Resources for NDE experients

Have you ever had a near death experience? If so you can help the International Association for Near Death Studies build a global understanding of such experiences by filling out this survey. You might also be interested in joining one of their support groups.

Research Organizations on the Web

Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies
Formerly the Academy of Religion and Psychical Research, their mission is to discern, develop, and disseminate knowledge of how paranormal phenomena may relate to and enhance the development of the human spirit.

American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR)
The ASPR is the oldest psychical research organization in the United States (based in New York City) and publishes the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.

Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research
The Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research is a non-profit community association. Based in Sydney but with an Australia-wide membership base, it was established in 1977 and publishes the Australian Journal of Parapsychology.

Austrian Society for Parapsychology
Established in Vienna in 1927, the society holds over 200 members.

Exceptional Human Experience Network
EHE is a US-based organization doing qualitative research on all types of anomalous experiences. Also publishes a journal and newsletter.

Instituto de Psicologia Paranormal (IPP)
Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Institute of Paranormal Psychology is an education center dedicated to the scientific study of parapsychology. It produces several publications dealing with ESP, PK and related phenomena, including the Revista Argentina de Psicologia Paranormal (Argentine Journal of Paranormal Psychology). It also maintains a library of psychical research, an experimental laboratory and a clinic for people with paranormal/anomalous experiences.

Instituto de Latinoamericano de Parapsicologia
Based in Queretaro, Mexico, the Latin American Institute of Parapsychology is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to education and scientific investigation in the field of the parapsychology. It produces publications, organises events and advises on research projects.

Inter Psi
A Brazilian group interested in semiotics, interconnectivity, and consciousness, who aim to study the hypothesis of the interconnections between mind and matter (inspired by the ideas of Charles Sanders Peirce) and how this relates to consciousness and psi.

International Association for Near Death Studies
The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) is the first organization in the world devoted exclusively to the study of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and Near-Death-Like experiences. Founded in 1978, it has become the premier NDE resource for research, education and support.

International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine.
ISSSEEM is a non-profit, interdisciplinary organization for the study of the basic sciences and medical and therapeutic applications of subtle energies.It was organized for the purpose of improving human health and welfare through the advancement of education, practice, training, and research in the emerging field of subtle energies and energy medicine.

Intuition Network
The Intuition Network offers opportunities for networking among individuals who are interested in cultivating and applying intuition.

Mind Science Foundation
Based in San Antonio, Texas (USA), the Mind Science Foundation is a research institution and an educational organization dedicated to the scientific study of the human mind. The foundation has a Scientist/Scholar-in-Residence Program, sponsors research at the Foundation and in collaborating laboratories, offers educational programs including lectures and symposia, produces a quarterly newsletter, and maintains a library.

Parapsychological Association
The PA is the international professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psi experiences. The organization is affliated with the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and holds an annual conference.

Parapsychology Foundation
Based in New York City, the PF is a not-for-profit foundation which provides a worldwide forum supporting the scientific investigation of psychic phenomena. The Foundation gives grants, hosts lectures, produces a variety of publications including the International Journal of Parapsychology, and maintains the Eileen J. Garrett Library with its collection of more than 12,000 volumes and 100 periodicals on parapsychology and related topics.

Psi Research Centre
Founded by Dr. Serena Roney-Dougal, the centre, located in Glastonbury, England, offers lectures, workshops, books and tapes.

Scientific and Medical Network
A UK educational charitable trust which aims to deepen understanding in science,medicine and education by fostering both rational analysis and intuitive insights. It organizes lectures and conferences, and offers a variety of services such as speakers for schools, a newsletter and local group events.

Scottish Society for Psychical Research
The objectives of the Society are to investigate all types of phenomena known as paranormal or parapsychological, and collect, classify and study reports of such phenomena.

The Society for Psychical Research
Based in London, England, the society aims to advance the understanding of events and abilities commonly described as 'psychic' or 'paranormal', without prejudice and in a scientific manner. It does this by promoting and supporting important research, and by publishing scholarly reports of a high standard, inclduing the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.

Society for Scientific Exploration
The Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE) exists to foster the serious and rational study of all questions that are amenable to scientific investigation, without restriction. The Society publishes a peer reviewed journal, the Journal of Scientific Exploration, holds annual scientific meetings in the USA and periodic meetings in Europe.

Podcast on OBE's

Nearthwort Obtain has just posted a podcast on out of body experiences, which features an interview with Dr. Charles Tart.

Upcoming Events at the Rhine Research Center

On Friday, January 12 at the Stedman Auditorium, 7:15 pm, staff at the Rhine Research Center will show the film "The Biology of Perception" featuring Dr. Bruce Lipton and Rob Williams, M.A.

Paradigm pioneers Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. and Rob Williams, M.A. make a compelling case for changing our traditional views of biology and psychology. Lipton and Williams challenge the prevailing myths of each discipline and provide a logical, scientific and practical way to understand and use these revolutionary new ideas. The video is a masterful blend of the biology of beliefs and the psychology of change. As you watch the puzzle pieces fit together, you will experience the inseparable nature of the mind body connection.

---

On Friday, January 26, at the Stedman Auditorium, The Rhine will present:

Professor Erlender Haraldsson
Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Iceland
Emprical Inquiry into Cases of Children Who Claim to Remember a Past Life

Professor Haraldsson will present some cases from Lebanon, Sri Lanka, India and Iceland, describe how they were investigated, their characteristics, and give an overview of the major findings in this area of research. He has published many papers on this subject and is author of many books. He has investigated numerous cases of children who claim to remember a previous life, particularly in Sri Lanka, India and Lebanon. His investigations have centred on the question of whether statements made by these children can be verified and if some person can be found that fits the description made by the children, as well as examining psychological, religious and cultural explanations for this phenomenon.

Dr. Haraldsson has published numerous scientific articles and book chapters, and is the author of five books, two of which have appeared in English, What They Saw... At the Hour of Death: A New Look at Evidence for Life After Death (with Karlis Osis) and Miracles Are My Visiting Cards: An Investigative Report on Psychic Phenomena Associated with Sathya Sai Baba(US edition Modern Miracles).

The fee for this lecture is: $20 Non-Member; and $15 Member, Student, and Senior.

---

On Saturday, February 3, at the Rhine Research Center, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, Pat and Tom Connolly will conduct a Workshop on Quantum Touch Healing.

Quantum-Touch represents a major breakthrough in the art of hands-on healing. Whether you are a complete novice, a professional chiropractor, physical therapist, body worker, healer, or other health professional, Quantum-Touch allows you a dimension of power in your work that heretofore has not seemed possible.

Through the use of video and live demonstrations you will be taught to use special breathing and body focusing techniques to raise your energy level so high that with a slight touch, you can see postural corrections spontaneously occur as bones gently glide back into their correct alignment. Beyond this, pain and inflammation are rapidly reduced and healing is profoundly accelerated. The work is so easy that children naturally learn to do it, yet so powerful it is endorsed by physicians, acupuncturists and chiropractors. Since the body already knows how to heal itself, the practitioner need only apply the energy to the effected areas. For the millions suffering from neck or back pain, this may be the safest, fastest and most effective treatment ever discovered.

The fee for this workshop is: $50 Non-Member; and $45 Member, Student, and Senior.

---

For more information and directions to any of these events, visit the Rhine Research Center's website at: www.rhine.org.

Premonitions Registry

If you ever have the feeling or impression that something is about to happen, especially something ominous or dire, yet about which no normal information is available, the Parapsychology Foundation has created a premonition registry for you record such impressions. The PF will make no attempt to validate or assess the success of your premonition, but they will send you date stamped record of it at your request.

New PF Lyceum Blog Post

In the latest installment of the PF's collection of weblogs, guest blogger, Dr. Louis LaGrand contributes the second installment of the new blog series called "Recent Publications." Dr. LaGrand's blog highlights the content of his new book, Love Lives On: Learning from the Extraordinary Encounters of the Bereaved

read
the latest blog on the Foundation's education website

Telephone Telepathy Study

Here's an open letter from Professor Christopher French:

Hi All,

In a spirit of open-minded scepticism, I am currently involved in a collaborative project with Rupert Sheldrake investigating the possibility of telephone telepathy. This refers to the common experience of either feeling that you know who is calling before you pick up the phone (even for unexpected calls) or getting an unexpected call from someone you were just thinking about. Needless to say, sceptics have plausible explanations for why people might ~think~ something psychic is going on here even if it isn't. But Rupert claims to have produced evidence in controlled studies suggesting that the phenomenon may genuinely be paranormal - hence the collaborative study.

If you think you have had this experience frequently, are not convinced it's just a psychological illusion, and might be interested in taking part in our study, please get in touch with either me (c.french@gold.ac.uk) or Rupert (rsheldrake@clara.co.uk). I'm afraid we're not interested in testing participants who don't think telephone telepathy is possible (so that rules me out!). We want the test to be such that if the phenomenon is genuine, we have tested it under optimal conditions - so that rules sceptics out (for this study at least). If you are potentially interested in taking part, we would also need you to get the co-operation of four other people (friends or relations) with whom you think you could demonstrate this skill most effectively (and who could also be flexible enough in terms of availability for all 5 of you to be tested in the same session). We would make a small payment (£10) per session (about 1 to 1.5 hours) to all 5 participants (one reciever, four senders) as a token of our gratitude and cover any reasonable travel costs (this would tend to rule out people beyond the South East of England).

Please feel free to forward this message to anyone else you know that might be interested. Many thanks.

Happy Xmas!

Chris

Coly Award Recipient Announced

The Parapsychology Foundation has announced the 2006 winner of the annual Robert R. Coly essay competition. This year's recipient is Hanna Jenkins, a PhD student at the University of Tansmania and president of the Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research. Her essay, titled The Challenge of Parapsychology: One Down, But More to Go, discusses how the field of philosophy can pave the way for a dialogue between mainstream science and parapsychology.

The Robert R. Coly essay competition, which carries a prize of $1000, was created to encourage college and university students who have sufficient interest in the field of parapsychology to understand its complexities and help conceptualize its future, even if they are not in a parapsychology degree program or are not taking parapsychology courses at the moment. The annual deadline for the competition is November 15th.

Congratulations to Ms. Jenkins!

Read the prize-winning essay here.

Research Summary: Self-Concept and Body Investment in Out-of-Body Experients

Prior research has found that people who have had out-of-body experiences (OBErs) report higher levels of body dissatisfaction than people who have never had an OBE (non-OBErs). Previous studies of the general public have shown that people with higher levels of body dissatisfaction also tend to score higher on measures of social anxiety. However, this does not appear to be the case for OBErs. A study completed by researchers at the University of Manchester (UK) and published in the European Journal of Parapsychology was designed to investigate this apparent discrepancy.

A total of 59 participants (19 OBErs and 40 non-OBErs) completed questionnaires about their self-concept and psychological investment in their bodies. The researchers hypothesized that OBErs maintain a positive self-concept (meaning that they do not experience higher levels of social anxiety) even though they score higher than non-OBErs on a measure of body dissatisfaction. It was also hypothesized that the higher levels of body dissatisfaction, but absence of social anxiety observed in OBErs might be explained in part by a lower degree of body investment than non-OBErs.

As predicted, OBErs were found to have a more positive self-concept than non-OBErs, but did not differ in regards to body investment. Based upon these findings, the researchers argue that the dissatisfaction expressed by the non-OBErs toward their bodies may reflect aesthetic concerns, while OBErs' responses are more expressive of frustration with the physical constraints of the body.

Murray C.D., Wilde, D. & Fox, J. (2006). Self-concept and body investment in out-of-body experients. European Journal of Parapsychology, 21 (1), 27-37.

Publications

The following are the primary peer-reviewed journals in the field of parapsychology:

Australian Journal of Parapsychology
European Journal of Parapsychology
International Journal of Parapsychology
Journal of Near-Death Studies
Journal of Parapsychology
Journal of Scientific Exploration
Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
Zeitschrift für Parapsychologie und Grenzgebiete der
Psychologie

The following journals have published papers on parapsychological topics, including the psychology of anomalous experience and paranormal belief:

Anthropology of Consciousness
British Journal of Psychology
Consciousness and Cognition
Cortex
Imagination, Cognition and Personality
International Journal of Neuroscience
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Journal for Transpersonal Psychology
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Journal of Consciousness Studies
Perceptual and Motor Skills
Personality and Individual Differences
Psychological Bulletin
Psychological Reports
Transcultural Psychiatry

The Million Dollar Challenge

Michael Prescott has presented an excellent critique of the James Randi Educational Foundation Million Dollar Challenge FAQ in his personal blog. Check it out below:

The Challenge (part one)
The Challenge (part two)
The Challenge (part three)
The Challenge (addendum)

RRC Conference: Consciousness Today

The Rhine Research Center will hold a conference on March 22-24, 2007 in Myrtle Beach, SC at the Holiday Inn-West the theme of the conference will be

CONSCIOUSNESS TODAY

invited speakers include:
Author Joseph Chilton Pierce, Stargate participant Joe McMoneagle, and Dr. Sally Rhine Feather

papers will be presented in the following tracks:

Consciousness Studies, Consciousness and Creativity, Healing and Mind-Body Studies, Parapsychology, Educational Issues, Historical Perspectives, and Holistic Studies

For more information, including procedures for submitting papers, visit www.RhineConference.org
or contact the Rhine Research Center at information@rhine.org or call 919-309-4600

Mind over Matter Study

There are reports from all cultures throughout history in which objects or events in the environment appear to be influenced by the human mind. The Rhine Research Center is looking for people who may have experienced such effects known as psychokinesis or PK (also called telekinesis) to participate in a research study.

PK experiences are those where your conscious or unconscious mind seems to directly influence the physical world around you, without the use of any known physical means. Some examples might be: affecting the roll of dice, affecting lights or other electrical equipment, affecting your computer, bending spoons, moving objects, or psychic healing. Unexplained physical effects are also reported surrounding times of near-death, dying or after the death of a loved one, for example, a clock stopping at the exact time of someone’s death. These are also of interest for this study.

The RRC is collecting reports of these types of experiences and would love to hear from you by email or postal mail. At a later stage they will be undertaking face-to-face or telephone interviews with some individuals who have experienced this type of phenomena, and who are willing to discuss their experiences in more detail. All reports are confidential.

Please send your experiences to srfeather@nc.rr.com or by postal mail to:

Sally Rhine Feather, Ph.D.
Rhine Research Center
2741 Campus Walk Avenue, Building 500
Durham, North Carolina 27705.

---

For more information, visit their website at: www.rhine.org

EJP Special Issue

The European Journal of Parapsychology has recently published a special issue on the subject of Memory & Psi. Visit their current issue section to see the table of contents. Subscription information is also available at the site.

Parapsychology Research Centers

Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit
The unit is based at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and is part of the Department of Psychology. The research unit was set up by Professor Chris French in 2000. The unit, headed by Professor French, provides a focus for research activity in the area of anomalistic psychology.

Anomalous Experiences Research Unit
The AERU was established at the University of York in the summer of 2006 to research into the contexts, characteristics and consequences of experiences which suggest anomalous psychological processes and agencies, and exceptional states of consciousness. Although based in the Department of Sociology, the Unit seeks to develop interdisciplinary social science research on anomalous experiences.

ASC Consortium
Based in the University of Giessen (Germany), the ASC comprises various psychophysiological workgroups, each addressing different areas of research into altered states of consciousness (ASCs). The central idea is the development of a psychophysiological model of ASCs, encompassing both general aspects and specific features of these states, and also the changes that result from different induction methods.

Boundary Institute
The Boundary Institue is a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to the advancement of 21^st Century science. They are currently pursuing two major research themes, one concerning the foundations of physics, the other the foundations of mathematics and computer science. The Boundary Institute is based in Saratoga, California.

Center for Consciousness Studies
The center, part of the University of Arizona, promotes open, rigorous discussion of all phenomena related to conscious experience. They also hold the biannual Tucson consciousness conferences.

Center for Frontier Sciences
The Center for Frontier Sciences at Temple University is an open forum that networks information on the frontier issues of science, medicine and technology. The Center is dedicated to the open and unbiased examination of any theories, hypotheses, and models that challenge prevailing scientific views using sound scientific methods and reasoning. It does not promote or endorse particular positions, but encourages critical review and healthy skepticism.

Center for Functional Research
The center is a scientific and educational nonprofit organisation. Its central theme is that "there is specific life energy in the cosmos and in the atmosphere, and that this energy is closely coupled with consciousness."

Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology (CERCAP)

Located within the psychology department at Lund University, Sweden, this unit consists of a group of researchers and associates dedicated to the scientific study of unusual but not pathological experiences and events, including reputed paprapsychological phenomena.

Centre for Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes
Part of the Psychology Division at University College Northampton, UK.

Cognitive Sciences Laboratory
CSL aims to use the tools of modern behavioral, physiological, and physical sciences to determine which parapsychological phenomena can be validated under strict laboratory conditions and to understand their mechanisms. It also examines the degree to which they might contribute to practical applications. In the past, the center has been sponsored by the US government (e.g. the STAR GATE program).

Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology Unit
The unit is part of the School of Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University in England. Their work ranges over a broad range of challenges focusing on the nature of consciousness and the psychology of spiritual development.

Division of Perceptual Studies
Formerly called the Division of Personality Studies, the Division of Perceptual Studies is a unit of the Department of Psychiatric Medicine at the University of Virginia. Utilizing scientific methods, they investigate apparent paranormal phenomena, especially: children who claim to remember previous lives, near death experiences, out of body experiences, apparitions, and deathbed visions.

Institute for Transpersonal Psychology
The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology is a private, non-sectarian graduate school "probing the mind, body, spirit connection." PA member Dr. Charles Tart is on their faculty.

Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene
The Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene (IGPP) at Freiburg, Germany, is a non-profit organization engaged in interdisciplinary research concerning anomalous phenomena (extrasensory perception, altered states of consciousness, psychokinesis, etc.).In addition, IGPP offers information and counseling services for people with extraordinary experiences and entertains a special library and a research archive for parapsychology and border areas of psychology.

Institute of Noetic Sciences
The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a nonprofit membership organization located in Northern California that conducts and sponsors leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness—including perceptions, beliefs, attention, intention, and intuition. The institute explores phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models, while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor.
International Consciousness Research Laboratories
International Consciousness Research Laboratories (ICRL) is an interdisciplinary consortium of scholars from many nations who share a commitment to collaborative exploration and representation of the role of consciousness in physical reality, through research, education, and beneficial practical applications.

International Society of Life Information Science
Formerly the Bio-Emission Lab, the International Society of Life Information Science (ISLIS) is part of the Division of Radiation Research at the Japanese National Institute of Radiological Sciences. The Bio-Emission group studies anomalous somatic functions, including the idea of Qi energy. ISLIS is based in Chiba-shi, Japan

Koestler Parapsychology Unit
The unit is part of the Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. It consists of a group of academic staff and postgraduate students with an active interest in parapsychology. The KPU takes a broad approach to parapsychology and includes psychological, historical, philosophical and other disciplinary perspectives, regarding parapsychology as an interdisciplinary problem area.

Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute
The institute focuses on several areas, but the psychopharmacology section includes research on deja vu and anomalous experience. They are based in Seattle, Washington.

Perrott-Warrick Research Unit
Part of the Psychology Department of the University of Hertfordshire, the unit carries out research into several topics including the psychology of the paranormal, lying and deception, intuition and false memory syndrome.

Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research
The PEAR program was established at Princeton University to pursue rigorous scientific study of the interaction of human consciousness with sensitive physical devices, systems, and processes common to contemporary engineering practice. The researchers conduct experiments and develop theoretical models that they hope will enable better understanding of the role of consciousness in the establishment of physical reality.

Rhine Research Center
Successor to the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory, the center aims to improve the human condition by creating a scientific understanding of those abilities and sensitivities that appear to transcend the ordinary limits of space and time and by communicating that understanding in cogent and responsible ways. They host a summer study program, and publish the Journal of Parapsychology. The Rhine Research Center is based in Durham, North Carolina.

Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center
Offers graduate degrees with specialization in consciousness and spirituality or transpersonal psychology. They have PA members Dr. Stanley Krippner and Dr. Dean Radin on their faculty. Saybrook is based in San Francisco, California.

Three Circles Research
Based in the UK, Three Circles Research is an organization committed to the scientific investigation of PSI phenomena through experimentation, both in the laboratory and the field.

Ongoing Research at the Rhine Research Center

Research designs have been completed and grant approval is pending on continuing research on the charge accumulation and electromagnetic emissions of bio-energy healers. They expect to continue some of the promising results they originally obtained in similar studies they conducted in 2002-Researchers working on this project are Steve Baumann, Ph.D. and Bill Joines, Ph.D.

John Palmer, Ph.D., the RRC Director of Research, is writing a book and conducting experiments on Implicit Psi - in which psi effects are noted with no intention to produce them (i.e., a person inexplicably avoids World Trade Center visit on 9/11).

Sally Rhine Feather, Ph.D. and Christine Simmonds-Moore, Ph.D. are conducting qualitative research on the phenomenological components of physical effects occurring at times of crisis, near-death and death.

Jim Carpenter, Ph.D. is studying the interaction of the subliminal and the extrasensory in the formation of preferences.

Christine Simmonds-Moore, Ph.D. is doing an intensive qualitative evaluation and analysis of existing data on the phenomenology of healers.

Rhine Research Center's Taking Flight Society

For years the Rhine Research Center has existed off of the generosity of only a few individuals and the independent grants that their researchers have recieved. But at this point, the funds are drying up, and the RRC has no choice but to ask its friends for help.

This month, they are launching a fund drive called the Taking Flight Society, in which the RRC asks members of the public to pledge funds over the next five years. For example, a pledge of $500 would work out to $8.33 per month. This amount would make all the difference in the world in how the Rhine plans for its future.

The Rhine Research Center (formerly the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory), has played a historic role in the development of parapsychology, and is one of the few research centers left in the United States. It would be a terrible loss if they had to close their doors.

Visit the Taking Flight Society main page for more information on how you can help.

The PEAR lab is closing

According to the Princeton Alumni Weekly, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab is closing its doors sometime this spring. Scroll down about 3/4 of the page to find the full article.

Paranormal Site Investigators

Paranormal Site Investigators (PSI) is an organization attempting to bridge the gap between academic parapsychology and amateur ghost hunting. Based in the south west of England, and founded by two individuals with scientific backgrounds at the bachelor's level, the group's mission is to scientifically monitor and record alleged incidences of paranormal phenomena. PSI has a bank of consultants ranging from professional academics to photo experts, and they have at least one parapsychologist, Dr. Simon Sherwood, on board.

The group also publishs an electronic journal, The PSI Journal of Investigative Psychical Research, which aspires toward academic standards and is striving to be peer-reviewed. It is available free of charge to members. Membership is also free and requires only a name and email address.

Visit the site for more information:
www.p-s-i.org.uk

Perrot-Warrick Public Debate: Does Telepathy Happen?

Chaired by Prof Simon Blackburn, Dr Rupert Sheldrake (Perrott-Warrick Scholar) and Prof Chris French (Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London) will debate 'Does telepathy happen?'. The event will take place in the Old Combination Room, Trinity College, Cambridge at 17:30 on Wednesday 29th November 2006. This is a free event and all are welcome - no pre-booking is required.

Visit the SPR's Lecture Programme page for more details.

New Book: The Spirit of Dr. Bindelof

Anomalist Books has recently released a new book by Dr. Rosemarie Pilkington titled The Spirit of Dr. Bindelof: The Enigma of Seance Phenomena. This book focuses on one little known episode of physical mediumship, Gilbert Roller's autobiographical account of a group of teenage boys who experimented with séance phenomena and contacted an alleged spirit named Dr. Bindelof in the 1930s. Author Rosemarie Pilkington follows up with the history of these extraordinary physical mediums and the remarkable feats they perform, placing the Bindelof case within this wider framework and bringing it up to date with a review of contemporary "secular" mediums. More information is available at the site, www.arespiritsreal.com.


Rosemarie Pilkington is a writer, musician, and educator. She has a Ph.D. in psychology (consciousness studies) from Saybrook Institute. In addition to writing many articles and book reviews on psychic phenomena, she compiled and edited Men and Women of Parapsychology : Personal Reflections, published in 1987 by McFarland, an anthology that earned praise in Europe and the Americas and spawned several similar books in the years that followed.

---

Anomalist Books is a publishing company to watch. They publish books devoted exclusively to unexplained mysteries, unorthodox mysteries, unorthodox theories, and unexpected discoveries. Using on demand print technology, they are able to publish trade paperbacks at a reasonable price. Their catalogue is likely to be of interest to readers of this blog, and I encourage you to check them out.

Forever Family Foundation Radio Shows

This December 7th, Charles Tart will be interviewed live on a radio/web show that specializes in dealing with evidence for possible post mortem survival.

"Signs of Life" radio broadcasts live on a local New York station and streams live via the internet. The show can be accessed via a link on our website (www.foreverfamilyfoundation.org) or via the station directly at www.am1240wgbb.com. The show airs Thursday evenings from 9 to 10PM Eastern Time (6 to 7PM Pacific Time). Each show features a guest interview, and listeners can call in with their questions or send instant messages. Each show is also archived on the foundation website for future listening.

Our weekly guests include scientists, researchers, authors, educators & mediums. Topics discussed include, but are not limited to the nature of consciousness, separation of mind and brain, psi phenomena including remote viewing, telepathy, ESP, survival hypothesis, NDEs, death bed visions, EVP, psychomanteum research, healing, mediumship, etc. Some past shows have featured, Dr. Gary Schwartz, Dianne Arcangel, Jim Tucker M.D., Bruce Greyson M.D., Dr. PM Atwater, Dr. Dean Radin, Dr. Arthur Hastings, John Lerma, M.D., Dr. Sally Rhine Feather, Loyd Auerbach, Dr. Julie Beischel, Dr. Pamela Rae Heath M.D, mediums Robert Brown, Hollister Rand & Robert Hansen.

You can find their show archives here. I certainly look forward to listening to a few of these archived shows myself.

Research Summary: The Effects of Traditional Zulu Healing upon a Random Event Generator

Researchers from Three Circles Research (UK) and the University of Zululand (South Africa) presented the results of a field study in a recent issue of the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. The study investigated how directed mental healing by indigenous healers in South Africa impacted upon the functioning of an Orion random event generator (REG), as the healers attempted to influence the REG's in customary healing environments.

Twenty izangoma (South African indigenous healers who use divination, mediumship, and psychic healing to assist their clients) in good local standing were recruited by an intermediary of the University of Zululand and paid for their participation. In the healing/intention condition, the izangoma were instructed to hold the REG in their hand, focus their intention directly onto the device, and to concentrate on the transference of "intentional healing" onto the REG as they would do with actual clients for five minutes. In the non-intention condition, each participant simply held the device, but did not consciously attend to it for the same amount of time. Each isangoma completed four trials of each condition, which were presented in a randomized order.

A variety of control measures were incorporated. The REG system was sampled in a secluded environment for a number of trials equal to those that the izangoma had completed. Also, to determine potential experimenter effects, those researchers who were involved in hands-on data collection completed a sample of REG trials under the same protocol as the izangoma.

The only condition in which the REG produced a significant anomaly was the izangomas’ healing/intention condition, thus confirming the experimental hypothesis. These results suggest that traditional Zulu healing may incorporate some level of psi functioning. The authors recommend that similar research be carried out with other indigenous groups from altogether different cultures.

Lumsden-Cook, J.J., Thwala, J. & Edwards, S.D. (2006) The effects of traditional Zulu healing upon a Random Event Generator. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 70(3), 129-137

Brain Scan Study on Glossalia in the News

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania say they have captured glossalia (speaking in tongues) on brain scans, which link decreased frontal lobe activity to a loss of self control.

read the article here

Joseph McMoneagle on Coast to Coast

Tonight on Coast to Coast, Remote Viewer 001 in the Army's Stargate Project and psychic, Joseph McMoneagle will discuss his history with remote viewing, as well as the possibility of its use by the U.S. Govt. for dealing with the war on terror.

It looks like Mr. McMoneagle also has a blog!

Lecture Announcement from the Parapsychology Foundation

Sylvia Hart Wright to Give a PF Perspectives Lecture
at Baruch College in New York City
on November 16th

Thursday, November 16th, 2006 in New York City
On Thursday evening, November 16th, 2006, at the Newman Center of Baruch College in New York City, noted author of When Spirits Come Calling (Blue Dolphin, 2002), Professor Sylvia Hart Wright will deliver a PF Perspectives Lecture called "Family Influences on Psychic Awareness." It has always been thought that some people are much more psychic than others, and that psychic awareness often runs in families. But more than heredity may be at work. Now mounting evidence suggests that certain kinds of experiences during the first ten to twelve years of life may greatly intensify psychic abilities. Stress, in childhood, among other influences, appears to play a pivotal role. In her talk, Professor Wright will draw on data she’s collected in interviews with over 100 psychics as well as on data collected for a wide range of medical and scientific studies.

The lecture will be offered from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Room H763 in the Baruch College Newman Conference Center at 151 East 25th Street in New York City. PF staff will be ready for check-in at 6:30 p.m. The donation at the door is $15.00 ($13.00 for Club Members). Space in the room is very limited, reservations are required. Call 212-628-1550 or email office@parapsychology.org to reserve.

New PF Lyceum Blog Post

Announcing the 15th PF Lyceum Blog:

With this blog, written by Guest Blogger, Edward F. Kelly, the Parapsychology Foundation inaugurates their new weblog series, "Recent Publications." Kelly writes a brief introduction to the ground-breaking new book Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century, written by Kelly and his colleagues Emily Williams Kelly, Alan Gauld, Adam Crabtree, Michael Grosso and Bruce Greyson. Irreducible Mind will be published in November by Rowman and Littlefield. To read more about it, check this latest installment in the PF Lyceum Blog Series by clicking here.

RSS Feed

Public Parapsychology now has an RSS feed. Much thanks to the anonymous commenter who pointed out the problem. Please keep those suggestions coming!

Subscribe to Public Parapsychology

A Virtual Suggestion Box

Now that I've been at this blog for about a month, I'm beginning to form a vision of what Public Parapsychology should be. While I'll certainly continue to link to conference and lecture announcements, calls for participants, parapsychology in the news, and present summaries of recently published research, no blog dedicated to public scholarship would be complete without the input of the public that it serves. To that end, I ask you, the reader, to tell me what you would like to see presented in this blog. I welcome your suggestions and ideas for future content as well as your questions about myself or the field. Please comment here with your comments/suggestions, and I'll do my best to address them in due time.

Stephan A Schwartz Interview and Conference

Tonight on the radio show Coast to Coast, writer and philosopher Stephan A Schwartz will discuss his latest work researching how consciousness affects the structure of water.

Also, check out the upcoming Schwartzreport Conference this November in Virginia Beach, VA.

Rhine Research Center Lecture Announcement

Physical Phenomena Surrounding Crises and Death

Sally Rhine Feather, Ph.D.
RRC Executive Director

Jacqueline Jordan, M.A.
Certified Grief Counselor


Unexplained physical phenomena that suggest some type of psi operation whether from the living or the deceased have been reported throughout history and from all cultures, and yet have been largely ignored by conventional science.

Sally Feather will report on a broad category of "spontaneous psychokinesis" reported by ordinary people at times of stress, crisis or death, while Jackie will offer anecdotal "shards" and theoretical perspectives of the "thanatokinesis" phenomenon as evidence of post-mortem survival of consciousness.

With a doctorate in clinical psychology and many years of work in parapsychology, Sally has in recent years been collecting and studying psi reports, first for a book on ESP experiences, and now for an in-depth look at those who experience unexplained physical or PK effects. She is continuing the case collection initiated by her mother Louisa E Rhine in the 1940's that is now the largest of its kind in the world.

******

A 1996 graduate of the Rhine Summer Study Program, Jacqueline approaches this topic from her own personal experience with the phenomenon, as well as from her doctoral research at Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. She holds a M.A. in Consciousness from John F. Kennedy University, as well as a Certificate in Grief Therapy.

When: Friday, October 20th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Where: The Stedman Auditorium on the Duke Center for Living Campus.
Registration Fee: $20 - $15 Students, Seniors & Members
To Register: Call 919-309-4600, ext. 201 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or register online.

Abstract from Dean Radin

Found via Dean Radin's Blog:

DOUBLE-BLIND TEST OF THE EFFECTS OF DISTANT INTENTION ON
WATER CRYSTAL FORMATION

The hypothesis that water "treated" with intention can affect ice crystals formed from that water was pilot tested under double-blind conditions. A group of approximately 2,000 people in Tokyo focused positive intentions towards water samples located inside an electromagnetically shielded room in California. That group was unaware of similar water samples set aside in a different location as controls. Ice crystals formed from both sets of water samples were blindly identified and photographed by an analyst, and the resulting images were blindly assessed for aesthetic appeal by 100 independent judges. Results indicated that crystals from the treated water were given higher scores for aesthetic appeal than those from the control water (p = 0.001, one-tailed), lending support to the hypothesis.

Authors: Dean Radin, Gail Hayssen, Masaru Emoto and Takashige Kizu
Published in Explore, September/October 2006, Vol. 2, No. 5.

Dr. Vernon Neppe on Coast to Coast

This is kind of late notice, but tonight Dr. Vernon Neppe of the Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute will be on the radio show Coast to Coast discussing his research on deja vu and related subjective experiences.

Online Survey of Paranormal Experiences

Rosemary Breen, a Master of Education (Research) candidate in the Department of Education at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, is conducting an online survey of the paranormal. "Paranormal" is defined as experiences that cannot be explained using the current laws of science. These events include premonitions, out-of-body and near-death episodes, telepathy and apparitions.

This survey is not about beliefs. It is about what people ARE and are NOT experiencing. The survey is open to anyone 18 years of age or older, regardless of whether they have or have not experienced the paranormal. The survey is anonymous and will take only five to ten minutes to complete.

Click here to participate in the survery.

Institute of Transpersonal Psychology Awards Honorary Doctorate to Rhea White

Palo Alto, CA: The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP) announced that it has awarded an honorary doctorate to Rhea White. "White has greatly contributed to the fields of transpersonal psychology, parapsychology and related fields," said ITP core faculty member, Charles T. Tart.

In 1952, Rhea White was forcibly "drafted" into transpersonal psychology, even though there was no such field yet. In her junior year of college, she had a near-death experience resulting from an auto crash that completely changed her life. She has devoted her life to trying to understand "where" she was when she found herself seemingly above the earth, bathed in a sense of unity, peace and aliveness while her body lay unconscious on the hood of her car. She thought she had died--and it was wonderful!

Rhea heard a voice tell her that "nothing that ever lived could possibly die." She felt the "everlasting arms" enfold her. Then she awakened on the hood of her car, unable to move, and in great pain.

After recovering from 11 fractures, Rhea began her studies of mysticism, religion, psychology, psychiatry, philosophy, and literary criticism. She wanted to understand what she had experienced in those few moments and where she could have been and who could have "spoken" to her and why it was so incredibly meaningful.

She began with a scientific approach and studied for four years at Duke University. After Duke, she went to New York as a Research and Editorial Associate at the American Society for Psychical Research, under the direction of one of America's leading psychologists, Gardner Murphy.

Rhea founded the Parapsychology Source of Information center, and began to publish an abstracting and indexing service, Parapsychology Abstracts International. She also became editor of one of the major parapsychology journals, the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, a position she held for many years. In 1984 she was elected as president of the international society of professional parapsychologists, the Parapsychological Association. In 1992 the Parapsychological Association honored Rhea with its Outstanding Lifetime Research Award.

After nearly forty years of study, Rhea realized that if she wanted to understand her near-death experience, science was not going to show her. In 1990 she decided to go back and study the basic data of parapsychology--the actual experiences people report. However, she soon realized that these data could not be viewed properly without considering them along with all the other sorts of nonordinary and anomalous experiences people have. In a vision she saw the need to study all of them as a single class of experience, which she called "Exceptional Human Experiences." She has been pursuing this aim ever since. Several ITP students have drawn heavily on her work here as part of their dissertation research.

For More Information:

Rhea White: For further sources of information, see Contemporary Authors, Vol. 77-80, 1979; Who's Who of American Women (17th ed., 1990). Also S. Krippner, "Rhea A. White: Parapsychology's Bibliographer" (Journal of Parapsychology, 1992, 56, 258) and M. Ullman's foreword to Exceptional Human Experience: Background Papers. (EHE Network, 1994, pp. i-ii; also published as EHE 11[2]).

Institute of Transpersonal Psychology: www.itp.edu

Research Summary: Experimenter Effects in Laboratory Tests of ESP and PK Using a Common Protocol

In the latest of a series of studies addressing the question of whether extra sensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (PK) are sufficiently distinct to merit separate terms, researchers from the University of Northampton and the University of Edinburgh, UK tested for both kinds of psi functioning using a common protocol, while also looking for evidence of experimenter effects.

Forty participants completed a computer-based greyhound racing game. Races occurred in blocks of twelve, and each participant completed two such blocks. One block of races was presented to the participants as an ESP task, while the other was presented as a PK task. However, unbeknownst to the participants, each block contained equal numbers of ESP and PK races in a random order.

Chris A. Roe and Russell Davey each served as an experimenter for half of the sessions, and after briefing each participant, rated the interaction for warmth, spontaneity, and positivity. The authors predicted that the sessions facilitated by Roe would be more successful because of his higher degree of experience in working with research participants and overall sense of 'ownership' of the project.

Overall, the performance of the participants on the ESP and PK games was better than what would be expected by chance alone, but not to a statistically significantly degree. However, for those greyhound races in which the ESP task was disguised, the performance of the participants was significant. As predicted, participants who had been briefed by Roe performed better than those briefed by Davey, and significantly so for the disguised ESP tasks.

Roe, C.A., Davey, R., & Stevens, P. (2006). Experimenter effects in laboratory tests of ESP and PK using a common protocol. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 20, 239-253.

Conference on Near Death Experiences

Registration for the 2006 International Association for Near-Death Studies conference is now open at www.iands.org. This unprecedented event at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the world's largest and most prestigious medical complexes, will assemble almost all of the world's leading researchers for a comprehensive review of 30 years of research into near-death experiences (NDEs). For full details, schedules, registration, and accommodations, go to www.iands.org.

Computers Put Telepathy to the Test

A joint project by the University of Manchester's School of Computer Science and School of Psychological Sciences aims to test whether telepathy may exist between individuals in the environment of a life-sized video game.

read the official press release

participate in the study

What is 'Public Scholarship'?

After a couple of evenings of tweaking this new blog, I proudly presented the template to a friend for his feedback. The first thing out of his mouth was, "why do you call it 'Public Parapsychology'?"

I pointed to the adjacent box containing my declaration that this blog was dedicated to advancing public scholarship in the field of parapsychology. I figured that was enough clear things up.

"But, what is 'public scholarship'?" he asked.

I paused. It seemed obvious to me, but I couldn't define it. After babbling incoherently for a minute or two, I gave up and said "well, an academic would understand what I was talking about..."

He laughed. "Doesn't that defeat the point?"

So, I scoured the internet for a good definition of 'public scholarship', and found that the term is so potentially confusing that universities have had to form committees just agree on just what they mean by this concept.

At their web page, the Public Scholarship Committee at the University of Minnesota states the following:

At the level of the institution, public scholarship means optimizing the extent to which University research informs and is informed by the public good, maximizes the generation and transfer of knowledge and technology, educates the public about what research the University does, and listens to the public about what research needs to be done.

The Department of Communication at the University of Washington also offers a statement on public scholarship:

Scholarship and citizenship go hand in hand. Although scholars in higher education ultimately work on behalf of their communities, their nations and the world, much of their scholarship stays within the traditional research process, subject to peer review and publication in discipline-based journals and books, although available for review and application by persons and institutions outside of the academy. Scholars also directly engage the world beyond the academy, drawing on scholarship developed in the rigor of disciplinary tradition. Productive efforts of this kind, herein called public scholarship, may take many forms, such as popularization of research-based ideas in a variety of media and formats, facilitation of deliberation about such social values as equality, justice and freedom, and explanation or appreciation of texts, concepts, values or events. Such efforts can promote constructive dialogue with and among students, citizens, diverse communities, and political and cultural leaders.

What does this mean for parapsychologists?

Every day, there is quality research being carried out on ESP, telepathy, precognition, psychokinesis, and other assorted parapsychological phenomena at universities and private laboratories around the world. These phenomena have fascinated mankind for ages, but so little of the research findings have been presented to the public in a responsible way. It seems that as the methodologies employed by parapsychologists become more refined, the wider becomes the chasm between the researcher and the public that he or she serves.

My particular area of research these days has to do with hauntings. Everybody likes a good ghost story, right? But sometimes when I try to describe my particular approach to this fascinating subject, I find it difficult to connect with my audience. It has almost gotten to the point where I don't discuss my research interests at all. There has to be some sort of middle ground between telling a good ghost story, and discussing the intricacies behind the scientific study in a a way that confuses readers or makes them sleepy. Honestly, I have yet to find it. For me, starting this blog is the beginning of the search for that middle ground.

I wish I could say that I'm an expert parapsychologist, but I'm something of a fledgling in the field. And as much as I would like to maintain a blog about parapsychological research that is comprehensive and objective, time restraints will prevent me from being comprehensive...and I don't believe in objectivity.

That being said, I welcome you to Public Parapsychology.