as in hypnotism
the art or act of inducing in a person a sleeplike state during which he or she readily follows suggestions
made a living at mesmerism and the selling of medical remedies of dubious value
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Recent Examples of mesmerism
The combination of cultural individualism, industrialization, and technological advance created a cultural moment in which audiences were open to and actively explored the idea of unseen forces (hey, if telegraph and photography worked, why not mesmerism, spiritualism, or palm-reading?).
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
Learn about spiritualism, mesmerism and phrenology.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2024
The Society for Psychical Research was founded in the U.K. in 1882 to investigate possible paranormal activity, including mesmerism, thought transference, apparitions and even haunted houses.
—Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Richter then turned to the master of musical mesmerism for the movie’s soundtrack, to be performed live by a 14-player chamber ensemble of strings, winds and pairs of vibraphones and pianos.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023
In the eighteenth century, Franz Mesmer introduced his concept of mesmerism, or animal magnetism, involving a universal vital fluid that passes in and out through our pores.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021
This project, followed by work on similar lists, familiarized the young writer with alchemical treatises, Hermetic philosophy, Rosicrucian thought, and the major studies of mesmerism and witchcraft.
—Michael Dirda, The New York Review of Books, 28 May 2020
This mesmerism quiets my mind via an onslaught of repetition.
—New York Times, 26 May 2021
Another new, if poorly understood, psychological concept—mesmerism—informs another of his most haunting works.
—Colin Dickey, The New Republic, 21 July 2021
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024
Learn about spiritualism, mesmerism and phrenology.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2024
The Society for Psychical Research was founded in the U.K. in 1882 to investigate possible paranormal activity, including mesmerism, thought transference, apparitions and even haunted houses.
—Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Richter then turned to the master of musical mesmerism for the movie’s soundtrack, to be performed live by a 14-player chamber ensemble of strings, winds and pairs of vibraphones and pianos.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023
In the eighteenth century, Franz Mesmer introduced his concept of mesmerism, or animal magnetism, involving a universal vital fluid that passes in and out through our pores.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021
This project, followed by work on similar lists, familiarized the young writer with alchemical treatises, Hermetic philosophy, Rosicrucian thought, and the major studies of mesmerism and witchcraft.
—Michael Dirda, The New York Review of Books, 28 May 2020
This mesmerism quiets my mind via an onslaught of repetition.
—New York Times, 26 May 2021
Another new, if poorly understood, psychological concept—mesmerism—informs another of his most haunting works.
—Colin Dickey, The New Republic, 21 July 2021
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Cite this Entry
“Mesmerism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mesmerism. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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