"Many people still believe that hypnotism originated in the work of Franz Anton Mesmer. However, Mesmer never actually hypnotised anyone. His many followers emphasised the notion of “animal magnetism”, a supernatural force emanating from the body of the mesmerist. However, their claims were widely rejected and repeatedly debunked. James Braid introduced the term “hypnotism” in contrast to “mesmerism” to describe the opposing view: that the effects upon their patients were due to ordinary psychological and physiological factors such as relaxation, focused attention, and suggestion, etc. From the 1840s onwards, Braid’s hypnotism gradually eclipsed mesmerism in popularity and became the basis of modern hypnotherapy."