Hypnosis in History: Franz Anton Mesmer

I’m sure you have heard of Mesmerism, or feeling mesmerised, and perhaps even linked it to hypnosis. But you may not know that this comes from Franz Anton Mesmer (1754-1815).

In 1766, Mesmer wrote his university dissertation ‘On the Influence of the Heavenly Bodies on the Human Body’. His ideas tapped into the most exciting discoveries of the time. He combined physics with Newton’s ideas about gravity and tides. He was also influenced by a theory from Richard Mead, the London physician who attended Queen Anne and Isaac Newton. Mead believed that the pull of the planets affected a ‘nervous fluid’ in the body. Mesmer developed this to suggest that the movement of the planets created tides in the body, in the same way as they created tides in the sea.

Magnetism

After a demonstration of ‘magnetic cures’ and exorcisms by a priest called Father Maximillian Hell, Mesmer became interested in magnets. He suggested that all living things had magnetic fields running through them. An invisible magnetic fluid carried this ‘animal magnetism’ around the body. When it flowed properly, the patient was well. And magnets could restore the proper flow if the patient was unwell.

Later, Mesmer started to magnetise paper and wood. He discovered they worked just as well as metal bars; also that the laying on of hands could be sufficient. Later still he found that simply speaking to the patient could help. The cure depended on patients ‘reaching further into their minds’ and focusing on the heavenly powers in their bodies. Mesmer’s patients went into a convulsion known as a ‘grand crisis’ during the cure. Some writers felt it was undiagnosed epilepsy, but it was probably just an emotional outburst. Either way, Mesmer felt it was part of the cure.

Mesmer’s work

Mesmer’s theories adapted as he continued his work. The power of animal magnetism, he felt varied in different individuals. It was especially powerful in some people (including Mesmer himself) and this made him personally responsible for the cures he achieved. The medical profession derided this belief, although he did get results.

In Vienna, a three-year investigation of his work was very critical in its findings. Mesmer moved to Paris, then Belgium, then back to Paris, never really gaining the credibility he wanted from the medical or scientific communities.

Franklin investigates Mesmer

Louis XVI commissioned another investigation, headed by Benjamin Franklin (visiting France from America). The results were clear. ‘Magnetising’ the trees and water did not affect Mesmer’s results. Whether Mesmer’s patients believed they were magnetised was what mattered.

They concluded that Mesmer’s theories were wrong, but never asked the obvious questions about the role of belief, or what other theories might explain why so many of his patients got better.

This undermining of Mesmer’s theories destroyed his patients’ confidence and his career. He retired to a quiet life in Switzerland, where he eventually died.

Mesmer and his legacy

Others continued to investigate Mesmer’s ‘magnetic cure’, even though he had been discredited. (The term Mesermism was coined much later.) Some of these recognised the importance of the psychological element of the magnetic cure. James Braid, a Scottish surgeon, used the term hypnosis so he could investigate this side of things in a more scientific way, and distance himself from the less creditable elements of mesmerism.

I would not consider myself a Mesmerist. I don’t wear a “Harry Potter” type outfit and, although I do often play some quiet music in the background, I don’t make mysterious ‘passes’ with my hands or assume that it’s my ‘special influence’ on you that solves your problems. In fact, as a modern hypnotherapist, I believe it’s your own special qualities that get you back in control of your life – my role is to identify them and show you how to use them to your best advantage.

However, despite these differences, I still think that Mesmer’s work was important to the development of hypnotherapy as it is today. He was one of the first people to connect the mind with physical well-being, and the Franklin investigation (though dramatically unhelpful to Mesmer himself) highlighted the importance of belief in using psychological approaches to wellness.

And if you’d like to know more about modern hypnosis and hypnotherapy, get in touch.

Images: [1] Feldkurat Katz, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, plaque image is used within my blog header template. [2] Baquet, Franz Anton Mesmer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons