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. They are thought to be united as capabilities of consciousness, distinct from the physical body. Together they constitute psi, in the strict sense of the term.
‘The Telepathy Tapes’
Podcast series exploring claims that certain nonspeaking autistic individuals possess telepathic abilities.
Damon Abraham
American researcher who uses AI and machine-learning techniques to examine the interplay between psi and technology.
Margaret L Anderson
Professor of education and parapsychologist best known for testing children for ESP.
Animals in Psi Research
Describes informal observations, early tests and modern lab experiments looking at animals' psychic capabilities.
Anthropology and Psi Research
Anthropologists have long been fascinated by belief in the supernatural, a near universal aspect of human culture.
Ian S Baker
Ian Baker is a psychologist at the University of Derby who has carried out ESP research.
Peter A Bancel
American experimental physicist who carries out psi-research at the Institut Métapsychique International in Paris.
John Beloff
John Beloff (1920–2006), a British psychologist, was concerned with the philosophy of mind and psi-related topics.
Daryl Bem
Daryl Bem, an American social psychologist, has carried out landmark experiments on precognition.
Malcolm Bessent
English-born Malcolm Bessent participated as a subject in successful dream precognition experiments carried out in the US.
Dick Bierman
Dutch psychologist and experimental parapsychologist, . His work includes research on the role of consciousness in quantum collapse.
Richard S Broughton
Experimental psi researcher concerned with cognitive and evolutionary aspects of ESP.
Cédric Cannard
Cédric Cannard is a French researcher working on altered states of consciousness and psi phenomena.
Dani Caputi
Atmospheric scientist who has studied interactions of consciousness and micro-meteorological processes.
Etzel Cardeña
Mexican-born psychologist with interests in consciousness, dissociation and altered states related to psi.
James Carpenter
American clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and parapsychologist, best-known for his innovative First Sight Theory of psi.
Coover Telepathy Experiments
Early telepathy experiments, once thought a failure, now considered statistically significant.
Creative Participants in the Ganzfeld
Series of successful ESP experiments with dance, drama and music students of New York’s Juilliard School.
Creery Telepathy Experiments
Apparently successful early experiments in telepathy later discredited by admissions of cheating.
Ramsés D’León Macías
Mexican parapsychcologist who has carried out research in presentiment and psychokinesis.
Michael Daw
Michael Daw is a research scientist investigating a relationship between dietary practices and psi abilities.
Moritz Dechamps
German researcher investigating quantum effects in the context of micro-psychokinesis experiments.
Decline Effect in Psi Research
Review of the 'decline effect’ in psi testing, a falling off in participants' performance over time.
Deborah Delanoy
Psychologist who has conducted research in ESP and direct mental interaction with living systems (DMILS).
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.
Dermo-Optical Perception
This article describes scientific research into the phenomenon of ‘seeing’ colours by touch alone.
York Dobyns
A long-term member of the research team at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory.
Brenda J Dunne
American parapsychologist (1944–2022), whose remote viewing and psychokinesis research made important contributions.
Suitbert Ertel
German statistician and psychologist (1932–2017) who developed the highly successful ESP 'ball selection' test of psychokinesis (PK).
Álex Escolà-Gascón
Professor of applied mathematics whose research has included remote viewing and aspects of paranormal belief.
Experimental Parapsychology
Overview of efforts to apply experimental methods to the study of psi experiences, from the 1870s to today.
Experimenter Effects in Psi Research
Parapsychologists have come to believe that experimenters play a major role in influencing the outcome of psi tests.
Extraocular Image (China)
1980s experiments in which children demonstrated an ability to recognize hidden images and words by touch alone.
Ariel Farias
Argentinian factory worker and martial arts teacher who took part in recent successful recent psychokinesis experiments.
Feeling the Future (Precognition Experiments)
A ground-breaking ESP study that appeared to show a precognitive effect was reported in 2011.
GW Fisk
GW Fisk (1882–1972) was a British experimental parapsychologist who made a notable contribution to ESP research.
Fraud in Parapsychology and Other Sciences
The assumption that psi researchers are more likely to commit fraud than other scientists is wrong.
Morris Freedman
Toronto-based neurologist who done experiments suggesting that psi may be facilitated by frontal lobe brain damage.
Tomokichi Fukurai
Pioneering Japanese experimental psychologist (1869–1952) who carried out psi research, noted for studies of ‘thoughtography’.
Ganzfeld ESP
The Ganzfeld is a sensory deprivation laboratory technique that has proven effective in facilitating telepathy and remote viewing.
Gilbert Murray Telepathy Experiments
Successful informal ESP tests carried out by an Australian-British classics scholar (1866-1957).
Global Consciousness Project (GCP)
International project the looks for deviations from chance on random number generators.
Àlex Gómez-Marín
Alex Gomez-Marin is a Spanish physicist and neuroscientist with research interests in parapsychology.
Jacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum
Mexican psychologist and consciousness researcher who carried out experiments in telepathy and extraocular vision.
Gabriel Guerrer
Gabriel Guerrer is a Brazilian experimental physicist who has investigated the possible influence of consciousness on matter.
Lalsingh ‘Sean’ Harribance
Trinidadian psychic of Indian descent who participated in ESP and PK experiments with American researchers from the 1970s.
Reginaldo Hiraoka
Brazilian philosopher and psychologist with research interests in ganzfeld ESP and collective influence on random number generators.
Glenn Hitchman
British psychologist interested in implicit precognition, morphic fields and the use of floatation tanks to induce psi-conducive states.
Nicola J Holt
British psychologist and psi researcher, whose work has focused on the relationship of psi to creativity and other personality traits.
Charles Honorton
American parapsychologist (1946–1992) who helped pioneer the ganzfeld sensory deprivation technique of ESP testing.
Jack Houck
American engineer (1939–2013) noted for his mass demonstrations of psychokinesis at metal bending ‘parties’.
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 Jolij
Jacob Jolij is a Dutch psychologist who has carried out experiments in presentiment and psychokinesis.
Debra Lynne Katz
American parapsychologist, author, educator, and intuitive practitioner, carrying out research on remote viewing and related topics.
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
Researcher whose work has included presentiment, remote psychophysical interactions, and the psi effects of psychedelic drugs.
John G Kruth
Executive director of the Rhine Research Center. His research interests include bioenergy in healing.
Lay Paranormal Research in the UK
Overview of non-university organizations that carry out psi research in the United Kingdom.
Brian Laythe
American psychologist and parapsychologist whose research interests include paranormal beliefs and experiences.
Walter von Lucadou
German physicist interested in consciousness studies who has developed a theory of psi based on quantum mechanics.
Richard James Lucido
American psychologist whose experiments support the idea that consciousness causes the collapse of the wave function.
Markus Maier
German psychologist whose work in consciousness theory has extended to include experiments in psychokinesis and precognition.
Maimonides Dream Telepathy Research
This article describes ESP dreaming experiments carried out in a New York sleep laboratory.
Betty Markwick
British mathematician and statistician, credited with having uncovered fraud in ESP experiments by SG Soal.
Martial Arts and Psi
A tradition within martial arts claims that an adept may learn to use ESP and psychokinesis to dominate opponents.
Edwin C May
American physicist and parapsychologist, notable for his direction of the US government-funded Star Gate remote viewing program.
Meditation and Psi
Traditional Yogic teachings state that a person who attains a higher state of consciousness will manifest psychic powers.
Herb Mertz
Author of The Selection Effect (2020), which describes a long-term self-study with a random event generator.
Meta-Analysis in Parapsychology
Meta-analysis is a statistical procedure that combines studies in a particular area of research to provide more robust findings
Metal-Bending Research
Survey of research into claims that cutlery and other metal objects can potentially be bent by mind force alone.
Garret Moddel
Quantum engineer at the University of Colarado who has carried out experiments in applied psi and remote viewing.
Robert Morris
American psychologist and parapsychologist (1942–2004) who chaired Edinburgh University's Koestler Parapsychology Unit.
Julia Mossbridge
American cognitive neuroscientist who has carried out parapsychological studies, notably on precognition and presentiment effects.
Music and Psi
This article explores the many ways music has been related to altered states of consciousness and psychic experiences.
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.
Observational Theories of Psi
Review of research on the idea that psi works by cognizing and manipulating the invisible underworld of quantum probabilities.
Fotini Pallikari
Greek physicist interested in laser spectroscopy, materials science, foundations of quantum theory and psychical research.
John Palmer
American psychologist and parapsychologist who has conducted psi research using a range of experimental and theoretical approaches.
Parapsychology in Psychology Textbooks
Describes how psychology textbooks persistently misrepresent the field of parapsychology.
Parapsychology PhDs in the UK (list)
A significant number of people in Britain have gained doctorates in parapsychology.
Adrian Parker
Anglo-Swedish clinical psychologist and parapsychologist who was among the first researchers to adopt the ganzfeld technique.
Michael A Persinger
American-Canadian psychologist (1945–2018), inventor of a device that sought to induce paranormal-seeming experiences.
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.
Precognition in Spontaneous Cases
Surveys the research literature on precognition, giving examples of reported cases and the conclusions of researchers.
Precognition Without Retrocausation
Precognitive dreams may be interpreted in terms of retrocausation, but is this the best way?
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
Anecdotal accounts and lab tests suggest that psi can at times be used to advantage in gambling and financial speculation.
Psi Research in Asia and Australia
Contributions to psi research by labs and individuals in Australia, Japan, China and India
Psi Research in Brazil
This article traces the development of interest in psi phenomena and parapsychological research in Brazil.
Psi Research in China
Recent experimental and theoretical work in China includes successful attempts to train ESP abilities in blind children.
Psi Research in Continental Europe
This article provides an overview of psi research in laboratories across continental Europe.
Psi Research in France
This article discusses psi research in France, from nineteenth century ‘animal magnetism’ to the present day.
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.
Psi Research in Russia
Limited but significant psi research has been carried out in Russia since the nineteenth century.
Psi Research in the Netherlands
Dutch psi research is characterized by a recurring clash between qualitative and quantitative methods.
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.
Psychology and Parapsychology
Explores the overlap between psychology and parapsychology, such as personality and other variables linked to psi.
Psychometry
Clairvoyance facilitated by holding an object, which enables a psychic to describe key incidents associated with it.
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 is an American biochemist who has investigated the influence of human intention on DNA activity.
Remote Viewing
An experimental form of clairvoyance, in which a suitably trained person attempts to visualise the topography of a distant scene.
Joseph Banks Rhine
Joseph Banks Rhine (1895–1980) is recognized as the founder of experimental parapsychology.
Louisa E Rhine
Louisa Rhine (1891–1983) analyzed spontaneous psi experiences sent to the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University.
Richet’s ‘La Suggestion Mentale’
In a 1884 paper, physiologist Charles Richet pioneered the use of statistics in telepathy tests.
Richet’s ‘Traité de Métapsychique’ (‘Thirty Years of Psychical Research’)
A classic review of the literature, published in 1922.
Chris A Roe
British psychology professor and psi researcher interested in the nature of anomalous experiences and the psychology of belief.
Serena Roney-Dougal
British psi researcher and educator whose research has probed the relationship between meditation and psi performance.
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.
Carl Sargent
British parapsychologist (1952–2018) whose successful ganzfeld telepathy experiments were attacked by a prominent sceptic.
Gertrude Schmeidler
American psychologist and parapsychologist, noted for her theory that ESP ability relates to belief.
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.
Sense of Being Stared At – Experimental Evidence
Recent investigations suggest that the phenomenon is real.
Sense of Being Stared At – Theories of Vision
This article discusses theoretical implications of findings with regard to theories of vision.
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.
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
Chinese psychologist who has conducted ESP experiments, including studies in collaboration with American researcher Dean Radin.
Richard Silberstein
Australian neuroscientist who conducted a brain imaging study that appears to confirm telepathic interactions between itwins.
Christine Simmonds-Moore
British psychologist and parapsychologist whose research interests include the psychology of paranormal belief.
Sinclair Telepathy Experiments
A successful series of ESP drawing experiments carried out by American author Upton Sinclair and his wife Craig.
Smith and Blackburn Controversy
19tth century telepathy tests of two young men, one of whom later said they had cheated.
S James P Spottiswoode
American physicist who has carried out psi research with an emphasis on seeking physical correlates to psi performance.
Leanna Standish
American neuroscientist and naturopathic physician who has performed successful psi experiments in distant interactions.
Rex G Stanford
American parapsychologist (1938-2022) known for his Psi-Mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR) model of psi.
Paul Stevens
British psychologist who has carried out parapsychological research emphasizing the role played by the environment in psi expression.
Russell Targ
American physicist and parapsychologist who collaborated with Harold Puthoff in remote viewing studies.
Charles T Tart
American psychologist (1937–2025) known for research on psi, out-of-body experiences, and the nature of consciousness.
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
Australian psychologist (1955–2010) whose wide research interests included psi and mystical experience.
Transparent Psi Project
This article describes a failed effort to replicate a famous precognitive effect reported by Daryl Bem in 2011.
Patrizio Tressoldi
Italian psychologist and consciousness researcher who has developed new ways to investigate presentiment and psychokinetic effects.
Twin Telepathy
Suggestions of telepathy between twins often appear in the popular press, but there is as yet no sustained research in this area.
GNM Tyrrell
English mathematician, physicist and radio engineer (1879–1952), remembered for his theoretical treatise on apparitions.
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
American parapsychologist living in France, president of the Institut Métapsychique International.
Leonid Vasiliev
Leonid Vasiliev (1891–1966), a Russian physiologist and parapsychologist, reported numerous successful experiments in ‘mental suggestion’.
David Vernon
British psychologist specializing in neuroscience, cognition and research methods, who has carried out psi research as well.
Caroline Watt
Scottish psychologist who has made contributions to understanding psi from both a proponent and sceptic angle.
Wilkins and Sherman Telepathy
A successful long-distance telepathy test was carried out over a five-month period in 1938.
Bryan J Williams
Student of cognitive psychology interested in field-like influences on the behaviour of random number generators.
Marc Wittmann
Cognitive neuroscientist based in Freiburg, Germany, where he conducts research on time perception and psi phenomena.
Garret Yount
American researcher who explores the links between molecular biology and aspects of consciousness, including energy healing.
Zancig, Julius and Agnes (Telepathy Stage Act)
A mind-reading act performed by a Danish-American couple may have included genuine telepathy.