‘Psi’, the Greek letter ψ, is the modern term for psychic phenomena. The existence of psi – and the related idea that consciousness is independent of the physical body (and so may survive bodily death) – are disputed, as they seem to violate well-established natural laws. However, researchers are convinced they have evidence for these things, posing a challenge to materialist science. The Psi Encyclopedia presents their reasoning in over 700 signed articles by 86 authors, many of them senior academics. It also provides links to books, articles and videos that are free to view.

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Key Topics

photograph of JB Rhine, one of the first to explore psychological variables underlying psi

Psychology and Parapsychology

Explores the overlap between psychology and parapsychology, such as personality and other variables linked to psi.

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.

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 Experience (Overview)

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

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.

image of dice being thrown

Psychokinesis Research

Overview of experimental research on mind-matter interaction, commonly referred to as psychokinesis (PK).

Psychologist Gardner Murphy led the ASPR during its heyday in the 1960s.

American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR)

The oldest parapsychological organization in the United States, founded in 1884, now practically defunct.

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

Animals in Psi Research

Describes informal observations, early tests and modern lab experiments looking at animals' psychic capabilities.

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ESP & Psychokinesis

The term extra-sensory perception (ESP), introduced in the 1930s, comprises telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition, acknowledging that these categories may considerably overlap. Psychokinesis is the direct influence on matter by mind alone, without physical action. All have been successfully tested in the laboratory and studied in real life situations.

twins

Twin Telepathy

Suggestions of telepathy between twins often appear in the popular press, but there is as yet no sustained research in this area.

King Wen of Zhou (1231-1135 BC), established the I Ching divination system

Psi Research in China

Recent experimental and theoretical work in China includes successful attempts to train ESP abilities in blind children.

Nina Kulagina

Psi Research in Russia

Limited but significant psi research has been carried out in Russia since the nineteenth century.

Gifted People

Most people may only experience a psychic event once or twice in their lives, but for a few it’s a natural ability, which some develop as a professional career. Two types feature in the Psi Encyclopedia: those who have demonstrated telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition or psychokinesis in some way, and those who believe themselves to be in communication with the deceased.

pavel stepanek

Pavel Stepanek

Czech ESP subject who performed consistently well in experiments carried out in Prague and in the US during the 1960s.

DD Home, nineteenth century spirit medium

Daniel Dunglas Home

Well-known nineteenth century medium, some of whose phenomena were observed in controlled conditions.

pearl curran2

Patience Worth (Pearl Curran)

Author of critically-acclaimed novels, poems and other works that were said to be channeled from discarnate entities.

Mind & Body

This category contains articles that treat consciousness in relation to the body. Major topics covered include healing and psychotherapy; dreams and dreaming; and out-of-body experiences, end-of-life experiences, and near-death experiences, all of which suggest that consciousness may have an existence independent of the physical body.

Dreams and ESP

Dream ESP Reports (list)

Summaries of reports, surveys and analyses of dream ESP in the SPR archives from 1889 to 1998.

Illustration from The Phenomena of Astral Projection by Muldoon & Carrington (1951)

Does Something Leave the Body? (OBE Historical Perspectives)

Discusses early ‘projection’ theories of the out-of-body experience.

psychedelic 2

Psychedelics and Psi

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

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. This category includes articles on mediumship as well as general topics related to the survival question. Other survival-related topics appear under other category headings.


Lurancy Vennum

American case (of a 13-year old girl appearing for some months to be possessed by the spirit of a girl who had died years before

photograph of Gladys Leonard, one of the mediums consulted by the Vandy brothers

Edgar Vandy Case

In this 1930s case, four mediums independently gave strikingly concordant information about a young man's death by drowning.

image of printed page in Turkish

Is Xenoglossy Evidence of Survival?

Xenoglossy in mediumship is less indicative of survival than some researchers assume.

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. This category includes case studies and overviews of phenomena that appear regularly in the cases. Some articles deal with past life regression as well.

photograph of Tenzin Sherab Tulku as a child

Reincarnation of Tibetan Lamas in the West

Tibetan lamas reincarnate as Westerners with the intention of spreading Buddhist teachings to other countries.

Recent photograph of Toran Titu as an adult

Toran (Titu) Singh (reincarnation case)

An Indian boy who recalled the life of a violent criminal, a possible intrauterine replacement reincarnation.

photograph of Mary Sutton with her infant son, a life recalled by Jenny Cockell

Adult Past-Life Memories Research

Reincarnation research has focussed on young children, but adults also may report having past-life memories.

Haunting

Location-based hauntings have been relatively little studied by parapsychologists, but the frequent incidence of apparitional episodes (the appearance of a deceased family member) attracted the attention of early researchers. Much interest has also centred on so-called ‘poltergeist’ episodes, of powerful domestic disturbances now often attributed to involuntary psychokinetic effects by living agents.

Spichermatt House, Stans, Switzerland: home of the Joller family

Stans (Switzerland) Poltergeist

Mid-19 century poltergeist case, in which disturbances tormented a Swiss family for weeks.

old photograph of Main Street, Sauchie

Sauchie Poltergeist

Poltergeist disturbances centering on an 11-year-old girl. in a Scottish village in 1960.

enfieldpoltergeist

Enfield Poltergeist

Celebrated 1970s case in a north London suburb, in which poltergeist disturbances were documented over a two-year period.

General Topics

This section lists articles on a variety of topics that are not found in any of the main categories, from brain research and altered states of consciousness to dowsing, crop circles and other anomalistic phenomena.

charles fort3

Forteana

Collective term for anomalous or paranormal-seeming phenomena, as exemplified in the writings of Charles Fort (1874–1932).

Cottingley fairies

Cottingley Fairies

1920s hoax by two girl, who persuaded Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that they had photographed themselves playing with fairies.

photo of crop circle in a wheat field

Crop Circles

The intricate patterns that sometimes appear in crop fields have been attributed to various factors, including supernatural ones..

Scientists & 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. Many have scientific and academic backgrounds – in psychology, physics, biology, philosophy, engineering and other disciplines.

photo of William James

Psi Researchers I

List and capsule biographies of individuals who contributed to the study of psi in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

portrait by George Harcourt. Photo credit: Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford

LP Jacks

British preacher and philosopher (1860–1955) who was interested in psychical research and wrote about issues related to postmortem survival.

annie besant

Annie Besant

Annie Besant (1847–1933) was an English theosophist, socialist and women’s rights activist concerned with spiritual development.

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.

Nineteenth-century table turning session

London Dialectical Society

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

iands2

International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS)

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

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Institute of Paranormal Psychology (IPP)

Argentinian organization established in 1994 that conducts psi research and provides educational resources.

Scepticism

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.

Trevor Hall

Trevor Hall

English chartered surveyor and amateur conjuror (1910–1991), author of books attacking deceased psychics and researchers.

james randi

James Randi

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

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