Why People Go to Mediums: Motivations and Embodied Experience among Clients of the Three-Legged Stool Practice in Hungary
Emese Ilyefalvi
Studia Mythologica Slavica August 31, 2026 DOI: 10.3986/sms20262910 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Hungarian mediums practicing a 'three-legged stool' technique and their clients |
| Key findings | Argues that contemporary Hungarian mediumship is individualised and experience-centred, and that séances generate experiential certainty, help practitioners and clients address crises, and produce new forms of meaning. The article situates these practices within broader European and global spiritual and consumer landscapes. |
Abstract
This article examines contemporary mediumship in Hungary through ethnographic research among practitioners of a three‑legged stool technique and their clients. Drawing on interviews, participant observation and analysis of séance practices, the study explores why people seek contact with the dead and how these encounters generate experiential certainty, address crises and produce new forms of meaning. By situating the Hungarian material within broader European and global contexts, the article shows how individualised, experience‑centred mediumship operates within today’s spiritual and consumer landscapes.