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.