Loyd Auerbach has become one of the best-known public-facing parapsychologists in the United States, combining field investigation, teaching, writing and performance over several decades. His work centres on hauntings, poltergeists, reincarnation and other spontaneous cases, while his books have helped translate specialist material for general readers.
- Public visibility has made him an important mediator between specialist research communities and general audiences.
- Auerbach’s career joins academic parapsychology, media work, mentalism and on-the-ground investigation of spontaneous cases.
- His books range from hauntings and poltergeists to psychokinesis, dreaming, reincarnation, channelling and possession.
Life and Career
Loyd Auerbach was born in 1956. His father Richard (Dick) Auerbach was an executive producer at NBC Sports and VideoSpec International.
Auerbach grew out outside New York City. He graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago in 1978 with a Bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology. Auerbach holds a Master’s degree in parapsychology from John F Kennedy University, now part of National University, where he continues to teach as an adjunct professor in media and publishing.
In the 1980s, Auerbach briefly acted as public relations consultant to the American Society for Psychical Research. In 2010, he was appointed to the faculty of Atlantic University, teaching an online parapsychology graduate course. Since 2014 he has taught online parapsychology courses at the Rhine Research Center. He was appointed to its board of directors in 2012 and has served as president of the Forever Family Foundation since 2013. He is on the advisory board of the Windbridge Research Center.
Auerbach wrote a column for Fate Magazine from 1991 to 2004. His interest in magic and mentalism was encouraged by Charles Honorton and Marcello Truzzi in the early 1980s, leading him to perform professionally under the stage name Professor Paranormal. He joined the Psychic Entertainers Association in 1997 and became its president in 2001, holding the post until 2005.
Auerbach appeared on the Netflix series Surviving Death. His numerous other media appearances have included New Thinking Allowed (YouTube), The UnXplained, ESPN’s SportsCenter, ABC’s The View, Oprah, Larry King Live, and Coast to Coast AM. He has occasionally worked as a consultant for television programmes and motion pictures.
Auerbach’s nine books about the paranormal include Psychic Dreaming (1991), Mind over Matter (1996), The Ghost Detectives’ Guide to Haunted San Francisco (2011), and ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists (1986/2016). He co-authored ESP Wars: East & West (2018). A book chapter1Auerbach, Parker & Smith (2015). co-written with Dominic Parker and Sheila Smith provides a comprehensive overview of parapsychology in the United States.
For a list of Auerbach’s journal and magazine articles, see his website here.
Major Works
ESP Wars: East and West (2018)
ESP Wars: East and West, co-authored with Edwin May, Victor Rubel and Joseph McMoneagle, describes the US government-sanctioned psychic spying programme Star Gate, which was aimed at countering Russian efforts to weaponize psi. The book details the successes, failures and politics involved in the classified programmes of the both countries.2May et al (2018).
Hauntings and Poltergeists (2004)
In Hauntings and Poltergeists: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide, Auerbach writes from the perspective of both investigator and experiencer.3Auerbach (2004). He discusses parapsychological theories behind ghostly phenomena and their connection to other forms of psi. The book explains the nature of poltergeist and haunting experiences by referencing findings from modern-day parapsychological lab research.
Mind over Matter (1996)
Mind over Matter: A Comprehensive Guide to Discovering Your Psychic Powers describes manifestations of psychokinesis, including telekinesis, faith healing, spirit communication, stigmata, shamanism, firewalking, psychic attacks and levitation, with the aim of helping the reader develop psychic abilities.4Auerbach (1996).
Reincarnation, Channeling and Possession (1993)
Reincarnation, Channeling and Possession: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook adopts a more scientific approach than most popular books on these topics, describing case studies and critiquing previous suspect research.5Auerbach (1993b).
Michael Duggan
Works Cited
Auerbach, L. (1986). ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook. New York: Warner Books. [Reprinted (2016) Loyd Auerbach. Martinez, California.]
Auerbach, L. (1991). Psychic Dreaming: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook. New York: Warner Books.
Auerbach, L. (1993). Reincarnation, Channeling and Possession: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook. New York: Warner Books.
Auerbach, L. (1996). Mind Over Matter. A Comprehensive Guide to Discovering Your Psychic Powers. New York.: Kensington Publishing. [Reprinted (2017) Llewellyn Worldwide. St. Paul, Minnesota.]
Auerbach, L. (2004). Hauntings and Poltergeists: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide. Oakland, California, USA: Ronin Publishing.
Auerbach, L. (2004). Ghost Hunting: How to Investigate the Paranormal. Oakland, California, USA: Ronin Publishing.
Auerbach, L. (2005). A Paranormal Casebook: Ghost Hunting in the New Millennium. Dallas, Texas, USA: Atriad Press. [Reprinted (2021) Loyd Auerbach. Martinez, California.]
Auerbach, L. (2017). Psychic Dreaming: Dreamworking, Reincarnation, Out-of-Body Experiences & Clairvoyance. St. Paul, Minnesota, USA: Llewellyn Worldwide.
Auerbach, L., Hosek, R., & Rudnick, A. (2020). Near Death: A Raney/Daye Investigation. Sherman Oaks, California, USA: Nifni Press.
Auerbach, L., & Martin, A. (2011). The Ghost Detectives’ Guide to Haunted San Francisco. Fresno, California, USA: Craven Street Books.
Auerbach, L., Parker, D., & Smith, S. (2015). Anomalous cognition/ESP and psychokinesis research in the United States. In Extrasensory Perception: Support, Skepticism, and Science (2 vols.), ed. by E.C. May & S.B. Marwaha. Connecticut, USA: Praeger.
May, E.C., Rubel, V., McMoneagle, J., & Auerbach, L. (2016). ESP Wars, East and West. Hertford, North Carolina, USA: Crossroad Press.