Alan Gauld

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​Alan Gauld (1932-)
A British psychologist who taught biological psychology and neuropsychology at the University of Nottingham. Dr Gauld is well-known in the psi research community for his investigations and commentary, notably in the areas of poltergeists, mediumship and the early history of psychical research. He is a past president of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR). He is author of the critically-acclaimed A History of Hypnotism. Also author of Mediumship and Survival and The Founders of Psychical Research.

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A History of Hypnotism
In 1778, Franz Anton Mesmer introduced to Paris his theory of 'animal magnetism' and so began a school of thought which gradually spread across Europe and America. This book traces the history of the phenomena, practice and theory of mesmerism, hypnotism and multiple personality disorder. It discusses the ideas and influences of leading figures in the movement and decribes the use of the techniques in medical practice. Case histories and anecdotal accounts are used throughout to provide a fascinating insight into this controversial subject. In his epilogue, Gauld discusses modern approaches to hypnotism and multiple personality disorder, the role of hypnotism in clinical practice, and offers some ideas for understanding these intriguing phenomena. This detailed and scholarly work will be of interest to psychiatrists, psychologists and medical historians, as well as to the interested general reader.

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Mediumship and Survival: A Century of Investigations
​(The Paranormal series)*
Whether or not we survive physical death is one of humanity's most fundamental concerns. Here Dr Gauld draws on a century of evidence - mediumship, reincarnation, obsession, possession, hauntings and apparitions all seem to indicate survival. This is a compulsively readable assessment of evidence for and against survival and an excellent introduction to the field of psychical research.

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​The Founders of Psychical Research
Originally published in 1968. Centred upon the lives and work of Henry Sidgwick, Edmund Gurney, and Frederic Myers—prominent in the Society for Psychical Research (SPR)—during its early years: it is not a history of the Society. It passes over important aspects of the S.P.R.’s story and deals at some length with matters quite outside it. The book frequently gives accounts of ‘paranormal’ phenomena which if indeed they occurred, would not be explainable through any recognisable hypothesis, but are treated throughout as unexplained.

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*The Paranormal is an ebook series from F&W Media International Ltd, resurrecting rare titles, classic publications and out-of-print texts, as well as new ebook titles on the supernatural - other-worldly books for the digital age. The series includes a range of paranormal subjects from angels, fairies and UFOs to near-death experiences, vampires, ghosts and witchcraft.