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¿Dobles O Espíritus? Las Teorías Del Desdoblamiento Frente Al Espiritismo En La España De Principios Del Siglo Xx

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¿Dobles O Espíritus? Las Teorías Del Desdoblamiento Frente Al Espiritismo En La España De Principios Del Siglo Xx Asclepio. Revista de Historia de la Medicina y de la Ciencia 66 (1), enero-junio 2014, p035 ISSN-L:0210-4466 htp://dx.doi.org/10.3989/asclepio.2014.09 ESTUDIOS / RESEARCH STUDIES ¿DOBLES O ESPÍRITUS? LAS TEORÍAS DEL DESDOBLAMIENTO FRENTE AL ESPIRITISMO EN LA ESPAÑA DE PRINCIPIOS DEL SIGLO XX Andrea Graus Centre d’Història de la Ciència (CEHIC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona [email protected] Recibido: 7 febrero 2013; Aceptado: 27 mayo de 2013. Cómo citar este arículo/Citaion: Graus, Andrea (2014), “¿Dobles o espíritus? Las teorías del desdoblamiento frente al espiriismo en la España de principios del siglo XX”, Asclepio 66 (1): p035, doi: htp://dx.doi.org/10.3989/asclepio.2014.09 RESUMEN: El presente arículo aborda la relación entre las teorías del desdoblamiento y el espiriismo en España. Se exponen dos casos acontecidos a principios del siglo XX. El primero describe el desdoblamiento de la personalidad que el médico Víctor Melcior atribuyó a la médium Teresa Esquius. El segundo trata la polémica, entre el astrónomo Josep Comas y el espiriista Jacint Fornaguera, respecto al desdoblamiento corporal en la médium Carmen Domínguez. Se argumenta que esta clase de debates favorecieron el estudio cieníico de la mediumnidad. PALABRAS CLAVE: Desdoblamiento; Espiriismo; Mediumnidad; Metapsíquica; Doble Personalidad. DOUBLES OR SPIRITS? DISSOCIATION THEORIES AGAINST SPIRITISM IN SPAIN AT THE BEGINNINGS OF THE 20TH CENTURY ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the relaion between dissociaion theories and spiriism in Spain. It shows two cases that took place at the beginnings of the 20th Century. The irst describes the mental dissociaion that the physician Víctor Melcior atributed to the medium Teresa Esquius. The second shows the polemic, between the astronomer Josep Comas and the spiriist Jacint Fornaguera, in regard to the bodily dissociaion in the medium Carmen Domínguez. It is argued that these kind of debates favoured the scieniic study of mediumship. KEY WORDS: Dissociaion; Spiritualism; Mediumship; Psychical Research; Secondary Self. Copyright: © 2014 CSIC. Este es un artículo de acceso abierto distribuido bajo los términos de la licencia Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial (by-nc) Spain 3.0. ANDREA GRAUS INTRODUCCIÓN 2004; Horta 2001, 2004), el magneismo e hipnoismo (González de Pablo, 2006b; Moniel & González de Pa- A lo largo del siglo XIX despertó el interés por los blo, 2003) y la metapsíquica (Mülberger & Balltondre, fenómenos del desdoblamiento de la personalidad, 2012, 2013; Mülberger, 2008; Roca, 1986). Sin embar- los cuales fueron relacionados con los campos del go, la inluencia de las teorías del desdoblamiento, en magneismo y el espiriismo (Véase, por ejemplo: relación al estudio cieníico de la mediumnidad, si- Plas, 2012; Wolfram, 2012; Méheust, 1999; Crab- gue inexplorada. El propósito del presente arículo es tree, 1993; Shamdasani, 1993, 1994; Oppenheim, profundizar en este tema. 1985). Como mostró Ellenberger (1976) en su clá- sico The discovery of the unconscious, el auge del Según argumentaré, el desdoblamiento, ya fuera espiriismo contribuyó al desarrollo de las disintas en senido ísico o psicológico, cuesionaba la hipó- nociones sobre el inconsciente, como la idea del sub- tesis espiriista. El médium dejaba de ser considera- consciente de Pierre Janet. Al teorizar sobre la diso- do como un mediador entre los vivos y los desencar- ciación psicológica y la formación de segundas per- nados. Sus fenómenos se creían producto de fuerzas sonalidades, Frederic W. H. Myers, Edmund Gurney, inconscientes y desconocidas. Para comprender la Théodore Flournoy, Alfred Binet o Pierre Janet se importancia de esta cuesión se relatarán dos con- basaron en casos propios de la mediumnidad y el so- troversias, hasta ahora no estudiadas, en torno a nambulismo natural (Sommer, 2011; Alvarado, 2002, la disociación y la mediumnidad. Ambas polémicas 2010; Léblanc, 2001; Shamdasani, 1994; Ellenberger, representan dos ejemplos notables del impacto de 1976). Como argumentaré en este arículo, en Espa- las teorías del desdoblamiento en España a princi- ña la deinición de Janet del desdoblamiento de la pios del s. XX. Como se verá, dichas teorías fueron personalidad, en relación al espiriismo, fue la más presentadas por algunos médicos como la explica- difundida. Se encargaron de promoverla médicos y ción racional de la posesión espiritual. Esta acitud, psiquiatras interesados por los fenómenos mediúm- sostenida por psicólogos como Pierre Janet o Julian nicos, como Víctor Melcior y Farré o Antonio Gota Ochorowicz, y generó importantes debates en la lí- Casas (Gota, 1909a, 1909b; Melcior, 1904, 1900). nea de los que se van a exponer (Véase, por ejemplo: Brower, 2010; Plas 2000). Asimismo, los espiriistas Aparte del desdoblamiento en senido psicológico, españoles tampoco fueron ajenos a esta clase discu- invesigadores de los fenómenos paranormales como siones, como mostraré en este arículo. Albert de Rochas d’Aiglun defendieron la existencia de un desdoblamiento ísico o corporal. En su grado El primer caso que expondré se reiere a la mé- máximo, el individuo luídico o doble se desprendía dium Teresa Esquius, a quien el médico Víctor Mel- del cuerpo del médium o, en su caso, del sujeto hip- cior y Farré (1860-1929) diagnosicó un desdobla- noizado (Rochas, 1897). La exteriorización del doble miento de la personalidad. Este desdoblamiento permiía, según Rochas (1897), explicar fenómenos fue sanado mediante terapia hipnóica por parte de ísicos propios del espiriismo, como la levitación o Melcior. El segundo caso trata de la polémica, entre los aportes, sin la intervención de los espíritus. Así el astrónomo Josep Comas y Solà (1868-1937) y el lo defendieron Hector Durville o Hyppolite Baraduc, espiriista Jacint Fornaguera, respecto al desdobla- invesigadores en el campo del magneismo, en el miento corporal en la médium Carmen Domínguez. Congreso de Psicología de París de 1900. En este, los En ambos casos, muy polémicos entre los espiriis- temas relacionados con los fenómenos espiríicos tas, se observarán las implicaciones que supone re- tuvieron una hosil acogida debido a la oposición de futar la hipótesis espírita y entender la mediumnidad algunos asistentes, como el neurólogo alemán Oskar como producto de un desdoblamiento. Finalmente, Vogt (Brower, 2010; Plas, 2000). En España, aunque argumentaré que este debate contribuyó a fomentar las teorías de Rochas no tuvieron una gran acogida, el estudio cieníico de la mediumnidad. fueron defendidas por médicos como Abdón Sánchez Herrero (1852-1904), amplio conocedor de los fenó- LA «VERDADERA» MEDIUMNIDAD menos del hipnoismo trascendental. El desdoblamiento de la personalidad, así como La historiograía sobre el hipnoismo y la metapsí- otros fenómenos relacionados con el inconsciente, 1 quica ha destacado la importancia de las teorías del como la autosugesión, fueron percibidos por mu- desdoblamiento en las primeras sociedades dedica- chos espiriistas como una amenaza. Quinín López das al estudio de los fenómenos mediúmnicos, como Gómez (1864-1934), espiriista reconocido y amigo la Society for Psychical Research o la Société Psycho- de Melcior, defendió la necesidad de disinguir los logique Physiologique (Lachapelle, 2011; Wolfram, fenómenos del desdoblamiento y la autosugesión 2009a; Edelman, 2006a; Owen, 2004; Méheust, 1999). de la «verdadera» mediumnidad, o sea, aquella en la En el contexto español se hallan trabajos notables so- que intervenían los espíritus (López, s.d. 1919?). Esta bre el espiriismo (González de Pablo, 2006a; Abend, cuesión fue debaida en el Segundo Congreso Espiri- 2 Asclepio, 66 (1), enero-junio 2014, p035. ISSN-L: 0210-4466. htp://dx.doi.org/10.3989/asclepio.2014.09 ¿DOBLES O ESPÍRITUS? LAS TEORÍAS DEL DESDOBLAMIENTO FRENTE AL ESPIRITISMO EN LA ESPAÑA DE PRINCIPIOS DEL SIGLO XX ista y Espiritualista, celebrado en París en 1900. Entre patologización fue el mayor escollo que hallaron los las circulares que publicó la comisión del congreso en médiums para su consideración. En España, Estrany relación a los temas que se tratarían en el encuentro, los trató de histéricos y Tolosa Latour tachó a Home, el se planteó que los hechos del desdoblamiento obli- famoso médium escocés, de neurósico (Tolosa, 1884; gaban a los espiriistas a reemprender el estudio de Estrany, 1908). Sin embargo, no todos se conformaron la mediumnidad tendiendo en cuenta factores hu- con estas eiquetas. Este fue el caso del médium Ja- manos como la memoria o la autosugesión. De este cint Fornaguera, quien polemizó con Comas respecto modo, se pretendía establecer «la diferencia entre el a la teoría sobre el desdoblamiento corporal, como automaismo y la mediumnidad» para «disinguir los veremos más adelante. verdaderos fenómenos espiriistas de aquellos que no ienen de tales más que la apariencia» (Comisión de EL DESDOBLAMIENTO DE LA PERSONALIDAD: UNA organización de la sección espiriista, 1900, p. 85). MÉDIUM BAJO TERAPIA Para los espiriistas, probar la existencia de la «ver- Para ilustrar la teoría del desdoblamiento de la perso- dadera» mediumnidad era necesario para diferenciar nalidad, aplicada a la mediumnidad, expondré el caso, los médiums de los sonámbulos, las teorías espiri- aún no tratado por ningún historiador, de la joven Tere- istas de las animistas, los fenómenos espiríicos de sa Esquius. Esta joven médium de Terrassa fue supues- los del hipnoismo trascendental (Méheust, 1999; tamente sanada, alrededor de 1900, por Víctor Melcior, Wolfram, 2012; Edelman, 2006a; González de Pablo, un médico
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