Program Yourself
HOW TO HYPNOTIZE
A Journey Into The Mind


CHAPTER 1

Friedrich Anton Mesmer - The Father Of Hypnosis

WITCHCRAFT DEVELOPS INTO MESMERISM

        Witches were (are) commonly believed to use magical powers for evil purposes. Because of this association with magic, the word "sorcery" has long been synonymous with witchcraft in the English-speaking world. Witches are usually regarded as possessed of satanic spirits or under the guidance of some undetermined compulsion. Sorcerers, on the other hand, are considered ordinary persons using willful techniques to harm other individuals, perhaps due to a vendetta.

        Belief in witchcraft dates back to prehistoric times and there is no single description that applies to all societies that have believed in them. They are thought of as old women, though references to beautiful young female and male witches exist (male witches are often called warlocks).

        The Europeans depicted witches as thin and haggard, just like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz, with her dark robe and pointed hat. In Central Africa they are thought of as fat (from eating human flesh). In Europe they possess the power of flight using broomsticks much like the Halloween depiction. In Central Africa they fly in saucer-shaped baskets and often utilize animals in their evil deeds.

         The witch of Oz had flying monkeys. In Europe they use cats, dogs, or weasels; in Japan, hyenas or owls; in Africa, baboons. Some witches even turn into animal forms.

         Belief in sorcery and witchcraft was extensive in the ancient Near East and Europe. In Greece, witchcraft is mentioned in the writings of Homer. There are many references to sorcerers in the Bible (Old Testament), where they are frequently denounced (and their crimes were punishable by death).

         In both Greece and Rome, only witchcraft activities intended to be harmful were denounced and punished. Among the Germanic peoples, belief in (and fear of) witches was also widespread.

         Under Christianity, attitudes toward witchcraft altered over several centuries, it was regarded by some as simple superstition. Other church leaders condemned it as an evil to be repressed. During the European "witchcraft craze," from the mid-15th to the mid-18th century, witches were accused of having extraordinary ties to Satan. Both Roman Catholics and Protestants continued the movement against witchcraft and thousands of people (some estimates range as high as 9,000,000) were tried, convicted, and executed. In one of the last outbursts of this craze, the famous trials of 1692 in Salem, Mass., 19 people were hanged.

         It is interesting to note that there are many similarities between the behaviors of "mesmerized" (hypnotized) people and "possessed" people. The same phenomenon has been demonstrated in various ways over the past 400 years.

         RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES

         Religions have unleashed ruthless struggles against witchcraft and it's counterpart "animal magnetism". The Church taught that these techniques would be used for immoral purposes due to a weakness people have to lose their free-will ... not to mention the heightened sexual arousal that women reportedly experienced.

         The Church considered witches to be "possessed" ... therefore, it is understandable that the Catholic Church became involved. Throughout history, exorcisms of "possessed" individuals were performed by church officials. using "tried and proven" rituals dating back to the Old Testament.

         In the 15th and 16th centuries "possessed" individuals were prosecuted because they were seen as being under the devil's influence by their own choice.

         But by the end of the seventeenth century, the church discontinued viewing possessed individuals as criminals and began viewing them more as "victims". Torture was seldom used anymore at the witch trials and an extraordinarily large number of people started confessing to being either possessed or under a "spell". The persons accused were victimized and powerless to do anything but stand trial.

         During the later years of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, witches were actually viewed as prophets of God.

         And in the 19th century Mesmer of France brought in the scientific period of "animal magnetism" as magic and superstition declined. What was viewed as the "evil forces" of the witches of past years was now seen as a therapeutic force that could be harnessed by people in a unique "state of mind". The religious community took a back seat ... at least for awhile.

         Society now believed that individual human beings could affect the behavior of others from a distance and this "paved" the way for "animal magnetism" which was to become accepted in educated communities 100 years later.

         THE SIGNS OF WITCHCRAFT

         Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the people of Europe generally conceded that the devil could manifest itself in human beings. No social class was spared this universal belief and practically no one contested the certainty that demonic possession was real.

         Once it was decided that a possession did in fact occur, then the next step was to determine whether the possession originated with Satan or with one of his heralds ... like a sorcerer or another witch.

         The possessed person was first asked to identify the emissary ... if they would then they would be "spared" the exorcism ritual.

         Next, the individual was asked to describe his/her possession ... this could be a dangerous situation because the individual was made to look as though he/she was responsible for the situation. This meant there was no avoiding the "exorcism ritual".

         For more information about the procedures of exorcism see the 15th century book Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Sorcerers) by Kramer and Sprenger.

         The Six Signs Of Witchcraft

         The 6 signs of witchcraft were identified as follows:

         1) The ability to read minds.

         2) The ability to speak in other languages.

         3) Being able to predict the future.

         4) Increased intelligence.

         5) Increased strength.

         6) Ability to defy gravity.

         For the next two centuries the 6 signs of witchcraft were to become the hallmark of a new science called "Animal Magnetism".

         VIEWPOINT OF THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY

         If a sickness could not be cured then it was commonly considered that the reason was due to possession ... the medical industry took a very pompous attitude and contended that it was able to cure any disease that was not connected with the supernatural.

         People who had disorders like epileptic fits ... or nervous diseases were prime candidates for the accusations of "possession".

         EXORCISM RITUAL

         Usually the innocence of the accused was not in question ... if the accusation was launched then the person had no choice but to go through with the trial.

         They were made to respond to accusations like ...

         1) The eating of new born infants.

         2) Sexual relations with the devil.

         3) Their ability to change into animals.

         4) Spreading disease that the medical industry could not cure.

         5) Being able to levitate.

         Next a physical examination was conducted for signs of the devil on the body ... markings and muscle spasms were looked for, and then signs of nymphomania demonstrated by insensitivity of the vagina.

         But not being able to find a physical sign of the devil meant virtually nothing in establishing one's innocence

         THE LOUDUN POSSESSION

         The Loudun Possession is one of the most renowned in history ... it happened in France in 1632 when an entire convent became demonically possessed.

         Following two years of alleged possession at the convent ... Dr Francois Pidoux investigated and wrote the following observations:

         They are delirious, they shout, they laugh, they cry, they show a very long tongue, they profess obscenities, they utter curses, they provoke many fights, they whirl violently, or observe, standing still, they roll on the ground, they rotate on themselves in complete convulsions without suffering much, they are seized in ecstasy; to questions presented and repeated in Latin, they answer appropriately in their own language. They remain motionless, very stiff, stabbings are not felt, and ... they are barely breathing, lying as if dead.

         There was no trial in history up to this point which caused so much controversy. The nuns identified a priest from the parish named Urbain Grandier as the devil's emissary who was responsible for the possessions.

         How It Began

         The Ursuline convent was in Loudun, France. In the spring of 1632, rumors started circulating in the nearby towns and villages about strange events which were occurring there. Some nuns complained that they were seeing ghosts while others were heard using vulgar language.

         The exorcisms were conducted twice a day for seven years.

         How It Ended

         Father Grandier was burned alive at the stake. However, the "strange events" did not conclude with his death. They continued to the point that funding was stopped by the Royal Court Of France. The nuns were separated and scattered to different convents over the next 5 years.

         The Symptoms

         The following are two eye-witness accounts:

         "In their drowsiness they (the nuns) become as flexible, as malleable as a strip of lead; their bodies can be bent in many ways, forward, backward, to the side, even up to the point where their heads touch the ground. They would stay in the position that they were placed in until we changed that position."

         "The first demon that came up at the command of Father Elisee having put her asleep, rendered her as flexible as a strip of lead. Following that, the exorcist bent her body in many different ways, frontward, backward, and on both sides in such a way that her head nearly touched the ground. The demon left her in such a way that her head nearly touched the ground. The demon left her in that posture until the position was changed and during that time, which was quite long, she did not breath by the mouth, but had a short nasal breath. She was also nearly insensible since the father pierced the skin of her arm from one side to the other with a needle without her bleeding or showing any feeling."

         THE ANIMAL TRIALS

         In many of the witchcraft trials animals were thought to be Satan in disguise. Animals were viewed as having will. reason, and memory ... but to a lesser degree than humans.

         Records of animal trials date back to the 12th century and as late as the French Revolution.

         Animals that were convicted of wrongdoings were grouped together in jails just like their human counterparts ... living expenses were paid for by the state and there was no discrimination between species.

         In the year 1120 the Bishop of Laon, France excommunicated caterpillars that infested his area with the same ritual used to excommunicate humans.

         In 1454 a Bishop in Switzerland sued the leeches that lived in the water supply of the city of Bern. When the leeches did not appear in court as ordered they were excommunicated.

         In 1552, a plague of rats were prosecuted in a village called Autun.

         In 1720 a female donkey was accused of being an accomplice to murder in a village called Vanvres.

         These are only a small sample of the many animal trials which occurred ... and it can give us a view of the ideas that people had concerning witchcraft and religion.

         In the 1800's the signs of witchcraft were no longer being viewed as "witchcraft" but rather as signs of God's intervention into the affairs of man.

         Phenomenon like analgesia, amnesia, and physical feats were the trademarks of these religious fanatics.

         Medical science sought an explanation for these feats and labeled them ... Theomania ... Demonomania ... Hysteria ... and Melancholia. Many physicians of the time recognized the role of imagination and the tendency that humans have to imitate one another.

         MESMER

         Friedrich Anton Mesmer, (also called Franz Anton Mesmer) (1734-1815), was an Austrian physician born near Konstanz, Germany. He was the originator of the Theory of Animal Magnetism (mesmerism).

         Born on May 23, 1734 as the 3rd child of nine, his father was a "forester" in the service of the Archbishop of Constance.

         At the age of 18, Mesmer decided to become a priest and obtained a scholarship from the Archbishop.

         He studied for four additional years at the Jesuit University of Dillingen in Bavaria where he became interested in science and astronomy.

         He enrolled in law school for one year in Vienna. Very little is known about his life during this period.

         In 1760 he finally decided that medicine was to be his career and established himself as a physician in 1766. Mesmer received his medical degree for his thesis on human diseases and how the planets affected them. He was then 32 yeas old.

         Mesmer married Maria Anna von Bosch who was ten years his senior and a member of the aristocracy. He lived the life of prestige and glamour and was visited by famous people like Mozart and Gluck. He enjoyed music and played the glass harmonica.

         The medical establishments at that time were still quite primitive when it came to surgery and the most common medical treatments were "bloodletting", leeches, cupping glasses, and the administration of arsenic and herbal remedies that often had violent effects. Magnets and electricity were also being used and were the preferred treatments that Mesmer used in the early part of his career.

         Mesmer, and the medical profession in general, believed that human illnesses were the result of obstructions inside the body ... relieving the bowels became a hallmark of his magnetic practice.

         Mesmer decided that magnets were not the primary reason that illnesses were cured. In 1773 he wrote, "I have observed that the magnetic matter is quite similar to the electric field, and like the latter tends to propagate itself through intermediary bodies. Steel is not the only matter that can be used; I have magnetized bread, paper, silk, glass, leather, wood, different metals, rocks, men, dogs. In short, everything that I touched to such an extent that it produced on patients the same effects as the magnets. I have filled up bottles with magnetic matter in the same way that it is practiced with the electric fluid."

         Franz Anton Mesmer introduced an innovative method of treating illnesses in the late 18th century.

         In the year 1775, he published his first theory of animal magnetism. He believed that there was a basic force in the universe that existed everywhere ... he also thought that this force could be harnessed and controlled to cure sick people. Mesmer tried to separate his theories from spiritualism.

         Mesmer And Magnets

         Mesmer believed that the reason that magnets worked well in curing disease was due to the fact that the magnet concentrated the universal fluid into the human body ... by placing the magnets in the vicinity of the illness, the universal fluid would collect and heal. Mesmer believed that the magnets had nothing to do with the cures and that other instruments could also be used to concentrate the universal fluid.

         To prove his point, Mesmer gave up the use of magnets altogether in his medical practice in the year 1776.

         Mesmer credited his discovery of the "universal fluid" to an event during his childhood in which he observed a physician performing blood-letting on a patient and noticed that the blood flow was influenced by the distance he separated himself from the patient. Mesmer believed that he had the same qualities exhibited by healers of the time.

         The facts are incontrovertible that Mesmer did indeed cure numerous illnesses where the medical community could not ... it must also be noted that Mesmer was not always successful ... however significant effects were produced in many of his patients.

         Even though he rejected Mesmer's theories ... a professor of physics at Ingolstadt named Steiglehmer admitted that Mesmer could evoke nervous crisis in patients. He reports that a friend of his had been plagued for seven years by a nervous disorder that was worsened by "mesmerist passes". He claims that he himself had tried it on his friend:

         "I could renew his paroxysm at will, with my hand, with my finger, with a mirror, with my foot, etc., until one of my friends, witnessing the event, distracted the patient, directing his attention to different ideas. At this point the operation and the power I had ceased. I was therefore convinced of what I should think of all this thing."

         The science community of the time rejected Mesmer's theories but his popularity and fame increased quickly none-the-less.

         GASSNER

         In the year 1775, he met a Catholic priest named Johann Gassner who was an accomplished exorcist. Mesmer's treatments were quite similar to Gassner's exorcisms.

         Around the year 1750 Gassner began experiencing headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms. He conferred with physicians and tried many treatments but to no avail. He observed that the symptoms would flair-up right before Mass and suspected that Satan was attempting to possess him.

         He resorted to church exorcism rituals and found that all of his symptoms were completely gone. He then became an exorcist in his parish and his successes brought him "great popularity".

         Gassner referred to himself simply as an exorcist. He believed that there were two kinds of diseases ... those which were natural and could be alleviated by a physician ... and those that were supernatural and caused by the devil. Supernatural diseases could only be treated by the Catholic exorcism rite.

         Gassner screened his candidates before exorcizing them. He tried to determine if the symptoms were natural or caused by the devil. If Satan revealed himself then the real exorcism would begin. The exorcism could last from several hours to several days.

         Exorcism Of Emilie

         Emilie was the nineteen year old girl and the daughter of an officer working for a well-known German gentleman. She suffered from involuntary muscle contractions for several hours every day ... and this had been going on for more than two and a half years.

         She went to a local physician who was successful at treating the muscle contractions but she still suffered from headaches, stomach-aches, and certain feelings of melancholia.

         She traveled 150 miles to see Father Gassner for treatment. Gassner determined that the medical diagnosis for her sickness was incorrect and that the girl's suffering was a result of Satan's influence. He proved his point by commanding Satan to show himself in Emilie's right arm, left arm, right foot, and left foot ... and Satan complied. He then told the devil to make Emilie scream, turn her eyes upward, and suffer severe muscle contractions. Emily convulsed for more than a minute until Gassner stopped the display with the Latin word "cesset" ... which means to stop.

         Gassner had only spoken German up to this point ... but when he said "cesset" everything returned to normal. This was taken as a sign of the devil because one of the "tests" of demonic possession was the ability to understand unknown languages.

         Emilie reported feeling much better after this "trial exorcism" so Gassner felt that she would be a good candidate for a "real exorcism". The event was highly publicized and more than 20 credible witnesses were summoned to the ceremony.

         Before starting the exorcism Gassner demonstrated the presence of Satan by coaxing muscle spasms in various areas of the body ... each time he said the Latin word "cesset", the spasms stopped.

         Gassner continued his demonstration by showing how Satan could control Emilie's internal organs. He increased her heartbeat, decreased it, and caused it to go into irregular palpitations.

         Next, it was shown that the devil could also control her emotions ... she was made to laugh and to cry. Then Gassner induced pain in different areas of the young woman's body.

         Finally, he demonstrated how Satan could turn on and off the senses ... Emilie lost her sight and her hearing as soon as Gassner ordered it.

         This report concluded with the signatures of 12 upper class men who swore to it's honesty.

         During the exorcism, Gassner did not command Emilie directly but rather addressed Satan ... this depersonalization technique was to become a "hallmark" of the magnetized subjects of Mesmer.

         Gassner became very popular but was looked upon with caution. The Prince Elector Max-Joseph of Bavaria appointed a Commission of Inquiry which asked Mesmer to appear as an expert witness.

         Mesmer wrote in his 1781 book that Gassner possessed a great amount of personal magnetism. He wrote: "I said that he was obtaining genuine effects, but he did not know the real cause. I repeat it here".

         Gassner was asked to retire to a small community by the Church authorities where he died in 1779. It seems that curing the sick was not enough ... one had to cure in a way that was acceptable.

         MESMER AND THE BLIND GIRL

         Mesmer was never accepted by the medical community and a number of powerful medical and religious enemies who were forever "thorns in his side". His theory of animal magnetism was rejected by the Academy of Sciences in Berlin which said simply that his findings were "in error" ... in fact, they refused to study the memorandum he had sent to them.

         Mesmer took patients into his home and one was an 18 year old woman named Theresa Paradis. The following is an excerpt from Mesmer's 1781 book:

         "This young lady was 18 years old. Her parents were well-known; she was herself known by her majesty the Queen-Empress, she was receiving a pension from her because she had been totally blind since the age of four. The cause of her illness was a complete gutta serena. Her eyes projected out of their sockets, and were convulsive. She was also melancholic, suffering from liver and spleen obstructions that triggered such delirium and anger that one could not but think of madness ... She had taken all sorts of medicines; she had suffered uselessly through more than 3,000 electric shocks; she was treated for more that ten years by M. von Storerck without success. She had been declared incurable by the Baron de Venzel, a physician-occultist living in Paris who had examined her in Vienna upon the request of her Majesty."

         "If one had to look for an obvious cause of blindness, Theresa Paradis was the best example. I gave her back her eyesight. One thousand witnesses, among whom many physicians and M. von Stoerck himself, accompanied by the second president of the Faculty and some of his colleagues came to appreciate this new demonstration and testify to it's truth."

         "Theresa Paradis's father himself thought his obligation was to render these facts public in all Europe and published the details of this interesting cure. His letter can be found in my memoire sur La decouverte du magnestisme animal, translated from German."

         "It looked impossible to deny such well proven facts. Nevertheless, M Barth, a professor of anatomy for the eyes, and a cataract surgeon, succeeded in proving it had never happened. After having witnessed twice at my home that she was in fact able to see, he denied it public. He dared to say that he had checked her himself, and that Mle Paradis was ignoring or confounding the names of the different objects presented to her; a simple and unavoidable fact for a person whose blindness goes back to infancy."

         "That one more person would join the association between M Ingenhouz and Father Hell, did not trouble me much. Truth was pointing to the extravagance of his contentions. How ignorant I was of the resources of an envious person!"

         "They attempted to withdraw Mlle Paradis from my care while her vision was still imperfect, to stop her from appearing in front of Her Majesty, and prove in such a way that it was a hoax."

         "To succeed, they had to worry M Paradis; they made him believe that he would lose the royal pension if his daughter recovered her vision. They persuaded him to take her back from me. At first he acted alone, then, with her mother. The resistance of the daughter, however, made her suffer bad treatments. The father tried to use force; he entered my home with his sword. By the time we had disarmed him, both mother and daughter had lost consciousness. The former out of anger; the latter, because her savage mother had thrown her head first into a wall. Although I was freed from the mother in a couple of hours, the fate of Mlle. Paradis really worried me. Continuous convulsions, vomiting, and tantrums returned; she was as blind as before. I was afraid for her life, or at least for her brain. I did not think of revenge which I could have in terms of the law. I thought only of saving this young unfortunate woman who was still under my responsibility."

         "With the help of the people who had encouraged him, M Paradis alarmed the whole of Vienna with his protests. I was the subject of the most outrageous slanders. The too easily convinced M von Stoerck commanded me to send Mlle Paradis back to her parents.

         "As she could not be moved, I kept her for another month. In the first two weeks, I had the pleasure of restoring her eyesight, as it was before this incident. In the last two weeks, I showed her what to do to restore her health and keep improving her vision."

         "The excuse that M Paradis presented me, the thanks expressed by the mother to my wife, and their promise to send their daughter back each time I would judge it necessary were all but a lie. Granting them the benefit of the doubt, I allowed their daughter to go to the countryside with them. I never saw her thereafter: it was obviously necessary for her eager parents that this unfortunate person stayed blind or at least look like she was blind. That is what these cruel people were working on.

         " In this way, M Ingenhouz and his associates had their own triumph ... "

         It is possible that Mesmer colored this incident to put himself in the best possible light ... however this incident had great significance in Mesmer's life. He soon received a note from the Empress "ordering him to stop his trickery".

         Some things are apparent from this account: (1) Mesmer was able to retain the girl for a month after being ordered to release her into the custody of her parents, (2) The father supposedly came "with sword in hand", but left without the girl: and (3) the father's previous public statement leaves little doubt that Theresa Paradis' vision had been at least partially restored and that the father had been more dramatic than Mesmer in his recognition of this point.

         M. Paradis felt that his daughter's recovery was so dramatic that he asked Mesmer to announce it publicly.

         A book written by a Father Scobardi in 1839 supported many of the points that Mesmer made in his letter. The book tells of the "plots" against Mesmer:

         A Council of Jesuits later met and unanimously decided that Mesmer would be continuously harassed and that Magnetism would be prohibited "... since we had failed to retain it for ourselves".

         The priests even stated that the Congregation must do whatever was necessary to prevent the young girl from regaining her sight.

         But what was at stake here? Wasn't it to prove that Mesmer was a quack or that one should not quarrel with the Church?

         These incidents most probably contributed to Mesmer leaving Germany and Austria to live in Paris in February of 1778 ... but before he left, he went into seclusion for 3 months to formulate his theory for his methods of treatment. He decided that he would introduce it to the world in the following manner:

         "The object of my discourse can not be expressed in an objective manner. If I want to be understood, I have to use images, comparisons, approximations. Animal magnetism, as I use it, is akin to a 6th artificial sense. Senses can not be defined or described; they have to be felt."

         It is interesting to note that Mesmer's concepts were not readily accepted in the science community of France ... they were seen simply as a rehash of old ideas.

         Magnetic medicine was not new ... it could be traced back to the 1500's. But Mesmer put a new twist on it by stating that there were two types of magnetism ... (1) mineral magnetism; and (2) animal magnetism.

         Mesmer believed that there were two ways to influence a person's imagination. The first comes from within the person and success was determined by the attitude of that person.

         The second comes from one person to another and it's success is determined by how much belief the person places in the abilities of the other person.. It was the imagination of the patient that allowed him/her to imitate the healthy state suggested by Mesmer.

         Imagination and imitation were the major elements of Mesmer's successes according to the report on Animal Magnetism by the Benjamin Franklin Commission in 1784.

         Mesmer Goes To Paris

         Though his move to France was not highly publicized ... the medical establishment showed great interest in Mesmer's works.

         Mesmer was invited to a dinner by a Baron d'Holbach which included many famous literary figures. At this dinner he was unable to influence anyone. Since this unfortunate setback, he never returned to the Baron's house.

         Disputes began to arise as to the significance of Mesmer's findings ... and his relationship with the scientific community degenerated with a series of attacks on his honesty and integrity.

         Nevertheless, after arriving in Paris, Mesmer experienced enormous popularity. People from all social groups could be found at his home to observe or experience his therapeutic treatments.

         MESMER'S PERSONALITY

         Mesmer was tormented ... he was obsessed by his discoveries but was unable to document or explain them. He became isolated from his wife, friends, and colleagues. In his writings he often complains that his wife is indifferent to his discoveries ... he describes her as dull and unimaginative.

         Mesmer's state of mind can be seen in the following passage from his 1781 book just before he arrived in Paris:

         "A feverish passion overwhelmed my senses. Love did not guide my search for truth anymore. I was anxious. The countryside, the forests, only the most secluded places attracted me. There, I felt closer to nature. Extremely agitated, tired of Nature's useless invitations, I sometimes rejected her with violent anger. O Nature, would I say in my crisis, what do you want of me? Other times, to the contrary, I imagined embracing her tenderly, asking her, impatiently, enthusiastically, to surrender to my wishes. Fortunately only the trees could witness the vehemence of my accents. I certainly looked like a maniac."

         Mesmer had no close friends and his only comfort was his music ... he was a surprisingly accomplished musician. He was paranoid over what he viewed as dishonest intentions of others, and attacks on his honor and integrity.

         Two characteristics of his personality dominated his writings, first he placed high value on honor, and second was his complete devotion to his work as a therapist and humanitarian.

         Charles D'Eslon

         Charles D'Eslon was a member of the Paris Medical Faculty and first physician appointed to the king's brother.

         He was to become Mesmer's companion, student, and friend. He had an excellent reputation and many friends in high society.

         D'Eslon became an impassioned disciple of Mesmer and his high esteem seemed to have no limits. He became an excellent student and promoter of animal magnetism. He supplied Mesmer's clinic with so many patients that they ran out of room for them all.

         Ultimately, they moved the practice to the Hotel Bullion. It was large enough and allowed people to stay who required extensive treatment. It had fountains, an orchestra, gardens, four wooden tubs called "baquets" and a magnetized tree for the benefit of the poor.

         Passing of The Hands

         This mesmeric technique of the "laying of the hands" had been practiced by faith healers since antiquity.

         The infamous "touchings" were the subject of immorality. But from all indications these passes were always gentle and slight and were never the long and heavy messages that were alluded to by Mesmer's enemies and critics.

         The Baquet

         The "baquets" were to become the hallmark of mesmerism and was an economical method of treating more than one patient at a time. Mesmer said that they were not significant to the practice of Animal Magnetism and that if he had greater resources that he would have done away with them.

         Upon arriving at the clinic a patient would be led to a dimly lit room with heavy curtains hanging on the wall. The patient was then asked to sit around a "covered" wooden box made of oak. It was 18 inches high and 6 feet in diameter.

         The baquet was hollow inside and contained water, broken glass, and iron fillings. The box was covered by a piece of wood that had a number of holes in it ... out of these holes protruded glass or iron rods of varying lengths.

         When everyone was seated a rope was loosely tied around each person and then returned to the tub. The rope allowed the magnetic fluid to circulate through everyone before being directed into the baquet ... and then the magnetist induced the magnetic fluid through the rope. The magnetist had to be part of the chain..

         The Effects Of The Baquets

         Mesmer acknowledged that different people experienced different degrees of susceptibility to being magnetized:

         "I have noticed also that not all men can be equally magnetized: of ten persons that were present, there was one who could not be magnetized, who stopped the communication of the magnetism. On the other hand there was one of these ten persons who was so susceptible to magnetization that he could not approach a patient within ten feet without causing him tremendous pain."

         A sure sign of magnetism was a patient having a bowel movement (relaxation?) ... New people traditionally felt nothing at all unless Mesmer himself came to treat them ... but patients that had been there before experienced many different types of reactions like ... sweating, yawning, laughing, shivering, etc..

         In a small proportion of patients people would shout, cry, fall asleep, or lose consciousness. When Mesmer conducted the procedure he would step back into the shadows and play his glass harmonica.

         Complete crisis would occur in approximately one quarter of the patients. For others the effects of magnetism were neither remarkable or observable. The crisis was the first step in being cured.

         It should also be noted that the effects of magnetism vanished when the diseased organs were cured ... in healthy individuals the effects are minimal.

         The signs of "crisis" were unmistakable ... people would begin crying and moaning with pain ... they experienced violent muscle contractions and intense hiccups. The extreme cases were taken to a crisis room where Mesmer would attend to them personally.

         THE DEMISE OF MESMERISM

         More than 100 books and pamphlets were written in 1784 which claimed to demonstrate the uselessness of Animal Magnetism.

         1784 can be considered as the fall of Mesmerism. Attacks were leveled of lewdness toward women ... they were spoken about in cafes and theaters. The following anonymous poem was widely circulated:

        Authors were writing about the weaknesses of the female mind and how they would be giving up their virtue if they attended magnetic sessions. In an anonymous book it was stated that Mesmer did for love what Newton did for the world system ... the author wrote:

         "That is why any woman desiring to retain her virtue will avoid the presence of those who desire her, because she knows that by being repeatedly magnetized, she could not prevent herself from succumbing to the laws of attraction. You will certainly agree that those who are inexperienced, careless, or so foolhardy as to expose themselves to it, will become it's victim."

         Mesmer and his science was even scorned in the theater with unflattering plays portraying him as a seducer of women and having no social value whatsoever. It was alleged that Mesmer only employed young men with sex appeal to massage the women gathered around the magnetic tubs.

         Many articles, books, and plays ridiculed Mesmer during 1784 ... and many also defended him ... the final indignity came when Mesmer attended a concert sponsored by the Queen in which a blind pianist captured the audience.

         Mesmer again became the center of attention and it can be argued that this was the most embarrassing moment in his life. This woman was the same Mlle Paradis that Mesmer failed to cure of her blindness back in Vienna.

         By the end of 1784 public debate receded with a sudden loss of his popularity.

         THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY

         The King ordered a commission of Inquiry into animal magnetism in March of 1784. Nine of the most famous scientists of the time were on the commission. Benjamin Franklin headed it.

         Members of the Commission attended a famous mesmerist clinic daily and observed the following:

         "Nothing is more surprising than to witness the convulsions; if one has not seen it, it is difficult to imagine what it looks like. When one witnesses them, one is surprised by the deep rest in some of the patients, agitation in the others, different accidents that repeat themselves, and the likings that develop. One can see patients looking for each other, running toward each other, smiling and talking affectuously, trying to soften their mutual crisis. All are submitted to the magnetist; even when they are apparently sleeping, his voice, his gaze, one sign awakens them. We cannot but recognize in the constancy of these effects the great power that seems to agitate and control these patients and of which magnetists seems to be the possessor."

         Mesmer's student D'Eslon wrote the following commentaries:

         "If they had told me before that they would limit themselves in such a way, I would have told them how insufficient a means they were taking; I would have told them that only a small proportion of patients experience instantaneous and noteworthy effects, that a lot of patients are cured without experiencing any effect, and that among those who experience the immediate action of magnetism, it's effects vary infinitely."

         The commissioners concluded that "the imagination is the true cause of the effects attributed to the magnetism".

         The commission concluded that mesmeric practices could be especially dangerous for many women. The morality of animal magnetism was again attacked when the Commissioners stated that women could lose their health and their decency.

         It is interesting to note that through all of the allegations of immorality, never was there a case of abuse documented ... and with all of the opponents that Mesmer had one would think that one of them would have been more than happy to publish one.

         THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE REPORT

         Shortly after. the results of the Franklin Commission were reported ... the Royal Society of Medicine published it's report. The conclusions were similar, however one of the participants refused to sign the report and published his own conclusions separately. Laurent de Jussieu could not accept rejection of animal magnetism because of the effects that he had witnessed ... he believed there should be further investigation.

         This Commission determined that the effects of animal magnetism varied depending on the nature of the disease. It was found that diseases of undetermined origin had the greatest benefits and that the benefits were not due to magnetic fluid but rather to the patient's hopes for a cure, rest, exercise, and abstinence from medication.

         Criticism Of The Report

         1) The Royal Commission rejected the idea of evaluating the successes and failures of magnetic treatment.

         2) The Commission stated that they would ignore any phenomenon that occurred within themselves ... and one of the Commissioners did experience a mesmeric crisis during one of his visits to the clinic.

         3) The Commission rejected the effects experienced by people of the lower classes.

         MESMER'S FINAL YEARS 1784 and 1785 were disastrous years for Mesmer ... many books were published which claimed to reveal the secrets of Mesmerism.

         Mesmer caused rifts among his own disciples by criticizing many of these books and ended up leaving Paris. He finally established a residence in Switzerland where he wrote his final book in 1799.

         AFTER HIS DEATH In 1820 animal magnetism gained acceptance in Russia, Germany, Denmark, Prussia, and Sweden.

         CONCLUSIONS

         Mesmer was an honorable man who had the best of intentions at heart. If he would have played the "games of society" he would have undoubtedly endured less condemnation.

         When someone sticks to his ideas and beliefs and refuses to be swayed by the ideas of others then he/she must be willing to accept the consequences.

         Ideas of one person will always conflict with the ideas of others and if one of the persons is not allied with powerful people then they are easy targets for slander.

         In all fairness to the opponents of Mesmer, they were probably as adamant in their beliefs as Mesmer was in his. Mesmer's downfall was not his enemies but rather his personality ... he was not social and therefore was not able to rally the high society that he needed to defend his ideas.

         In retrospect, it is obvious that Mesmer elicited responses that have been noted throughout history ... faith healers, psychics, mystics, and shamans have used these responses to bring about apparent miracles since the dawn of history.

         People are confused by the contradictions of life ... they feel that it would take a lifetime to investigate just a few of them ... so they give up responsibility for their thoughts and opinions and give in to the "experts".

         Of course the "experts" only present data and conclusions ... but the significance of the data must still be interpreted. Since people are social creatures they will imitate the thoughts and ideas of those people they respect and whose opinions they value.

         For instance, if someone flatters me then I will be more likely to accept one of their viewpoints because I identify with them ... if they like me then they must be somewhat like me and if they are like me then they probably have many similar thoughts.

         In this way, ideas float around society and influence people. The ideas of people who have obtained a lot of money are often valued more highly than those who have not because one's success in life is measured by the material goods one attains.

         However the materialistic ideas of wealthy people are not infallible and often they are in outright error. Mesmer's problems began with his personality because he was withdrawn and did not easily bend to the ideas of the "upper class". He felt that the cures he provided would stand on their own and provide a shield against slander.

         Of course, he was wrong ... people create the world's they live in ... they are unique world's based on their "beliefs". If I promote an idea that is opposite to another person's beliefs then automatically I am putting myself in opposition to that person.

         Now I could go to that person ... sit down in a friendly manner and discuss our differences. While showing respect for his/her ideas I may be able to elicit a friendship based on respect ... providing that I show him/her that our ideas are not really opposed and that there are many things that we do agree on.

         However, if I never meet this person and if people he/she respects comes to him speaking of the foolishness of my ideas then this person will be apt to accept those views without giving mine a fair chance. I believe that this is what happened to Mesmer.

         The ideas that can be traced back to Mesmer can actually be considered as the beginnings of psychology and the mind sciences. Mesmer was unable to formulate a theory for his results that would be acceptable to the medical and scientific communities. He further complicated matters by keeping these people at a distance.

         History was not very kind to Mesmer ... today his name is associated with quackery, immorality, and evil ... someone who attempted to control the minds of others and take away their free will. All of the evidence suggests, however, that Mesmer was an honorable man whose primary interest was to help people and to bring his methods to the world.

         But should we feel sorry for Mesmer? Probably not because he never wanted for money ... he lived to be 81 years old in a time period when the average age was approximately 25 ... and in a letter dated 1809, Mesmer wrote that he was living a quiet and happy life. He died March 5, 1815.

$24.95 + $3.00 S&H

E-Book $4.99

Return to top of page | Home |