author
Théodore Flournoy
1854–1920
A pioneer of psychology in Geneva, he explored the borderland between science, religion, and unusual states of mind. He is best remembered for his influential study of the medium Hélène Smith, which helped shape early thinking about the unconscious.
1 Audiobook
From India to the planet Mars: A study of a case of somnambulism with glossolalia
by Théodore Flournoy
About the author
Born in Geneva in 1854, Théodore Flournoy became a Swiss psychologist, physician, and professor at the University of Geneva. He is often remembered as an early builder of psychology there, helping establish its academic and experimental presence while writing for readers interested in both science and the mysteries of the mind.
Much of his lasting reputation comes from his investigations of mediumship and psychic phenomena. His best-known book, From India to the Planet Mars, examined the trance visions of Hélène Smith and treated them not simply as supernatural events, but as material for psychological study.
Flournoy wrote at a moment when psychology had not yet fully separated itself from questions about religion, suggestion, and spiritualism. That mix gives his work a special place in intellectual history: it shows a careful, curious researcher trying to understand extraordinary experiences without giving up a critical, scientific attitude.