Thomson Jay Hudson (February 22, 1834 – May 26, 1903), was an American author, journalist, a chief examiner of the US Patent Office, and a prominent anti-Spiritualist psychical researcher, known for his three laws of psychic phenomena, which were first published in 1893.

Family

The son of John Hudson (1791-1872), and Ruth Hudson (1800-1875), Thomson Jay Hudson was born in Windham, Ohio on February 22, 1834. He married Hannah Elizabeth Story (1833-1908), later Mrs. William R. Dewitt Bersley, in 1852. They had four children. He married Emma Little (c.1844-1908) on May 28, 1861. Their son, Charles Bradford Hudson (1865 - 1939), was landscape painter.

Education

He was educated in public schools at Windham. He studied law and was admitted to the bar at Cleveland, Ohio in 1857. He received an honorary LL.D. degree from St. John's College, in Annapolis, Maryland, on June 17, 1896, and a "Ph.D. from Ewing College, Illinois".

Professional life

He practiced for several years in Mansfield, Ohio until he started his journalistic career in 1860. He was the editor of the Port Huron Commercial (Port Huron, Michigan), and the Detroit Evening News (Detroit, Michigan). In 1880, he abandoned journalism and entered the US Patent Office. He was appointed principal examiner in 1886 and served until 1893.

Psychology and Psychical research

After retiring he studied experimental psychology and authored books on psychical research. Hudson's theories gained increased popularity when Thomas Troward adopted them, forming the foundation for his renowned series of lectures on "Mental Science", delivered at the Queen Street Hall, in Edinburgh, in 1904, and at the Doré Gallery, in London, in 1909. Troward integrated the concept of two minds into New Thought, and it subsequently caught the attention of Ernest Holmes, evolving into the fundamental insight that underlies the principles of Religious Science. Hudson was associate editor of The Medico-Legal Journal. At a meeting of the Medico Legal Society on December 18, 1901, he discussed the case of psychic Leonora Piper.

Hudson's Primary Areas of Research

Hudson's theory

Thomson Jay Hudson began observing hypnotism shows and noticed similarities between hypnosis subjects and the trances of Spiritualist mediums. His idea was that any contact with "spirits" was contact with the medium's or the subject's own subconscious. Anything else could be explained by telepathy, which he defined as contact between two or more subconsciouses. Hudson postulated that his theory could explain all forms of spiritualism and had a period of popularity until the carnage of the First World War caused a fresh interest in spiritualism again as psychic mediums emerged to meet the demands of grieving relatives. Hudson attended the annual convention of the National Society of Spiritualists in Rochester, New York in October, 1909.

"Two minds"

In The Law of Psychic Phenomena (1893, p. 26), Hudson spoke of an "objective mind" and a "subjective mind"; and, as he further explained, his theoretical position was that: Hudson used his hypothesis of two minds to explain the appearance of ghosts which he argued were not spirits of the dead but creations from the subjective mind projected from one mind to another. His also argued that cases of spirit photography were not spirits but visions projected from the medium's subjective mind. His dual mind hypothesis relied on the existence of telepathy which has not proven to exist.

Hudson's three laws

The Law of Psychic Phenomena (1893)

This book is considered Hudson's seminal work. In it, he explores the idea that there are laws governing psychic phenomena, including telepathy, clairvoyance, and other paranormal activities. Hudson argues that these phenomena can be understood through the principles of subconscious mental activity. The book discusses hypnotism, suggestion, and the role of the subconscious mind in influencing psychic experiences.

Reception

Hudson's ideas about a dual mind and psychical powers had mixed reviews by the scientific community.

Death

He died from heart failure at his home in Detroit, Michigan on May 26, 1903 at age 69 after being ill for approximately four months.

Works

Publications

Articles, etc.