December 2016
Pimentel, Marcelo Gulão, Alberto, Klaus Chaves and Moreira-Almeida, Alexander Investigations of psychic/spiritual phenomena in the nineteenth century: somnambulism and spiritualism, 1811-1860. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, 2016.
This paper explores the scientific interpretations on phenomena such as magnetic somnambulism and modern spiritualism.
Reports on psychic / spiritual phenomena are found in all cultures throughout the time. In the early nineteenth century, investigations into the nature of these phenomena, such as trances and the supposed communication with spirits, prompted much debate in the scientific arena.
This article discusses the main explanations offered by researchers of psychic phenomena reported between 1811 and 1860. It focus on two main movements in the period: magnetic somnambulism and modern spiritualism.
While the investigations of these phenomena gave rise to multiple theories, they did not yield any consensus. However, they did have implications for the understanding of the mind and its disorders, playing an important role in the history of psychology and psychiatry.
Read the full article in English and Portuguese:
Pimentel, Marcelo Gulão, Alberto, Klaus Chaves and Moreira-Almeida, Alexander Investigations of psychic/spiritual phenomena in the nineteenth century: somnambulism and spiritualism, 1811-1860. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, 2016.
Pimentel, Marcelo Gulão, Alberto, Klaus Chaves and Moreira-Almeida, Alexander. As investigações dos fenômenos psíquicos/espirituais no século XIX: sonambulismo e espiritualismo, 1811-1860. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, 2016, no.ahead, p.0-0. ISSN 0104-5970
