Carvalho, Andre Percia de & Amaral, Claudia Escorio G do. (1994) Mediumship, Psychodynamics and ESP: The Case of Cristina. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 60 (pp. 29-37).

Abstract

We propose that psychological, social and cultural factors in a medium called 'Cristina' could account for her
psi phenomena. A case study pointed to the existence of unresolved childhood conflicts, which seemed to be reactivated in her
interaction with a threatening environment. This situation could have provoked a disruption of Cristina's personality structure. The
use of several defence mechanisms to ameliorate this situation was objected, some of them being supported by cultural and religious
beliefs. These defences, however, were not strong enough to protect Cristina from this threatening situation. Accordingly, it seems
that psi arose to provide paranormal information, to sustain her cultural and religious beliefs and to enable her defence mechanisms to
sustain a pseudo-equilibrium that avoided total personality disruption. The upshot was the development of what the authors have
termed a 'Paranormal Defence Mechanism' with its concomitant 'Psi Neurosis'. Our findings seems to support Stanford's PMIR Psi-
Mediated Instrumental Response) hypothesis of need-relevant psi interactions as well as to reinforce experimental findings on psi in
altered states of consciousness and on the importance of belief in its occurrence.