INTRODUCTION
A local Colorado skeptic told me that he is “flabbergasted” that anyone still has any interest in Bridey Murphy. It seems that most people feel that the story of a hypnotized Pueblo, Colorado housewife who “remembered” her previous life as an Irish colleen was debunked and buried long ago. Some even argued that it was an elaborate hoax. What is not generally understood is that the Bridey Murphy saga has had a profound impact on the world in several areas; an impact that continues to the present day.
The most obvious area of Bridey influence has been to popularize the practice of hypnosis. The Bridey phenomenon helped to focus attention on an often shunned and misunderstood tool of psychology and medicine. The analgesic applications of hypnosis alone have brought relief to millions suffering from a wide variety of maladies. Women unable to take anesthetics during childbirth, or people undergoing dental or orthodontic work who are unable to be anesthetized, have been only some of those who have benefited from the professional application of hypnotic relief.
Academics were liberated to study the application of hypnosis in clinical settings, publishing results in erudite journals, and gathering in scholarly societies to discuss their work under strict ethical and professional guidelines. This work continues today in every advanced country in the world. Hypnosis is a field of study in medicine, psychology and experimental science. It has inspired studies on the human brain and the functions of memory. Analgesic applications of hypnosis continue to be fruitful areas of research, much of which was inspired by Bridey Murphy.
Bridey also became a lightning rod of controversy in the hotly-contested debates between skeptics and those who believe in the paranormal, or parapsychology. She remains a popular topic in books and essays by both sides, as well as those who are professional historians or scientists. I will cover these more in detail in another section of this website, but for now it is enough to point out that Bridey was still an issue in an important scholarly article in a major American journal in 2006! The controversy over Bridey has highlighted many areas of convergence and disagreement between these two polarized groups and helps to inform discussions of the nature of science and scientific research, religion and philosophy. Not bad for a debunked and buried hoax, wouldn’t you say?
Many will remember what a major pop icon Bridey Murphy became in 1956. The Search for Bridey Murphy was a publishing phenomenon that reached the entire world. It would eventually sell millions of copies in over 30 languages and was recently reprinted as an alternate selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club in 2002. A long-playing vinyl phonograph record of the first hypnotic session was produced that sold over 30,000 copies-an amazing number for a non-musical LP in the 1950’s. A Hollywood movie was released in 1956 starring Oscar-winning actress Theresa Wright in the role of “Ruth Simmons,” the pseudonym for Virginia Tighe. Several popular songs such as “For the Love of Bridey Murphy,” and “Do You Believe in Reincarnation” played over the radio airwaves.
Bridey was a front-page story in newspapers all across America for several weeks. Her story was syndicated in over 50 newspapers, often with a “debunking” series from the Chicago American newspaper running in a rival at the same time. She was on the cover of magazines large and small. She was discussed, debated, hailed and condemned not only in print, but on radio and television by some of the most notable figures of the 1950’s. Philosopher Aldous Huxley, entertainer Jackie Gleason, New York radio personality Long John Nebel and Episcopal Bishop James Pike are only a few of the influential personalities of the times who debated Bridey.
Bridey Murphy inspired doctors, psychologists, movie directors, movie stars, playwrights, musicians, novelists, religious leaders, historians and millions of ordinary people. 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of the first printing of the book, and inspired many of the Morey Bernstein’s friends and family to donate items related to Bridey to the Pueblo County Historical Society (PCHS). 22 large boxes of letters, reel-to-reel tapes of Bernstein’s hypnotic experiments, various editions of TSBM and other memorabilia were collected. My Pueblo colleague, a friend of Morey’s brother, Bobby, and a Bridey Murphy aficionado, was chosen to organize and edit these materials for permanent residence in the library of the PCHS. He has finished that Herculean task after over a year of diligent and painstaking work. The Bernstein Collection is available to the public for review. The PCHS website address is: http://www.pueblohistory.org/.
We hope that this brief introduction to the Bridey Murphy phenomenon will whet your appetite to know more about this fascinating chapter in American history. Bridey’s influence is still with us in many ways. This website is dedicated to preserving an accurate accounting of the story and its aftermath, as well as inspiring’ .
