https://curiosityshots.com/parapsychology-questionings/
"Parapsychology? Ask The Ghost…
Psychology is a field that studies the human condition encompassing the mind, body, and soul. While professionals and the public alike view psychology studies as scientific advancements, there is one division that continues to raise eyebrows within the field…
Parapsychology encompasses psychic phenomena (not unlike visionaries), the reading of others’ minds, and apparitions. Although parapsychology conjures up images of the Ghostbusters or those paranormal cable shows, the truth is, the relative scholarly research continues to explore individual experiences to find answers to unconventional thoughts and events.
The Beginnings of Parapsychology
Undergraduate students may first associate parapsychology with C.G. Jung. Throughout his life, Jung was fascinated with things that defied explanation, often stemming from his own experiences. His Grandmother, Augusta, was called clairvoyant. While Jung hits the mainstream psychology textbooks, another man too is credited with the birth of the field…
Joseph Banks Rhine is considered to be the father of modern parapsychology, studying and completing his work at Duke University, North Carolina. Many of his first studies involved the United States Military. Rhine and his team explored concepts such as clairvoyance and telepathy adopting scientific methods and statistics to add legitimacy to topics other psychological researchers wouldn’t investigate. Leading his research team in 27 experiments, he saw repetitively statistically significant results before 1940. Rhine presented the world the term ‘Extrasensory Perception’ (ESP) to describe individuals who were able to forgo using their five senses to obtain knowledge. Today, the Rhine Research Center is still a flourishing place for parapsychology, as well as the Journal of Parapsychology and the Parapsychological Association, both started by Rhine.
Basic Types of Parapsychology Phenomena
• Telekinesis or psychokinesis: This is the ability to use one’s mind to manipulate objects
• Telepathy: Individuals who can communicate with another’s mind without using any other five senses are said to be telepathic.
• Precognition: Those who can provide information about the future, often through their dreams or a vision.
• Apparitions: These are ghosts or other unexplained physical events like hauntings attributed to deceased individuals.
• Out-of-body experiences: This occurs when individuals feel their bodies have left their physical presence, often felt from above.
Not Just for the Movies
Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist, lead the Parapsychological Association in affiliation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the field elevated beyond mere hokum. In this new alliance, parapsychology shifted into high gear in the 1970s and 1980s. Many organizations branched out, and in universities throughout the world, including big names of Stanford and Princeton, parapsychological research flourished. The surge in popularity leaked into mainstream media like books, movies, and television shows tapped into the unexplained, increasing the public’s thirst for all things paranormal.
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry was created in 1976 by staunch critics of parapsychology with the aim of examining such experiments with the proverbial fine-tooth comb. The desire to explore the unknown, however, outweighed denial.
Current Work Today
Of all the parapsychology topics, precognition is the most widely explored. Researchers have completed over 300 volumes of scientific work regarding precognition, with experiments still being conducted today. With the advancement of technology, parapsychologists can interview participants even more intensively. Professionals can utilize diagnostic imagery to see areas of the brain that highlight when participants speak of their experiences or record brain waves while people dream.
Admittedly, there is a large part of the profession that discredits any work completed in parapsychology, mainly due to the inability to recreate experiments. Despite this, there are still parapsychologists exploring the unknown, hoping to reconnect this society, one mind to another today."
"Parapsychology? Ask The Ghost…
Psychology is a field that studies the human condition encompassing the mind, body, and soul. While professionals and the public alike view psychology studies as scientific advancements, there is one division that continues to raise eyebrows within the field…
Parapsychology encompasses psychic phenomena (not unlike visionaries), the reading of others’ minds, and apparitions. Although parapsychology conjures up images of the Ghostbusters or those paranormal cable shows, the truth is, the relative scholarly research continues to explore individual experiences to find answers to unconventional thoughts and events.
The Beginnings of Parapsychology
Undergraduate students may first associate parapsychology with C.G. Jung. Throughout his life, Jung was fascinated with things that defied explanation, often stemming from his own experiences. His Grandmother, Augusta, was called clairvoyant. While Jung hits the mainstream psychology textbooks, another man too is credited with the birth of the field…
Joseph Banks Rhine is considered to be the father of modern parapsychology, studying and completing his work at Duke University, North Carolina. Many of his first studies involved the United States Military. Rhine and his team explored concepts such as clairvoyance and telepathy adopting scientific methods and statistics to add legitimacy to topics other psychological researchers wouldn’t investigate. Leading his research team in 27 experiments, he saw repetitively statistically significant results before 1940. Rhine presented the world the term ‘Extrasensory Perception’ (ESP) to describe individuals who were able to forgo using their five senses to obtain knowledge. Today, the Rhine Research Center is still a flourishing place for parapsychology, as well as the Journal of Parapsychology and the Parapsychological Association, both started by Rhine.
Basic Types of Parapsychology Phenomena
• Telekinesis or psychokinesis: This is the ability to use one’s mind to manipulate objects
• Telepathy: Individuals who can communicate with another’s mind without using any other five senses are said to be telepathic.
• Precognition: Those who can provide information about the future, often through their dreams or a vision.
• Apparitions: These are ghosts or other unexplained physical events like hauntings attributed to deceased individuals.
• Out-of-body experiences: This occurs when individuals feel their bodies have left their physical presence, often felt from above.
Not Just for the Movies
Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist, lead the Parapsychological Association in affiliation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the field elevated beyond mere hokum. In this new alliance, parapsychology shifted into high gear in the 1970s and 1980s. Many organizations branched out, and in universities throughout the world, including big names of Stanford and Princeton, parapsychological research flourished. The surge in popularity leaked into mainstream media like books, movies, and television shows tapped into the unexplained, increasing the public’s thirst for all things paranormal.
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry was created in 1976 by staunch critics of parapsychology with the aim of examining such experiments with the proverbial fine-tooth comb. The desire to explore the unknown, however, outweighed denial.
Current Work Today
Of all the parapsychology topics, precognition is the most widely explored. Researchers have completed over 300 volumes of scientific work regarding precognition, with experiments still being conducted today. With the advancement of technology, parapsychologists can interview participants even more intensively. Professionals can utilize diagnostic imagery to see areas of the brain that highlight when participants speak of their experiences or record brain waves while people dream.
Admittedly, there is a large part of the profession that discredits any work completed in parapsychology, mainly due to the inability to recreate experiments. Despite this, there are still parapsychologists exploring the unknown, hoping to reconnect this society, one mind to another today."