Strange People -- Rare Events

2019

Assuming that a certain scientific psychological paradigm had been established – parapsychology is clearly the anomaly to that. In fact, it represents an exception to any western scientific paradigm. That is also the way the field defines itself: “[…] parapsychology here is defined as the study of experiences having the appearance of being in principle outside the realm of human capabilities as conceived by conventional scientists” (Irwin, 1989, p.3). This negativist view (i.e. every phenomena else than the ones that are explainable by ordinary science) lies at the heart the fields’ identity problem; which kind of questions are to be studied by parapsychologists? Qualitative research constitutes a major part of the field (e.g. Saltmarsh, 1934; Sidgewick, Johnson, Myers, Podmore & Sidgewick, 1894). These are, amongst others, (collections of) case-studies of people reporting situations which seem to be impossible by normal conception (e.g. the occurrence of a poltergeist). Another part of the field is concerned with the investigation of the authenticity of a paranormal occurrence. For example, the study of stage magic can inform the field of the way fraudulent mechanisms may operate. That hints at the importance to distinguish between a parapsychological experience and a paranormal process. The former relates to the individual phenomenology, whereas the latter refers to the underlying (possibly meta-) physical explanation of the appearance (Irwin, 1989, p. 2). The field is split on a continuum with believers in and sceptics of psi on both ends. Psi is thought to be the unknown factor which enables paranormal phenomena to arise. A last important field of research in parapsychology is the process-oriented study. It is here that the scientific method is applied and experiments are designed in order to identify the causal mechanisms of how paranormal phenomena come about. Three major domains evolved over the past decades in parapsychological research: The study of extrasensory perception (ESP), psychokinesis (PK) and the survival hypothesis. The survival hypothesis states that some element of the human existence may survive biological death (Irwin, 1989, p. 8) and had an especially big impact in the beginning of parapsychological research. Nowadays, research in this area focuses for example on out-of-body experiences. However, this essay shall be concerned with the other two domains (i.e. ESP and PK) and their experimental investigation. ESP refers to the perception of information by means other than the five ordinary senses whereas “[…] any direct mental influence upon the structure of a physical system, whether observable or not PARAPSYCHOLOGY’S SCIENCE HACKS 3 observable movement occurs” (Irwin, 1989, p.120) is regarded as PK. The current essay is concerned with the process-oriented scientific study of parapsychology (mainly PK and ESP) and attempts to identify I. Hacking’s engines of discovery (2007). Hacking originally intended to elaborate on the question of how making up people happens in the field of psychology when he discovered the engines of discovery. The quintet of (a) classification (i.e. psi-phenomena), (b) class-members (i.e. psychics), (c) institutions (e.g. Parapsychological Association, etc.), (d) knowledge (e.g. published in the Journal of Parapsychology), and (e) expert knowers (i.e. parapsychologists) fuel the engines. The quest of this paper is to further elucidate the question of how making up psi may happen in the field of experimental parapsychology. A rather thin and reverential historical approach is taken.

This is a theoretical paper; about 'psi', as interdisplaniry topic among; psychology, biology, and physics. The paper represents an operational executive definition to psi experience and behavior. The aim of this paper is to suggest a hypothesis about psi as 'a potential, latent, adaptive ability to sense and affect through distance'. The technique, the methodology of this paper depends on theoretical sampling based on dozens of reliable studies that have proven through years. I tried by this manipulation to introduce more definite, operational concept that may help in further interpretation, measurement, control and predict, then application on human society, by suggesting 'oneness' concept. Keywords: psi experience, psi challenges and background, psi existence and interpretations, psi as adaptive ability, the oneness suggested concept

Many studies have provided strong support for the existence of paranormal and psychic phenomena (" Psi "). For multiple reasons, however, Psi does not readily lend itself to scientific investigation. In contrast with the consensus-based scientific method that is grounded in repeatable observations and experiments, Psi and consciousness studies typically involve personal experiences (e.g., intuitive hunches, precognition, clairvoyance, and absent healing) that are true and meaningful only for the individual test subject. Furthermore, much scientific research is based on objective observations having their origins in, and ultimately limited by, the five senses as extended by instrumentation. Such observations and instrumentation may be inadequate to capture and characterize Psi phenomena. As if to compound these challenges, the notion of the detached observer, a key underpinning of the scientific method, can no longer be assumed at the level of subtle energies believed to be associated with Psi phenomena. For all of these reasons and others, the replication of results demanded by the scientific method is often challenging to obtain. A new framework for scientific investigation of Psi is needed, and the journey to this framework has not been without its own challenges. As a much-needed stopgap, this paper provides guidelines for conducting Psi studies. The guidelines may prove useful both to researchers and to editors of journals on Psi, subtle energy, mind, and consciousness. The guidelines serve two main purposes: a) to identify cross-disciplinary methods for researchers to use, and b) to demonstrate results that might be considered scientifically sound in other fields of research but that might be met with overt skepticism in Psi research. As these guidelines are intended only as a starting point, reader comments are invited and encouraged. Please send comments to [email protected]. Résumé De nombreuses études ont fourni un appui solide en vue de l'existence de phénomènes paranormaux et psychiques (les « Phénomènes Psi »). Pour de multiples raisons, cependant, les «Psi » ne se prêtent pas facilement à la recherche scientifique. Contrairement à la méthode scientifique, fondée sur le consensus et qui se base sur des observations et des expériences réplicables, les études portant sur les Phénomènes Psi et la conscience consistent généralement en des expériences personnelles (p. ex., des intuitions, des pressentiments, la clairvoyance et la

A paper written for a general audience which seeks to address the criticisms often made by skeptics that ostensible psychic (or psi) phenomena are incompatible with what is currently known in mainstream science. It is argued that if certain concepts from physics and neuroscience are applied to parapsychology, then psi phenomena actually start to seem a little less strange or "paranormal," offering a preliminary step in trying to rectify their seeming incompatibility with current knowledge. This paper is an updated & revised version of a piece initially prepared for the Parapsychology Research and Education ("ParaMOOC") Monthly Discussion Forum session held by the Alvarado Zingrone Institute for Research & Education (AZIRE) via the WizIQ online education portal in August 2016.

HYPOTHESIS Russell Targ is a physicist and cofounder of the Stanford Research Institute's investigation into psychic abilities. A prolific author, he pursues extrasensory perception research in Palo Alto, Calif, and publishes special editions of classic books in consciousness research. Jane Katra holds a doctorate in health education and works as a spiritual healer and " immune system coach, " writing and taking part in consciousness research. She has taught nutrition and health classes at the University of Oregon and therapeutic touch at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore. Since ancient times, spiritual teachers have described paths and practices that a person could follow to achieve health, happiness, and peace of mind. Considerable recent research has indicated that any sort of spiritual practice is likely to improve one's prognosis for recovering from a serious illness. Many of these approaches to spirituality involve learning to quiet the mind rather than adhering to a prescribed religious belief. These meditative paths include the mystic branches of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity; Kabalistic Judaism; Sufism; and many others. What is hinted at in the subtext of these teachings is that as one learns to quiet his or her mind, one is likely to encounter psychic-seeming experiences or perceptions. For example, in The Sutras of Patanjali, the Hindu master tells us that on the way to transcendence we may experience all sorts of amazing visions, such as the ability to see into the distance, or into the future, and to diagnose illnesses and to cure them. However, we are told not to get attached to these psychic abilities—they are mere phenomena standing as stumbling blocks on the path to enlightenment. In this article, we describe the laboratory evidence for some of these remarkable phenomena and their implications for science, mental health, and peace of mind. (Altern Ther Health Med. 2001;7(3):143-149) W hat do the spiritual healer, the mystic, and the scientist all have in common? The answer is that they are all in touch with their interconnected and nonlocal mind. In my (R. T.'s) work with remote viewing research at Stanford Research Institute, we observed the inflow of information that is the hallmark of psychic perception. We also saw an outflow of intention that plays a part in facilitating distant healing. Our purpose here is to show that the inflow and the outflow reside on either side of the quiet mind, and that self-awareness can arise between these 2 flows. We have also noticed that narrowly focusing on phenomena, and the seeming omni-science available from extrasensory perception (ESP), may be just a trap that prevents us from discovering who we really are and what we should be doing. However, as my coauthor Jane Katra and I describe in The Heart of the Mind, 1 we are confident that whenever any one person demonstrates an ability beyond the ordinary, it can be seen as an inspiration to the rest of us, as an indication of an immense and still largely undeveloped human potential. The scientific and spiritual implications of psychic abilities illuminate our observation that we live in a profoundly interconnected world. The most exciting research in quantum physics today is the investigation of what physicist David Bohm calls " quantum-interconnectedness, " or nonlocal correlations. 2 It has been demonstrated repeatedly in laboratories around the world that quanta of light that are sent off in opposite directions at light speed maintain their connection to one another, and that each little photon is affected by what happens to its twin, many kilometers away. 3-5 This surprising coherence between distant entities is called nonlocality. In writing on the philosophical implications of nonlocality, physicist Henry Stapp of the University of California, Berkeley, says that these quantum connections could be the " most profound discovery in all of science. " 6 Psychic abilities and remote viewing are demonstrations of our personal experience with such nonlocal connection in consciousness. Mind-to-mind connections that transcend our ordinary understanding of space and time give us expanded awareness, which is entirely consistent with life in a nonlocal world. This connection is what physicists mean by nonlocality. To the healer, it gives rise to what Larry Dossey 7 refers to in his book Reinventing Medicine as Era III healing of a distant patient through the inten-tionality of the healer. Our knowledge of these remarkable abilities allows us to awaken each morning in wonder at the fact that our expanded awareness is not limited by either time or space. And it should have become clear to us by now that although we reside in bodies, there is more to us than skin and bones. Our quiet moments of self-inquiry can reveal what that " more " is.

Journal of Nonlocality, 2013

A short overview is made of the attempts to relate the experimenter effect to the conventional theory of social interactive influence. There is however much neglected evidence to suggest it is more than this. The author's own involvement in psi-conducive and psi-mediated experimenter effects is presented. Some of the most striking results in this respect came with the Ganzfeld series of experiments. Examples of psychic experiences in the lives of successful experimenters are given.

2020

Angelos Tanagras gave this lecture in four European cities in 1935. The typed text of his lecture in German was rescued in his survived belongings and is published here for the first time as a historical document. In it, Tanagras presented photos of long-distance telepathy records in collaboration with Germany, Poland and England and presented the film of his medium Cleio performing telekinesis with the compass needle.

Brill Handbook of Religion and the Authority of Science (eds. Olav Hammer and James R. Lewis), 2010