How Spiritualism Works

# Summary

Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating history of spiritualism, a major movement that began in mid-1800s America when two teenage girls' pranking led to the birth of an entire religion. They explore the weird and wild methods spiritualists used to convince people they could communicate with the dead—from trance channeling and automatic writing to ectoplasmic manifestations pulled from body cavities and spirit photography using the newfound technology of cameras. You'll discover how a frontier mentality, religious fervor in upstate New York, and the scientific revolution all collided to create the perfect storm for this massive con that somehow lasted over a century.