Biographies

Carl Jung (1875-1961)

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology. A prolific author, he contributed to diverse areas such as psychiatry, psychology, anthropology, literature, philosophy, religious studies and parapsychology. He is also widely known for the cultural implications of his work and its influence on contemporary spirituality, arts, and popular media. This article focuses in particular on Jung’s interest in paranormal phenomena.

Théodore Flournoy (1854-1920)

Flournoy was one of the founders of psychology in Switzerland, a friend of Carl Jung, and one of the leading pioneers of the psychology of religion. Flournoy always advocated the scientific study of psychic phenomena as an important area that should not be ignored. In this paper, we review Flournoy's contributions to psychical research.

Hélène Smith (1861-1929)

Hélène Smith (1861-1929) was a Swiss medium, real name Catherine-Élise Muller, whose descriptions of 'life on Mars' and other trance visions were the subject of a detailed psychological study by Théodore Flournoy. Published in 1900, Des Indes à la Planèt Mars (From India to the Planet Mars), became a classic of psychology and psi research. The complex phenomena of glossolalia (imaginary languages) in this case has also been of interest to linguists. Less well-known is Hélène Smith's automatic painting, which inspired the work of surrealists such as André Breton.