The treatment mechanism associated with having a person sit in a dark room and then touching a troubled area of a patient's body with a special rod was:

A) trephination.
B) exorcism.
C) mesmerism.
D) hypnotism.

Mesmerism

The method employed by Austrian physician F. A. Mesmer to treat hysterical disorders; a precursor of hypnotism.

Trephination

An ancient medical intervention in which a hole was drilled or scraped into the human skull, possibly to treat health issues related to intracranial pressure or as a ritualistic or spiritual practice.

Hypnotism

An absorbed state characterized by focused awareness and heightened openness to suggestion, commonly utilized for healing purposes.