Franz-Anton Mesmer is a figure whose name still resonates today, although he is often shrouded in mystery and controversy. Yet his legacy is considerable. He can be considered a precursor of modern energetic healing methods. Who was this man who captivated the European aristocracy with his ideas on energy healing,energy andharmony? Let’s delve into his life to better understand his journey and impact.
Classic training and a revolutionary idea
Born in Swabia, Germany, in 1734, Franz-Anton Mesmer began by studying theology and law. He then turned to medicine. It was in Vienna, Austria, that he obtained his doctorate in 1766 with a thesis entitled “On the influence of the planets on the human body”. In it, he developed an idea that would become the core of his practice: the human body is traversed by a universal fluid, an invisible energy that can be manipulated to restore health. This energy, which he called “animal magnetism”, was for him the key toharmony between body and mind.
However, the practice of animal magnetism is not new. Magnetism,“magnetic energy” and “animal fluid” have been known phenomena since the 16th century.
Success and controversy in Vienna
Mesmer began his practice in Vienna. There, he met with rapid success. He treated patients suffering from a variety of ailments, using methods that, from today’s point of view, are reminiscent of energy healing. He performs “passes” with his hands over his patients’ bodies, often putting them into a trance-like state. His treatments, although not always based on a criticized scientific approach, seemed to produce results. Mesmer’s success attracted the attention of Emperor Joseph II of Austria, who welcomed him to his court.
However, Mesmer’s success was not without controversy. His medical colleagues regarded him with suspicion, accusing him of charlatanism. They were suspicious of his unconventional methods and enigmatic energy. Such was the case of Maria Theresia Paradis, a young blind pianist whom he was said to have cured with his“energetic treatments“, but who relapsed after stopping his treatments.
The rise and fall of Paris
Faced with the hostility of the Viennese medical establishment, Mesmer decided to move to Paris in 1778. The city was then in the throes of an intellectual revolution, and the French aristocracy was eager for something new. Mesmer found fertile ground for his ideas onharmony andenergy. He opened a practice, the “Société de l’Harmonie”, where he entertained Parisian high society.
It was in Paris that Mesmer perfected his “baquet” method. This was a large wooden tub, filled with water and glass bottles, in which patients sat, holding hands. Mesmer, dressed in silk, walks around the tub, laying his hands on the patients to transferenergy and restoreharmony to their bodies. The scene is impressive, and the results seem spectacular. Patients often go into crisis, a reaction Mesmer interprets as a “flow” ofenergy necessary for healing.
But as in Vienna, Mesmer’s success attracted the attention of the authorities. King Louis XVI, anxious to protect the health of his subjects, appointed a commission of inquiry in 1784. Composed of renowned physicians and scientists, including Benjamin Franklin and Antoine Lavoisier, the commission concluded that the effects of “animal magnetism” were not due to a real fluid, but to the imagination of patients. The results of treatment would be no more than a placebo effect.
This conclusion dealt a fatal blow to Mesmer’s reputation. Denounced as a charlatan, he left Paris and disappeared from public life.
Mesmer’s legacy
Franz-Anton Mesmer died in 1815, forgotten. But his legacy lives on. Although science refuted his theory of “animal magnetism”, his methods paved the way for new therapeutic approaches. The concept of a subtle energy, a “fluid” that flows through us, inspired many subsequent theories and practices. These include the beginnings of sophrology and hypnosis (Mesmerism), as well as today’s energy healing methods, magnetism and biomagnetism. These are based on the idea of rebalancing theharmony of body and mind.
Imbued with the philosophy of the Enlightenment, he was one of the first to advocate a medicine derived from nature.
Mesmer was undoubtedly a visionary. Although he was unable to prove the existence of his universal energy, he was able to highlight the importance of the relationship between caregiver and patient, and the impact of suggestion on the healing process. His story reminds us that it’s sometimes necessary to think outside the box to advance medicine, even if we’re wrong. Franz-Anton Mesmer, the forerunner of energetic healing– and hypnosis for many – remains a fascinating character, a mixture of genius and charlatan, whose story still challenges us today.
It’s important to note that, although Mesmer may have been considered a pioneer, he was far from the only person to have resorted to this practice. Doctors and exorcists were also using the technique at the same time.
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