Hypnosis - A Brief History

This book is solid - you can grab it here (thriftbooks) or here (daddy Bezos).

The introduction lines up what they’ll be covering:

• The nature of the relationship between hypnotist and subject (along with misconceptions)
• How beliefs have changed about hypnosis over time
• Academic controversies, and the nature of hypnosis in identity and memory

They recommend these books for in-depth reading on the history of animal magnetism:

• Mesmer and Animal Magnetism (History)
• From Mesmer to Freud: Magnetic sleep and the roots of psychological healing (tracing the evolution of psychological perspectives)
• Mesmerised: Powers of the mind in Victorian Britain (historical social context)
• Mesmerism and the American Cure of Souls (religion and spirituality in relation to animal magnetism)
• The Discovery of the Unconscious (Late 19th century hypnosis in France)
• A History of Hypnotism (A big-ass history book of animal magnetism and hypnotism)

Ch 1 Trilby and Svengali

To provide context for the rest of the book - they begin by describing George du Maurier’s serial novel Trilby.

• TLDR summary: Svengali mesmerizes Trilby to remove her headaches. Svengali later takes advantage of Trilby, giving her renowned musical performance skills and amnesia for the experience.
• Trilby was your generic, naïve and impressionable damsel.
• George du Maurier was a little shit and originally portrayed Svengali as a selfish, unkempt, villainous Jewish musician.

George du Marier’s writing perpetuated and cemented these myths about hypnosis via mesmerism:

• Subjects are mentally weak and impressionable.
• Hypnotists are cunning and manipulative, often evil.
• Hypnotists have the power to split multiple “personalities” in the subject and can unlock potential, often with amnesia.
• One part of “the self” sleeps as the hypnotist awakens another.

(Here, the book talks about modern perspectives and how they don’t line up with this cultural baggage, but we’ll get to that later. If you’re already here knee deep in my notes, you should already know better.)

Ch 2 Animal Magnetism and Magnetic Sleep

Rituals to create trance states come from a wide variety of cultures through history, but hypnosis is primarily a western practice. Mesmer and animal magnetism is often cited as the primary progenitor of this ritual.

Despite popular bullshit you may have heard, Mesmer wasn’t a dumbass. Mesmer studied theology, law, medicine, and most importantly for our purposes, Newtonian physics. Their medical career started off in a conventional manner for the time - bloodletting patients and prescribing opiates. In a twisted irony, Mesmer was known for his skill playing the glass harmonica, invented by Benjamin Franklin.

Origins of Animal Magnetism

Mesmer, drawing a reasonable observation, felt the current state of medicine in the late 18th century was hot garbage. In contrast to his colleagues experimenting with electroshock therapy, he decided to experiment with treatments that “involved intimacy, rapport, and touch.” (p13)

While this sentiment had warm intentions, the status-quo of medicine was still frankly terrifying. Mesmer had a particularly treatment resistant patient, Franzl Osterline, who was living with him to receive 24/7 care. If nothing else worked, why not just give her a fluid lead solution and attach magnets to her (which he obtained from Maximillian Hell), bringing her symptoms to the surface. After a few treatments, she experienced a sensation of the fluid moving through her body, “carrying the illness away.” Contrary to what you’d expect from this wacky placebo, she was cured.

Thankfully, Mesmer didn’t come to the conclusion that the magnets had done the work. He theorized an invisible, magnet-like force created the effects, healing both physiological and “nervous” (resembling what we now see as FNDs) conditions. He began to regularly demonstrate his control of animal magnetism, creating a display of “crisis” in patients, declaring them healed upon the resolution of their convulsions.

Magnetism and Exorcism

Gassner had a similar methodology, despite being a priest. During Mass, he suffered from headaches and dizziness, and had himself exorcised, finding the exorcism to cure him. Sold on the effectiveness of exorcisms through his own experience, he decided to become an exorcist himself. When examining someone, he’d differentiate medical from supernatural disorders through a simple mechanism…

As one witness recorded it, he would declare to his patient in Latin, “If there be anything preternatural about this disease, I order in the name of Jesus that it manifest itself immediately.”

Hypnosis - A Brief History - p15

Unfortunately for him, as his successful exorcisms came into vogue, the caught the ire of the skeptics of the Enlightenment. Mesmer was asked to demonstrate to the Academy of Science in 1775, and Prince-Elector Max Joseph of Bavaria came to the conclusion that while Gassner was effective, he was actually just an animal magnetist. Mesmer granted that Gassner was possibly an even better healer than himself. Despite this, Gassner got shafted and was “sent to a provincial Catholic community where he was not allowed to practice exorcism unless the request came officially from the church.¹⁸ ” (p16)

In the meantime, Hell (the astronomer he got the magnets from) caught wind of Mesmer’s success, attempting to claim that (mineral) magnetism was the cure. (See Kev’s writeup for a bit more about that spat.) Mesmer made a hard turn in the other direction, positing this ‘magnetic’ fluid force carried electricity, light, heat, and magnetic forces, not requiring any literal magnets to change. Mesmer believed that his success would be readily accepted by his peers in science and medicine, but it only drew skepticism and criticism.

Practicing Magnetism

Mesmer had less than stellar luck in treating Maria-Theresa Paradis. Mesmer felt he was making progress on her blindness. Initially, their parents were elated that he was making progress, but they turned face and demanded her back (possibly on the suspicion of either impropriety or attempting to heal them via nostrum.) Paradis left blind, and Mesmer, dejected from his failure, left Vienna for Paris in 1778.

Mesmer found plenty of wealthy clients there, supporting his more than pleasant lifestyle. In 1779, he published his treatise on animal magnetisim. His theory, reasonably scientific for the time, centered around returning someone to “‘magnetic equilibrium.” (p19) They felt all illnesses were caused by a problem in this theoretical imbalance.

Mesmer’s fame continued to grow to the point where he couldn’t treat all of his clients. The solution? Stick them all in a magnetized bucket - more affectionately known as the baquet. Think of it as a group-crisis pool with iron rods and Mesmer playing weird music on the glass harmonica.

Magnetism Assailed

As Mesmer’s popularity continued to grow, he still wasn’t able to garner acceptance from the French scientific community. He began teaching his technique, and one of his disciples (Charles D’Eslon 1750-1786) set up his own clinic. In Mesmer’s eyes, D’Eslon was stealing away his clients. Mesmer set up the “Society of Harmony” to try to control the sole right to teach and practice animal magnetism. This grew into it’s own “chain” of schools.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin, along with members of the Academies of Science and the Faculty of Medicine, investigated animal magnetism - not through Mesmer’s practice, but D’Eslon’s. D’Eslon was met with understandable skepticism, and while Mesmer was upset that he wasn’t approached, D’Eslon took the brunt of the criticism.

Regardless, his reputation continued to be attacked, both by the public and academics. In a death-blow, someone reported Mesmer showing up to one of Maria-Theresa Paradis’s performances, finding her still blind, and Mesmer being judged for his failure.

Mesmer ragequit, returning to Vienna in 1793, practicing quietly in private and cutting ties. He died in 1815.

Mesmerism Transformed

Marquis de Puysegur, a student of Mesmer, began practicing in 1780 on his wealthy estate. In 1784, he worked with Victor Race, curing him of congestion and fever. Instead of them experiencing a Mesmeric crisis, they went into a sleep-like state, still able to speak. Puysegur suggested they experienced “magnetic somnambulism” or “magnetic sleep.” His style of practice, creating a much more comfortable experience, caught on quickly among Mesmer’s followers.

From Animal Magnetism to Magnetic Sleep

Puysegur’s perspectives on animal magnetism were in stark contrast to how Mesmer practiced. Mesmer was showy, flamboyant, even dominant, skillfully exerting influence over the subject’s magnetic fluids. Puysegur, on the other hand, did not entirely dismiss the effectiveness of suggestion, and viewed the effectiveness of the technique as dependent on interpersonal factors (the beginnings of rapport.) Their approach also made the mesmeric crisis unnecessary (similar to how you would no longer need a violent exorcism from Gassner.)

Puysegur also observed spontaneous amnesia in Victor, which became a central expectation of his practice. People also behaved much differently when magnetized, lending to the concept of having unlocked clairvoyance, telepathy, and a change in personality.

Unlike Mesmer, Puysegur taught openly and freely, doing his best to not turn anyone away that could use assistance. Famously, he magnetized an elm tree in a public location, where people could just help themselves without direct intervention.

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Dates

• Ranges:
  • Franz Anton Mesmer - 1734-1815
  • Maximillan Hell - 1720-1792
  • Father Johann Joseph Gassner - 1727-1779
  • Marquis de Puysegur - 1751-1825
• Events:
  • Mesmer leads on Franzyl Oesterline - 1774
  • Mesmer admitted to Bavarian Academy of Science
    • Gives a demo to a Hungarian baron (Horeczy de Horka) - 1775
  • Mesmer has trouble healing Paradis, ragequits, and moves to Paris in 1778
  • Gassner kicks the bucket - 1778
  • Marquis de Puysegur starts practicing Mesmerism - 1780
  • The Academies of Science and the Faculty of Medicine, along with Benjamin Franklin, investigate animal magnetism - 1784
  • Marquis de Puysegur induces “magnetic somnambulism” - 1784
  • Mesmer ragequits and returns to Vienna after public criticism - 1793

Ch 3 Magnetism and Hypnosis

Ch 4 Body and Soul

Ch 5 Salpetriere and Nancy

Ch 6 Laboratory and Clinic

Ch 7 State and Trait

Ch 8 Memory and Identity

Ch 9 Present and Future