In hypnosis, we harken back to Friedrich Anton Mesmer,a German physician and astrologist, who invented what he called magnétisme animal (animal magnetism),a presumed intangible or mysterious force that is said to influence human beings. The term was used to explain the hypnotic procedure that he used in the treatment of patients. Mesmer believed that it was an occult force or invisible fluid emanating from his body and that, more generally, the force permeated the universe, deriving especially from the stars.
Hypnosis has come a long way since then. Still, there are those who enjoy exploring man’s ability to mesmerize animals. Not a part of my practice, but still this is fun to watch!
I found your post very informative, since I had no idea that hypnosis began as animal magnetism and later progressed into a form of treatment for humans. The video makes it clear that some still do practice hypnosis on animals, but how common is this, and does hypnotizing an animal differ greatly from hypnotizing a human?