Those who have read Cathars and Reincarnation will be familiar with some of the experiences of the author.

Dr. Guirdham is not a person normally to be associated with things psychic. Nor would he be easily drawn on these matters. He was a self-confessed sceptic and cynic.

In this re-issue of his autobiography, originally published in 1973, we get an overall picture of the doctor’s life and how he was nudged by psychic experiences since childhood toward the work he later completed.

It is not necessary to have read his previous book. As an autobiography it stands alone and is endlessly fascinating. It is like a life jigsaw being put together piece by piece.

For many years Dr. Guirdham took no interest in psychic occurrences. He was aware of what he termed his ‘obsessional neurosis’ which really meant he suffered physical symptomology when finding himself near strongly psychic people or places.

He describes his feelings and perceptions in a very down-to-earth and wry manner.

It was not until the late 1950s when he met the first of a series of individuals that gradually opened him to his psychic nature and the awareness of reincarnation. He also became more aware of the dualistic nature of creation. He experienced evil in its most insidious and its most blatant forms.

As his story unfolds, we see a man who is a competent but somewhat fragmented personality, having one persona for his family and friends, another for his patients and colleagues and yet another for strangers.

Some of the material in this autobiography is not seen in his other books, as it did not pertain to the themes. It makes engrossing reading. Dr. Guirdham is humble in his attitude to the people who ‘opened’ him. He acknowledges that he was a hard case at times and quite obsessive in his almost forensic need to check psychic transmissions against known facts.

Over two decades from around 1950 to 1970, he eventually acknowledged conscious awareness of his experiences. His acceptance then forged his desire to share those experiences.

The tone of this autobiography is one of sharp honesty. The doctor is quite hard on himself as he maintains his clinical detachment in assessing his own feelings, thoughts and perceptions of his journey through life. It is a most extraordinary life.

He reiterates his ‘education’ in Cathar and early Christian dualism, and has a strong message for all of us about the spiritual quest. This is not given in a preaching manner, but more like a cautionary tale for would-be spiritual athletes. The doctor has always been on the look out for such ‘spiritual athleticism’ in order to avoid that potentially alienating influence.

I found his dry humour enjoyable at this stage. Humour yes, and a serious message, yes. If we partake of spiritual exercises and disciplines when we are not ready, we become vulnerable to forces, both good and evil. An outcome of this vulnerability can be illness of unknown aetiology. Symptoms such as migraines, dizziness, depression, nightmares, can all be caused by the disruption of the spirit. Dr. Guirdham is certain that being psychic is not a mental disorder. What a relief!

As the title suggests, this is an autobiography of a psychic. There are no word pictures of sunny afternoons with nanny in the park or memories of first love. This is a somewhat stark memoir of a deeply sensitive man who fought for years against the far memories and psychic experiences that were crowding in on him from an early age. His resistance caused the aforementioned physical symptoms.

A series of people moved in and out of his life to teach him what he really already knew, and then some. He had been a Cathar in 13th century France. He had undergone horrific persecution. There were people now alive in the 20th century who had also been Cathars at the same time.

This is an unusual autobiography because Dr. Guirdham is a trained doctor and psychiatrist with the training to be objective and scientific. He places the philosophy of Dualism firmly and clearly in the centre of his life and work. The emphasis is on healing. The way he presents it is rational and compassionate without being in any way condescending.

This book is recommended for anyone who is interested in dualistic philosophy and how it is lived. For those interested in adding to their knowledge of the different manifestations of psychic gifts, this wealth of first person narrative experiences will also be fascinating and informative.

I should like to have met Dr. Guirdham.

– Reviewed by Jennifer Hoskins in New Dawn No. 91