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these nontraditional nonlocal healing modalities actually began in Europe in the eighteenth century.
Mesmerism and Hypnosis
The charismatic German physician Franz Mesmer was, in 1779, the first person to systematically and scientifically investigate the healing of one person through the healing intentions of another. Although this sort of healing had been going on since the dawn of mankind, it appears that Mesmer was the first doctor to recognize the importance of strong rapport with his patients, as well as the relationship of psychological trauma to illness. In doing so, he led the vanguard of many courageous, unconventional, and effective healers to antagonize the medical establishment. He was also the first to utilize the trance-inducing techniques that have become the foundation of modern-day hypnosis therapy. He recognized the therapeutic benefits of human interactions for the treatment of nervous disorders, which he treated successfully. 11
Mesmer had a theory that an invisible magnetic fluid flowed through the human body, animating it and promoting its health and vitality. He believed that sickness resulted from any blockage of the flow of this fluid, and that his therapeutic technique, known as Mesmerism, was able to restore the harmonious flow. This concept approximates the theories underlying the Hindu concept of prana, the Chinese concept of chi or qi, the Japanese ki, the mana of the Polynesian Kahuna healers, and the concepts underlying current ideas of bioenergy, which we discuss further in Chapter 10.
Transfusion of Energy or Telepathy?
When Mesmer did his healing, he moved his hands up and down over the patient's body in a manner very similar to that of present-day practitioners of "energy" healing. Mesmer's charismatic personality, and his conception of transmitting magnetic fluid from his hands to the bodies of his patients, also have much in common with some twentieth-century religious healers

 
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