Magnetism training in Portland.

Magnetism is a hands-on energetic practice with European roots, particularly French and Belgian, that traces its modern formulation to the work of Franz Anton Mesmer in the late 1700s. Although Mesmer's specific theory of "animal magnetism" was scientifically discredited, the practical hands-on tradition he initiated was refined and continued by generations of practitioners — particularly in France, Belgium, Spain, and parts of South America — and remains a vital wellness modality in those regions today.

A magnetism session looks deceptively simple. The practitioner stands beside the seated or lying recipient and uses a series of slow, intentional hand movements — passes, sweeps, transfers, localized contact — to support the recipient's energetic regulation. Where Reiki tends to settle the practitioner into a still, neutral state, magnetism is more dynamic: the practitioner is actively giving, drawing, sweeping, redirecting. The traditional descriptions speak of giving fluide, drawing it back, redistributing it.