Stanisława Tomczyk was a Polish Spiritualist Medium in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the wife of a Polish officer.
In 1908-9 she was also regularly hypnotised by Dr . Julian Ochorowicz, a psychologist , at Wista, southern Poland, reportedly by him for therapeutic purposes, during which time she was controlled by an entity, who called herself "Little Stasia" ("Stasia" being a diminutive of Tomczyk's given name, "Stanisława"), who said she was not the spirit of any dead person.
At the age of 18, she the phantom of a friend, Sophie M., who died at the exact time that she had seen her. It was after this event that spontaneous Telekinetic phenomena developed. Having joined a Spiritualistic Circle, Sophie M., materialised and became the mediums permanent attendant, occasionally sharing control with “Adalbert” a young Polish boy.
Tomczyk could produce movement of items without contact, stop the movement of a clock in a glass case, and influence a roulette to the extent that the numbers chosen by Tomczyk turned up more often than justified by chance. Dr. Ochorowicz concluded that the physical movements were performed by rigid "rays" projecting from Tomczyk's fingers.
At first, Tomczyk considered the prankish "Little Stasia," to be her double, as did Ochorowicz, until he obtained Stasia's photograph, as announced by her, in an empty room, with all light excluded, while Tomczyk was with him in an adjoining room.
In 1909 a seance with Tomczyk was witnessed in Paris by Professor Theodore Flournoy. It left him "in no doubt as to the reality of simple telekinesis." At a later series of séances in Geneva attended by Flournoy, Professors Clarapede, Cellerier, Batelli and Flournoy's son, the sitters' expectations were not fulfilled.
In 1910 Tomczyk was investigated by scientists at a physical laboratory in Warsaw, Poland, and reportedly produced remarkable physical phenomena under strict test conditions. Experiments and observations were subsequently published by Baron Schrenck Notzing and Professor Charles Richet.
In 1911, P. Lebiedzinski, a polish engineer began a series of experimental séances which lasted intermittently until 1916. His report, which was published in the Review Metapsychique (1921, No 4) was favourable.
Tomczyk, was the subject of important materialisation experiments with Baron von Schrenck Notzing which began in 1913. After a few months the mediumship lapsed and failed to return until 1915. In 1916 when Schrenck Notzing recommenced his séance observations, he became satisfied that Mme. Stanisława P. Produces ectoplasmic flow. He also took many striking photographs. As a result of Schrenck Notzing’s findings, Stanisława P. Has been acknowledges as a powerful physical medium.
In 1930, her reputation received a heavy blow. She appeared at the Institute Metapsychique, shortly after an automatic registering apparatus for phenomena produced in the dark had been installed. She was allowed to make her own conditions and produced nearly all blank séances until assured that no registering apparatus would remain in the room. Dr. Osty, suspected that the abortive phenomena noticed on the second séance were brought about by her secretly freed hand. He decided to catch her out “in flagranto delicto”. In the fourth séance when the movement of the objects placed on the table was heard, a secret flashlight was exploded and three stereoscopic photographs were taken. Both the sudden light and the developed photographs have clearly shown that a hand of the medium was free and manipulated the table objects.
Dr. Osty, concludes in the Revue Metapsychique, (Nov – Dec 1930)
(1) Stanisława played a comedy of mediumship whilst at the institute.
(2) Her fraud was persevering and perfectly organised.
(3) Her procedure in giving the illusion of perfect control while she is capable of disengaging one of her hands from its ties and putting it back without apparently disturbing them.
(4) With this procedure it is easy for her to displace objects and show luminous movements etc.
Dr. Osty, however, hastens to add that his findings mean no attempt to judge the phenomena of Mme. Stanisława P. Which were produced elsewhere.
References
§ Nandor Fodor, An Encyclopaedia of Psychic Science, 1934.
§ Lewis Spence, Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology