Editing Society for Psychical Research (section)

===Psychical research===

Among the first important works was the two-volume publication in 1886, ''[[Phantasms of the Living]]'', concerning telepathy and [[apparitional experience|apparitions]], co-authored by Gurney, Myers and [[Frank Podmore]].<ref>[[Janet Oppenheim|Oppenheim, Janet]]. (1988). ''The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850–1914''. pp. 141–142. {{ISBN|978-0521347679}}</ref> This text, and subsequent research in this area, was received negatively by the scientific mainstream,<ref name="Sommer2"/> though Gurney and Podmore provided a defense of the society's early work in this area in mainstream publications.<ref>[[Edmund Gurney|Gurney, Edmund]].  (1887). [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ns-9.214.233 Thought-transference]. ''Science'', 233–235.</ref><ref>[[Edmund Gurney|Gurney, Edmund]]. (1887). [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t9088vz2x;view=1up;seq=445 Thought-transference]. ''National Review'', 9, 437–439</ref><ref>[[Edmund Gurney|Gurney, Edmund]]. (1888). [https://books.google.com/books?id=HSPkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA415 Hallucination of memory and ‘telepathy’]. ''Mind'', 13, 415–417.</ref><ref>[[Frank Podmore|Podmore, Frank]]. (1892). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cSM_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA234 "In Defense of Phantasms"]. ''The National Review''. Vol. 19, No. 110. pp. 234–251</ref><ref>[[Frank Podmore|Podmore, Frank]]. (1895). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/25103491 "What Psychical Research Has Accomplished"]. ''The North American Review''. Vol. 160, No. 460. pp. 331–344</ref>

The SPR "devised methodological innovations such as randomized study designs" and conducted "the first experiments investigating the psychology of eyewitness testimony (Hodgson and Davey, 1887), [and] empirical and conceptual studies illuminating mechanisms of dissociation and hypnotism"<ref name="Sommer1"/>

In 1894, the ''Census of Hallucinations'' was published which sampled 17,000 people. Out of these, 1,684 persons reported having experienced a hallucination of an apparition.<ref>Williams, William F. (2000). ''Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience: From Alien Abductions to Zone Therapy''. Routledge. p. 49. {{ISBN|1-57958-207-9}}</ref> Such efforts were claimed to have undermined "the notion of dissociation and hallucinations as intrinsically pathological phenomena".<ref name="Sommer1"/>

The SPR investigated many spiritualist mediums such as [[Eva Carrière]] and [[Eusapia Palladino]].<ref>Anderson, Rodger. (2006). ''Psychics, Sensitives and Somnambules: A Biographical Dictionary with Bibliographies''. McFarland & Company. pp. 14–132. {{ISBN|978-0786427703}}</ref>

During the early twentieth century, the SPR studied a series of [[Automatic writing|automatic scripts]] and trance utterances from a group of automatic writers, known as the [[cross-correspondences]].<ref>Edmunds, Simeon. (1966). ''Spiritualism: A Critical Survey''. Aquarian Press. pp. 178–180. {{ISBN|978-0850300130}}</ref>

Famous cases investigated by the Society include [[Borley Rectory]] and the [[Enfield Poltergeist]].

In 1912 the Society extended a request for a contribution to a special medical edition of its Proceedings to [[Sigmund Freud]]. Though according to Ronald W. Clark (1980) "Freud surmised, no doubt correctly, that the existence of any link between the founding fathers of psychoanalysis and investigation of the paranormal would hamper acceptance of psychoanalysis" as would any perceived involvement with the occult. Nonetheless, Freud did respond, contributing an essay titled "A Note on the Unconscious in Psycho-Analysis"<ref>1912 Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 26 (Part 66), 312–318.</ref> to the Medical Supplement to the Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research.<ref>Keeley, James P. "Subliminal Promptings: Psychoanalytic Theory and the Society for Psychical Research." American Imago, vol. 58 no. 4, 2001, pp. 767–791. Project MUSE, {{doi|10.1353/aim.2001.0021}}</ref>