‘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.

John Edgar Coover

Coover Telepathy Experiments

Early telepathy experiments, once thought a failure, now considered statistically significant.


Margaret L Anderson

Professor of education and parapsychologist best known for testing children for ESP.

jon taylor

Jon Taylor

Cambridge-trained scientist who has developed physical theories of precognition and intuition, bridging quantum physics and neuroscience.

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.

Altered States of Consciousness

Altered States of Consciousness and Psi

Altered states of consciousness have long been known to be associated with psi experiences.

image of young girl with divided personality

Doris Fischer

Notable early 20th century American case of dissociative identity disorder, described by Walter Franklin Prince, who helped cure her.

image of black crystal ball

Psychomanteum (Mirror-Gazing)

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

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.

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Hester Travers Smith (Hester Dowden)

British automatist who believed she was in contact with the deceased Oscar Wilde.

photograph of old gravestone in churchyard

Postmortem Survival

This article describes research on the question of whether the human mind can survive bodily death.

photo of Gladys Osborne Leonard

Gladys Osborne Leonard

British trance medium who collaborated with SPR investigators in the 1920s and 1930.

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.

Anne Frank

Famous Past Life (FPL) Claims

Claims to remember having been famous people must be regarded with caution, yet they have been supported in a few cases.


Jim B Tucker

Child psychiatrist who succeeded Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia in studying children's claims to remember previous lives.

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.

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.

annie besant

Annie Besant

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


Stephan A Schwartz

American researcher whose experimental research focuses on remote viewing, which he has used in psychic archaeology.

photo of JB Rhine

Joseph Banks Rhine

Joseph Banks Rhine (1895–1980) is recognized as the founder of experimental parapsychology.

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.

photograph of Robert Jahn

Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory

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


International Consciousness Research Laboratories (ICRL)

Dedicated to understanding consciousness with a view to improving humanity’s future.


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.

Susan Blackmore

Susan J Blackmore

British psychologist, consciousness researcher and psi sceptic, who has frequently appeared in the media promoting her views.

cold reading 2

Cold Reading

Discusses the psychological strategies that can be used to simulate a mediumistic communication or psychic reading.


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.

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Orbs (Light Anomalies)

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


Christopher Robinson

British psychic said to possess precognitive dream ability of use to UK police and security services.

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‘Raymond’ by Oliver Lodge

The soldier son of Sir Oliver Lodge who was killed in battle in 1915 and subsequently communicated with his family through mediums.

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