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.

Psi Research in Russia

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

Experimental Parapsychology in Europe

This article provides an overview of psi research in laboratories across continental Europe.

Smith and Blackburn Controversy

19tth century telepathy tests of two young men, one of whom later said they had cheated.

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.

Bangs Sisters

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

Geraldine Cummins

Irish medium who published automatic scripts said to originate with well-known people in their discarnate state.

Ted Serios

Ted Serios (1918–2006) was an adept in the rare phenomenon of ‘thoughtography’ (an ability to 'think' images onto photographic film).

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.

Near-Death Experiences – Paranormal Aspects

List of NDEs with confirmed clairvoyance and other paranormality.

Sylvan J Muldoon

American who wrote about his out-of-body experiences, which occurred throughout his life, and which he was able to control.

Altered States of Consciousness and Psi

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

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.

Survival: What Makes An Ideal Case?

Stephen Braude considers flaws in survival research and outlines what would make an ideal case.

The Scole Circle

This Norfolk-based group held séances during the 1990s, claiming to have communicated with spirits and observed other phenomena.

Transplant Cases Considered as Evidence for Postmortem Survival

Recipients of organ transplants may take on the personality of their donors.

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.

Birthmarks in Reincarnation Cases

Birthmarks and birth defects in reincarnation cases correspond to injuries that caused deaths in the previous lives.

Reincarnation Case Patterns

Universal, near-universal and culture-linked patterns can be discerned in the dataset of reincarnation cases.

Ryan Hammons (reincarnation case)

American case which holds the record for the number of memories related before the previous life was identified.

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.

Sauchie Poltergeist

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

Vienna Workshop Poltergeist

A Viennese member of the Society for Psychical Research describes poltergeist distrurbances he witnessed.

Cheltenham Ghost

An 1892 report described frequent sightings by multiple witnesses of an apparitional woman dressed in black.

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.

John Palmer

American psychologist and parapsychologist who has conducted psi research using a range of experimental and theoretical approaches.

Annie Besant

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

Nancy L Zingrone

American psychologist and parapsychologist who is among the most active workers in disseminating information about the field.

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.

Exceptional Experience and Consciousness Studies (EECS)

Based at the University of Northampton, this is the largest centre for parapsychological research in the world.

Heartmath Institute

California-based research institute investigating the relationship between heart and mind.

Southern California Society for Psychical Research

Organization founded in 1961 and merged with the International Foundation for Survival Research, now also defunct, in 1983.

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 J Blackmore

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

CEM Hansel

British psychologist who authored controversial critiques of parapsychology.  

Fraud in Parapsychology and Other Sciences

The assumption that psi researchers are more likely to commit fraud than other scientists is wrong.

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.

Orbs (Light Anomalies)

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

Boggle Threshold

Term coined by Renée Haynes to refer to the level of tolerance of a discomforting new idea, varying from person to person.

Extraordinary Light Phenomena

The widespread experience of a seeing an extraordinary light, one that brings comfort, love or healing.