Mesmerism

Mesmerism is a word coined in the 18th century to refer to Franz Anton Mesmer discovery of the "animal magnetism" and its use. This "life energy" or "fluid" is believed to reside in the bodies which all living beings have running through them, and which could be manipulated for healing or other purposes. This magnetism in "animate" beings, is believed to be distinct from the magnetic force shown by some minerals.

The theory became the basis of treatment in Europe and the United States that was based on non verbal elements such as gaze, passes (movements of the hands near the body accompanied by intention of the operator), and mental elements as will and intention, and that sometimes depended also on "laying on of hands." It was very popular into the nineteenth century, with a strong cultural impact. From some of the practices of animal magnetism branched out Hypnotism, Spiritualism, New Thought, so called "magnetic healing", and Parapsychological research. Some forms of magnetism continue to be practiced, especially in continental Europe, even today.