Alexandre Xavier de Camargo (photo) was born in a Spiritist family in Marília, São Paulo, in 1970, but was brought up in Rolândia, in the neighbouring state of Paraná. Alexandre Camargo is married, with three children. He has a degree in Psychology and has been an enthusiastic collaborator in the Spiritist Movement. He has been using the Internet to help in the dissemination of the Doctrine. How has your area of expertise – Transpersonal Psychology – influenced and helped you as someone dedicated to teaching the principles of Spiritism?

When I began to read Psychology at University in the city of Londrina, I felt compelled to establish a connection between the main concepts of Spiritism and those of Psychology. Spiritist books dictated by the spirits of Joanna de Ângelis and André Luiz, as well as the classic books of Allan Kardec, Hermínio Miranda and other authors provided me with a very coherent and solid basis, which would prove important in my future work as a qualified psychologist. I realise now that Joanna de Ângelis in particular played an important role in narrowing the gap between Transpersonal Psychology and Spritism.

How do you think Spiritism can benefit from Transpersonal Psychology? 

I believe it will be crucial for the development of Spiritism. One area where the Doctrine can certainly develop is that of self-knowledge. I would go as far as saying that the main goal of Spiritism is to provide the opportunity for people to achieve self-knowledge, and then, self-transformation, internal reform. The concepts of Transpersonal Psychology will bridge the gap between Spiritism and modern science. And Transpersonal Psychology, in its turn, will gain too, as Spiritism will provide not only vast material for research, but also the so-important ethical framework. 

What is your view on the relation between mediumship and the psychological and emotional problems, so prevalent among us? 

As psychic powers become more widespread, we all become more and more sensitive. However, we tend to connect first to spirits in the lower echelons. We connect to them as a result of our own bad habits and thoughts, often disturbed and unbalanced. That is why we have so many cases of mental disease and emotional disturbances, at all levels, these days. I have worked extensively and specialised in making the connection between psychological problems, such as guilt, low self-esteem, various conflicts, and the problems caused by spirit attachment. I always try to establish what levels of mediumship, or psychic powers, my clients have. 

How, from the point of view of Psychology, you assess the disturbances and imbalances of mediums? 

Mediums are, before anything else, human beings with specific personal problems and challenges, often with imbalances in their history – in this life and previous existences. As those internal conflicts emerge, they may link many mediums to unhappy, disturbed spirits. That is why in my practice I also have among my patients disturbed, unbalanced mediums. And as the treatment progresses, their mediumship tends to become more balanced. That is what makes come to the conclusion that behind the troubled medium was a troubled person, who needs to let it off their chests, who needed to be understood, guided and encouraged in much needed changes in its private life. 

You see many patients in your private practice. Can you identify, among them, many mediums? 

Yes, many. As we meet for sessions, I gather information from the patient and from my observations, based on his or her behaviour. I am normally able to identify what comes from their own personality and what comes from their mediumship – some sort of hypersensitivity which fails to come across in a healthy in productive way in the person’s life. 

Tell us about your Internet project. 

It all began with the website www.patalk.com. I must admit I was overwhelmed by the vast possibilities offered by the Internet to disseminate the ideas of Spiritism. One week after beginning in that website, I had opened my own chat room, which I called Spiritist Centre Mary of Nazareth – a virtual extension to the Spiritist group I am attached to. 

What was the first achievement of that virtual Spiritist Centre? 

We began with a live study, using keyboard and microphone, as we always do, of the book “O Ser Consciente”, dictated by the spirit Joanna de Ângelis. 

For those who want to join you online, what do they need to do? 

You need first of all to download the software on the website www.paltalk.com, to set up a login and password. Once you login, you will be able to enter the virtual chat rooms. Our room is in the South America, Brazil area of the site. Our chat room – Centro Espírita Maria de Nazaré – will be on the list, but only when we are on air, during the agreed hours for the studies I mentioned. 

What is the Chat Room Depression, Treatment and Cure? 

It is a chat room I created, as a psychologist. It remains open 24/7, with several bits of audio, video, lectures, and information in general about mental health. That is a way I found to go beyond the services offered by the Spiritist Centre, providing useful assistance from our friends of other beliefs. 

As a Spiritist psychologist, what can you say about your experience as a public speaker and lecturer? What is the reaction from people in general to your lectures? 

I feel that people are eager to learn more, to achieve self-knowledge, and that they are looking for something beyond the average, something else. They are looking for answers. 

Do you have your own website? 

Yes, http://alexandrecamargo.multiply.com. I have downloaded many audios of researches and studies on that website. Whoever wants to register to the site will have access to all that material. 

Your final thoughts, please. 

Of all I have learned in the last few years, what really amazes me the most is the potential human beings have to improve and develop. We will only overcoming our “flaws” when we replace them with what we are lacking, which are the divine qualities we need to develop within us. And we can only achieve that through hard work and study, the knowledge coming alongside love. We need to put into practice this amazing potential we have. We need to reinforce our belief in ourselves and to mobilise all our energy in actions and projects that will contribute to our personal development.