherapy.^[3]

Family

The son and only child of John Thomas Van Pelt (1878-1932),^[4] and Bertha Florence Van Pelt, née Reid,^[5] he was born in Windsor, Victoria on 1 February 1908.^[6]

Medicine

Graduating M.B.B.S. from the University of Melbourne in December 1933,^[7] he was appointed to the staff of The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne at the end of 1933.^[8] He served for a time in the Royal Navy, as a Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander.^{[9] [10]} After the war, he had a practice in Harley Street.

Hypnotism

Having first encountered hypnotism in Melbourne, in 1932,^[11] he was the founding editor of the British Journal of Medical Hypnotism, President of the British Society of Medical Hypnotists, and a member of the (U.S.) Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.^[12]

In 1952 he was commissioned by the British Minister of Health, the Home Office and the National Association of Mental Health to assist in the adoption of the U.K. Hypnotism Act 1952.^{[3] [13]}

Publications

• How to conquer nerves. London, Skeffington / Roy Publishers, 1954.
• Waking hypnosis. Hove : Courtenay Press, 1954.
• Hypnotic suggestion: its role in psychoneurotic and psychosomatic disorders: A thesis. New York: Philosophical Library, 1956.
• Modern hypnotism: key to the mind. Westport, Conn., : Associated Booksellers, 1956.
• Secrets of hypnotism. Wilshire Book Co., 1958.
• Hypnotism and the power within. New York: Wehman Bros., 1958.
• Hypnotism. London: W. & G. Foyle, 1960.
• With Gordon Ambrose and George Newbold: Medical Hypnosis: New Hope For Mankind. London: Gollancz, 1953.

New edition: Medical hypnosis handbook. Wilshire Book Co., 1965.

References

• Degrees Conferred, 23 December 1933: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Annual Report, 1933—1934, The University of Melbourne, p.1234.
• Medico-Legal: Doctors in Slander Suit, British Medical Journal, Vol.2, No.5056, (30 November 1957), pp.1313-1314.

Notes and References

1. Lectuur-repertorium: 1952–1966 Supplement bij de Tweede Uitgave. Bd. 3. Algemeen Secretariaat voor Katholieke Poekerijen, Antwerpen 1970.
2. http://www.paulguydurbin.com/s-j-van-pelt.html Tribute to Sidney J. Van Pelt (1976)
3. 1963203 . 13479708 . 2 . 5056. HELEN BOYLE . Br Med J . 1310–2 . 10.1136/bmj.2.5056.1310-e . 1957.
4. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4497392 Deaths: Van Pelt, The Argus, (Monday, 12 September 1932), p.1.
5. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45835818 Marriages: Van Pelt—Reid, The (Launceston) Examiner, (Wednesday, 23 October 1907), p.1.
6. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/144506905 Births: Van Pelt, The Prahran Telegraph, (Saturday, 28 March 1908), p.1.
7. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203364842 Conferring of Degrees, The Age, (Tuesday, 26 December 1933), p.5.
8. News: PERSONAL. . . Melbourne . 23 December 1933 . 4 September 2013 . 14 . National Library of Australia.
9. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32826654 Personal, The West Australian, (Thursday, 7 February 1935), p.14.
10. The Navy List: December 1940, pp.119, 966.
11. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/216484797 American Hypnotist in Suit Conducts own Defence, The Brisbane Telegraph, (Wednesday, 26 March 1952), p.8.
12. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140535556 Popular Science: Van Pelt, The Dungog Chronicle and Gloucester Advertiser, (Saturday, 11 September 1954), p.3.
13. News: Hypnotic eyes can leave deep scars. . . Melbourne . 6 March 1952 . 4 September 2013 . 2 . National Library of Australia.