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.

Neuroimaging and Psi

Recent advances in brain imaging technology have been exploited in several lines of psi research.

Dreams and ESP

This article describes the experience and study of ESP in dreams, notably of telepathic interactions and precognitions of future events.

UK (Non-University) Paranormal Research

Overview of non-university organizations that carry out psi research.

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.

Olga Kahl

Russian psychic known for her ability to cause words and images received telepathically appear briefly as red marks on her skin.

Bangs Sisters

Controversial nineteenth century American spirit mediums, against whom numerous detailed allegations of fraud were

Helen Duncan

Controversial Scottish physical medium (1898–1956) sentenced to jail under England’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.

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.

The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven (recanted NDE)

Best-selling American book describing the supposed NDE of a 6-year-old child.

Terminal Lucidity

Persons with long-term dementia and other severe neurological disorders may return to mental clarity shortly before dying.

Near-Death Experience (Overview)

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

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.

Maroczy Mediumistic Chess Match

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

Windbridge Institute

Institution founded in 2008 to conduct research on psi functioning, with an emphasis on real-world applications.

Mediumship and Spirit Possession in Cross-Cultural Perspective

There is great overlap in the expression of mediumship and spirit possession.

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.

Dutch Children with Past-Life Memories

List of 31 cases of Dutch children who spoke of previous lives, investigated by Titus Rivas and his team.

Dreams and Past-Life Memory

Apparent past-life memories may surface in the dreams of both children and adults, but rarely are they detailed enough to be verified.

Cameron Macauley (reincarnation case)

Glaswegian who as a young child claimed to remember living on a remote Scottish island.

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.

Eleonore Zugun (Talpa Poltergeist)

Adolescent Romanian girl (1913–1991), the centre of a well-documented 1920s poltergeist-type episode.

Battersea Poltergeist (1928)

Abnormal disturbances reported in a small house in Battersea, London, investigated by Harry Price.

Miami Poltergeist

1960s episode in which Florida-themed souvenir items were seen repeatedly falling from warehouse shelves.

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.

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

A classic review of the literature, published in 1922.

Scientific Mysticism

Describes the theory of mathematician and mystic Michael Whiteman, based in part on his own experiences.

Kirlian Photography

Photographic technique pioneered in Russia that reveals light radiating from living organisms and other objects.

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.

Ralph Noyes

Senior official in the British Ministry of Defence (1923–1998) involved in investigations of mediumship, crop circles and UFOs.

Allan Kardec

French educator (1804–1869) whose work with mediums led to the development of Spiritism, today highly popular in Brazil.

Maurice Grosse

British engineer and inventor (1919–2006) who in later life became engaged in psychical research.

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.

Bial Foundation

Foundation set up by Portuguese pharmaceutical giant to support research in neuroscience, psychophysiology and parapsychology.

Emotion and Motivation Laboratory

Laboratory which conducts psi research, based at the University of Munich, Germany.

Koestler Parapsychology Unit (KPU)

A leading centre for parapsychological research and training, based at the University of Edinburgh.

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.

Martin Gardner

American critic of parapsychology and paranormal claims (1914–2010), a founding member of the modern sceptical movement.

James Randi

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

Trevor Hall

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