Allan Kardec's theories and methods to investigate the nature of psychical experiences.
History of Psychiatry June 1, 2025 Marcelo Gulão Pimentel, Klaus Chaves Alberto, Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Allan Kardec (1804-1869), a French educator, was an early proponent of scientifically investigating psychical experiences and had significant influence in 19th-century Europe, though his life and research outcomes are now little known and often misunderstood. The paper presents Kardec's biography and his initial inquiries into psychical phenomena, especially mediumship. He raised and tested multiple hypotheses on the causes of mediumistic phenomena, including fraud, hallucinations, a new physical force, somnambulism (including unconscious cerebration), thought reflection (including telepathy and super-psi), and discarnate minds.