Mesmerize. It is one of those words. It doesn’t happen to us often, but we know it when we are in the middle of it.
Mesmerize, as you know, is a verb. Which indicated action. But being mesmerized doesn’t really feel like an action. It is more like peaceful nirvana. It is a little bit like being hypnotized. Without being hypnotized.
Or maybe just a little bit spellbound.
Which is another word. Spellbound. To be spellbound is to hold the complete attention of (someone) as though by magic. It is a state of fascination.
Like being mesmerized. Which means to hold the attention of (someone) to the exclusion of all else or so as to transfix them.
The word “mesmerize” comes from a real person. It comes from Franz Mesmer (1734–1815). He was a German physician who believed in something he called “animal magnetism.” Not a connection with animals. No. But something else.
He thought there was an invisible natural force flowing between people that could be used to heal illness. To treat patients, he would use dramatic methods. He would do things like us, dim lighting, music, hand movements, and intense eye contact. And this would often put people into trance-like states. Hence, mesmerize.
“Mesmerism” referred to his method. And “mesmerize” came to mean to captivate or hypnotize someone.
Even though Mesmer’s theories weren’t scientifically valid, his work helped inspire the later development of hypnosis.
Experts can’t agree on whether Mesmer was a quack or a genius, but all concede that the late 18th-century physician’s name is the source of the word mesmerize. In his day, Mesmer was the toast of Paris and beyond. There, he enjoyed the support of notables, including Queen Marie Antoinette.
Many believe that what he actually used was what we now call hypnotism. Mesmer’s name was first applied to a technique for inducing hypnosis in 1784. You’re getting very sleepy….
As another note, the words “entrance” (to fill with wonder) and “trance” are related. They are literally tied to that same idea of being carried away mentally.
We actually slip into light trance states every day. These things happen when we stare out a window or drive down a familiar road. One of my favorites is watching the rain.
But modern hypnosis isn’t about control at all. It’s more like focused attention plus suggestion. Again, I say: “You’re getting very sleeeeeepy..”
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“There are moments when one is so completely absorbed in something that one loses all sense of self.” — Alan Watts
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“Hypnotism is not a power over others but a power within the self.” — Milton H. Erickson
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“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil
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“Where attention goes, energy flows.” — James Redfield
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