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From India to the Planet Mars: A Study of a Case of Somnambulism with Glossolalia
Occult communication with Mars providing detailed descriptions of Martian society, customs, language, cultural and scientific progress, etc. ". a well-known contribution to the literature of psychic research."
- GenresPsychologyBiography
446 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1899
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262 people want to read
About the author
Théodore Flournoy
65 books3 followersThéodore Flournoy (15 August 1854 – 5 November 1920) was a professor of psychology at the University of Geneva and author of books on parapsychology and spiritism.
He is best known for his study of the medium Helen Smith (or Hélène Smith - a pseudonym for Catherine Muller) who relayed information about past lives through a trance state, entitled From India To The Planet Mars (1899). Flournoy described her outpourings as the products of cryptamnesia and as 'romances of the subliminal imagination,' - as evidence of the unconscious mind.
His book Spiritism and Psychology (1911) translated by Hereward Carrington claimed more broadly that mediumship could be explained by suggestion and telepathy from the medium's subconscious mind and that there was no evidence for the spirit hypothesis.
He is best known for his study of the medium Helen Smith (or Hélène Smith - a pseudonym for Catherine Muller) who relayed information about past lives through a trance state, entitled From India To The Planet Mars (1899). Flournoy described her outpourings as the products of cryptamnesia and as 'romances of the subliminal imagination,' - as evidence of the unconscious mind.
His book Spiritism and Psychology (1911) translated by Hereward Carrington claimed more broadly that mediumship could be explained by suggestion and telepathy from the medium's subconscious mind and that there was no evidence for the spirit hypothesis.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 8, 2013
Please note the appended, edited essay by Daniel Rosenberg which details the Helene Smith/Theodore Flournoy interaction from the perspective of language theory. Flournoy's own approach, reminiscent of the writing of Freud and Jung, is much more psychological, but Rosenberg's appreciation added a dimension to my understanding of the text.
The appeal of Flournoy's study is in his persistent attempts to come to grips with the amazing performances of his subject, to make sense of matters which most persons would either dismiss or uncritically accept. What the Smith case and others like it (C.G. Jung's own doctoral dissertation, for instance) appear to demonstrate is a remarkable adjunct to the work of human potential theorists like Abraham Maslow as well as to students of the history of religion--and, for that matter, poetry in its most archaic forms.
Flournoy was skeptical and critical enough to satisfy my need for such in the face of "high weirdness". Yet, like me, his interest in the phenomena reveals a kindred fascination.
The appeal of Flournoy's study is in his persistent attempts to come to grips with the amazing performances of his subject, to make sense of matters which most persons would either dismiss or uncritically accept. What the Smith case and others like it (C.G. Jung's own doctoral dissertation, for instance) appear to demonstrate is a remarkable adjunct to the work of human potential theorists like Abraham Maslow as well as to students of the history of religion--and, for that matter, poetry in its most archaic forms.
Flournoy was skeptical and critical enough to satisfy my need for such in the face of "high weirdness". Yet, like me, his interest in the phenomena reveals a kindred fascination.
July 13, 2012
Riscrivendo dopo tanti anni la recensione ai libri della mia libreria, mi sorprendo a volte del fatto di come molti di loro abbiano sedimentato dentro di me dando origine a pensieri che credevo miei e invece no, sono frutto di altre menti. Questo libro mi era piaciuto tantissimo, me lo ricordo. Racconta la storia vera di uno psicologo (l'autore) che viene chiamato a visitare una signora trentenne che si dichiara Medium.
la signora in questione si lascia andare a visioni e racconti di storie marziane e indù (delle quali ho un vago ma divertente ricordo).
Alla signorina Helene non viene dato molto credito quando parlava di linguaggi che venvano da fuori, di paranormale e reincarnazioni. Tutto veniva rigorosamente riportato su un piano scientifico (dimostrabile e classificabile) e letto con l'entusiasmo che un nuovo linguaggio (quello della psicologia) poteva dare.
Penso che sia un libro che, se fosse scritto ora, sarebbe scritto con un tono diverso e potrebbe avere un notevole successo, alla luce della diffusione che le culture diverse dalla nostra hanno e all'apertura di nuove possibilità.
Lo definisco necessario per tutti coloro che amano la psicoanalisi, lo spiritismo e le ermetiche cose.
la signora in questione si lascia andare a visioni e racconti di storie marziane e indù (delle quali ho un vago ma divertente ricordo).
Alla signorina Helene non viene dato molto credito quando parlava di linguaggi che venvano da fuori, di paranormale e reincarnazioni. Tutto veniva rigorosamente riportato su un piano scientifico (dimostrabile e classificabile) e letto con l'entusiasmo che un nuovo linguaggio (quello della psicologia) poteva dare.
Penso che sia un libro che, se fosse scritto ora, sarebbe scritto con un tono diverso e potrebbe avere un notevole successo, alla luce della diffusione che le culture diverse dalla nostra hanno e all'apertura di nuove possibilità.
Lo definisco necessario per tutti coloro che amano la psicoanalisi, lo spiritismo e le ermetiche cose.
November 3, 2012
I would be happy to find a translation into English of Waldemar Deonna's 1932 "De La Planete Mars en Terre Sainte," which continues the story of Catherine Elise Muller ("Hélène Smith") beyond the period described in Flournoy's volume -- or, for that matter, any other subsequent biography of Muller.
December 8, 2025
I tracked this book down because I had been reading through the collected works of Carl Jung, and noticed that in every volume thus far, he had referenced Flournoy and this book specifically. Having now read it, it is clear that it heavily, heavily influenced almost the entire life and career of Jung, and I would argue that it was a bigger influence on him than even Freud. Almost every few pages casually introduces a new concept that Jung would later go on to write entire books about.
The main crux though is the idea of the medium, ostensibly speaking to/through the dead and/or being from another planet. Flournoy's argument though is that these are all rather just conversations with the subconscious of the medium themself (before the theory of the subconscious was well popularized by Freud). He presents detailed descriptions of various seances he was present for, and gives his reasoning as to how these cannot be anything but the sole mind of the medium, oftentimes in a highly suggestible state reacting (unknowingly) to their audience - but he is clear that there is no dishonesty or acting on the part of the medium, and that they themselves often fully believe in what they are saying (and where it is coming from).
It is a fascinating read, and opens the door to many, many questions about the nature of the subconscious, but as Flournoy explains many times, he (and science overall) is not yet prepared to tackle those questions. Luckily, we have Freud and Jung to succeed him and put forth their best efforts on the matters.
If there's one thing that the book strongly argues for, it is the idea that anything and everything that goes into our heads (no matter how small or minute), stays there and is always accessible to the subconscious (though much of it lost to the active consciousness).
The main crux though is the idea of the medium, ostensibly speaking to/through the dead and/or being from another planet. Flournoy's argument though is that these are all rather just conversations with the subconscious of the medium themself (before the theory of the subconscious was well popularized by Freud). He presents detailed descriptions of various seances he was present for, and gives his reasoning as to how these cannot be anything but the sole mind of the medium, oftentimes in a highly suggestible state reacting (unknowingly) to their audience - but he is clear that there is no dishonesty or acting on the part of the medium, and that they themselves often fully believe in what they are saying (and where it is coming from).
It is a fascinating read, and opens the door to many, many questions about the nature of the subconscious, but as Flournoy explains many times, he (and science overall) is not yet prepared to tackle those questions. Luckily, we have Freud and Jung to succeed him and put forth their best efforts on the matters.
If there's one thing that the book strongly argues for, it is the idea that anything and everything that goes into our heads (no matter how small or minute), stays there and is always accessible to the subconscious (though much of it lost to the active consciousness).
January 15, 2025
Ho amato questo libro su sonnambulismo! Mi ha aperto un mondo!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews