Although it remains a practice questioned by many experts, hypnosis has become a useful method to enhance the effects of psychotherapy in cases of insomnia, smoking and even post-traumatic stress. However, in its beginnings hypnosis was an unscientific procedure whose mechanism was not known even by those who used it.

For a long time hypnosis was known as “mesmerism” in honour of Franz Mesmer , the doctor who popularised this technique. In this article we will explain what mesmerism consisted of and what were the peculiar hypotheses on which its creator was based. We will also make a brief review of the development of hypnosis after Mesmer.

Who was Franz Mesmer?

Franz Friedrich Anton Mesmer was born in Iznang, a village in southwest Germany, in 1734. Although he previously studied theology and law, he received his doctorate in medicine from the University of Vienna with a thesis entitled “On the influence of the planets on the human body”; it is believed that he partially plagiarized the work of the physician Richard Mead.

In his thesis Mesmer stated that the gravitational forces of the stars had a role in health and disease , intuitively expanding Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity. He would later develop these ideas until arriving at the most famous concept in his work: animal magnetism, to which we will dedicate the following section.

At the age of 33 he established himself as a doctor in Vienna, but was not satisfied with the procedures of the time, which he considered aggressive and ineffective. The case of Francisca Österlin, a patient with hysteria , marked a turning point in his career: according to Mesmer, he transferred “animal magnetism” from his body to Mrs. Österlin’s using magnets, suppressing the symptoms for a few hours.

From this case Mesmer acquired some fame in Vienna, but he moved to Paris in 1777 since his abilities were questioned by a gruesome case of psychogenic blindness. In France he trained several disciples and tried to get his methods considered legitimate; he got both recognition and criticism, and ended up in exile in Switzerland.

Mesmerism continued after the death of its creator , in 1815, through his followers, some of whom were respected physicians. From the animal magnetism and the attempts of Mesmer’s critics to refute his hypotheses, the field of hypnosis would develop, forever tainted by the reputation of his “father”.

Hypothesis of animal magnetism

Mesmer affirmed that living beings have an invisible fluid, the animal magnetism , which allows the nervous functioning and whose unbalance can cause many diseases; therefore, the method to cure them should consist in the manipulation of the magnetism.

Thus, Mesmer started using magnets with the purpose of modifying the concentration of animal magnetism in the affected body parts. Specifically, he believed that he could transfer this energy from his body, where it was abundant, to that of his patients. He later stopped using magnets and developed more extravagant therapeutic procedures.

According to the thesis of mesmerism, animal fluid flows through the organism of living beings spontaneously, but sometimes there are blockages in its circulation. Mesmer postulated that diseases could be cured by the induction of “crises” by people with high levels of animal magnetism, like him and his disciples.

Mesmer’s hypothesis must be framed in the context in which he lived. In the 18th century it was not strange to hear about magnetism or a “universal fluid”, since there were still alchemists who held such a belief. Newton’s theses on the existence of the ether , a substance with similar characteristics, were also popular.

The techniques of Mesmer

Mesmer would sit in front of his patients, making the knees of both of them touch, and look them straight in the eyes. Then he would rub the patient’s arms with his hands and squeeze his belly with his fingers for a long time; sometimes this would cause therapeutic “crises”, for example convulsions . Finally, he played a glass harmonica.

Later, after reaching the fame, Mesmer began to apply his treatments to big groups of people -many times aristocrats who were looking for entertainment more than medicine. In these cases he used a container with iron rods that had to touch the affected part of the body of each person.

In spite of his farcical methods, Mesmer managed to cure many alterations of psychological origin, mainly in cases of hysteria: although his hypotheses were wrong, his procedures were effective through autosuggestion , a mechanism that has been confirmed by scientific research.

From mesmerism to hypnosis

After Mesmer’s death the effects of mesmerism would be attributed to the control of the patients’ behaviour. However, physicians such as John Elliotson and James Eisdale resorted to the methods of Mesme r to treat psychogenic disorders or to anaesthetise their patients; the latter use became irrelevant with the advent of chemical anaesthetics.

The passage from magnetism to hypnosis is attributed to James Braid , a Scottish surgeon who coined the term “hypnotism”. Braid stated that the state of hypnosis depended on the physical and mental conditions of the patient, and not on an abstract magnetic fluid; nevertheless, the effectiveness of mesmerism in some alterations seemed undeniable to him.

On the other hand, there were also those who followed the tradition of magnetism, mainly to cure physical diseases. Between the 18th and 19th centuries there existed the profession of the “magnetizer” , people who used magnets or gestures similar to those of Mesmer based on his pseudo-scientific proposals.

Because of the weakness of Mesmer’s hypotheses the hypnotists who succeeded him were discredited by the scientific community. To a large extent this position is still held today, despite the fact that hypnosis has been validated by science as a supportive therapeutic instrument .

Bibliographic references:

  • Leahey, T. H. (2004). History of Psychology, 6th Edition. Madrid: Pearson Prentice Hall.
  • Pattie, F.(1994). Mesmer and Animal Magnetism. Hamilton: Edmonston Pub.