Hadn't heard of this outlet before - quite an interesting article, but the conclusion started to get more than a bit esoteric. Looking through the chain of funding, we find that the funders are

> https://eppc.org/about/

> Founded in 1976 by Dr. Ernest W. Lefever, the Ethics and Public Policy Center is Washington, D.C.’s premier institute dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of public policy. From the Cold War to the war on terrorism, from disputes over the role of religion in public life to battles over the nature of the family, EPPC and its scholars have consistently sought to defend and promote our nation’s founding principles—respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, individual freedom and responsibility, justice, the rule of law, and limited government.

One of the key projects of some of the "traditionalists" is to tear down the Enlightenment and modernity/post-modernity itself - which, interestingly, coheres with the conclusion quite well; it's clear why the outlet published this article.

The history of mesmerism is interesting.