class 1 of wiziq course "introduction to the scientific study of psychic phenomena"
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Introduction to the Scientific Study of Psychic Phenomena
Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD
www.theazire.orgThe 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
Plan of the course:O Today: Introduction to the Scientific
Study of Psychic PhenomenaO April 25th, 3pm Eastern: Ghosts,
Poltergeists and Hauntings ResearchO May 2nd, 3pm Eastern: Studying the
Out of Body and Near-Death Experiences
O May 9th, 3pm Eastern: Reincarnation Research in Scientific Parapsychology
Using the Courseware page:
Using the Course Feed:
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
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
What does parapsychology study ….
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.
Two main categories of parapsychological phenomena
Extrasensory Perception (ESP)Telepathy
ClairvoyancePrecognition
Psychokinesis (PK)On Objects
On Biological OrganismsOn Electrical and Mechanical Systems
APPARITIONSOF THE DEAD
Recurrent
At moment of death
Long after death
OF THE LIVINGCrisis
Recurrent
Experimental
The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
Published in 1936in Country Life Magazine
and in 1937 in Life Magazine
Taken by Captain Hubert C. Provand
& Indre ShiraRetrieved from castleofspirits.com
Sightings from 1835 to 1936,
at least …
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/NanZingrone/rrc-talk-ghosts-poltergeists-hauntings-2013
Talk available on the members only section of www.rhine.org
Powerpoint with details about this case available on SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/NanZingrone/rrc-talk-ghosts-poltergeists-hauntings-2013
The Antique Shop SpukFrom Cornell, Investigating the Paranormal
(Parapsychology Foundation, 2002)
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.comwww.pflyceum.org
www.psychicexplorers.org
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-page
Aura Vision and Aura Viewers
Cases of the Reincarnation Type
More information available from:The Division of Perceptual Studies
University of Virginia
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/cspp/dops/case_types-page#CORT
Healing
More info available from:
http://www.explorejournal.com/
&http://
www.dosseydossey.com/larry/default.html
Methods of StudyLaboratoryCorrelationalExperimental
Studies of Spontaneous CasesCase collections
SurveysField studies
OtherBibliographicalMeta-analysis
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?
The Critical Mentality
Opinions depend on:
O Conditions of observation
O MethodologyO Frame of referenceO Sources of information
Conventional Explanations:
Movies (Poltergeist)O TV (X Files)O Books
CoincidenceO SuggestionO Memory mistakesO HallucinationsO Subconscious
elaborationO Fraud
Great resources for the critical but open point of view:The Parapsychological Association website
www.parapsychology.org
The website of the Society for Psychical Researchwww.spr.ac.uk
Helmut Schmidt & the “Keep It Going” MachineFRNM (Institute for Parapsychology), 1960s-1970s
Mind-Science Foundation, 1980s
Stanley Krippner and a Participant
At the Maimonides Dream Laboratory (1960s)
Chuck Honorton at the Maimonides Dream Laboratory (1960s-1970s)
“The DescentFrom the Cross”Max Beckmann,
1917, Oil on Canvas
Target for a Successful
Dream Telepathy Session
Early Random Number Generator
Psychokinesis Experiment at thePrinceton Engineering
Anomalies Laboratory (PEAR), Princeton University Circa 1985
(1976-2007)
Brenda DunneRobert Jahnwww.icrl.org
Roger Nelsonhttp://noosphere.princeton.edu/
Remote Viewing / Remote Perception
Stanford Research Institute (SRI)
Russ Targ and Hal Puthoff
1970s to late 1980s
Ed May
JoeMcMoneagle
Stanford Research Institute (SRI)Science Applications International Corp (SAIC)
The Ganzfeld Experiment
Above: setting up the
“receiver”
To the left: The KPU Lab at
Edinburgh1985 to 2005
Koestler Professor of Parapsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh,
Dr. Robert Lyle Morris (1942-2004)
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
Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology, Department of Psychology,
Lund University
O Etzel Cardeña:Hypnotizability andscoring in ESP tasks,
electrocortical activityof deep hypnosis
experiences
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
TABLE 1Topics 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).
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
Associations/Societies to Join:
O Parapsychological AssociationO Society for Scientific ExplorationO Society for Psychical ResearchO 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
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
Thanks for your Attention! See you next week!
email: [email protected]
www.theazire.orgThe 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