Description

Thirty Years Among the Dead is a book by Carl A. Wickland, first published in 1924. In this unsettling, methodical collection of case studies, Swedish-American psychiatrist Carl A. Wickland describes three decades of clinical encounters in which he came to believe that many severe mental illnesses were linked to influence from “obsessing” spirits. Wickland presents transcripts of séances, medium-assisted sessions (with his wife Anna acting as medium), and treatments that blend early psychiatric practice with spiritualist methods; the book reads as part medical casebook, part psychical investigation. Readers seeking historical accounts of spirit possession, mediumship, and afterlife narratives will find detailed session records, vivid spirit-communications, and Wickland’s reflections on the nature of discarnate existence and how it intersects with mental health. Controversial in its time and still provocative today, the work sits at the crossroads of parapsychology and early 20th-century psychiatric experimentation. It has influenced spiritualist communities and those researching the paranormal and afterlife, while skeptics note its departure from mainstream medical practice. For anyone cataloguing historical studies of spiritualism, spirit possession case histories, or early psychical research, this book remains a notable — if debated — primary source.

Provenance

Why this book is in the catalog

Included because retained bibliographic metadata links this work to Afterlife, reincarnation, and near-death experiences, Demonology, angelology, and possession, Parapsychology and psychical research, Shamanism and spirit practice, and Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling.

Demonology, angelology, and possession
Retained metadata contains “possession” in the description.
- “possession”· in description
Spiritualism, mediumship, and channeling
Controlled discovery queries from online-books-page matched “Spirit writings”. Retained metadata contains “Spiritualism” in the description and “Spirit writings” in the subject metadata.
- “Spirit writings”· via The Online Books Page
- “Spiritualism”· in description
- “Spirit writings”· in subject
Afterlife, reincarnation, and near-death experiences
Retained metadata contains “afterlife” in the description.
- “afterlife”· in description
Parapsychology and psychical research
Controlled discovery queries from global-grey matched “Paranormal and Mysteries”. Retained metadata contains “Parapsychology” in the description, “Psychical research” in the description, and “Paranormal and Mysteries” in the subject metadata.
- “Paranormal and Mysteries”· via Global Grey ebooks
- “Parapsychology”· in description
- “Psychical research”· in description
- “Paranormal and Mysteries”· in subject
Shamanism and spirit practice
Retained metadata contains “Spirit possession” in the description.
- “Spirit possession”· in description

Membership records how this book met the catalog’s discovery criteria — relevance to a tradition, not a judgment of the book’s claims.

Read & download

Free, public copies reported by our sources. Links open the source directly.

Global Grey ebooks
Global Grey describes the underlying texts in its catalog as public domain; its branding and website name remain protected, and users must assess local law.
The Online Books Page
- PDF (opens in a new tab)
The Online Books Page lists the linked copy as legally readable in the host jurisdiction; copyright and reuse terms remain those of the target repository and can vary by location.

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Buy or borrow

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Editions

2 editions cataloged here.

Edition	Date	Publisher	Language	ISBN	Access	Links
Global Grey ebook edition (available formats vary by title)	—	Global Grey ebooks	English	—	Public download	Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab) Global Grey ebooks (opens in a new tab)
The Online Books Page curated catalog record 1924	1924	—	—	—	Source listed online copy	The Online Books Page (opens in a new tab) The Online Books Page (opens in a new tab)