Dr. Lance Storm Awarded the 2007 Bolton Fellowship

The Frances P. Bolton Fellowship was awarded on March 1st, 2007 to Dr. Lance Storm, who received his Ph.D. in 2002 from Adelaide University in Australia. His doctoral dissertation is entitled A Parapsychological Investigation of the Theory of Psychopraxia: Experimental and Theoretical Researches into an Alternative Theory Explaining Normal and Paranormal Phenomena. Read more details about Dr. Storm and his work at the website of the Parapsychology Foundation.

Parapsychology Foundation Blog Update

The 18th PF Lyceum blog was posted on March 22nd, 2007. Written by Rosemarie Pilkington, it introduces her new book, The Spirit of Dr. Bindelof: The Enigma of Seance Phenomena published by Anomalist Books, which reviews a series of seances conducted in the 1930s that resulted in such physical phenomena as table-tilting and direct writing. To read the new blog, click here.

Skeptiko Review

I am behind in updating Public Parapsychology about the latest podcasts at www.skeptiko.com. Last week, Skeptiko presented an interview with Dr. Charles Tart in which he discussed his research findings and personal conclusions about spirituality, meditation, and transpersonal psychology. This week, there is an interview with Stephan A. Schwartz exploring the connection between his research into remote viewing and global climate change.

Typically, I copy information from the press releases into these blog posts, and will probably resume doing so next week, but this week I just wanted to say a few words about Skeptiko. Since my day job requires me to drive around the city on Tuesdays, I've made a weekly habit of listening to these interviews in the car. I happen to be the last person on earth who doesn't own an mp3 player, but it's still a very simple process. All I have to do is download the mp3, burn it to a CD...and remember to pack it in my teaching bag before leaving. Today will be my fifth Tuesday of listening to Skeptiko podcasts as I make my rounds, and it has become a rather enjoyable routine.

The host, Alex Tsakiris, interviews various scholars who represent a variety of positions on parapsychological topics, from well-known skeptics to active researchers in the field. During many interviews, audio clips from other personalities in the field are presented, to which interviewees are invited to respond. The presentation is balanced, and there is clearly an effort to construct a dialogue between the people who are interviewed week after week. Skeptiko is not necessarily creating this dialogue. In a sense, it already exists at parapsychology conferences and in peer-reviewed journals around the world, but the site presents this dialogue to the general public in a manner that is both unique and accessible.

It has been delightful to witness how quickly the show has grown into its own since its inception just a few months ago. Now as I listen to each installment, I think about what myself and the host have learned since the last one. I wonder which selections from previous interviews might be replayed again, and who is going to have the opportunity to respond to them. The Skeptiko.com podcasts are developing into a series, where the narrative of science, at the tipping point, progresses week after week.

Lund University Seeks Psychology Graduates

The Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology (CERCAP) under the direction of Etzel Cardeña, Ph.D., encourages very bright psychology graduates interested in anomalous psychology (including psi) to apply to do a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Lund, Sweden (ranked by Newsweek as one of the top 20 universities in Europe). Selection is very competitive but the top 2-3 students accepted into the department get free tuition and payment; about 3 others will get free tuition but will have to pay their way otherwise. The studies can be done in English. The application deadline (which requires a plan of studies) is April 15th. If you still have questions after reading the information linked below, please contact Prof. Cardeña.

Click here for more information about the program.

New Podcast from Skeptiko

Join host Alex Tsakiris when he interviews well known skeptic and consciousness author, Dr. Susan Blackmore about her journey from a disillusioned parapsychology researcher to an author on human consciousness. During the 30-minute interview Blackmore directly states her conclusions about human consciousness: “We live in a pointless universe. We’re here for no reason at all. There isn’t a soul. There isn’t a spirit. We’re not going to live forever in some kind of heaven, or something like that. And, I think there are no paranormal phenomena, although I can’t be sure of that. Yet, we have extraordinary experiences.”

She also explains how her longtime Zen mediation practice has impacted her work: “If you sit in meditation and stare into the face of a rising phenomena what do you see? I think most people would agree that after some practice, and learning to calm the mind and see clearly… that if you sit in meditation and then ask something like, ‘who am I?’ you don’t find that self. This is one of the fundamental discoveries in meditation.”

The interview is available for immediate free download at www.skeptiko.com.

New PF Lyceum Blog Post

The Parapsychology Foundation's Lyceum Blog has been updated with an essay written by Dr. Carlos S. Alvarado on the life and acheivements of Dr. Ian Stevenson.

New Podcast from Skeptiko

Join host Alex Tsakiris when he interviews research scientist and Vice President of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Dr. Marilyn Schlitz about her journey as a researcher in parapsychology, complementary medicine and anthropology. During the hour-long interview Schlitz distinguishes between her beliefs and those within the controversial areas she winds up studying: “I don’t necessarily believe all the things that I study. I believe anything that’s an aspect of human experience is valid to study, and there are some areas that have greater potential for breakthrough.”

She also explains how controversial science research remains a taboo subject with many of her peers: “Where people really get animated is in the unofficial domains of after-hours. Either they admit to having some kind of experience they don’t want to admit to publicly, or they just get irrational. I’ve had people spitting in my face because they were so angry with the idea that we could do science on parapsychology.”

The interview is available for immediate free download at: www.skeptiko.com

About Skeptiko
Skeptiko is the first scientifically oriented Podcast exploring new research in controversial areas of science such as telepathy, psi, parapsychology, near-death-experience, reincarnation, and afterlife encounters. Each episode features open, honest debate on new scientific discoveries. The show includes interviews with top research scientists and their critics.

Dr. Rhea A. White

Dr. (Hon.) Rhea A. White passed away gently on Saturday morning, February 24, 2007. She inspired so many people during her long career in parapsychology and exceptional human experience that she is already sorely missed.

Rhea was planning to become a golf pro in her early years. While at Penn State, she had a Near-Death Experience that completely turned around her life. She studied everything she could that came even close to her experience and was accepted to work with J.B. and Louisa Rhine at the Duke Lab. She enjoyed many hours discussing the field with them and their colleagues. Carl Jung's works also made a big impact on her life.

She received her Master's in Library Science and while a Librarian for the East Meadow Public Library in New York, she worked as Editor for several journals in the field. Rhea is in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America, Who's Who of American Women, and Who's Who in Science and Engineering. She mentored numerous people during her vibrant career and at the time of her death was Editor-in-Chief of the JASPR, and Founder and President of the Exceptional Human Experience Network. Her vita spans thirteen pages. A tributes' page to Rhea has been started at the EHE Network website, www.ehe.org.

For those who would like to remember Rhea, please send donations to: Angels for Animals, 120 Croatan Lane, New Bern, North Carolina, 28562. In the memo line please write: Rhea White Cat Fund.

RRC Members on the Radio

Monday, February 19, 5-6pm "Time Out", a WCOM-FM radio show hosted by Bill Hendrickson will feature both Larry Burk MD, President of the Rhine Research Center (RRC) Board of Directors, and Kala Ambrose, RRC Board Member and Owner of Explore Your Spirit, a Metaphysical Talk Show, in a discussion of the history of the Rhine Center, current and future research, and how the Rhine is evolving to meet the interests and requirements of an inquiring world. They will also promote and outline the March Conference of the RRC being held in Myrtle Beach, SC. This community show can be heard in Carrboro or Chapel Hill NC at 103.5FM or easily picked up on the web at communityradio.coop. Listeners may call in at (919) 929-9601.

Tuesday, February 20, 10-11pm The ‘X’ Zone Radio & TV Show with Rob McConnell, Executive Host and Producer will be chatting with Dr. Sally Rhine Feather, Executive Director of the RRC, about the March Conference of the RRC to be held in Myrtle Beach SC. www.xzone-radio.com

RRC Lecture: Intuitive Medical Diagnosis

INTUITIVE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS:
Historical, Research and Experiential Perspectives
A Presentation by Larry Burk, MD
Friday, February 23, 7:30-9pm

Larry Burk, MD, President of the Rhine Research Center Board of Directors is a musculoskeletal radiologist who has worked with a number of local and national medical intuitives. Dr. Burk was former Director of Education at the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine, and is now President of Healing Imager, Inc., in the private practice of teleradiology. He has made presentations on intuitive diagnosis at the NIH, the Parapsychological Association and the American Holistic Medical Association. Larry has been interested in this subject since Caroline Myss did a reading on one of his MRI patients in 1992. In 2001, he did a small pilot research project with John Palmer, Ph.D., at the Rhine Research Center, testing seven local intuitives.

This presentation will consist of an historical overview, a summary of research studies, and a brief introduction to the experience of intuitive diagnosis for the audience through a partnered exercise.

For directions to the Rhine Research Center or the Stedman Auditorium, and/or to register, call 919-309-4600, between 9 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday, or visit The Rhine website at www.rhine.org.

Ian Stevenson Passes Away at 88 Years Old

The Division of Perceptual Studies has announced that Ian Stevenson passed away on February 8, 2007 in Charlottesville, Virginia at the age of 88.

Ian Stevenson, M.D. was the Director of the Division of Personality Studies and Carlson Professor of Psychiatry, both a part of the Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia. He was the preeminent researcher in the study of reincarnation as well as being the leading scientist studying children who claim to remember previous lives. He also made important studies of telepathy, near-death experiences, apparitions ("death-bed visions"), the mind-brain problem, and the survival of human personality after death.

Read more about Ian Stevenson's accomplishments and his passing at the Paranormal Review.

What is Psi?

These days, the word 'psi' has almost become synonymous with the word 'parapsychology'. But what does it mean?

As well as being derived from the Greek work psyche (meaning "soul" or "mind"), psi is the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet. In the 1940's, it was proposed by B.P. Weisner and R.H. Thouless that psi be used as a general blanket term to identify anomalous processes and causation. Used as an adjective or noun, psi provides a neutral substitute for terms like extra sensory perception (ESP), psychokinesis (PK), or even the survival of bodily death. Since the term is purely descriptive, it neither implies that such anomalous phenomena are paranormal nor connotes anything about their underlying mechanisms.

Some researchers have come to think that ESP and PK might simply be different aspects of a single process, rather than being distinct and essentially unique phenomena. Sometimes psi is used to reflect this kind of thinking. Others prefer to use psi as a purely descriptive term for anomalous outcomes. In other words, psi can be used to describe the anomalous outcome of a laboratory experiment, without the researcher being required to choose between culturally connotated words like clairvoyance, telepathy, or psychokinesis.

Since the 1940's, the field has embraced this practice, and the usage of the term is widespread. Nowadays you'll find many scholars who refer to themselves as psi researchers, work at psi laboratories, look for psi in their experiments, read psi journals, and go to psi conferences.

Public Parapsychology on Myspace.com

Public Parapsychology now has a Myspace page:

www.myspace.com/publicparapsychology

Come on over and say hello!

Editorial: Parapsychology and Anomalistic Psychology...What's the Difference?

If we break down the term 'parapsychology' into its Greek roots, para means "beside or beyond," psyche means "soul or mind," and logos means "rational discussion." Literally, any rational discussion of phenomena beyond our current understanding of the mind could be termed parapsychology, but in practice scholars use different terms for different kinds of research. Nowadays, there are a variety of fields that engage in the rational discussion of such phenomena. In addition to parapsychology, there's transpersonal psychology, consciousness studies, and anomalistic psychology. On top of that, there are some people studying parapsychological topics who don't care for the term 'parapsychology' and call themselves 'psi researchers', just plain 'psychologists' or something else entirely.

When I first launched Public Parapsychology, I stated that it was "a web log devoted to advancing public scholarship in the field of parapsychology." But after a few weeks, I realized that the majority of my own research was more aptly described by the term 'anomalistic psychology' and so I began making a distinction in my posts. However, there seems to be some confusion about what anomalistic psychologists do, and how it differs from parapsychology, so a short discussion is in order.

In simplest terms, parapsychology is the scientific and scholarly study of certain unusual events associated with human experience. Anomalistic psychology is the scientific and scholarly study of unusual beliefs or experiences.

Anomalistic psychologists attempt to explain paranormal beliefs and paranormal experiences in terms of known psychological and physical factors. Such research is directed towards understanding the bizarre experiences that many people have without assuming that there is anything paranormal involved. In my opinion, the best kind of research in anomalistic psychology also avoids assuming that there is not anything paranormal involved. In such research, the reality of psi has little or no direct relevance to hypotheses under study.

Ideally, all scientists would be objective and agnostic when it comes to matters of faith, but there are unstated assumptions and biases behind all modes of scientific inquiry. Some might take the separation between anomalistic psychology and parapsychology to imply that parapsychologists are believers in the paranormal or anomalistic psychologists are non-believers, but this simplistic outlook is not the case. Parapsychologists and anomalistic psychologists come from all walks of life and some individuals (myself included) engage in both kinds of research concurrently.

In the current academic climate, open-minded inquiries into unusual events are more controversial than inquiries into the experiences associated with those events. Therefore, research that looks at unusual beliefs or experiences tends to enjoy more institutional support and has an easier time getting published in mainstream journals. However, the fact that anomalistic psychology has more mainstream appeal does not make it a better or more rigorous science than parapsychology (or vice-versa). I see parapsychology and anomalistic psychology as partners chipping away at the same problem from different angles, therefore both approaches will get equal treatment at the Public Parapsychology Blog.

For more information, see "What is Parapsychology?" at the website of the Parapsychological Association or "What is Anomalistic Psychology?" at the website of the Anomalistic Psychology Unit, Goldsmiths College, University of London. For a recent example of parapsychological research, see my research summary of The Effects of Traditional Zulu Healing on a Random Number Generator. For an example of a recent anomalistic psychology study, see the summary on Self-Concept and Body Investment in Out of Body Experients.