What is Mesmerism? Mesmerism is the act of non-verbally using a trance-like state and shifting the energy field within a client. The term 'Mesmerism' is named after Franz Anton Mesmer, the pioneer of Mesmerism in the 1800's. It uses mainly non-verbal actions like gaze, fascination, passes (strokes) and other methods to instate trance and affect the body's energy field. Anton Mesmer believed there was an invisible ethereal 'magnetic like' fluid that ran through people's bodies. He also believed that when this magnetic field became unbalanced was when people became sick or experienced psychological issues. This phenomena he termed 'Animal Magnetism', and in modern day terms is also similar in ways to things like chakra balancing, reiki, kinisieology and energy healing. Like Mesmerism, these modalities all assume the presence of unseen energy within a person, and the need to balance this and manipulate it in different ways to achieve different effects. When performing Mesmerism on a client, a state of trance is induced and then the Mesmerist uses strokes (passes) to interrupt the energy field. This is done by moving the hands over certain regions of the body without physically actually touching the body. It can also be done by the Mesmerist focusing energy on different parts of the body through the power of thought. A Brief History As mentioned, Mesmerism was developed and named after Franz Anton Mesmer in the 1800's. Mesmer and his techniques came under much conjecture by the medical/scientific communities at the time and he was actually banned from practicing and told to leave Venice towards the end of his career. In the early days Anton believed that the invisible magnetic fields inside people were best affected by using physical magnetic devices as well as his own powers. As such he used steel magnetic vats and other objects to help re-balance people's energy fields and cure them of their diseases. Doing this he was quite popular and would often treat many people in his clinics at the same time. Mesmer later came to the conclusion that the magnetic objects were not needed, and thus practiced his phenomena of animal magnetism solely through his own devices. Mesmer was considered a real 'showman' and would often conduct elaborate sessions with very animated performances and different types of music to bring about changes in his clients. Although he received much criticism, I believe looking back, there were also a lot of elements that can now be explained by science, and that his contribution to the beginning of hypnosis was of the utmost importance. An old illustration showing Mesmerism in action Mesmerism is Not the Same as Hypnosis! Many people think hypnosis and Mesmerism are the same thing, but they are not, especially when compared to what is now called modern hypnosis. Hypnosis is primarily achieved through spoken words, but it does have elements of Mesmerism in the way a hypnotist and client interact non-verbally. This can be especially be seen where the hypnotist uses unseen forces to instate the trance state like gaze and fascination techniques. These rely on overpowering the client's energy field (personal space) in a way to drop their consciousness into lower levels of trance. This is done by the hypnotist usually in the induction process of hypnosis, and can be very effective particularly with a resistant client or to help them reach trance state quickly (rapid induction). However during hypnotherapy, it is the power of suggestion through words that is the main vehicle to instate change, rather then relying on non-verbal methods which is what happens primarily during Mesmerism.

Mesmerism is definitely not black magic. It is simply a physiological phenomena that has been used for positive purposes for many centuries. A lot of what people consider 'unknown' is often passed as magic, however as time goes on science is discovering more and more about how our mind works and the connection between our mind and body and the influence of other external stimuli.

This is Necromancy

We are not claiming that all examples of being slain in the Spirit are fakes or responses to a touch or push. Many people claim to experience an energy or a force that causes them to fall back. However, we find no biblical basis for this concept. Yes, there may be some energy or force involved, but if so, it is very likely not of God and not the result of the working of the Holy Spirit. It is unfortunate that people look to such bizarre counterfeits that produce no spiritual fruit, rather than pursuing the practical fruit which the Spirit gives us for the purpose of glorifying Christ with our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Being filled with the Spirit is not evidenced by such counterfeits, but by a life that overflows with the Word of God in such a way that it spills over in praise, thanksgiving, and obedience to God.

further read this book Mesmerism for the Massess



Dr. Pat Dixon, in his book Signs of Revival, endorses the Toronto Blessing movement and associated manifestations. He states, "[Altered States of Consciousness] are, the key to understanding many Christian experiences, particularly in what is happening to many churches today, we may refer to this as a trance or hypnosis."' Hypnosis, considered demonic by Christendom, has always been associated with occultists, shamans, sorcerers and others of their ilk. In The Toronto Blessing. Slain in the Spirit. the Telling Wonder, Mikhaiel devotes more than one hundred pages to a comparison between hypnotically induced behavior and "slain" behavior. After studying the phenomena, he offers several conclusions: * Non-Christians can receive the Toronto Blessing and remain unsaved. * Analysis is not conducive to experiencing the manifestations. * True prayer stops the manifestations. * The invoking of the Blood of Jesus stops the manifestations. * Manifestations may cause people to get out of line with Scripture. * Manifestations "may cause people to forget about Jesus. " * Manifestations allow people to experience supernatural power without devotion to Jesus.

Watchman Nee, a Chinese evangelist, proposed similar observations during a series of lectures in 1928. Nee stated that "Man's soul power is Satan's working instrument" and that soul power will be used in the last-days as a substitute for God's gospel and power. He further predicted that many last-day Christians would be deceived by Satan's use of this counterfeit power."

Mikhaiel states that "This is not the work of the Holy Spirit, but the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy."" While Mikhaiel definitely believes that all phenomena associated with "falling behavior," from tongues to "under the power" healings are suspect, his research is certainly worthy of serious consideration. Sometimes people act, in others, the atmosphere generated by the Pastor leads a state of hysteria , and the result is the fall , When the fall occurs, the pastor will say you had a demon inside and then the real show begins , the result will be that you (and several others) end up filling the pockets of the pastor.