Emilio Servadio

Emilio Servadio (14 August 1904 – 18 January 1995) was an Italian psychoanalyst, parapsychologist, journalist, and esotericist. He was one of the founding members of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society (SPI), and a prominent figure in the international parapsychological community, noted for his orthodox Freudian approach to clinical psychoanalysis.

Biography Servadio was born in Sestri Levante (near Genoa) to a Jewish family. He graduated in law from the University of Genoa in 1926 with a thesis on the legal aspects of hypnosis.

Founder of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society In 1932, alongside Edoardo Weiss and other pioneers, he co-founded the Italian Psychoanalytic Society (SPI) and its official journal, the Rivista di Psicoanalisi, a project that was fully supported by Freud himself.

Due to the enforcement of the Italian racial laws under the Fascist regime, Servadio emigrated to India in 1938, where he remained until 1946. During his time in India, he deepened his knowledge of Oriental philosophy, yoga and spirituality.

Parapsychology and Esotericism Throughout his life, Servadio attempted to bridge the gap between psychoanalysis and parapsychology. In 1937, he co-founded the Italian Society for Parapsychology (SIP) with Ferdinando Cazzamalli, Giovanni Schepis and Luigi Sanguineti, with whom he served on the editorial board of the paranormal magazine Luce e Ombra. Il sogno (The Dream), Milan, Garzanti, 1955. La psicologia dell'attualità (The Psychology of Current Events), Milan, Longanesi, 1961. L'educazione sessuale (Sexual Education), Neaples, Guida, 1970. Psiche e sessualità (Psyche and Sexuality), Rome, Astrolabio, 1972. Sesso e Psiche (Sex and Psyche), Milan, Armenia, 1972. Passi sulla via iniziatica (Steps on the Initiatic Path), Rome, Edizioni Mediterranee, 1977. Poesie del sogno e dell'estasi (Poems of Dream and Ecstasy), Florence, Nardini, 1988 (Poetry).