Welcome to the Psi Encyclopedia! We aspire to provide a comprehensive introduction to academic parapsychology, which studies the range of psychic experiences collectively termed ‘psi’.  The existence of psi phenomena – and the related idea that consciousness is independent of the physical body and so may survive death – is strongly disputed by materialist scientists, yet parapsychologists are convinced they have evidence for these things. The Psi Encyclopedia presents this evidence in nearly 750 signed articles by over 80 authors, many of them senior academics, arranged in categories and subcategories that highlight the major interests of the field. It is sponsored by the Society for Psychical Research.

Mark Boccuzzi created this short video that explains what we are about.

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Key Topics

Ingo Swann, one of the first remote viewers

Remote Viewing

An experimental form of clairvoyance, in which a suitably trained person attempts to visualise the topography of a distant scene.

Tunnel in Near-Death Experience

Near-Death Experiences (Overview)

This article describes anomalous mental events reported by people who have survived a near-fatal accident or illness.

vernon mews

Society for Psychical Research (SPR)

Membership organization founded in London in 1882 for the scientific investigation of claims of psychic phenomena.

image of dice being thrown

Psychokinesis Research (Overview)

Research on PK has progressed from early tests with dice to random number generators, field studies, and quantum experiments.

clinical parapsychology 2

Clinical Parapsychology

Therapeutic approach that aims to provide support for people disturbed by anomalous event experiences.

Early reincarnation beliefs in the West are associated with the Greek philosopher Pythagoras in the sixth century BCE

Reincarnation: An Introduction

This introductory article covers beliefs in reincarnation, evidence for reincarnation, and sceptical views of the research.

psychedelic 2

Psychedelics and Psi

A gradual easing of restrictions means that psi research with psychedelics, once prevalent, could soon resume.

Altered States of Consciousness

Altered States of Consciousness and Psi

ASCs have long been known to be associated with psi experiences.

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ESP & Psychokinesis

Extra-sensory perception (ESP) comprises telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition. Psychokinesis (PK) is the direct influence on matter by mind alone. Both ESP and PK have been tested in the laboratory and studied in real life situations. Together they constitute psi, in the strict sense of the term. Subcategories group together overviews and general topics in psi studies, tests of ESP and PK, and researcher biographies.


Julia Mossbridge

American cognitive neuroscientist who has carried out parapsychological studies, notably on precognition and presentiment effects.


Dealing with the Stacking Effect

When several test participants respond to the same target, their trials are statistically dependent.

Mina Crandon1

Mina Stinson Crandon (Margery)

Controversial American physical medium who caused a split in the ASPR in the 1930s.

Mind & Body

This category contains articles that treat consciousness in relation to the body. Subcategories focus on consciousness and psi; dreams and psi; and distant healing and psychotherapy. Also included are sitter groups and macro-psychokinesis as well as poltergeists, often assumed to relate to discarnate entities but now known more often to have living agents. A final subgroup is concerned with out-of-body and near-death experiences and events reported on the threshold of death.

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Robert Van de Castle

Robert Van de Castle (1927–2014) was an American psychologist specializing in dreams who also was active in parapsychology

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Alex Tanous

Alex Tanous (1926–1990) was a noted New England psychic and parapsychologist, who contributed to out-of-body research.


Children’s Near-Death Experiences

New research employs creative, participatory methods to interview children about their NDEs.

Survival of Death

Life continued in a spiritual or purely mental form after bodily death is a staple of religious beliefs worldwide, and likely is as old as humanity. The question of evidence for it has been central to the Society for Psychical Research since its founding in 1882. Subcategories focus on hauntings and apparitions and on psychic (also called mental) mediumship.

landscape painting by Robert Swain Gifford of trees blown by the wind, named Monterey

The Thompson-Gifford Case

19th century case of a jeweller who was driven to produce high quality paintings in the style of a recently deceased landscape painter.

photo of Tina Resch Boyer

Psychological Aspects of Poltergeist Cases

Reasons to think that most poltergeist disturbances have living rather than deceased agents.


Lurancy Vennum (Watseka Wonder)

A 13-year old girl appeared for some months to be possessed by the spirit of a girl who died years before.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation beliefs are widespread in the world and in recent decades researchers have found what they believe is evidence of them through the study of people (mainly children) who claim to have lived before. Subcategories highlight case studies, past life regression, and biographies of major researchers.

Japanese soldiers

Interethnic and Intercultural Reincarnation Cases

Strong behavioual carryovers often accompany cases of these kinds.

photograph of Auschwitz death camp

Past-Life Memories of the Holocaust

Memories of Nazi concentration camps are largely uninvestigated accounts sans past-life identifications.

image of therapist with patient

Regression Therapy

In hypnotherapy, apparent past-life memories are treated less as descriptions of true events than as metaphors that aid in healing.

Researchers & Authors

Here can be found more than 300 biographical profiles of key figures who have been involved in psi research and parapsychology as field investigators, experimentalists, theorists and commentators. The biographies are grouped in subcategories by 30-year age cohorts, highlighting contemporaries.

Joe Gallenberger

Joe Gallenberger

American clinical psychologist noted for psychokinesis training programs carried out over two decades in Las Vegas casinos.

inglis

Brian Inglis

Irish journalist, author and broadcaster (1916–1993), whose many published works include books about psychical research.

richard silberstein

Richard Silberstein

Australian neuroscientist who conducted a brain imaging study that appears to confirm telepathic interactions between itwins.

Organizations

The oldest organizations devoted to parapsychology were member organizations like the Society for Psychical Research, established in London in 1882. Since JB Rhine founded the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University in 1930, there have been university-based units as well. This category comprises both historical and contemporary bodies concerned with research and education in parapsychology.


Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)

American research institute co-founded in 1973 by astronaut Edgar Mitchell to research human potential using scientific methods.

rhine research center

Rhine Research Center

Successor to the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University, dedicated to psi research, education and community activities.

photograph of Robert Jahn

Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory

The PEAR lab carried out ground-breaking experimental psi research for nearly three decades.

Sceptical Views

Sceptics argue that psychics and mediums achieve their effects by trickery, that psychic experience is an illusory effect caused by a combination of brain misperceptions and confirmation bias, and that evidence of psi in laboratory tests can be attributed to poor methodology. This category includes biographies of leading sceptics as well as general articles discussing their allegations.

Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer

Well-known American author, media personality and career sceptic, founder of the Skeptics Society and its magazine Skeptic.

Paul Edwards

Criticisms of Reincarnation Case Studies

This article addresses objections critics have raised to the reincarnation case research of Ian Stevenson and others.


CEM Hansel

British psychologist who authored controversial critiques of parapsychology.  

General Topics

This category contains articles on a variety of topics that do not fit well in any of the main categories, from dowsing to crop circles and other anomalistic phenomena, the Miscellaneous Anomalistic subcategory. Other subcategories list articles on psychics and mystic and on important articles, books and journals in the field of parapsychology.

orbs

Orbs (Light Anomalies)

Light anomalies often seen in photographs and video are attributed by some to the presence of ghosts or spirit entities.

albert einstein2

Eminent People Interested in Psi (list)

A list of some 200 scientists, thinkers, writers, and artists who took seriously the possibility of psi.

Charles Richet -Traite de Metapsychique and English translation Thirty Years of Psychical Research

Richet’s ‘Traité de Métapsychique’ (‘Thirty Years of Psychical Research’)

A classic review of the literature, published in 1922.

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