Re-visioning antebellum American psychology: the dissemination of mesmerism, 1836-1854

Mesmerism, the French method of treating illness and inducing trance, was introduced to the United States in 1836. A cohort of Americans took to the practice enthusiastically, publishing materials, presenting lectures attended by thousands, conducting empirical investigations, and treating untold numbers of ill people. These practitioners understood their profession addressed the mind, and they often referred to their work as "psychology." The mesmerists speculated about mind-brain links and investigated "interior states," "mental healing," and the controversial "higher mind powers" such as clairvoyance. Antebellum culture is the backdrop for this study of the rise, fall, and dispersion of mesmerism in the United States. Evidence provided warrants a reappraisal of mesmerism's significance for 19th-century psychology.