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How did Spiritualist healing differ from magnetic healing?
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Spiritualism
A Harry Houdini poster promoting a theatrical performance to discredit Spiritualism.
Spiritualist healing and magnetic healing are closely linked, as Spiritualism emerged from the Magnetist movement, which was founded on the theories of Franz Anton Mesmer.1
While Spiritualism adopted many of the assumptions and practices of the Magnetist movementâincluding a focus on spiritual healing and the public demonstration of phenomena like hypnotismâthe two movements differed fundamentally in their explanation of the healing process:12
- Magnetic Healing: This practice was based on the theory of animal magnetism, which posited that an invisible fluid within the human body and nature could be manipulated by a trained person to restore health.12
- Spiritualist Healing: Spiritualists maintained that healings were not the result of magnetic power or fluid manipulation, but were instead caused by the direct influence of spirits.1
In essence, while both movements utilized similar therapeutic frameworks, Spiritualism shifted the source of the healing power from the physical or magnetic realm to the spiritual world.1