Spiritualism and the New Psychology: An Explanation of Spiritualist Phenomena and Beliefs in Terms of Modern Knowledge

In the tumultuous years following the Great War, when grief-stricken families desperate for contact with the fallen turned to séances and spirit boards, spiritualism had become an unstoppable cultural force. Millais Culpin, a British physician and psychologist, approached this phenomenon not with mockery but with the cold, careful eye of science. He argues that the remarkable experiences reported at spiritualist gatherings have very real explanations in the human mind: dissociation, unconscious suggestion, and the powerful role of belief in shaping perception. Drawing on the emerging works of Freud and Janet, Culpin examines how mediums might genuinely believe in their abilities while simultaneously perpetrating elaborate deception. The paradox that fascinates him most is the honest trickster, the sincere fraud who deceives others only after first deceiving themselves. This book stands as a fascinating historical document, capturing a moment when psychology was still young enough to see itself as a revolutionary key that could unlock the mysteries of the irrational.