1. Introduction to the Scientific Study of
Psychic Phenomena
Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD
www.theazire.org
The AZIRE Learning Center in Second Life
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/153/89/60
www.rhineeducationcenter.org
The Rhine Research Center in Second Life:
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/44/161/84

2. Plan of the course:
O Today: Introduction to the Scientific Study of
Psychic Phenomena
O April 25th
, 3pm Eastern: Ghosts, Poltergeists
and Hauntings Research
O May 2nd
, 3pm Eastern: Studying the Out of
Body and Near-Death Experiences
O May 9th
, 3pm Eastern: Reincarnation
Research in Scientific Parapsychology

3. Using the Courseware page:

4. Using the Course Feed:

5. What each live class will contain:
O An introductory lecture that ranges over the
broad tropic
O Some recommendations for videos and
future reading
O Some recommendations for websites,
Facebook pages, blogs and other resources
to study more
O A running discussion on the Course Feed
page

6. Where I’m coming from:
O Long-time member of the Parapsychological
Association – www.parapsych.org
O Trained at the Foundation for Research on
the Nature of Man, the predecessor to the
Rhine Research Center
O PhD from the psychology department at the
University of Edinburgh under the late great
Professor Bob Morris
O Enthusiastic about science and experience
O Believer in active self-directed learning

7. What does parapsychology study ….

8. Parapsychology
Defined as outside accepted boundaries of human functioning
“The scientific study of experiences which, if they are as they seem to
be, are in principle outside the realm of human capabilities as
presently conceived by conventional scientists.” Harvey J. Irwin,
(2004). An Introduction to Parapsychology (4th ed.). Jefferson, NC:
McFarland.
Defined in terms of agency
“A science dealing with mechanical or psychological phenomena due
to forces that seem to be intelligent, or to unknown powers latent in
human intelligence.” Referring to “metapsychics,” Charles Richet
(1923), Thirty Years of Psychical Research. New York: Macmillan.
Defined in terms of nonphysicality
“The branch of inquiry which deals with nonphysical personal
operations or phenomena.” from J. B. Rhine and J. G. Pratt (1957).
Parapsychology: Frontier Science of the Mind. Springfield, IL: Charles C
Thomas.

9. Two main categories of parapsychological phenomena
Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
Telepathy
Clairvoyance
Precognition
Psychokinesis (PK)
On Objects
On Biological Organisms
On Electrical and Mechanical Systems

10. APPARITIONS
OF THE DEAD Recurrent
At moment of
death
Long after death
OF THE LIVING
Crisis
Recurrent
Experimental

11. The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
Published in 1936
in Country Life Magazine
and in 1937 in Life Magazine
Taken by
Captain Hubert C. Provand
& Indre Shira
Retrieved from castleofspirits.com
Sightings from
1835 to 1936,
at least …

12. Cheltenham Ghost
Talk available on the
members only section of
www.rhine.org
Powerpoint with details
about this case available
on SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/NanZingron

13. Talk available on the
members only section of
www.rhine.org
Powerpoint with details
about this case available
on SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/NanZing
The Antique Shop Spuk
From Cornell, Investigating the Paranormal
(Parapsychology Foundation, 2002)

14. Parapsychology Foundation’s Founder,
Irish medium and patron of scientific
parapsychology,
Eileen J. Garrett,
in trance, in the 1930s
For more information visit
the websites of the
Parapsychology
Foundation:
www.parapsychology.org
www.psi-mart.com
www.pflyceum.org
www.psychicexplorers.org

15. Articles by Carlos S. Alvarado, PhD
on out-of-body experiences
available from:
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/cspp/dops/staff/carlosbio-pa

16. Aura Vision and Aura
Viewers

17. Cases of the Reincarnation Type
More information available from:
The Division of Perceptual Studies
University of Virginia
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departmen

18. Healing
More info available from:
http://www.explorejournal.com/
&
http://www.dosseydossey
.com/larry/default.html

19. Methods of Study
Laboratory
Correlational
Experimental
Studies of Spontaneous Cases
Case collections
Surveys
Field studies
Other
Bibliographical
Meta-analysis

20. Conceptual Approaches to Parapsychology
Explanatory
Conventional Principles / New Principles
Disciplinary
Views and Emphases Questions about Phenomena
Psychological What is the psychological profile?
Physical Is there a physical mechanism?
Anthropological What are the cultural variables?
Medical Related to what conditions?

21. The Critical Mentality
Opinions depend on:
O Conditions of observation
O Methodology
O Frame of reference
O Sources of information
Conventional Explanations:
Movies (Poltergeist)
O TV (X Files)
O Books
Coincidence
O Suggestion
O Memory mistakes
O Hallucinations
O Subconscious
elaboration
O Fraud

22. Great resources for the critical but open point of view:
The Parapsychological Association website
www.parapsychology.org
The website of the Society for Psychical Research
www.spr.ac.uk

23. Helmut Schmidt & the “Keep It Going” Machine
FRNM (Institute for Parapsychology), 1960s-1970s
Mind-Science Foundation, 1980s

24. Stanley Krippner
and a Participant
At the Maimonides Dream
Laboratory (1960s)

25. Chuck Honorton at the Maimonides Dream Laboratory
(1960s-1970s)

26. “The Descent
From the Cross”
Max Beckmann,
1917, Oil on Canvas
Target for a
Successful
Dream Telepathy
Session

27. Early Random Number Generator
Psychokinesis Experiment at the
Princeton Engineering Anomalies
Laboratory (PEAR), Princeton University
Circa 1985
(1976-2007)
Brenda Dunne
Robert Jahn
www.icrl.org
Roger Nelson
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/

28. Remote Viewing / Remote Perception
Stanford Research Institute
(SRI)
Russ Targ and Hal Puthoff
1970s to late 1980s

29. Ed May
Joe
McMoneagle
Stanford Research Institute (SRI)
Science Applications International Corp (SAIC)

30. The Ganzfeld
Experiment
Above:
setting up the “receiver”
To the left:
The KPU Lab at
Edinburgh
1985 to 2005

31. Koestler Professor of Parapsychology,
Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh,
Dr. Robert Lyle Morris (1942-2004)

32. Centre for the Study of Anomalous Processes
in Psychology, Department of Psychology,
University of Northampton, Faculty
O Deborah Delanoy:
Meta-analysis,
Psychomanteum
research
o Richard Broughton:
o Testing models of anomalous
skin conductance, Ganzfeld
O Chris Roe:
ESP and PK, belief
in the paranormal
O Simon Sherwood:
Apparitional experiences
of black dogs, hypnogogic
imagery and OBEs

33. Center for Research on Consciousness
and Anomalous Psychology,
Department of Psychology,
Lund University
O Etzel Cardeña:
Hypnotizability and
scoring in ESP tasks,
electrocortical activity
of deep hypnosis
experiences

34. Other universities with units “seeded” or
benefited by the Morris Miracle:
O University of Hertfordshire
O University of Greenwich
O Goldsmith’s College, University of
London
O University of Virginia
O University of São Paulo
O Federal University of Juiz de Fora

35. TABLE 1
Topics of Research Papers at Recent Parapsychological Association Conventions
2000-2003 (N=63)
Topic N %
Experiments
ESP 38 60.3
PK/DMILS[a] 9 14.3
Spontaneous Cases
Variety of psychic
experiences[b]
9 14.3
Hauntings 2 3.2
NDEs 1 1.6
Recollections of previous
lives
1 1.6
Apparitions 1 1.6
Poltergeists 1 1.6
Mediumship 1 1.6
[a] Some of these may be classified as ESP.
[b] These are questionnaire studies considering a variety of experiences (e.g., waking and dream ESP, OBEs).

36. English Language Journals to read:
O Journal of Parapsychology
O Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
O Journal of Scientific Exploration
O European Journal of Parapsychology
O Australian Journal of Parapsychology
O Journal of Near-Death Studies
O International Journal of Parapsychology
O Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research
O Explore

37. Associations/Societies to Join:
O Parapsychological Association
O Society for Scientific Exploration
O Society for Psychical Research
O International Association of Near Death Studies
Websites to Frequent:
• www.pflyceum.org
• www.parapsychology.org
• www.parapsych.org
• www.iands.org
• www.spr.ac.uk
• www.scientificexploration.org

38. The Take Away Message
O Parapsychology is:
O On the margins of mainstream science
O Controversial for complex reasons
O An interdisciplinary problem area with:
O A wide variety of phenomena
O A wide variety of approaches
O Deep questions on a grand scale
O Deep questions at the level of the individual
O Worth every day spent in it

39. Thanks for your Attention!
See you next week!
email: nancy@theazire.org
www.theazire.org
The AZIRE Learning Center in Second Life
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/153/89/60
www.rhineeducationcenter.org
The Rhine Research Center in Second Life:
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/44/161/84