Parapsychology in Greece, Tanagras and Cleio's telekinesis
Update (24 Aug 2025): This video has moved to my new channel The Greek Society for Psychical Research, @GreekPsychicalArchives: [ • Parapsychology in Greece, Tanagras and Cle... ]. This copy will be set to Unlisted soon.
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This documentary-style video explores the forgotten history of parapsychology in Greece, focusing on the controversial figure of Dr. Angelos Tanagras, founder of the Greek Society for Psychical Research (SPR), and the enigmatic telekinetic medium Cleio. Spanning the interwar and postwar periods, the video draws on rare documents, photographs, and primary sources to illuminate:
The early life and motivations of Angelos Tanagras, including his interest in spiritism and his pen name.
His founding of the Greek SPR in 1923, inspired by the British and European psychical research movements.
A review of international experiments, including transcontinental telepathy and survival tests submitted to the British SPR.
The role of young Greek mediums, such as Eleni Kikidou and Cleio, and their participation in controlled demonstrations.
The 1930 International Congress of Parapsychology held in Athens, and the 1935 Oslo telekinesis film featuring Cleio.
Tanagras’ theory of psychobolia—a force he proposed to account for psychical phenomena.
His fieldwork in poltergeist cases, attempts to revive fire-walking rituals, and lectures across Europe.
His strained relationship with J.B. Rhine, missed opportunities in academia, and the eventual decline of the Greek SPR.
By tracing this obscure yet compelling history, the video provides a critical and historically grounded view of how Greece participated in international debates on the paranormal, mind-matter interaction, and the limits of scientific orthodoxy.
Who were these forgotten researchers and mediums? What motivated their work? And what can we learn from their legacy today?
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00:00 Introduction
00:27 Portrait of Dr. Angelos (Evangelidis) Tanagras
01:09 A collection of Tanagras' photos
02:26 A list of Tanagras' publications
03:20 How he chose his pen name
04:04 Tanagras' early interest in spiritism
04:54 Tanagras' survival test package at the British SPR
06:10 His motives for establishing the Greek SPR in 1923
07:38 The headquarters of the Greek SPR in Athens
08:09 The mediums of the Greek SPR
08:38 Eleni Kikidou, the youngest medium of the Greek SPR
09:03 International long-distance telepathy experiments of the Greek SPR
13:11 The monthly magazine of the Greek SPR, Phychikae Ereunae, 1925-1942
13:44 Activities of Greek SPR during the German occupation of Greece, 1941-1944
14:19 Tanagras organizes the 4th International Parapsychology Congress in Athens, 1930
14:49 The film of Cleio's telekinesis at the Oslo parapsychology congress, 1935
15:44 Tanagras' European parapsychology lectures in 1935-36
16:24 Tanagras' field investigations of poltergeist cases in Greece
17:19 Tanagras revived fire-walking in Greece, 1937-1940
18:50 His theory of psychobolia to explain psychical phenomena
22:47 Tanagras' views on life after death
23:16 Similar pre-existing ideas to psychobolia
23:59 Tanagras and JB Rhine, an unfortunate controversy
25:51 The case of the Greek telekinetic medium Cleio
27:08 A biography of Cleio based on existing evidence
29:05 A missed opportunity for a psychophysiology chair at the Athens University, 1947
31:03 Tanagras admits belatedly his responsibility for failing to establish the University chair
31:24 The beginning of the end for the Greek SPR, 1958
By tracing this obscure yet compelling history, the video provides a critical and historically grounded view of how Greece participated in international debates on the paranormal, mind-matter interaction, and the limits of scientific orthodoxy.
#Parapsychology #PsychicalResearch #AngelosTanagras #GreekHistory #Telekinesis #Cleio #MindAndMatter #ParanormalHistory #HistoricalDocumentary
