ESP & Psychokinesis

Extra-sensory perception (ESP) comprises telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition. Psychokinesis (PK) is the direct influence on matter by mind alone. Both ESP and PK have been tested in the laboratory and studied in real life situations. Together they constitute psi, in the strict sense of the term. Subcategories group together overviews and general topics in psi studies, tests of ESP and PK, and researcher biographies.


‘The Telepathy Tapes’

The first season of this podcast series explored claims that some non-speaking autistic individuals possess telepathic abilities.

damon abraham

Damon T Abraham

American researcher who uses AI and machine-learning techniques to examine the interplay between psi and technology.

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Amyr Amiden

Brazilian medium known for the appearance near him of materialized objects, sometimes on request.


Margaret L Anderson

Professor of education and parapsychologist, best known for conducting ESP tests with school children.

Andover, a market town in Hampshire, UK

Andover Poltergeist

Poltergeist disturbances in a household in Andover, southern England, in 1974.

photo of N'kisi, an African Grey parrot involved in ESP experiments

Animals in Psi Research

The psi abilities of animals have been reported in informal observations and tests, including modern lab experiments.

Bronislaw Malinowski among the Trobriand Islanders

Anthropology and Psi Research

Anthropologists have long been fascinated by belief in psi, a near universal aspect of human culture.

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Charles Bailey

Charles Bailey (1870–1947) was an Australian medium known for an ability to produce ‘apports’ of great variety.

Ian Baker

Ian S Baker

Ian Baker is a psychologist at the University of Derby who has carried out ESP research.

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Baldoon Mystery

Poltergeist disturbances that occurred in 1829 in Ontario, Canada, were the subject of 26 eye-witness reports.

Peter Bancel

Peter A Bancel

American experimental physicist who carries out psi-research at the Institut Métapsychique International in Paris.

Bangs Sisters

Bangs Sisters

Nineteenth century American mediums suspected of fraud in the production of 'spirit portraits' that appeared on blank canvasses.

photograph of Kenneth Batcheldor

Kenneth J Batcheldor

British psychologist (1921–1988) who showed 'table tipping' could be produced by living agents collectively in sitter groups.

House on Eland Road, Battersea, where disturbances occurred.

Battersea Poltergeist (1928)

Disturbances reported in a small house in Battersea, London, investigated by Harry Price.

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Battersea Poltergeist (1956)

Disturbances experienced in 1956 by a family in Battersea, London, were the subject of media controversy.

John Beloff, British philosopher and parapsychologist

John Beloff

John Beloff (1920–2006), a British psychologist, was concerned with the philosophy of mind and psi-related topics.

daryl bem

Daryl Bem

Daryl Bem, an American social psychologist, has carried out landmark experiments on precognition.

Marthe Beraud (Eva C), French physical medium

Marthe Béraud (Eva C)

French materialization medium studied by European researchers in the early twentieth century.

malcolm bessent

Malcolm Bessent

English-born Malcolm Bessent participated as a subject in successful dream precognition experiments carried out in the US.

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Dick Bierman

Dutch psychologist and experimental parapsychologist, . His work includes research on the role of consciousness in quantum collapse.

detail of a photograph obtained paranormally and said to be of Dr Bindelof

Bindelof Phenomena

Describes séance phenomena experienced by a group of American teenage boys between 1929 and 1933.

Borley Rectory

Borley Rectory

Until its destruction by fire in 1939, Borley Rectory was the focus of persistent reports of haunting phenomena.

Richard Broughton

Richard S Broughton

Experimental psi researcher concerned with cognitive and evolutionary aspects of ESP.

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Cédric Cannard

Cédric Cannard is a French researcher working on altered states of consciousness and psi phenomena.

Dani Caputi

Dani Caputi

Atmospheric scientist who has studied interactions of consciousness and micro-meteorological processes.

Etzel Cardena

Etzel Cardeña

Mexican-born psychologist with interests in consciousness, dissociation and altered states related to psi.

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James Carpenter

American clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and parapsychologist, best-known for his innovative First Sight Theory of psi.

The Cideville Poltergeist

Cideville Poltergeist

Mid-nineteenth century French poltergeist case, with testimonies given in court about the phenomena.

English Credulity or the Invisible Ghost (1762). Contemporary drawing by unknown artist.

Cock Lane Ghost

Notorious 1762 haunting episode, in which disturbances in a London house became the cause of heated public controversy.


Coin Apports: The Mexico City Case

A variety of coins appeared without an obvious normal source or cause.

John Edgar Coover

Coover Telepathy Experiments

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

Contemporary illustration. Source: Mary Evans Picture Library

Angelique Cottin

French girl who was the centre of psychokinetic disturbances that made an international sensation.

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Mina Stinson Crandon (Margery)

Controversial American physical medium who caused a split in the ASPR in the 1930s.


Stella Cranshaw

London nurse (1900–1986) who produced abundant phenomena in investigative sittings organized in the 1920s by Harry Price.

Creatives have been tested for ESP

Creative Participants in the Ganzfeld

Series of successful ESP experiments with dance, drama and music students of New York’s Juilliard School.

Teenage girls in Victorian fashion engraving

Creery Telepathy Experiments

Apparently successful early experiments in telepathy later discredited by admissions of cheating.

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Croiset Archive

Correspondence, reports, films and other materials relating to the Dutch psychic Gerard Croiset (1909–1980) are collected here.


Gerard Croiset

Dutch psychic (1909–1980) known for demonstrations of precognitive clairvoyance (chair tests) and for finding missing persons.

Ramses D'Leon Macias

Ramsés D’León Macías

Mexican parapsychcologist who has carried out research in presentiment and psychokinesis.

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Michael Daw

Michael Daw is a research scientist investigating a relationship between dietary practices and psi abilities.

Albert de Rochas

de Rochas on Physical Mediumship

A 1896 book provides detailed descriptions of phenomena produced by European mediums.

Moritz Dechamps

Moritz Dechamps

German researcher investigating quantum effects in the context of micro-psychokinesis experiments.

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Decline Effect in Psi Research

Review of the 'decline effect’ in psi testing, a falling off in participants' performance over time.

Deborah Delanoy

Deborah Delanoy

Psychologist who has conducted research in ESP and direct mental interaction with living systems (DMILS).

Source: Koestler Parapsychology Unit, Project Ganzfeld

Delgado-Romero and Howard Telepathy Experiments

Ganzfeld tests intended to correct perceived flaws in experimental design.


Arnaud Delorme

American neuroscientist who has carried out experiments exploring the relation between consciousness and psi.

alexis didier

Alexis Didier

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

York Dobyns

York Dobyns

A long-term member of the research team at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory.

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Drummer of Tedworth

Poltergeist case investigated by Joseph Glanvill (1636–1680), one of the first to receive serious scrutiny.

helen duncan

Helen Duncan

Controversial Scottish physical medium (1898–1956) sentenced to jail under England’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.

Brenda Dunne

Brenda J Dunne

American parapsychologist (1944–2022), whose remote viewing and psychokinesis research made important contributions.

Eleonore Zugun

Eleonore Zugun (Talpa Poltergeist)

Adolescent Romanian girl (1913–1991), the centre of a well-documented 1920s poltergeist-type episode.

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Enfield Poltergeist

Celebrated 1970s case in a north London suburb, in which poltergeist disturbances were documented over a two-year period.

Suitbert Ertel

Suitbert Ertel

German statistician and psychologist (1932–2017) who developed the highly successful ESP 'ball selection' test of psychokinesis (PK).

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Álex Escolà-Gascón

Professor of applied mathematics whose research has included remote viewing and aspects of paranormal belief.

JB Rhine tests a subject with Zener cards at Duke University

Experimental Parapsychology

Overview of efforts to apply experimental methods to the study of psi experiences, from the 1870s to today.

photograph of parapsychologist explaining an experiment to student participants

Experimenter Effects in Psi Research

Parapsychologists have come to believe that experimenters play a major role in influencing the outcome of psi tests.

Photograph of Ariel Farias during a laboratory experiment

Ariel Farias

Argentinian factory worker and martial arts teacher who took part in recent successful recent psychokinesis experiments.

Daryl Bem

Feeling the Future (Precognition Experiments)

A ground-breaking ESP study that appeared to show a precognitive effect was reported in 2011.

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Felicia Parise

American woman who taught herself to move small objects by means of psychokinesis and was observed doing so in test conditions.

Kai Mügge, Felix Circle physical medium

Felix Experimental Group

German circle for physical mediumship noted for the magnitude and diversity of its phenomena.

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GW Fisk

GW Fisk (1882–1972) was a British experimental parapsychologist who made a notable contribution to ESP research.

book cover of Betrayers of the Truth: Fraud and Deceit in the Halls of Science, by William J Broad and Nicholas Wade (1983)

Fraud in Parapsychology and Other Sciences

Psi researchers have sometimes been caught in fraud but so have scientists in other fields.

Morris Freedman

Morris Freedman

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

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Tomokichi Fukurai

Pioneering Japanese experimental psychologist (1869–1952) who carried out psi research, noted for studies of ‘thoughtography’.

Psi Ganzfeld: in the laboratory

Ganzfeld ESP

The Ganzfeld is a sensory deprivation laboratory technique that has proven effective in facilitating telepathy and remote viewing.

Uri Geller, psychic

Uri Geller

Israeli-born celebrity psychic renowned for metal-bending and telepathic feats which, however, are not without controversy.

gilbert murray

Gilbert Murray Telepathy Experiments

Successful informal ESP tests carried out by an Australian-British classics scholar (1866-1957).

photo of the New York September 11 attacks

Global Consciousness Project (GCP)

International project the looks for deviations from chance on random number generators.

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The Gold Leaf Lady

Florida housewife who exhibits psychic effects, notably golden-like brass foil that appears on her skin and clothes.

Kathleen Goligher

Goligher Circle

Northern Irish Spiritualist group reported to produce striking PK phenomena, the subject of research in the 1910s.


Àlex Gómez-Marín

Alex Gomez-Marin is a Spanish physicist and neuroscientist with research interests in parapsychology.

Jacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum

Jacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum

Mexican psychologist and consciousness researcher who carried out experiments in telepathy and extraocular vision.

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Gabriel Guerrer

Gabriel Guerrer is a Brazilian experimental physicist who has investigated the possible influence of consciousness on matter.

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Lalsingh ‘Sean’ Harribance

Trinidadian psychic of Indian descent who participated in ESP and PK experiments with American researchers from the 1970s.

Reginaldo Hiraoka

Reginaldo Hiraoka

Brazilian philosopher and psychologist with research interests in ganzfeld ESP and collective influence on random number generators.

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Glenn Hitchman

British psychologist interested in implicit precognition, morphic fields and the use of floatation tanks to induce psi-conducive states.

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Nicola J Holt

British psychologist and psi researcher, whose work has focused on the relationship of psi to creativity and other personality traits.

DD Home, nineteenth century spirit medium

Daniel Dunglas Home

Well-known nineteenth century medium, some of whose phenomena were observed in controlled conditions.

Charles Honorton

Charles Honorton

American parapsychologist (1946–1992) who helped pioneer the ganzfeld sensory deprivation technique of ESP testing.

houck metal bending

Jack Houck

American engineer (1939–2013) noted for his mass demonstrations of psychokinesis at metal bending ‘parties’.

photo of Indridi Indridason

Indridi Indridason (medium)

Icelandic trance medium (1883–1910) who produced physical phenomena comparable to DD Home.

Rudi Schneider, Austrian seance medium (1909-1957)

Investigation of Rudi Schneider by Eugène Osty

Tests of an Austrian physical medium with instruments suggested the presence of a psychokinetic force.


Robert Jahn

Robert Jahn was a plasma physicist who founded the PEAR laboratory, which specialized in studying mind-machine interactions.


Jaytee (pet telepathy)

This article describes experiments that appeared to demonstrate a telepathic link between a dog and its owner.


Martin Johnson

As a major European experimental parapsychologist, Johnson (1930–2011) helped build the programme at the University of Utrecht.

Jacob Jolij2

Jacob Jolij

Jacob Jolij is a Dutch psychologist who has carried out experiments in presentiment and psychokinesis.

Illustration of telepathic 'skin-writing' by Olga Kahl. In this example, the word Francois', thought but not spoken by a person present, was followed by the letters F R A N appearing as red marks on Kahl's forearm.

Olga Kahl

Russian psychic known for her ability to cause words and images received telepathically appear briefly as red marks on her skin.

Debra Katz

Debra Lynne Katz

American parapsychologist, author, educator, and intuitive practitioner, carrying out research on remote viewing and related topics.

james kennedy

James E Kennedy

American psi researcher specializing in experimental research, methodology and theoretical development.


Karolina A Kirmse

German researcher who has carried out experiments aimed at uncovering the quantum basis of psi phenomena.

Marios Kittenis

Marios Kittenis

Researcher whose work has included presentiment, remote psychophysical interactions, and the psi effects of psychedelic drugs.

photo of Franek Kluski

Franek Kluski

Polish banker (1873–1943) with psychic abilities and for some years submitted to investigation as a materialization medium.

John Kruth 2

John G Kruth

Executive director of the Rhine Research Center. His research interests include bioenergy in healing.

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Ninel Kulagina

Russian woman (1926–1990) whose apparent ability to move objects by psychokinesis was investigated by parapsychologists.


Brian Laythe

American psychologist and parapsychologist whose research interests include paranormal beliefs and experiences.

Walter von Lucadou2

Walter von Lucadou

German physicist interested in consciousness studies who has developed a theory of psi based on quantum mechanics.

richard lucido

Richard James Lucido

American psychologist whose experiments support the idea that consciousness causes the collapse of the wave function.

Markus Maier

Markus Maier

German psychologist whose work in consciousness theory has extended to include experiments in psychokinesis and precognition.

Maimonides Medical Centre, New York

Maimonides Dream Telepathy Research

This article describes ESP dreaming experiments carried out in a New York sleep laboratory.

photo of Matthew Manning

Matthew Manning

British man, the focus of poltergeist activity in his teens, later known for his metal-bending, psychic activities, and healing.

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Betty Markwick

British mathematician and statistician, credited with having uncovered fraud in ESP experiments by SG Soal.

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Edwin C May

American physicist and parapsychologist, notable for his direction of the US government-funded Star Gate remote viewing program.


Joe McMoneagle

Former US Army soldier who played a leading role as a remote viewer in the Star Gate psychic spying program run by American military.

herb mertz

Herb Mertz 

Author of The Selection Effect (2020), which describes a long-term self-study with a random event generator.

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Meta-Analysis in Parapsychology

Meta-analysis is a statistical procedure that combines studies in a particular area of research to provide more robust findings

uri geller bending spoon

Metal-Bending Research

Survey of research into claims that cutlery and other metal objects can potentially be bent by mind force alone.

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Miami Poltergeist

1960s episode in which Florida-themed souvenir items were seen repeatedly falling from warehouse shelves.

Carlos Mirabelli, Brazilian spirit medium (1889-1951)

Carlos Mirabelli

Brazilian medium (1889–1951) credited with phenomena of similar power and frequency to those associated with DD Home.

Garret Moddel

Garret Moddel

Quantum engineer at the University of Colarado who has carried out experiments in applied psi and remote viewing.

Robert Morris

Robert Morris

American psychologist and parapsychologist (1942–2004) who chaired Edinburgh University's Koestler Parapsychology Unit.

picture of Enrico Morselli

Morselli’s Psicologia e Spiritismo

Study of Eusapia Palladino, with emphasis on clinical and psychological aspects of the case.

William Stainton Moses, seance medium (1839-92)

William Stainton Moses

British Anglican priest and teacher who described experiences with mediumship in a private circle.


Julia Mossbridge

American cognitive neuroscientist who has carried out parapsychological studies, notably on precognition and presentiment effects.

Aimée Morgana teaching N'kisi to speak

N’kisi (pet telepathy)

Successful telepathy experiment carried out with an African Grey parrot which had been taught to speak several words.


Roger Nelson

Experimental psychologist and parapsychologist who founded the long-running Global Consciousness Project.


Noah’s Ark Society for Physical Mediumship

The NAS originated in a home circle in 1990 and indirectly fostered the later Scole Circle.

photo of Wolfgang Pauli

Observational Theories of Psi

Review of research on the idea that psi works by cognizing and manipulating the invisible underworld of quantum probabilities.


Stefan Ossowiecki

Polish businessman (1877–1944) whose clairvoyant abilities were the subject of successful tests with European psychical researchers.

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ARG Owen

British mathematics professor and parapsychologist (1919–2003), notable for the landmark ‘Philip’ PK experiments.


Ted Owens

American psychic who won notoriety by claiming macro-psychokinetic (PK) powers, including an ability to control the weather.


Eusapia Palladino

Nineteenth century Italian trance medium (1854–1918) who produced psychokinetic phenomena of striking strength.

Fotini Pallikari

Fotini Pallikari

Greek physicist interested in laser spectroscopy, materials science, foundations of quantum theory and psychical research.

photo of John Palmer

John Palmer

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

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

Parapsychology in Psychology Textbooks

Describes how psychology textbooks persistently misrepresent psi research.

photograph of Robert Morris, first holder of the Koestler chair of parapsychology at Edinburgh University

Parapsychology PhDs in the UK (list)

A significant number of people in Britain have gained doctorates in parapsychology.

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Adrian Parker

Anglo-Swedish clinical psychologist and parapsychologist who was among the first researchers to adopt the ganzfeld technique.


René Peoc’h

French researcher whose studies with imprinted chicks suggested they can bias the movement of a robot through PK.

Michael Persinger 1

Michael A Persinger

American-Canadian psychologist (1945–2018), inventor of a device that sought to induce paranormal-seeming experiences.

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Mikhail Petrovo-Solovovo

Russian diplomat and psychical researcher (1868–1954) known for interest in physical mediumship.

drawing of the fictional Philip by a member of the group

Philip Psychokinesis Experiments

Landmark 1970s experiment in which a Canadian sitter group created PK phenomena.

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Padre Pio

Italian Roman Catholic friar and mystic (1879–1968) known for producing 'stigmata', bleeding sores recalling Christ's crucifixion.

Lotte Plaat

Lotte Plaat

Dutch clairvoyant (1895–1979) able to discern facts about events associated with an object and its owner by holding it (psychometry).

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Poltergeists (Overview)

This article provides an introduction to poltergeist research, describing major cases and theoretical perspectives.

J Gaither Pratt

J Gaither Pratt

American psychologist and parapsychologist (1910–1979) who worked with JB Rhine at Duke University and Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia.

Eleanor Sidgwick, an early investigator of precognition

Precognition in Spontaneous Cases

Surveys the research literature on precognition, giving examples of reported cases and the conclusions of researchers.

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Precognition Without Retrocausation

Precognitive dreams may be interpreted in terms of retrocausation, but is this the best way?

Dean Radin, a leading investigator of presentiment

Presentiment in Laboratory Studies

An unconscious form of precognition that can be demonstrated with techniques commonly used in research on psychophysiology.

Psi for Financial Gain

Psi for Financial Gain

Anecdotal accounts and lab tests suggest that psi can at times be used to advantage in gambling and financial speculation.

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Psi Research in Asia and Australia

Contributions to psi research by labs and individuals in Australia, Japan, China and India

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Psi Research in Brazil

This article traces the development of interest in psi phenomena and parapsychological research in Brazil.

King Wen of Zhou (1231-1135 BC), established the I Ching divination system

Psi Research in China

Recent experimental and theoretical work in China includes successful attempts to train ESP abilities in blind children.

photograph of Freiburg, where the IGPP, a leading parapsychology centre in Europe

Psi Research in Continental Europe

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

Eiffel Tower - Psi Encyclopedia

Psi Research in France

This article discusses psi research in France, from nineteenth century ‘animal magnetism’ to the present day.

photo of Duke University, North Carolina, where psi research in the US began in the 1930s

Psi Research in North America

Key organizations and individuals involved in psi research in the United States and Canada, from the 1930s to the present.

Nina Kulagina

Psi Research in Russia

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

photo of Gerard Heymans

Psi Research in the Netherlands

Dutch psi research is characterized by a recurring clash between qualitative and quantitative methods.

photograph of Edinburgh University

Psi Research in the United Kingdom

The UK arguably leads psi research in Europe, having active centres in at least eight universities.


Psychic Detection

The record of psychics involved in police work is mixed, with striking successes in some cases, complete failures in others.

photo of Tina Resch Boyer

Psychological Aspects of Poltergeist Cases

Reasons to think that most poltergeist disturbances have living rather than deceased agents.

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.

a personal objects such as a watch or wallet can is used by a psychometrist to discover information about its owner

Psychometry

Clairvoyance facilitated by holding an object, which enables a psychic to describe key incidents associated with it.

Harold Puthoff

Harold E Puthoff

American physicist and parapsychologist, a key figure in the US government-funded Star Gate remote viewing programme.


Dean Radin

Dean Radin is an American scientist known for innovative experiments in the study of consciousness and psi phenomena.

glen rein

Glen Rein

Glen Rein is an American biochemist who has investigated the influence of human intention on DNA activity.

St. Joseph of Cupertino is lifted in flight at the sight of the Basilica of Loreto, by Ludovico Mazzanti  (detail)

Religious Levitation

Reports of individuals being seen, spontaneously and involuntarily, to rise into the air and remain suspended

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.

noreen renier

Noreen Renier

American psychic detective who claims to have worked on more than 400 cases, mainly related to murder, rape and missing persons.

photo of JB Rhine

Joseph Banks Rhine

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

photo of Louisa Rhine

Louisa E Rhine

Louisa Rhine (1891–1983) analyzed spontaneous psi experiences sent to the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University.

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.

Charles Richet -Traite de Metapsychique and English translation Thirty Years of Psychical Research

Richet’s ‘Traité de Métapsychique’ (‘Thirty Years of Psychical Research’)

A classic review of the literature, published in 1922.


Christopher Robinson

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

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Chris A Roe

British psychology professor and psi researcher interested in the nature of anomalous experiences and the psychology of belief.

William Roll 3

William George Roll

American psychologist and parapsychologist (1926–2012) noted for reports of poltergeist phenomena for which living agents were responsible.

Serena Roney-Dougal

Serena Roney-Dougal

British psi researcher and educator whose research has probed the relationship between meditation and psi performance.

adrian ryan

Adrian Ryan

British researcher interested in the effect of geomagnetic activity on ESP, also in psi's philosophical and sociological implications.


Milan Ryzl

Milan Ryzl (1928–2011) was a pioneer in exploring hypnosis as a facilitator of ESP, best known for his extensive work with Pavel Stepanek.

sai baba

Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba was an Indian religious leader known worldwide for 'miracles' such as materializing sweets and ornaments.

Carl Sargent

Carl Sargent

British parapsychologist (1952–2018) whose successful ganzfeld telepathy experiments were attacked by a prominent sceptic.

old photograph of Main Street, Sauchie

Sauchie Poltergeist

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

gertrude schmeidler

Gertrude Schmeidler

American psychologist and parapsychologist, noted for her theory that ESP ability relates to belief.

helmut schmidt 2

Helmut Schmidt

German American parapsychologist (1928–2011) who pioneered the use of random event generators in studying psychokinesis.


​​​​​​​Stefan Schmidt

German clinical psychologist and parapsychologist who has carried out research in distant interaction, telepathy and healing.

Photograph of a sitting for physical phenomena of mediumship at Scole, Norfolk

The Scole Circle

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

James Herrmann, aged 12, was the focus of the anomalous disturbances at his family's Seaford, Long Island home

Seaford Poltergeist

Poltergeist-type disturbances in 1958 in Seaford, Long Island, New York, centering on a 12-year-old boy.

Ted Serios

Ted Serios

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


Richard Sheargold

Richard Sheargold (1911–1988) was an English psychical researcher with particular interests in electronic voice phenomena.

Gertrude Schmeidler

Sheep-Goat Effect

In experimental tests, participants who believe in psi (sheep) score positively while those who do not believe (goats) score at chance.

Yung-Jong Shiah 2

Yung-Jong Shiah

Chinese psychologist who has conducted ESP experiments, including studies in collaboration with American researcher Dean Radin.

richard silberstein

Richard Silberstein

Australian neuroscientist who conducted a brain imaging study that appears to confirm telepathic interactions between itwins.

christine simmonds-moore

Christine Simmonds-Moore

British psychologist and parapsychologist whose research interests include the psychology of paranormal belief.

photo of Mary Craig Sinclair

Sinclair Telepathy Experiments

A successful series of ESP drawing experiments carried out by American author Upton Sinclair and his wife Craig.

Henry Slade

Henry Slade

Nineteenth century physical medium accused of fraud who also produced PK phenomena in well-controlled conditions.

Brighton, where early ESP experiments were carried out

Smith and Blackburn Controversy

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

james spottiswoode

S James P Spottiswoode

American physicist who has carried out psi research with an emphasis on seeking physical correlates to psi performance.

leanna standish

Leanna Standish

American neuroscientist and naturopathic physician who has performed successful psi experiments in distant interactions.

Rex Stanford

Rex G Stanford

American parapsychologist (1938-2022) known for his Psi-Mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR) model of psi.

Spichermatt House, Stans, Switzerland: home of the Joller family

Stans (Switzerland) Poltergeist

Mid-19 century poltergeist case, in which disturbances tormented a Swiss family for weeks.

pavel stepanek

Pavel Stepanek

Czech ESP subject who performed consistently well in experiments carried out in Prague and in the US during the 1960s.

Paul Stevens

Paul Stevens

British psychologist who has carried out parapsychological research emphasizing the role played by the environment in psi expression.

photo of Ingo Swann

Ingo Swann

American artist (1933–2013) whose psychic ability led him to participate in successful ESP and PK experiments in the 1970s.

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Table-Turning

‘Table-turning’ (or ‘table-tipping) refers to the anomalous movement of tables and other furniture during mediumistic seances.

photo of Russell Targ

Russell Targ

American physicist and parapsychologist who collaborated with Harold Puthoff in remote viewing studies.

photo of Charles Tart

Charles T Tart

American psychologist (1937–2025) known for research on psi, out-of-body experiences, and the nature of consciousness.

jon taylor

Jon Taylor

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


Wilhelm HC Tenhaeff

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

michael thalbourne

Michael Thalbourne

Australian psychologist (1955–2010) whose wide research interests included psi and mystical experience.

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Tina Resch (Columbus Poltergeist)

Focus of poltergeist-type phenomena at her home in Columbus, Ohio, in 1984,

Stanislawa Tomczyk

Stanislawa Tomczyk

Polish woman whose ability to produce visible psychokinetic effects in controlled conditions is well documented.

Zoltan Kekecs

Transparent Psi Project

This article describes a failed effort to replicate a famous precognitive effect reported by Daryl Bem in 2011.

patrizion tressoldi 2

Patrizio Tressoldi

Italian psychologist and consciousness researcher who has developed new ways to investigate presentiment and psychokinetic effects.

twins

Twin Telepathy

Suggestions of telepathy between twins often appear in the popular press, but there is as yet no sustained research in this area.

tyrrell

GNM Tyrrell

English mathematician, physicist and radio engineer (1879–1952), remembered for his theoretical treatise on apparitions.

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.


Dieter Vaitl

German consciousness researcher who directed the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP) for two decades.

Mario Varvoglis

Mario Varvoglis

American parapsychologist living in France, president of the Institut Métapsychique International.

Leonid Vasiliev

Leonid Vasiliev

Leonid Vasiliev (1891–1966), a Russian physiologist and parapsychologist, reported numerous successful experiments in ‘mental suggestion’.

annalisa ventola

Annalisa Ventola

Executive director of the Parapsychological Association, who has carried out research into poltergeists and hauntings.

david vernon

David Vernon

British psychologist specializing in neuroscience, cognition and research methods, who has carried out psi research as well.

vienna31

Vienna Workshop Poltergeist

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

caroline watt

Caroline Watt

Scottish psychologist who has made contributions to understanding psi from both a proponent and sceptic angle.

Aklavik, a settlement in Canada's Northwest Territories visited by Sir Hubert Wilkins during his telepathy experiment.

Wilkins and Sherman Telepathy

A successful long-distance telepathy test was carried out over a five-month period in 1938.

Bryan Williams

Bryan J Williams

Student of cognitive psychology interested in field-like influences on the behaviour of random number generators.

wittmann

Marc Wittmann

Cognitive neuroscientist based in Freiburg, Germany, where he conducts research on time perception and psi phenomena.

Worksop Poltergeist

Worksop Poltergeist

Original report by an SPR investigator of poltergeist-type disturbances in 1883 in Worksop, in the north of England.


Garret Yount

American researcher who explores the links between molecular biology and aspects of consciousness, including energy healing.

Agnes and Julius Zancig

Zancig, Julius and Agnes (Telepathy Stage Act)

A mind-reading act performed by a Danish-American couple may have included genuine telepathy.

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