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.
‘Raymond’ by Oliver Lodge
The soldier son of Sir Oliver Lodge who was killed in battle in 1915 and subsequently communicated with his family through mediums.
Amyr Amiden
Brazilian medium known for the appearance near him of materialized objects, sometimes on request.
Amityville Hoax
Alleged 1970s haunting in Long Island, New York, which became the basis for sensationalist books and films.
Charles Bailey
Charles Bailey (1870–1947) was an Australian medium known for an ability to produce ‘apports’ of great variety.
Baldoon Mystery
Poltergeist disturbances that occurred in 1829 in Ontario, Canada, were the subject of 26 eye-witness reports.
Bangs Sisters
Controversial nineteenth century American spirit mediums, against whom numerous detailed allegations of fraud were
Kenneth J Batcheldor
British psychologist (1921–1988) who showed 'table tipping' could be produced by living agents through psychokinesis
Battersea Poltergeist (1928)
Disturbances reported in a small house in Battersea, London, investigated by Harry Price.
Battersea Poltergeist (1956)
Disturbances experienced in 1956 by a family in Battersea, London, were the subject of media controversy.
Beaulieu Abbey
Ghostly sightings have frequently been reported in a ruined Cisterican abbey in the town of Beaulieu, Hampshire.
Julie Beischel
Co-founder of the Windbridge Research Center in Arizona, USA, concerned primarily with mental mediumship.
Marthe Béraud (Eva C)
French materialization medium studied by European researchers in the early twentieth century,
Bindelof Phenomena
Describes séance phenomena experienced by a group of American teenage boys between 1929 and 1933.
Book Tests
Research technique that demonstrates knowledge of book contents that neither medium nor sitter can be expected to know.
Borley Rectory
Until its destruction by fire in 1939, Borley Rectory was the focus of persistent reports of haunting phenomena.
Rosemary Brown
Twentieth-century British medium who specialized in musical compositions she claimed were dictated to her by deceased composers.
The Buried Crosses
Describes successful efforts in the 1930s to locate buried Aztec Indian relics from information provided by a spirit medium.
Cheltenham Ghost
An 1892 report described frequent sightings by multiple witnesses of an apparitional woman dressed in black.
Cideville Poltergeist
Mid-nineteenth century French poltergeist case, with testimonies given in court about the phenomena.
Cock Lane Ghost
Notorious 1762 haunting episode, in which disturbances in a London house became the cause of heated public controversy.
Cold Reading
Discusses the psychological strategies that can be used to simulate a mediumistic communication or psychic reading.
Cold Spots
Sudden sensations or measurements of temperature variations recur in reports of apparitions, séances and hauntings.
Theories About Collective Apparitions
Apparitions perceived by more than one person provide some theoretical challenges.
Copenhagen Fire
Early nineteenth-century mediumship case in which a communicator in Iceland reported a fire then underway in Denmark.
Angelique Cottin
French girl who was the centre of psychokinetic disturbances that made an international sensation.
Mina Stinson Crandon (Margery)
Controversial American physical medium who caused a split in the ASPR in the 1930s.
The Cross-Correspondences
Apparently coordinated messages through different mediums, thought to provide strong evidence of survival.
Geraldine Cummins
Irish medium who published automatic scripts said to originate with well-known people in their discarnate state.
de Rochas on Physical Mediumship
A 1896 book gives a detailed description of phenomena produced by Eusapia Palladino and others.
Did Robert Swain Gifford Survive Death?
Analysis of the Thompson-Gifford case of ostensible possession as evidence of survival.
Drop-In Communicators
Communicators unknown to both medium and sitters who provide enough information for their identification.
Drummer of Tedworth
Poltergeist case investigated by Joseph Glanvill (1636–1680), one of the first to receive serious scrutiny.
Helen Duncan
Controversial Scottish physical medium (1898–1956) sentenced to jail under England’s Witchcraft Act of 1735.
Edgar Vandy Case
In this 1930s case, four mediums independently gave strikingly similar information about a young man's death by drowning.
Eleonore Zugun (Talpa Poltergeist)
Adolescent Romanian girl (1913–1991), the centre of a well-documented 1920s poltergeist-type episode.
Encounters with the Deceased
Describes types and characteristics of encounters with deceased loved ones in dreams and elsewhere.
Enfield Poltergeist
Celebrated 1970s case in a north London suburb, in which poltergeist disturbances were documented over a two-year period.
Felix Experimental Group
German circle for physical mediumship noted for the magnitude and diversity of its phenomena.
Fox Sisters
American women who were at the centre of poltergeist-type disturbances and later helped found Anglo-American Spiritualism.
Luiz Antônio Gasparetto
Brazilian medium well-known for paintings made in trance at high speed and attributed to deceased artists.
George Chapman/William Lang
British trance medium reputed to channel the spirit of William Lang, an ophthalmic surgeon.
Ghost Hunting
'Ghost hunting’ is a popular term for the investigation of claims of site-based phenomena, such as apparitions and poltergeists.
Ghosts and Apparitions in Psi Research (Overview)
Types of ghostly phenomena, methods of research and theories of causation.
The Glastonbury Scripts
Communications through a medium, seemingly in an attempt to help an archaeologist with his excavations.
Goligher Circle
Northern Irish Spiritualist group said to produce striking psychic phenomena, the subject of research in the 1910s.
Hafsteinn Björnsson (medium)
Icelandic trance medium (1914-1977) who produced 'drop-in' communications and xenoglossy.
The Hodgson Report on Theosophy
Controversial report on Helena Blavatsky by Richard Hodgson for the SPR, which alleged fraud.
Hans Holzer
Austrian-born American author (1920–2009) and lay paranormal investigator, largely of hauntings and poltergeists.
Daniel Dunglas Home
Well-known nineteenth century medium, some of whose phenomena were observed in controlled conditions.
Hornby Apparition
This late 19th century case was discredited by discrepancies in the original account but an alternative interpretation has been advanced.
Indridi Indridason (medium)
Icelandic trance medium (1883–1910) who produced physical phenomena comparable to DD Home.
Infrasound
Infrasound (audio frequencies below normal human hearing) has been suggested as the cause of paranormal-seeming effects.
Investigation of Rudi Schneider by Eugène Osty
Tests of an Austrian physical medium with instruments suggested the presence of a psychokinetic force.
Is Xenoglossy Evidence of Survival?
Xenoglossy in mediumship is less indicative of survival than some researchers assume.
The Junot Sittings with Leonora Piper
Highly evidential communications purporting to come from the surviving spirit of a deceased teenager.
Franek Kluski
Polish banker (1873–1943) with psychic abilities and for some years submitted to investigation as a materialization medium.
Gladys Osborne Leonard
British trance medium who collaborated with SPR investigators in the 1920s and 1930.
Lurancy Vennum
American case (of a 13-year old girl appearing for some months to be possessed by the spirit of a girl who had died years before
Matthew Manning
British man, the focus of poltergeist activity in his teens, later known for his metal-bending, psychic activities, and healing.
Everton de Oliveira Maraldi
Brazilian psychologist with research interests in the psychology of non-ordinary experiences, spirituality, religion and health.
Maroczy Mediumistic Chess Match
Match played between a living Russian grandmaster and a deceased Hungarian one.
Mediumship and Multiple Personality
The personalities of mediumistic communicators are similar to dissociative identity disorder.
Mediumship and Pathology
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, some in medicine regarded mediumship as an abnormal condition.
Mediumship and Spirit Possession in Cross-Cultural Perspective
There is great overlap in the expression of mediumship and spirit possession.
Miami Poltergeist
1960s episode in which Florida-themed souvenir items were seen repeatedly falling from warehouse shelves.
Carlos Mirabelli
Brazilian medium (1889–1951) credited with phenomena of similar power and frequency to those associated with DD Home.
Modern Mental Mediumship Research (Overview)
A review of studies carried out with mental mediums in Britain, Europe and America since 2001.
Morselli’s Psicologia e Spiritismo
Study of Eusapia Palladino, with emphasis on clinical and psychological aspects of the case.
William Stainton Moses
British Anglican priest and teacher who described experiences with mediumship in a private circle.
Catherine-Élise Muller (Hélène Smith)
Swiss medium (1861–1929), the subject of a classic study by Théodore Flournoy showing psychological dimensions of mediumship.
Noah’s Ark Society for Physical Mediumship
The NAS originated in a home circle in 1990 and indirectly fostered the later Scole Circle.
Organ Transplant Cases as Evidence for Postmortem Survival
Recipients of organ transplants may take on the personality of their donors.
ARG Owen
British mathematics professor and parapsychologist (1919–2003), notable for the landmark ‘Philip’ psychokinesis experiments.
Eusapia Palladino
Nineteenth century Italian trance medium (1854–1918) who produced psychokinetic phenomena of striking strength.
Perspectival Postmortem Awareness
How could a deceased person view events in the physical world in the absence of a body with sense organs?
Mikhail Petrovo-Solovovo
Russian diplomat and psychical researcher (1868–1954) known for interest in physical mediumship.
Philip Psychokinesis Experiments
Landmark 1970s experiment in which a Canadian sitter group created PK phenomena.
Physicalism and the Soul
Explores the nature of souls, afterlives, and possible gods compatible with modern physicalist science.
Leonora Piper
American trance medium (1859–1950), the subject of extensive investigations by British and American psychical researchers.
Podmore’s ‘Apparitions and Thought-Transference’
Argues that apparitions may be explained through telepathy.
Poltergeists (Overview)
This article provides an introduction to poltergeist research, describing major cases and theoretical perspectives.
Postmortem Survival
This article describes research on the question of whether the human mind can survive bodily death.
Postmortem Survival: What Makes an Ideal Case?
Stephen Braude considers what would make the best evidence for survival.
Anna Prado
Brazilian spiritist medium (1883–1923) reputed to produce direct writing, levitations, apports and materialization phenomena.
Psychological Aspects of Poltergeist Cases
Reasons to think that most poltergeist disturbances have living rather than deceased agents.
Queen Victoria and Spiritualism
Queen Victoria took an interest in Spiritualism, particularly after the death of her mother and Prince Albert.
R-101 Airship Disaster
Classic case, in which a communicator identified himself as captain of an airship that had crashed two days earlier.
Reciprocal Apparitions
Reciprocal apparitions are experienced in out-of-body states at the same time they are perceived.
William George Roll
American psychologist and parapsychologist (1926–2012) noted for reports of poltergeist phenomena for which living agents were responsible.
Sauchie Poltergeist
Poltergeist disturbances centering on an 11-year-old girl. in a Scottish village in 1960.
The Scole Circle
This Norfolk-based group held séances during the 1990s, claiming to have communicated with spirits and observed other phenomena.
Seaford Poltergeist
Poltergeist-type disturbances in 1958 in Seaford, Long Island, New York, centering on a 12-year-old boy.
Jesse Shepard (Francis Grierson)
Outstanding musical performer (1848–1927) who attributed his gifts to discarnate entities through mediumship.
Henry Slade
Nineteenth century physical medium publicly accused of fraud who also produced striking phenomena in well-controlled conditions.
Soul Weighing Experiments
Attempts have been made to confirm the existence of a soul by seeking a change of weight in bodies at the point of death.
Spirit Release Therapy
Clinical treatment used with patients who appear to be ‘possessed’ by harmful spirit entities.
Stans (Switzerland) Poltergeist
Mid-19 century poltergeist case, in which disturbances tormented a Swiss family for weeks.
Doris Stokes
Doris Stokes (1920–1987) was a controversial celebrity medium who was much in the public eye in Britain during the 1980s.
The Super-Psi Hypothesis
Claim that psychic functioning is more extensive than supposed, able to explain most evidence for survival.
Table-Turning
‘Table-turning’ (or ‘table-tipping) refers to the anomalous movement of tables and other furniture during mediumistic seances.
Barry E Taff
Barry Taff is an American author and investigator of hauntings, UFOs and alien abduction phenomena
The 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.
Tina Resch (Columbus Poltergeist)
Focus of poltergeist-type phenomena at her home in Columbus, Ohio, in 1984,
Hester Travers Smith (Hester Dowden)
British automatist who believed she was in contact with the deceased Oscar Wilde.
George Valiantine
American direct voice medium, noted for foreign languages heard during his sittings, viewed with suspicion by some investigators.
Annalisa Ventola
Annalisa Ventola, executive director of the Parapsychological Association, has carried out research into poltergeists and hauntings.
Versailles ‘Time-Slip’
An experience in the gardens of Versailles, described by two Englishwomen in their 1911 book An Adventure.
Vienna Workshop Poltergeist
A Viennese member of the Society for Psychical Research describes poltergeist distrurbances he witnessed.
Why Do Ghosts Wear Clothes?
Sceptics use the fact that apparitions appear fully clad as reason to doubt them. This article discusses why they might.
Wilmot Apparition
19th century case in which a woman felt herself go out-of-body to her husband's ship, where she was perceived by him and another person.
Windbridge Institute
Institution founded in 2008 to conduct research on psi functioning, with an emphasis on real-world applications.
Windbridge Research Center
Non-profit research institute based in Tucson, Arizona, dedicated to the rigorous study of mental mediums.
Worksop Poltergeist
Original report by an SPR investigator of poltergeist-type disturbances in 1883 in Worksop, in the north of England.
Etta Wriedt
American direct-voice medium (1859–1942) of considerable power, according to observers who attended sittings in the US and Britain.
Chico Xavier
Popular Brazilian medium (1910–2002) celebrated for his prolific output of poetry, fiction and Spiritist philosophy.
Wellington Zangari
Brazilian psychologist whose research interests include anomalistic psychology, hypnosis and altered states of consciousness.