‘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.
Featured
Stephen E Braude
American philosopher and parapsychologist (1945–2026) remembered for his field investigations of apparent psychokinesis.
Meditation and Psi
Traditional Yogic teachings state that a person who attains a higher state of consciousness will manifest psychic powers.
Psychedelics and Psi
A gradual easing of restrictions means that psi research with psychedelics, once prevalent, could soon resume.
Psi Research in China
Recent experimental and theoretical work in China includes successful attempts to train ESP abilities in blind children.
Clinical Parapsychology
Therapeutic approach that aims to provide support for people disturbed by anomalous event experiences.
Psi for Financial Gain
Anecdotal accounts and lab tests suggest that psi can at times be used to advantage in gambling and financial speculation.
Coover Telepathy Experiments
Early telepathy experiments, once thought a failure, now considered statistically significant.
Key Topics
Psychology and Parapsychology
Explores the overlap between psychology and parapsychology, such as personality and other variables linked to psi.
Eminent People Interested in Psi (list)
A list of some 200 scientists, thinkers, writers, and artists who took seriously the possibility of psi.
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.
Reincarnation: An Introduction
This introductory article covers beliefs in reincarnation, evidence for reincarnation, and sceptical views of the research.
Psychokinesis Research
Overview of experimental research on mind-matter interaction, commonly referred to as psychokinesis (PK).
American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR)
The oldest parapsychological organization in the United States, founded in 1884, now practically defunct.
Animals in Psi Research
Describes informal observations, early tests and modern lab experiments looking at animals' psychic capabilities.
Recent Additions
Psychische Studien (journal)
Early German psychical research journal (1874–1925) that contained reports of experiences and investigations.
Allan Kardec
French educator (1804–1869) whose work with mediums led to the development of Spiritism, today highly popular in Brazil.
Neuroimaging and Psi
Recent advances in brain imaging technology have been exploited in several lines of psi research.
Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology (CERCAP)
Under Etzel Cardeña at Lund University.
Reincarnation and the Population Problem
The idea that increases in population are a problem has been addressed in various ways.
Witchcraft
Traces the development of witchcraft as the socially proscribed practice of magic, from Antiquity to the present day.
Planned Reincarnations
Planned reincarnation suggests that next-life circumstances can be chosen not just between lives but prior to death.
Alexander Nikolayevich Aksakov
First Russian psychical researcher, a government official who studied mediums and psychics.
FJM Stratton
British soldier and astrophysics professor (1881-1961) who investigated hauntings and other psychic phenomena.
Àlex Gómez-Marín
Alex Gomez-Marin is a Spanish physicist and neuroscientist with research interests in parapsychology.
Garret Yount
American researcher who explores the links between molecular biology and aspects of consciousness, including energy healing.
Kim Penberthy
Kim Penberthy is a clinical psychologist at the University of Virginia with research interests in psi and spirituality.
Arnaud Delorme
American neuroscientist who has carried out experiments exploring the relation between consciousness and psi.
Brian Laythe
American psychologist and parapsychologist whose research interests include paranormal beliefs and experiences.
Marieta Pehlivanova
Marieta Pehlivanova is a researcher at the University of Virginia, with interests relating to near-death and related experiences.
Ulf Holmberg
Swedish economist who has investigated the potential impact of human consciousness on random physical systems.
Cold Reading
Discusses the psychological strategies that can be used to simulate a mediumistic communication or psychic reading.
Philip J Cozzolino
American researcher who has investigated psychological aspects related to parapsychological phenomena.
Jürgen Kornmeier
German parapsychologist with research interests in perception, altered states and consciousness.
James E Kennedy
American psi researcher specializing in experimental research, methodology and theoretical development.
Explore the Psi Encyclopedia
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.
Psychedelics and Psi
A gradual easing of restrictions means that psi research with psychedelics, once prevalent, could soon resume.
Experimenter Effects
Parapsychologists have come to believe that experimenters play a major role in influencing the outcome of psi tests.
Psychology and Parapsychology
Explores the overlap between psychology and parapsychology, such as personality and other variables linked to psi.
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.
Ingo Swann
American artist (1933–2013) whose psychic ability led him to participate in successful ESP and PK experiments in the 1970s.
Sylvan J Muldoon
American who wrote about his out-of-body experiences, which occurred throughout his life, and which he was able to control.
Oskar Estebany
Twentieth-century Hungarian-Canadian psychic healer whose abilities were demonstrated in successful laboratory experiments.
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.
Psychedelics and Psi
A gradual easing of restrictions means that psi research with psychedelics, once prevalent, could soon resume.
Dream Incubation
Dream incubation is the modern term applied to dreaming for purposes of problem solving, healing and divination.
Induced After-Death Communication (IADC) Therapy
Therapy thought to bring relief by facilitating visions of deceased loved ones.
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.
Thompson-Gifford Case
19th century case of a jeweller who was driven to produce high quality paintings in the style of a recently deceased landscape painter.
Table-Turning
‘Table-turning’ (or ‘table-tipping) refers to the anomalous movement of tables and other furniture during mediumistic seances.
Philip Psychokinesis Experiments
Landmark 1970s experiment in which a Canadian sitter group created PK phenomena.
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.
European Children with Past-Life Memories
European children speak of past lives less often than Asian children do, yet the cases are very similar.
Suzanne Ghanem (reincarnation case)
Lebanese Druze case of a Druze woman who died in the USA and was reborn in Lebanon, recalling many names.
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.
Beaulieu Abbey
Ghostly sightings have frequently been reported in a ruined Cisterican abbey in the town of Beaulieu, Hampshire.
Eleonore Zugun (Talpa Poltergeist)
Adolescent Romanian girl (1913–1991), the centre of a well-documented 1920s poltergeist-type episode.
Angelique Cottin
French girl who was the centre of psychokinetic disturbances that made an international sensation.
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.
Scientific Mysticism
Describes the theory of mathematician and mystic Michael Whiteman, based in part on his own experiences.
Journal of Parapsychology (JP)
Journal founded by JB Rhine at Duke University in 1937, historically devoted to experimental parapsychology.
Human Radiations
The idea that humans radiate biophysical forces was once used to explain phenomena such as auras, ESP, healing, and luminous effects.
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.
Hamlin Garland
Hamlin Garland (1860–1940) was an American psychical researcher, noted for his investigation of the Buried Crosses communications.
David Vernon
British psychologist specializing in neuroscience, cognition and research methods, who has carried out psi research as well.
Patrizio Tressoldi
Italian psychologist and consciousness researcher who has developed new ways to investigate presentiment and psychokinetic effects.
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.
Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)
American research institute co-founded in 1973 by astronaut Edgar Mitchell to research human potential using scientific methods.
Heartmath Institute
California-based research institute investigating the relationship between heart and mind.
Windbridge Institute
Institution founded in 2008 to conduct research on psi functioning, with an emphasis on real-world applications.
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.
James Randi
Canadian-born conjurer (1928–2020) and public scourge of psychics, faith healers, parapsychologists and practitioners of alternative medicine.
Blackmore-Sargent Controversy – A Reconsideration
This article presents a new analysis of cheating accusations made by Susan Blackmore.
Reincarnation Case Studies: Criticisms
This article addresses objections critics have raised to the reincarnation case research of Ian Stevenson and others.