Bernheim’s suggestive hypothesis has played the most important role. Trance is a state of elevate suggestibility and the trance is itself achieved by suggestion. For Bernheim, trance is identical to sleep. The only difference is that the hypnotized person falls asleep with the thought of the person who puts him to sleep.

It would be more precise to say that hypnotism is suggestion in a state of sleep. Besides this, as I have already stated, sleep should be incomplete.

Bernheim rejected the existence of trance independent of suggestibility.