More on Metaphor - Gandalf and Me

J R R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (“LOTR”) is currently enjoying a revival, but I read it over thirty years ago, and it made a lasting impression on me. Set in “Middle-Earth”, LOTR is the sequel to The Hobbit, a children’s book, which tells how hobbit Bilbo Baggins stole a magic ring which made him invisible. In LOTR it is revealed that this is the “One Ring”, created by the evil Dark Lord, Sauron, to control nineteen rings of power held by Elves, Dwarves and Men – and Sauron wants it back. When the wizard Gandalf the Grey discovers that Bilbo has the Ring, he orders that it must be destroyed. Bilbo’s nephew Frodo is nominated for this task, and he sets out with a Fellowship headed by Gandalf to cast the Ring into the volcano Mount Doom, unfortunately situated within Sauron’s realm of Mordor. This is achieved on page 982, but there is more evil to be conquered at home before the final happy ending.

This long and complex novel incorporates many of Jung’s archetypal elements. Firstly, of course, the book describes the eternal battle between Good and Evil, Light and Dark, the Ego and the Shadow. Frodo is the Hero, who must make a long journey and overcome many obstacles to attain his Quest and conquer evil. Gandalf combines two archetypes, the Magician and the Wise Old Man. He fulfils the same role as Merlin, Mr Spock and Obi Wan Kenobe – a powerful yet vulnerable wise counsellor. Early in the book Gandalf is dragged into an abyss and assumed to be dead, but he reappears later with increased power as Gandalf the White, a clear “death and resurrection” theme. He replaces the evil Saruman the White as head of the wizards’ order; Saruman has been corrupted by the power that he formerly held. All of these elements can be regarded as metaphors for life.

It occurs to me that the contrast between light and dark could be applied to the uses of hypnosis – hypnotherapy on one hand, stage hypnosis on the other (I imagine that any use of hypnosis for “evil” must be extremely rare). In the same way that magic, electricity or atomic power can be used for both positive and negative purposes, hypnosis can be used to benefit a fellow human being or to invoke laughter at his expense.

It is possible for an individual to be both a stage hypnotist and a therapist. Ormond McGill, “Dean of American Hypnotists”, was both the author of the standard textbook of stage hypnotism and a therapist. McGill carefully points out that the two sides of hypnosis must be kept separate, and that any requests for therapeutic help should be referred to the hypnotist’s office if he is also a professional therapist.

The balance between light and dark is a delicate one, and I imagine that it may be relatively easy for a therapist treading both paths to fall, like Saruman, into the dark side. Some professional hypnotherapy bodies, including mine, take a dim view of stage hypnosis. As an amateur magician I could have followed the stage hypnosis path, but having chosen to train as a therapist I prefer to follow Gandalf along the path of light.