Gustav Geley
Encyclopedia
Dr. Gustav Geley was a French
psychical
researcher and director of the Institute Metapsychique International from 1919 to 1924.
, France
. He studied medicine at the Salpêtrière Hospital
with the great French anatomist Jean-Martin Charcot
, who also mentored Sigmund Freud
. His first book: "l'Etre Subconscient," published in 1899 in Paris, predicated a theory of dynamo-psychism
, a sort of internal "soul energy,". He was a critic of naturalistic
theories of evolution and his second book, "From the Unconscious to the Conscious," developed this into a more comprehensive theory in which he insisted that the phenomenon of "trance mediumship" was a "direct route" to this "soul energy."
According to some authors, Geley was a very keen, objective investigator and insisted on conducting his investigations under fraud-proof conditions that included both himself and a medium being chained and handcuffed during seance
s. Spiritist sources consider his paraffin casts of Polish
medium Franek Kluski
to be compelling proof of the paranormal. After a series of experiments with Kluski in Warsaw
, Poland
, Geley died in an airplane accident on July 15, 1924.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
psychical
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
researcher and director of the Institute Metapsychique International from 1919 to 1924.
Career
Geley was born in 1868 at Montceau-les-MinesMontceau-les-Mines
Montceau-les-Mines is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is the second-largest commune of the metropolitan Communauté urbaine Creusot-Montceau, which lies southwest of the city of Dijon....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He studied medicine at the Salpêtrière Hospital
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
The Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital is a teaching hospital located in Paris, France. Part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, it is one of Europe's largest hospitals...
with the great French anatomist Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot
Jean-Martin Charcot was a French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology. He is known as "the founder of modern neurology" and is "associated with at least 15 medical eponyms", including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...
, who also mentored Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
. His first book: "l'Etre Subconscient," published in 1899 in Paris, predicated a theory of dynamo-psychism
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
, a sort of internal "soul energy,". He was a critic of naturalistic
Naturalism (philosophy)
Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
theories of evolution and his second book, "From the Unconscious to the Conscious," developed this into a more comprehensive theory in which he insisted that the phenomenon of "trance mediumship" was a "direct route" to this "soul energy."
According to some authors, Geley was a very keen, objective investigator and insisted on conducting his investigations under fraud-proof conditions that included both himself and a medium being chained and handcuffed during seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
s. Spiritist sources consider his paraffin casts of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
medium Franek Kluski
Franek Kluski
Franek Kluski, real name Teofil Modrzejewski , was a Polish medium.-Career:According to French psychical researcher Gustav Geley, Modrzejewski's psychic powers manifested themselves during childhood and after undergoing a psychological change he became Franek Kluski...
to be compelling proof of the paranormal. After a series of experiments with Kluski in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Geley died in an airplane accident on July 15, 1924.
Further reading
- Geley, G. From the unconscious to the conscious (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1921)
External links
- Biography of Gustav Geley) (Answers.com)