Although techniques of autosuggestion in personal development have a long history in some Eastern cultures, suggestibility as a character trait first came into focus in the West with the "animal magnetism" of Franz Mesmer. The uncovering of the nature and phenomena of hypnosis resulted in a steady and enduring interest in this state of heightened suggestibility. Much research has been done on hypnosis, although results have often been conflicting and no final answers to some basic questions have been discovered. The failure to establish consistently the ameliorative effects of hypnosis on learning and retention has been especially frustrating to those who would introduce hypnosis into education. Nevertheless, there does seem to be a consensus that hypnosis and related suggestive techniques, under proper control, can be valuable educational tools when used subtly and selectively. Of the suggestive techniques currently in classroom use, Georgi Lozanov's suggestopedia, used in foreign language teaching, is notable for its attempt to fuse the relaxed-state suggestion that characterizes Eastern mystics with the principle that all education is to one extent or another based on suggestion. (JB)