From India to the Planet Mars: A Study of a Case of Somnambulism with Glossolalia

About this book

A medium describes journeys to Mars and begins writing in a language no one on Earth appears to know. She also recalls lives in India and at a French royal court. Her performances are extraordinary; the psychologist investigating her remains unconvinced by their supernatural explanation.

Théodore Flournoy records the trance experiences of Hélène Smith, including samples of her invented Martian script, then searches for their roots in memory, suggestion and imagination. The resulting case study sits at an unusual meeting point between early psychology, spiritualism and the human talent for making entire worlds.