Hypnotherapy has struggled for scientific acceptance ever since Franz Mesmer claimed in the 18th century that he could cure all manner of ills with what he termed "animal magnetism".

催眠术之父弗朗兹·麦斯迈在十八世纪宣称，他可以用所谓的“动物磁力”治疗所有疾病。二百多年过去了，催眠疗法现在还饱受科学争议。