‘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.

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.

Gladys Leonard, medium studied by the Society for Psychical Research

Mediumship and Multiple Personality

The personalities of mediumistic communicators are similar to dissociative identity disorder.

vernon mews

Society for Psychical Research (SPR)

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


European Children with Past-Life Memories

European children speak of past lives less often than Asian children do, yet the cases are very similar.

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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 overlap. Psychokinesis, or PK, 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. Together, they constitute psi, in a strict sense.

cover image of Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, by Passer and Smith

Parapsychology in Psychology Textbooks

Describes how psychology textbooks persistently misrepresent the field of parapsychology.

Meditation and Psi

Meditation and Psi

Traditional Yogic teachings state that a person who attains a higher state of consciousness will manifest psychic powers.

photo of Suitbert Ertel

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. 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.

photograph of Sylvan Muldoon, author of books on 'astral projection'

‘The Phenomena of Astral Projection’ (1951)

Classic study of OBEs, described in the context of the occult idea of 'astral projection'.

photograph of James Hyslop (1854-1920), one of the first to refer to spirit obsession in a therapeutic context

Spirit Release Therapy

Clinical treatment used with patients who appear to be ‘possessed’ by harmful spirit entities.

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.

Bangs Sisters

Bangs Sisters

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

photo of Maggie and Kate Fox

Fox Sisters

American women who were at the centre of poltergeist-type disturbances and later helped found Anglo-American Spiritualism.

mediumship cross cultural2

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.

Angela Grubbs, a lawyer living in Atlanta, experienced intense dreams and visions of a young woman whose life and circumstances she was able to verify.

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.

okhado2

OHKADO Masayuki

Japanese linguist whose psi research centres on children's memories of previous lives and of the period between lives.

Sanskrit verses from the Chandogya Upanishad (c 600 BCE), which contains the first recorded mention of karma

Reincarnation and Karma

Extensive case investigations have found no support for traditional ideas of karma in connection with reincarnation.

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


Wilhelm HC Tenhaeff

Dutch psychologist and parapsychologist (1894–1981), known for his research and writings about the Dutch psychic Gerard Croiset.

Morris Freedman

Morris Freedman

Toronto-based neurologist who done experiments suggesting that psi may be facilitated by frontal lobe brain damage.

walter leaf

Walter Leaf

Prominent English banker, classical scholar and psychical researcher (1852-1927) who contributed to the study of medium Leonora Piper.

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.

ions logo

Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)

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

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.

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.

Richard Wiseman

Richard Wiseman

British psychology professor, media personality and bestselling author who is a high-profile critic of parapsychology.

Ray Hyman

Ray Hyman

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

Paul Edwards

Criticisms of Reincarnation Case Studies

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

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.

francis bacon 2

Francis Bacon and the Occult

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

croiset newspaper articles

Croiset Archive

Details of correspondence, reports, films and other materials relating to the Dutch psychic Gerard Croiset (1909–1980).

alexis didier

Alexis Didier

French clairvoyant (1826–1886) whose extraordinarily accurate readings were made while he was in a hypnotic trance.

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Journal of Parapsychology (JP)

Journal founded by JB Rhine at Duke University in 1937, historically devoted to experimental parapsychology.

Charles Richet, physiologist and psi researcher

Richet’s ‘La Suggestion Mentale’

In a 1884 paper, physiologist Charles Richet pioneered the use of statistics in telepathy tests.

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