CHAPTER 1

HELENE SMITH STATES OF IMPERSONATION
I WILL begin with Helene Smith, a medium through whom some forms of parapsychic
phenomena are demonstrated with particular clarity, though many or the most characteristic of them are only found occasionally.
Helene Smith is the pseudonym of a mediumis- tically inclined Swiss lady, whose acquaintance was made by Th. Flournoy, Professor of Philo- sophy at the University of Geneva in the winter of 1894. She was then thirty years of age, of middle-class origin an employee in a business- house in Geneva, where, thanks to her intelli- gence, her position improved gradually. At the age of 14 her first abnormal experiences began. They took the form of nocturnal apparitions. Later on, new phenomena manifested themselves ; and finally, after she had joined spiritistic circles in 1892, and had herself become one of their disciples, she developed into a regular medium, experiencing while awake phenomena previously only experienced by her at night. Thus, in her writing, written characters differing from her
a 17
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own began to appear here and there. To these were added, later, acoustic phenomena and rapping. Finally the somnambulistic dream stage was attained. These conditions recurred with increasing frequency, thus rendering Helene Smith one of the most remarkable subjects for analytic observation in connection with the so-called " Phenomena of Impersona- tion " the modern form of " Possession." At such times her mind seemed to leave her body altogether, and to be replaced by another. So at least it appeared.
For five years, 18941898, Flournoy was able to observe her in the course of innumerable stances, during which period she derived no material benefit from the proceedings, and received no pecuniary remuneration in her capacity of medium. Nor were the greater part of her performances of a character to invite deception. She laid no claim to prophecy, nor did she excel in the usual telepathic or param- nestic performances to say nothing of giving any special demonstrations in the way of physical phenomena.
Inspirational phenomena predominated. These were shown with the greatest ease and abun- dance, and there is no other medium, through whom under equally close observation such phenomena were obtained with greater fre- quency.
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The spirits which apparently declared them- selves through Helne Smith fall into two categories historical and non-historical person- ages ; or, rather, in order to avoid any precon- ceived theory, those with which it is possible to connect a prototype in history, and those with which it is not. The former are confined to a few cases, such as Victor Hugo, Leopold Cag- liostro, the famous magician of the eighteenth century, and Marie Antoinette. The latter is infinitely the richer group. These spirits did not all declare themselves through Helene Smith at the same time. On the contrary ; her medial life may be divided into varying periods, or, more correctly speaking, cycles. Victor Hugo was the first to appear. His impersonation lasted five months, and then gradually diminished. His place was increasingly taken by Leopold Cagliostro, of whom a visual apparition proceeded the actual impersonation. As a matter of fact, it should be noted that in the case of Helene Smith there existed in general some peculiar connexion between visual and inspirational pheno- mena which has still to be explained in detail. From now onwards, Cagliostro became Helene Smith's actual " control." He appears to have been present according to the observations made by Flournoy throughout her entire further development. The impression received Is that he never leaves her he is conversant with
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her whole life. His conversation and writing, including the orthography, appear to date from the eighteenth century, and his physiognomy bears distinct resemblance to a historical portrait of Cagliostro. We have here a case where the physiognomy of the medium is subjected to considerable changes during the state of trance, taking on a resemblance to the features of the spirit which may happen to appear to be in control of the medium a very telling proof of the magnitude of the transformation in the mind of the medium while in a state of impersona- tion. All her impersonations have this charac- teristic. Flournoy describes again and again the ineffable art with which Helene Smith portrays the character of the moment.
" Helene should be seen when the ' royal ' trance is full and complete : grace, elegance, distinction, at times majesty in pose and gesture the actual demeanour of a queen. The most subtle shades of expression charming amiability, queenly condescension indifference and withering contempt, are shown in rapid succes- sion on her countenance and bearing as the defile* of her courtiers pass before her in her dream. The play of her hands with a real handkerchief and fictitious appurtenances fan, lorgnette, smelling- salts with a screw-top in a little bag attached to her girdle her curtseys, her movements full of careless grace, as she never omits to throw back her imaginary train at every step every thing, every smallest detail is perfectly and naturally worked out.
Seen under these conditions, she must impress us as a finished actress, except that, in contra- distinction to the real artist, she is entirely merged in her role, and retains no consciousness
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of her own real personality. On the other hand, however, these conditions cannot be accepted as proof of the conclusion that real impersona- tion through the spirits which have passed over actually exists.
" Possession," by Leopold Cagliostro, betrayed certain imperfections only too clearly. Helene Smith has no knowledge of Italian, neither had her Leopold ! Moreover, comparison of the two handwritings proved that there was no resemblance between that of the pseudo-Cag- liostro and the real one ; but that it was simply and solely the distorted handwriting of Helene Smith.
It is not different with the impersonation of Marie Antoinette. The old-fashioned ortho- graphy and handwriting are also shown in this case, but so are the same defects. The real handwriting of the French Queen was different, and her accent was German and not English. It is equally significant that Helene Smith's Marie Antoinette should use such modern words as tramway and photography, of which the historical queen could not have heard. These circumstances prove that there can be no question of actual " possession," however finished the imitation of strange personalities may otherwise be. To this must be added the fact that there are stages of transition between Helene Smith and those ostensibly impersonated. At certain
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moments Helene Smith feels herself becoming Cagliostro. Her own normal existence is mergec in that of the foreign personality which at that moment begins to live and stir within her mind and consciousness. She feels herself at one and the same time to be Helene Smith and Cagliostro ; just as the poet, in moments of inspiration, may feel himself at one with the creatures of his brain. This would seem impossible, had the real Cagliostro taken possession of Helene Smith's organism. Still more convincing proof of the non-identity of these personages presumably impersonated in Helene Smith's trances is the occasional appearance of characters from novels which she had read. They too lay claim to be taken seriously.
In the cases quoted so far, we have only been concerned with copies of characters which Helene Smith had met in fiction or in historical tradition. But her imagination was capable of far greater flights. Whole cycles of fictitious persons and situations were evolved by her. They all bear an exotic stamp, headed by an Indian cycle. Just as the impersonation of Leopold was preceded by his apparition, so did the Indian cycle begin with the visions of Indian landscapes, and was followed by Helene Smith's impersonation of visionary Indian figures apparently semi- historical personalities of the fourteenth century. From now on impersonations and visions began
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to intermingle in odd fashion. At the very moment that Helene Smith is metamorphosized into an Indian woman, she visualizes a little monkey in hallucination and plays with it.
The Mars-cycle is still more imaginative. Here, too, there was an intermingling of visions and impersonations. Helene Smith " acts " the inhabitants of Mars, and at the same time visualizes the imagined countryside, houses, plants, etc., of Mars. This cycle is further characterized by the introduction of a " Mar- tian " language. The Martians impersonated speak no language known on earth only Martian ; and their written characters differ entirely from any " earthly " alphabet. Flournoy has examined both languages and script most min- utely. The very melodious speech vowel sounds being estimated at seventy-three per cent and e's and i's preponderating was proved by him to be a thoroughly grammatically-grounded language ; but no independent tongue, merely a somewhat transformed French. The language was a specious production, constructed and used with amazing skill, but nevertheless a faked transformation of a European tongue; in fact, no new independent language. It was really wonderful how Helene Smith used this speech, which was evidently invented by her, with no opportunity of practising it out of her trances. It is as remarkable as if some one read through a
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foreign grammar, and forthwith began to speak in that language. This is the only comparison which can be made to Helene's power of using the newly invented script and of writing it fluently. Invention and mastery followed close upon one another, to the apparent exclusion of the usual practice necessary under normal circumstances.
Her abnormal memory and facility of repro- duction when in a trance has been established through two other facts. One day Helene Smith wrote in entirely unknown characters. Investigation proved these to be Arabian letters, and after further observation they were recog- nized as copied from a dedication, which a Geneva physician had written several years previously in his book, " En Cabylie." It was at least six years since Helene had seen that particular volume. Characteristically enough, these were the only Arabian letters ever traced by her hand. The second proof of her trance hypermnesie is demonstrated by her use of several genuine Sanscrit words when presumably speaking " Sans- crit " in her trance. Closer investigation dis- closed the fact that she had formerly held spiritualistic stances at the house of a person who dabbled in Sanscrit, where she may possibly have seen a Sanscrit grammar.
Given such prodigious feats of memory, Helene Smith's invented language and alphabet
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can well be understood. When the true nature of her trances was established beyond doubt, Flournoy made a bold move, and told the " Control " of the medium, Leopold Cagliostro, the truth to his face. The latter withdrew from the contest with the pointless phrase, " II y a des choses plus extraordinaire*" The incident, however, did not end here ; but it had further consequences for Helene Smith. New cycles were evolved in attempts to outbid the previous ones, with a view to giving a still more striking proof of the genuine character of the impersona- tions. In the place of Mars and the Martians appeared Asteroid and Uranus, to which later was appended a Moon cycle. New languages and newer and still more phantastic alphabets were evolved.
We have here, therefore, clear evidence of an effort to create belief in an imaginary intercourse with a higher world. Have we the right to accuse Helene Smith of deception ? It does not seem so. In any case the question does not arise in connexion with Helene Smith in her waking state, in her normal everyday sur- roundings, but can only refer to her state in somnambulistic trance.
Helene Smith, in a waking state, can only be held responsible for such actions to the same extent as a person who commits them in a som- nambulistic trance. But in the latter case
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responsibility is not usually attributed. We do not say that a person is responsible merely because he or she acts in a certain way, unless he or she has also complete control at the time of the normal mental faculties, and is not in an anomalous psychic state. Matters, however, are further complicated with regard to Helene Smith by the fact that her strange somnambulistic condition as well as her visions themselves were both occasioned by an impulse to prove the truth of her intercourse with supernatural spheres. All the same, Helene Smith cannot be held responsible for this when she is awake. Or are we to accept the explanation that Helene, while in a normal frame of mind, lends herself sub- consciously to such considerations ? Given such a hypothesis, even so she should not be held responsible, for there is no apparent sense in making a person accountable for thoughts and actions of which she is unconscious, while giving vent to them.
Helene Smith did not always enter into a complete trance ; the abnormal psychic processes often only manifest themselves in a semi-somnam- bulistic or even still vaguer state. Automatic writing was frequently produced, representing as it does, possibly, the most oft-recurring phenomenon of mediumship of the present day. We are here concerned with a most remarkable phenomenon, though so recurrent a one that it
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can be produced at any moment in spiritual- istic circles. Its explanation alone remains problematic.
Completely developed automatic writing con- sists according to the mediums in that their hands write purely mechanically, without know- ledge on their part of what they write. According to accounts by such authors as P. Janet and A. Binet, cases have occurred in which it was possible to converse with the mediums without dis- turbing them in the least in their writing. Cases have even been known in which the medium wrote with both hands simultaneously on different topics. There is no point in questioning these assertions as assertion of mere fact. But all cases are not of equally well-marked character. On the contrary, we find every possible grade and transition, ranging from normal voluntary active writing to these extremes.
According to the classic Anglo-French theory attributed to Taine, we are dealing with " dis- sociated psychic processes," or, when another ego appears to express itself in writing, with "secondary personalities." This theory is in complete harmony with that of the conception of the mind by Wundt, which until lately practically dominated German Psychology. Ac- cording to this theory the individual ego is no more than a synthesis of separate psychic parts, and there is no permanent element which can be
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called the soul. According to this view mediums possess two or more of such mental syntheses, whereas in the normal human organism all mental processes are united in the form of one single unit. This conception is irreconcilable with that of the modern monadic view of the mind propounded by me in my " Phenomenology of the Soul." My view, however, is also able to deal with the automatic processes of mediumistic phenomena without having to resort to the hypothesis of purely physiological " Reflex Pheno- mena. " This moreover is a hypothesis which cannot be sustained, for automatic documents are often so completely coherent that something more than reflex action must be presupposed. To my mind there are only two possibilities : either the writing-motions of the medium are controlled by intellectual activities and thoughts, which do not reach his conscious apperception, and of which he is as oblivious as we are oblivious of words addressed to us when we are otherwise engrossed, or else the medium is at fault when he professes unconsciousness of such thoughts. This again invokes a dual possibility : either the medium forthwith forgets what has been thought or written, or merely imagines that he does not know what he is writing about. The latter supposition, strange and improbable though it appears, is not unlikely. Innumerable cases have been established through the examination
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of Psychaesthenics, where the latter complained that they wrote absolutely mechanically and did not know what they wrote, despite proof on investigation that they were entirely aware of it. It seems that such persons lack the normal complement of emotional feeling in intellectual as well as in other directions. And inasmuch as they are painfully conscious of their deficient sensibility, so that their own sensations appear to themselves either strange or non-existent, it is possible that a similar result in a more marked manner may take place in intellectual matters, particularly as the process of thought are in themselves so unsubstantial. It is, therefore, hardly surprising if they feel as though they had lost the power of independent thought. From this the further deduction might be made that, when the mediums write automatically, the emotional consciousness which accompanies thought is suspended, and they are not therefore conscious of thinking. This explanation may apply to some cases and sufficiently explain them ; though it fails when the " personality " who has been writing automatically is incapable, when asked, of giving the sense of what has been so written. Upon this view it is impossible to determine experimentally whether retrograde amnesia supervened, or whether the act of thought in question did not penetrate to the conscious apperception ; for the effect is the
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same In either case. The individual concerned cannot indicate the contents of what was written either during or after the act of writing.
It is quite wrong from the monadic point of view to speak of " Subconsciousness." We speak of consciousness in all cases where we are cognizant of the psychic processes within us. " Subconsciousness," however, would imply that we possess such knowledge " below " our con- sciousness. This would mean that at one and the same time we have and have not such know- ledge, and consequently contains a complete inner contradiction. We may assume the ex- istence of as many subconscious processes as we please, but we must not talk of " subconscious
consciousness."
Automatic writing presents no specific qualities. It may consist of meaningless lines ; on the other hand, it may also have a quite coherent meaning, either commonplace or full of interest. Poems of considerable beauty have even been evolved in this fashion. With Helene Smith the auto- matic writing appears to be derived from the same functional psychic combination as that which fills the whole consciousness in her som- nambulistic impersonations.
But such automatic phenomena are not only confined to mediums. The best known case in connexion with a non-medium is that of Miss Beauchamp, examined by Morton Prince. In
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this instance, too, we are concerned with a whole crowd of so-called " personalities " who purport to be independent subjects, but who are, with- out doubt, only special modifications of Miss Beauchamp. Their relationship to each other is the same as that of the spirits to the medium, and they too make their presence manifest even in Miss Beauchamp's presumably normal state by means of automatic writing, hallucinations, etc. Here too, as in the case of Helene Smith, it might be argued that these strange phenomena are the result of suggestions made by the in- vestigator himself; but at any rate, they do exist, and are worthy of more minute study ; at least, as much as cases of hysterical anaesthesia, which it may be are also sometimes provoked by the treatment itself and caused by an intentional misdirection of the attention.
Such phenomena are, for the greater part, closely connected with the action of suggestion in hypnotic cases, the precise psychological nature of which we still do not know. The only experimental scientific German work which shows understanding of, and seeks connexion with, these problems is to be found in Ach's book on " Willing Experiments."
Apart from the phenomena of impersonation, Helene Smith seems to have evolved, though in a lesser degree, other phenomena of supernormal character in a narrower sense. She seems to
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have the gift of telepathy. Thanks to this gift, she is said to have had such an intimate knowledge of the private life of one of her fellow-clerks at her office that he was forced to give up his work there in consequence. On another occasion, for instance, she had a vision of Flournoy, said to be clairvoyance, when the latter was ill. How- ever, these facts are less completely established than are the phenomena of impersonation, since they are necessarily based on the reports of the medium herself or on the testimony of others. Even so, they can not always be completely explained. For instance, one day the medium automatically put down the signature of a priest, who, it was discovered later, had lived in a small hamlet in Savoy in the beginning of the nineteenth century. This signature absolutely corresponded with the original as recorded on ancient documents. It was, however, not proved that Helene Smith had ever seen this signature, which had been entirely forgotten. It was only found possible to prove that she had once passed through the village. It is, therefore, impossible to say how this automatic copy of the signature should be regarded.
Equally vague in the case of Helene Smith are the reports on physical mediumistic phenomena. It was stated that a piano, violin and bell produced spontaneous sounds in her presence. Further, she informed Flournoy that once,
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after the visit of a man who was unsympathetic to her, a couple of oranges lying on the piano precipitated themselves in his direction im- mediately on his departure as the expression of her distaste of his presence. But the sole wit- nesses for the truth of this story are Helene Smith and her mother ; we are therefore unable to gauge the probabilities of this assertion.
Finally, we should like to discover the exact importance of her mediumistic faculties to Helene Smith's general existence. Did they impair or advance the course of her life ? This question is answered by the fact that the chief phenomena only took place during spiritistic seances, consequently only with assent of the Medium. It is true that she was unable to produce them at her will in the ordinary sense of the word, but Helene Smith created or refused to create the atmosphere in which they spon- taneously developed. The only disturbances of her normal life were to be found in occasional semi-somnambulism, insignificant hallucinations, and illusions of compulsion. It also occasionally happened that an ordinary letter was replaced by one of her invented characters in the midst of her usual handwriting, or that the distinctive script of Marie Antoinette suddenly appeared altogether in its stead. Such occasional, though insignificant impediments to her normal mental existence were counter-balanced by many helpful 3
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mediumistic phenomena. Among these must be reckoned the useful counsels of Leopold Caglios- tro, conveyed by automatic writing, acoustic hallucinations, and other means. He advised her on her health, and his recommendations, con- cerning her participation in spiritualistic seances, invariably proved sensible and correct. This relationship between Helene and Leopold is nothing out of the common ; indeed it is of quite usual occurrence between the mediums who write automatically and the spirits which osten- sibly control them. The mediums are in closest sympathy with the spirits, who constitute them- selves their most faithful and intimate friends, to whom the mediums refer in all the great and small happenings of life ; and it is not uncommon for them to receive really valuable advice and instruction in this guise. This mental mechanism does not differ essentially from that of normal human beings. When we ponder over certain matters, the most valuable thoughts are some- times conveyed to us passively in the form of inspiration. The mental life of the medium is characterized by the fact that these same in- spirations appear at once in the glorified present- ment of thought and advice, emanating from a different personality. In the case of Helene Smith these thoughts are presented through automatic writing and acoustic hallucinations. We are obliged to assume that the medium does
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not possess an immediate apperceptive con- sciousness of these mental happenings but is only apprised of them through automatic writing or hallucinations. It is impossible meanwhile to determine the reason why such mental processes, which do not even reach apperception, should so easily set the writing-muscles in motion, or produce hallucinations. Sometimes the " un- conscious " processes in Helene Smith lead to more varied phenomena. One day as she was in the act of reaching from a cupboard an object too heavy for her physical strength, her arm suddenly stiffened, and Cagliostro explained later that he had been responsible for this to prevent her health from being impaired.
In other cases, when she wished to remember something, the answer presented itself in hallucina- tory form. She recovered a brooch in a similar fashion, which she had lost one Sunday during a country walk. Again, on another occasion, she was assisted by her mediumistic faculties in placing the order of a client who wrote to ask for a material No. 13459. No one in the whole house knew to what he referred, neither did Helene Smith, who also hoped to find it. Sud- denly she placed her hand quite mechanically on a roll of material, and when she looked closer she found it bore the number required. In all such instances her mediumistic faculties were of great use to her. But the greatest advantage
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gained thereby lay in their ultimately freeing her from her cramped material position. A rich American lady, who took a fancy to her, con- ducted her to a bank one day, and there made certain financial arrangements, which secured her independence for life. Her firm conviction that she was ordained for something better than that of a warehouse clerk was thus realized. She at once severed her connexion with her employers, but at the same time unfortunately with Flournoy, whom she had unsuccessfully tried to convert to spiritualism. Nothing further is known about her later medial development, though, considering how restricted Geneva circles are, inquiries on this point should not be difficult. 1 It is greatly to be desired in view of the interest presented by the observation of the psychic development of every Medium, that this omission should be rectified at the earliest opportunity.
1 Note by translator, Professor Oesterreich is misinformed. She took to psychic (inspirational) painting. Cf. " Annales des Sciences psychiques," pottfm up to 1914.