What is the difference between Mesmerism, Magnetism and Hypnotism?
What is the difference between Mesmerism, Magnetism and Hypnotism
?
I will outline here the differences between between Hypnosis, Mesmerism and Magnetism, and do hope accordingly that what is written will help in putting more light into it. In our school of "mesmerismus" we use these concepts in the sense outlined heereunder (that is the same used by Mesmer and the most past important practitioners of magnetism)
1) While in verbal modern clinical hypnosis one works mainly on some concepts as suggestion, social context, etc..., when one speaks of Mesmerism and Magnetism then one works from a concept called "energy", which term means human "lifeforce". Sexual reproduction, or the natural growing of man and his tendency toward health. are some manifestation of this lifeforce. This lifeforce is therefore very the western equivalent of the terms Chi or Prana in orient. For Mesmerism this energy/lifeforce is a natural expression of the "animal part" of man (thus the term being "animal magnetism"). Lifeforce is independent and precedes any rational thoughts. Man with civilization and rationality has often blocked this animal part, into a fixation losing therefore some of his vital capabilities.
Note as these two concepts: animal mind and civilized/logical mind are used in mesmerism and magnetism instead of the concepts of consciousness and that of the unconsciousness (these being originally of freudian origin).
A primary step therefore is the awakening of this "animal energy".
This is a first important terminological and conceptual difference with traditional verbal hypnosis.
2) Mesmerism aims toward harmony and balancing. An axpect of the blockage of the natural animal part of man ("the fixation"), is often the continous predominance of a sense toward the others or the muscular tensions. This predominance is a defence mechanism. It corresponds to a state of permanent fear and makes difficult to see the true reality. True reality is only perceivable through breaking this fixity and requilibration and rebalancing of the senses. At this point we can acceed to the "sensorium commune" that we could translate as "common or general sense", where the whole of our nervous system acts is in reality a "sixth sense" permitting a serie of perceptions and the access also to a subtle spiritual level. Here we see a difference with modern theories as for example NLP. The complete natural and healthy state is not reachable through the excitation of a single sense (not through a "strategy" of different sensory channels that can only have utilitaristic use) but instead only through the access to this more general level.
3) Mesmerism work gears itself toward awakening this lifeforce. The work of the mesmerist is adding energy to the system and thus exciting the "animal mind (or animal part)" of the subject. This will "break the point" the so called "fixation" of man. It act as a re-direction and finally re-balancing of these otherwise blocked energies. (Here there is a strong similarity with bioenergetic work). Note that lifeforce/energy it is not purely physical and iits effects can happen also on a subtle plane, creating various psychic effects. For exemple it can be transmitted. This concept of awakening internal lifeforce whose physical basis is in the sexual part of man and is expressed also in vitality is the western counterpart of similar concepts of indian "kundalini", which when awakened creates various effects. In any case the most important element to understand is not the transmission or the so-called psychic effects, but instead the awakening of something already inside the man. The key to do it is in exciting it through various systems, mostly non verbal (the "fire"). This is a second methodological difference with current normal concept of verbal hypnosis where it is mainly spoken of relaxing the conscious mind. Sometimes some hypnotists (as Gil Boyne) spoke of "exciting the imagination". Here we begin to have some similarities. The true goal of mesmerism in any case is in exciting the inner animal mind, which may be viewed a concept also physiological, and it is therefore wider than only exciting the imagination. So the inductions of some so called "primitive" populations with chants and sounds, dances and other are often more effective and similar to mesmeric techniques than the modern hyperworded text used in many types of verbal hypnosis. Also fascination, with its use of the hypnotic gaze that excites the reaction of a subject, is another technique similar to mesmerism.
4) For Mesmerism and Magnetism, man is in the universe and part of it. Lifeforce is a manifestation that follows the balance of man in the universe. Naturally man should be in balance and there is natural tendency toward this direction. The hillness is an imbalance inside man and also between man and universe. What we do is only act in a way that recover the natural balance in man that is also a part of an universe. Symbols and other elements are useful in this process of rebalancing. This is a third axiomatic difference with normal verbal clinical today's hypnosis that normally doesn't take in count the universal paradigm but only the personal or the social while in Mesmerism thought is fundamental.
(Mesmer said: A responsive influence exists between the heavenly bodies, the earth, and animated bodies. The animal body experiences the effects of this
agent, and is directly affected by its insinuation into the substance of the nerves.)
Healing in any case is natural. Awakening the animal mind will automatically go in this direction and heal the person. Healing can therefore sometimes be instantaneous.
In our school (www.mesmerismus.info) we currently show it in a video where you can see Di Pisa's fascination method. There is no suggestion involved. The only fact is that we "break the point" using only the hypnotic gaze and creating a state of void of a microsecond, immediate release of tension follows, and we bring the person to a normal state so fast that tensions are no more formed.
4) Another technical difference is the parts of the mind toward which is directed the operator's action.
The animal mind that Mesmerism or Animal Magnetism wants to excite could probably be modernly compared with the cerebellum, the reptilian brain in Mac Lean Paradigm. In a modern perspective the reptilian brain is responsible of the fight/flight reactions as well of the awakening of the sexual energy in a person. So the methods based on gaze, touch, ect, work on this ancestral side of the man exciting it and to putting the subject in a sort of trance. "Suggestion" is not the best term for true mesmerism as activation of sexual energy or states of tensions and defences are not suggestions, but instead complex physiological reactions. So we can understand why magnetism works always even if the person is unwilling or defying (in a video we show how a person defying will stay stuck - and this was also Donato's method). Modern verbal hypnosis is instead more geared toward neocortex fonctioning.
5) Mesmerism and Magnetism are mainly non verbal. Gaze, touch, emotions, even subliminal sexual excitation (at a subliminal level normal when the persons are of opposite sex), etc..., are elements that can be used in creating this specific trance. Mesmerism work is very sinthetic and fast. We don't use ten stimulations if one is sufficient. A profound knowledge of the non verbal communication is fundamental in this direction. In the school of dr. Paret we have codified a way of using the non verbal communication toward this goal (the first codifier of it was a certain Prof. Benemeglio). Cerebellum's activation concept through non verbal communication is a concept completely absent in most modern normal clinical verbal hypnosis. Modern hypnosis is very useful, but is headed mostly at the cerebral cortex of man and at "un-tying the knots of living".
We see a similar excitation of the profound animal mind in some public hypnotic shows were the subjects are afraid or at least emotionated of being on stage, or to react different as the others. Therefore Mesmer worked mainly with groups.
From the point of view of Mesmerism, these are cases in which sometimes we can see reactions of excitation that are created by the most profound mind of man.
But in the cases when words are used we could distinguish when these results are obtained only through social compliance and when there is an inner excitation. This could easily being spotted using language in strange ways. For exemple, while an hypnotist of the verbal school will do very attention to his languaging, the operator of mesmeric and magnetic techniques can even use words that from the point of view of the former are ill-formed, as for exemple: "You shouldn't be able now to open your hands" and obtain equally even stronger results with in this case a person not being able to open them. He could even not word the suggestions.
To achieve the strongest results words are not really necessary. They risk instead to block as they activate the conscious civilized rational mind and they
hinder the possibility of most extranormal results. This is the explication why these results are recorded less often in this century.
6) Finally some elements more about the sexual part (unique to these techniques) and some historical development.
To better understand historically Mesmerism it is important to know that it was born out of preceding traditions that had similar points to the tantric tradition in India but typical of western countries some of them are still living (at least in Italy and in some french traditions).
This was the ancient and secret real alchemical tradition that, concealed under the veil of strange symbols, had the goal of spiritual advancement.
The excitation, sounds etc... where all elements that brought people in specific state of consciousness.
Mesmer polished it and put it in a way that was more acceptable to the society of his century and instead of concentrating on spiritual growth (similar manifestations were before always conducted in a religious paradigm), he concentrated only on healing.
So it is easy to understand why the french commission was contrary to Mesmerism. While they didn't denied the effect (even if attributing them to other causes) they wrote also a secret report (now easily readable on the internet) that outlined the moral risks of mesmerism.
The marquis of Puysegur solved the moral question putting the subjects in a trance with closed eyes, so interactions with operator were reduced and controlled. The Baron Dupotet (that was in any case a very powerful magnetist) refined it even more and created the concept of Magnetism as it is intended today. But to unleash the true power of it a complete idea of the paradigm is necessary.
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