Psi Encyclopedia

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.

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

Featured

Robert McLuhan

British journalist, a prominent interpreter of parapsychology for general readers and the principal architect of the Psi Encyclopedia.

Francis Bacon and the Occult

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) believed in the possibility of psi but opposed its investigation on theological grounds.

photo of N'kisi, an African Grey parrot involved in ESP experiments

Animals in Psi Research

The psi abilities of animals have been reported in informal observations and tests, including modern lab experiments.

Eminent People Interested in Psi (list)

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

Psi Research in Brazil

This article traces the development of interest in psi phenomena and parapsychological research in Brazil.

Why Do Ghosts Wear Clothes?

Sceptics use the fact that apparitions appear fully clad as reason to doubt them. This article discusses why they might.

Maroczy Mediumistic Chess Match

Match played between a living Russian grandmaster and a deceased Hungarian one.

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.

Near-Death Experience (Overview)

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

Society for Psychical Research (SPR)

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

Psychokinesis Research (Overview)

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

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.

Psychedelics and Psi

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

Altered States of Consciousness and Psi

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

Recent Additions

John Björkhem

Swedish priest, physician, hypnotist and psychical researcher (1910–1963) who experimented with hypnosis and psychometry.

Thomas Warren Campbell

Originator of a theory of everything (TOE) that presumes consciousness to be at the root of all there is.

Boston Society for Psychic Research

Organisation that split from the American Society for Psychical Research in 1925, reuniting with it in 1941.

Marcello Truzzi

American sociologist known for distinguishing open-minded scepticism of psi phenomena from simple debunking.

Ada Goodrich Freer

Clairvoyant who contributed to studies of crystal-gazing, second sight and hauntings in the 1890s.

Placement Effects in Psychokinesis Tests

Haakon Forwald tested whether his willed psychokinesis could deflect thrown dice and other cubes.

Haakon Forwald

Norwegian-born Swedish engineer and inventor who conducted innovative placement PK experiments with dice and cubes.

Visualizing the Supernatural

This 2025–26 museum exhibition traced 250 years of visual culture surrounding apparitions, mediumship and the occult.

René Peoc’h

French researcher whose studies with imprinted chicks suggested they can bias the movement of a robot through PK.

Antony Flew

British analytic philosopher known for his influential critiques of theism, postmortem survival and parapsychology.

Coin Apports: The Mexico City Case

A variety of coins appeared without an obvious normal source or cause.

Robert McLuhan

British journalist, a prominent interpreter of parapsychology for general readers and the principal architect of the Psi Encyclopedia.

Annekatrin Angelika Puhle

German researcher whose work touches on cultural history, dreams, apparitions, magic and anomalous light experiences.

Ouija Board

Ouija boards have sometimes allowed for veridical communications from apparent spirit entities and for automatic writing in creative productions.

Susan Gerbic

American studio photographer who exposes what she believes to be pseudoscience through a special brand of 'guerilla skepticism'.

Julian Ochorowicz

Polish philosopher, psychologist and inventor (1850–1917), who made notable investigations of physical mediumship.

Minot Judson Savage

Savage (1841–1918) was a Unitarian minister who sat with Leonora Piper and was involved with the early American Society for Psychical Research.

Noah’s Ark Society for Physical Mediumship

The NAS originated in a home circle in 1990 and indirectly fostered the later Scole Circle.

Martin Johnson

As a major European experimental parapsychologist, Johnson (1930–2011) helped build the programme at the University of Utrecht.

Milan Ryzl

Milan Ryzl (1928–2011) was a pioneer in exploring hypnosis as a facilitator of ESP, best known for his extensive work with Pavel Stepanek.

Explore the Psi Encyclopedia

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.

Goligher Circle

Northern Irish Spiritualist group reported to produce striking PK phenomena, the subject of research in the 1910s.

Álex Escolà-Gascón

Professor of applied mathematics whose research has included remote viewing and aspects of paranormal belief.

Unusual Ways of Testing for Psi

Psi abilities have been tested in more ways than the usual ones of card guessing, dice throwing, remote viewing and Ganzfeld.

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.

Psychomanteum (Mirror-Gazing)

Describes explorations by Raymond Moody with a mirror-gazing technique for therapeutic purposes.

photograph of man being stared at from behind

Sense of Being Stared At – Theories of Vision

This article discusses theoretical implications of findings with regard to theories of vision.

The Brain and Psi

Describes how electroencephalography (EEG) and brain imaging technology are being used to demonstrate psychic functioning.

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.

Etta Wriedt

American direct-voice medium (1859–1942) of considerable power, according to observers who attended sittings in the US and Britain.

Julie Beischel

Co-founder of the Windbridge Research Center in Arizona, USA, concerned primarily with mental mediumship.

Worksop Poltergeist

Original report by an SPR investigator of poltergeist-type disturbances in 1883 in Worksop, in the north of England.

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.

Pollock Twins (reincarnation case)

Celebrated British case of two young sisters who died together in the same incident, then were reborn as twins to the same parents.

photograph of Ian Stevenson, pioneer of reincarnation research

Xenoglossy in Reincarnation Cases

In reincarnation cases, xenoglossy involves the use of language spoken in a past life but not learned in the present.

Kornayel, near Beirut, Lebanon - birthplace of Imad Elawar

Imad Elawar (reincarnation case)

Ian Stevenson was able to record the child's memories in this Lebanese Druze case, then verify them himself.

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.

Bernard J Carr

British cosmologist whose research interests centre on a theory of physics capable of accommodating psi phenomena.

James F McHarg

Scottish psychiatrist and medical historian (1917–2003) who studied the kinds of psychic experiences reported by his patients.

Gerhard Mayer

German psychologist interested in cultural studies and interdisciplinary approaches relating to parapsychology and anomalistics.

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.

International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS)

US-based outfit founded in 1981 to study NDEs and provide support and educational resources.

Nineteenth-century table turning session

London Dialectical Society

19th-century rationalist debating club whose 1871 investigative report showed certain PK activity to be genuine.

Society for Psychical Research (SPR)

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

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.

James Randi

Canadian-born conjurer (1928–2020) and public scourge of psychics, faith healers, parapsychologists and practitioners of alternative medicine.

Ray Hyman

American psychologist, amateur magician and leading sceptic, co-founder of the Committee for the Scientific Inquiry (CSI).

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.