This summer, I’ve been intensely involved in deep edits for my novel The Alchemist’s Bride. This book, entirely set in turn-of-the-century New Orleans, has afforded me the opportunity to dig around in New Orleans’ illustrious past. And finding a few historical nuggets that I had no idea existed previously.

As this book touches on some metaphysical concepts, such as astral projection, alternate planes of existence, and mesmerism, it was of great value to me to discover that a group formed back in the 1850s, composed predominantly of French-speaking citizens, studied mesmerism, drawing from the renowned work of Franz Mesmer. They were called The Société du Magnétisme de la Nouvelle-Orléans or The Society of Magnestism of New Orleans. During its existence, its membership included doctors, attorneys, and brokers.

“The Société du Magnétisme de la Nouvelle-Orléans was the largest, most active, and most enduring American mesmeric (hypnotic) organization of its day.

This important group was officially established in 1845 and was in existence until the time of the Civil War. French influence upon the early course of development of hypnosis in America was significant in New Orleans, and also New England. The New Orleans Society’s transactions were published in a Paris-based French-language periodical, Journal du Magnétisme, the constitution was published in the 1847 volume.

Rules of the New Orleans Society of Magnetism

The study of magnetic phenomena and research into their origins, as well as the most appropriate procedures for bringing them about.
The dissemination of magnetism by informing the world of the universal means of healing and preservation that nature has given to each of us.
The therapeutic application of human magnetism to the treatment of diseases.
To reach that goal, the New Orleans Society of Magnetism, founded on the 9th of April 1845, established …

The New Orleans group dissolved probably because of the blockade of the South which disrupted contact with France and other difficulties occasioned by the conflict. … No hypnosis organization of consequence subsequently appeared on the American scene until nearly a century later when the Society for Clinical and Experiment Hypnosis was founded in 1949.”

Gravitz, M.A., Gerton, M.I. (1986) The Société du Magnétisme de la Nouvelle-Orléans: its place in the early history of hypnosis in America. International Journal of Psychosomatics. 33(4):11-4.

It is no secret, or perhaps in our present-day society it is, that the Spiritualism movement, which took root overseas in the early nineteenth century, also gained a foothold in New Orleans, attracting considerable study in the realm of esoteric arts. It seems that the lost Society of Magnetism may have also been part of that wave.

There is no question that there are still treasures in the past and knowledge that may require a bit of rediscovery.