How did automatic writing relate to spirit communication?

In the context of spiritualism, automatic writing is a form of automatism in which a person produces written content involuntarily, without conscious control.12

Historically, particularly during the late 19th century, practitioners believed this writing was a direct method of spirit communication, with the messages purportedly originating from external or supernatural forces in the spirit world. During a séance, a medium might enter an alert or trance state to allow these entities to convey information through their hand.123

While spiritualists have traditionally viewed these messages as communications from spirits, they have also acknowledged that such phenomena may alternatively arise from the medium's own subliminal thoughts or feelings. Modern psychological perspectives further suggest that automatic writing often reflects internal, unconscious motivations rather than external spiritual influence.21