Júlia Gyimesi is a psychologist with a primary research focus on the history of psychology. Over recent years, she has explored the esoteric roots of psychology and the historical connections between psychology and esotericism. In this research, she mainly focused on the impact of spiritualism, animal magnetism and early parapsychology on psychology. She has also conducted in-depth examinations of psychoanalytic thinkers, paying special attention to the involvement of Hungarian scholar Sándor Ferenczi and Viennese psychoanalyst Herbert Silberer in esotericism. Her current endeavors involve researching the contemporary manifestations of the relationship between esotericism and psychology. In addition to these, she is actively engaged in other areas of research, including the psychology of religion, psychodynamic psychology, the Budapest school of psychoanalysis, and the history of epilepsy.

Education

2019 Habilitation in Psychology
Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs, Hungary

2011 PhD in Psychology
Theoretical Psychoanalysis PhD Program, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs, Hungary

2004 MA in Psychology
Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary

Awards and Scholarships

2022 Research Scholarship of the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna

2016-2017 Scholarship of the Scholarship Foundation of the Republic of Austria for Postdocs
Institute: Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna

2016 ‘Publication of the Year Award’ of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary
Awarded publication: Gyimesi, J. (2016): Why ’Spiritism’? In: The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 97/2: 357–383.

2013 Research Scholarship of the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna

2011 Grant of the Psychological Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for Book Publishing

2010 Hungarian State Eötvös Scholarship
(Destination: Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge)

2009 Research Scholarship of the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna

Participation in Research

2017-2023 Social inequalities and prejudices in the light of psy-sciences in Hungary. National Scientific Research Fund. Principal investigator: Anna Borgos (124192)
Position: Senior Research Fellow

2014 – 2016 Psy-knowledges as social discourses – human sciences in the context of power relations. National Scientific Research Fund. Principal investigator: Anna Borgos (109148)
Position: Junior Research Fellow

2009 – 2012 Psychoanalysis as the Paradigm of Human Sciences. Historical and Theoretical Investigations. National Scientific Research Fund. Principal investigator: Ferenc Erős (79146)
Position: Junior Research Fellow

Board memberships

From 2023 onwards Board member of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism (ESSWE)

From 2022 onwards Board member and Secretary of the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences (ESHHS)

From 2021 onwards Board Member of the Central and Eastern European Network for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism (CEENASWE)

From 2017 onwards Member of the Doctoral School of Psychology – University of Pécs

From 2017 onwards Member of the Advisory Board – Leopold Szondi Memorial Foundation

From 2016 onwards Vice-president of Imágó Society, Hungary

Positions (selection)

From 2021 onwards Sigmund Freud Private University (Wien, Austria), International Doctoral Programme in Psychotherapy Science
Position: Lecturer, Supervisor

From 2021 onwards English Language University Programme in Psychology, Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary)
Position: External Lecturer

From 2018 onwards Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Hungary)
Position: Head of Department, Associate Professor

From 2017 onwards Theoretical Psychoanalysis Doctoral Program, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs (Hungary)
Position: Program Director, Lecturer, Supervisor

2016-2017 Department of Religious Studies, University of Vienna (Austria)
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher

SHORT PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The aim of this research is to draw attention to the specific influence of esotericism on psychology by focusing on the contemporary manifestations of esotericism in psychotherapeutics. For the purpose of attaining this aim, the objective of the research is to trace and interpret Bert Hellinger’s popular psychotherapeutic practice known as family constellation therapy within the context of esotericism.

Júlia Gyimesi is an Associate Professor and the Department Head of the Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Hungary. In addition to this role, she also serves as the Program Director of the Theoretical Psychoanalysis PhD Program at the University of Pécs, Hungary. Furthermore, she holds the position of an External Lecturer in the Doctoral Program in Psychotherapy Science at the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna.
Julia Gyimesi has authored two books on the intersection of psychoanalysis and esotericism, along with several articles on the history of animal magnetism, spiritualism, psychical research, early parapsychology, hypnosis, epilepsy, and the Budapest School of psychoanalysis. In addition to these roles, she spent ten months from 2016 to 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Vienna.
In 2019, Julia Gyimesi habilitated in psychology at the University of Pécs. Currently, she holds positions as a board member of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism, the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences, and the Central and Eastern European Network for the Academic Study of Western Esotericism.

Journal Articles:

Gyimesi, J. (2023). A misinterpreted psychoanalyst: Herbert Silberer and his theory of symbol-formation. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.22289

Gyimesi, J. (2023). Addressing the Theory of the Family Unconscious in the Context of Esotericism. Aries: Journal for The Study of Western Esotericism, 23(1), 131–156. http://doi.org/10.1163/15700593-02301007

Gyimesi, J. (2022). Epilepsy and religiosity: A historical overview. Archive for the Psychology of Religion. Archiv fur Religionspsychologie, 45(1), 3–22. http://doi.org/10.1177/00846724221135678

Gyimesi, J. (2022). Family Constellation Therapy in the Context of Esotericism. Perspectives On Psychological Science, 18(4), 749–761. http://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221120424

Gyimesi, J. (2022). Epilepsy, violence, and crime. A historical analysis. Journal Of the History of The Behavioral Sciences, 58(1), 42–58. http://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.22117

Books

Gyimesi, J. (2019). A szellemektől a tudattalanig. [From Ghosts to the Unconscious]. L’Harmattan, Budapest. ISBN: 978-963-414-552-3

Gyimesi, J. (2011). Pszichoanalízis és spiritizmus [Psychoanalysis and Spiritualism]. Typotex, Budapest. ISBN: 978-963-2795-71-3

Edited volumes

Bókay, A.; Gyimesi, J.; Kiss, K. (eds.) (2021). Intersubjectivity and the Psy-Sciences. Imágó Budapest, 2021/1 (special issue in English), pp. 1-95.

Borgos, A.; Erős, F.; Gyimesi, J. (eds.) (2019). Psychology and Politics: Intersections of Science and Ideology in the History of Psy-Sciences. Central European University Press, Budapest, New York. ISBN: 978-963-386-312-1

Gyimesi, J. (ed.) (2019). Bűnözés és kriminálpszichoanalízis [Criminality and Psychoanalytic Criminology]. Imágó Budapest, 2019/3, pp. 1-115.

Gyimesi, J.; Reinhardt, M. (eds.) (2018). Szondi Lipót és a sorsanalízis [Leopold Szondi and Fate-Analysis]. Imágó Budapest, 2018/1 pp. 1-244.

Gyimesi, J. (ed.) (2017). Psychoanalysis and the Occult. Transference, Thought-Transference, Psychical Research. Imágó Budapest, 2017/4 (special issue in English), pp. 1-99.

Gyimesi, J. (ed.) (2011). Pszichoanalízis és modern okkultizmus. [Psychoanalysis and Modern Occultism]. Imágó Budapest, 2011/4.

Selected book chapters

Gyimesi, J. (2021) Animal Magnetism and Its Psychological Implications in Hungary. In: Lukas Pokorny, Franz Winter (eds.), The Occult Nineteenth Century: Roots, Developments, and Impact on the Modern World (Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities). Palgrave, pp. 59-83. ISBN 978-3-030-55317-3

Gyimesi, J. (2019) Anomalies of Demarcation in the Light of the Nineteenth-century Occult Revival. In: Anna Borgos; Ferenc Erős; Júlia Gyimesi (eds.) Psychology and Politics: Intersections of Science and Ideology in the History of Psy-Sciences. Central European University Press, Budapest, New York, pp. 23-37. ISBN: 978-963-386-312-1