What experiences led Helena Petrovna Blavatsky to become interested in occultism and spiritualism?

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Annie Besant and Jiddu Krishnamurti stand side by side in formal attire, Besant holding papers, in a black and white photograph from 1933. — theosophy Annie Besant and Jiddu Krishnamurti, 1926.

Helena Blavatsky’s interest in occultism and spiritualism emerged following her separation from her husband, Nikifor V. Blavatsky, whom she married at age 17.1

Following this separation, she embarked on extensive travels across Asia, Europe, and the United States. During these years, she claimed to have spent significant time in India and Tibet, where she studied under Hindu gurus. These experiences and her pursuit of mystical doctrine eventually led her to New York City in 1873, where she cofounded the Theosophical Society to promote theosophy, a system asserting that mystical experience is the primary path to spiritual insight.1