(Mesmer, Mary Baker-Eddy, Freud)
At first, people attributed illness to the influence of the gods and sought the help of priests for healing. Over time, they discovered the healing power of plants and learned to extract ointments and potions from them. However, faced with spiritual illnesses, people were helpless until well into the 18th century, when they were still unable to establish the causes and motives of mental illnesses. In Healing by the Spirit, published in 1931, Stefan Zweig clearly and precisely sets forth the thinking and development of three individuals who developed a method of psychic healing: Franz Anton Mesmer, who did so through suggestion and reinforcement of the will to heal; Mary Baker-Eddy, who resorted to the ecstasy of faith (Christian Science); and Sigmund Freud, who, claiming the knowledge of the Self and seeking the origin of all illness in unconscious psychic conflicts, would found psych...read more
