Telepathy and Medical Psychology

Book excerpt: First published in 1947, the original blurb for Telepathy and Medical Psychology reads: ‘An increasing mass of evidence compiled during the past years has made the occurrence of telepathy and related phenomena an established fact. However, contemporary medical psychology has refused so far to acknowledge their existence and to reconcile them with their systems of thought. Dr Ehrenwald’s book is the first serious attempt in this direction. He shows that telepathy is subject to much the same psychological laws as govern dreams, neurotic symptoms and certain manifestations of mental disease. His approach moves largely along the lines of the psychoanalyst, but his conclusions are likely to shake some of the basic propositions of psychoanalysis itself. At the same time they throw fresh light on certain aberrations of character and personality and his new interpretation of paranoia and related disorders may well mark a turning point in modern psychopathology and psychiatry. Dr Ehrenwald writes his book not only for the medical psychologist: the problems discussed called for the attention of a wider public and his way of presentation makes it fascinating reading for the educated layman.’ Today it can be read in its historical context.