| The paranormal is interesting; it's exciting; it's revealing. It | | | | Talmud, Bible, Koran, and the Kabbalah - and in the |
| is controversial, mainstream, a way of life for some | | | | writings of the early philosophers such as Homer, |
| and something to be avoided by others. The | | | | Socrates, and Aristotle. Historically, the remarkable |
| paranormal is a divisive topic - a bit like politics and | | | | events in these texts have tended to be attributed to |
| religion! | | | | divine powers but more recently people have begun to |
| Today, the paranormal is popularized by images of | | | | question these teachings. |
| ghosts, messages from the dead and reports of | | | | What, for example, is the difference between |
| objects flying around rooms - but it is so much more | | | | prophesy and premonition? Are miracles and |
| than all this sensationalized hype. The paranormal is at | | | | psychokinesis symptomatic of the same thing? Is |
| the heart of what it means to be human, to be alive | | | | hearing the voice of God a type of clairvoyance? Are |
| and to be dead! It seeks to challenge us to look at | | | | these the same experiences but under different |
| who we are, why we are here, and what are our | | | | names? |
| beliefs about life itself, life after death, life before birth, | | | | In some corners of academia, there are quiet rumblings |
| even life between life! | | | | to have these, and other matters involving the |
| The paranormal challenges us to question what we | | | | paranormal looked at more closely - but be warned. |
| know about consciousness - not only human | | | | Studying the paranormal is a career limiting move. |
| consciousness but all living consciousness (very little, | | | | Today, there are few parapsychologist in the world |
| apparently). What do we know about death (not much | | | | (under 50, at the last count) and even fewer who |
| that the experts agree on, least of all when it actually | | | | make a living from their expertise. Studying the |
| happens)? What about the reports of levitating spirits | | | | paranormal is still regarded as more of a retirement |
| and unearthly calm that occur at that moment of | | | | hobby than a career choice! |
| some deaths (but not all)? Is there a step-by-step | | | | The well-practiced tradition of reporting paranormal |
| process of preparation that takes place before the | | | | phenomena continues today - in books, films and the |
| final encounter (a new area of study)? Do memories | | | | media but with one very powerful addition - the |
| pass from one life to the next (reincarnation is widely | | | | internet. More and more, those who encounter the |
| accepted in some cultures, but not others)? If this is the | | | | scientifically unexplained in everyday life are turning to |
| case, then what is actually transferred, and how | | | | cyberspace to make sense of what has happened to |
| (personal genetics and human consciousness spring to | | | | them. Some need reassurance; others are searching |
| mind)? | | | | for like-minded people. Today, the paranormal is openly |
| Yes, the paranormal is exciting but for so many more | | | | and freely discussed across websites, on blogs and in |
| reasons than those that usually first spring to mind. | | | | chatrooms. Yet, remarkably, very little formal research |
| The paranormal is at the very heart of who and what | | | | has been carried out on these everyday paranormal |
| we are. The study of the paranormal embraces the | | | | experiences. |
| phenomena that cannot readily be explained by the | | | | In stark contrast to the abundance of paranormal self |
| laws of science and in my studies specifically this | | | | reports on the web there is a noticeable shortage of |
| includes deja vu, apparitions, near-death episodes, | | | | contemporary research on spontaneous |
| out-of-body experiences, psychokinesis, premonitions, | | | | parapsychological phenomena. Unlike most academic |
| auras, mediumship, reincarnation, and telepathy. | | | | research, my paranormal study was open to |
| So, what do we mean by these phenomena? | | | | everyone aged 18 years and over (according to |
| Recently I completed a Master's Degree at Monash | | | | university ethical guidelines). Participants were |
| University in Melbourne Australia and the topic of my | | | | self-selecting - believers, non-believers, paranormal |
| dissertation was the paranormal, or more correctly | | | | experients and skeptics - all were welcome. All that |
| parapsychological experiences. My thesis was based | | | | was needed was an ability to speak English, access to |
| on the results of an online survey and to gather | | | | the internet and a willingness to participate. As this was |
| responses I needed to define what it was that I was | | | | the first time such a study had been conducted it was |
| studying. Here are the definitions I relied upon: | | | | impossible to know at the outset how many |
| . telepathy is defined as mind-to-mind communication; | | | | participants there would be. Fifty? A hundred? A |
| . precognition or premonition refers to the experience in | | | | thousand? Maybe more? |
| which information about the future is obtained without | | | | Over 4,000 people stormed the survey website to |
| the use of the five senses; | | | | document their paranormal experiences and while the |
| . clairvoyance or remote viewing encompasses the | | | | majority of the participants were from the United |
| phenomenon whereby current information is obtained | | | | States of America, Australia, United Kingdom, and |
| without using the five senses (ESP is a general term | | | | Canada nearly 60 countries were represented. More |
| which encompasses telepathy, precognition and | | | | women than men participated, but that ratio was |
| clairvoyance); | | | | closer than most people would have guessed - 60/40. |
| . psychokinesis (PK) refers to the ability of the mind to | | | | The majority of the participants were in the 18-35 year |
| impact living and non-living entities; | | | | age range but they were closely matched by the |
| . near-death episodes (NDE) are reported by people | | | | 36-55 year olds. |
| who have been brought back from the brink of death; | | | | Some results were predictable: spontaneous |
| . out-of-body experiences (OBE) occur when the | | | | parapsychological experiences appear to be universal, |
| mind's awareness is external to the physical body; | | | | and not limited to adulthood; deja vu was the most |
| . reincarnation applies to the recall of events, people | | | | widely reported experience; and very few people |
| and places from previous lifetimes; | | | | reported experiencing near death episodes. Other |
| . hauntings include apparitions, and unexplained sounds | | | | results were far more surprising including the |
| and movements of objects, which are associated with | | | | (statistically significant) tendency for women to report |
| particular locations; and | | | | experiences of deja vu, apparitions, out-of-body |
| . poltergeists, which are a type of PK that may depend | | | | experiences, auras, mediumship, reincarnation, and |
| on the presence of some individuals who unwittingly | | | | telepathy. Conversely, why do men and women |
| produce the disturbing effects. More recently, | | | | equally report incidences of psychokinesis? Why did |
| poltergeists have become specifically linked to the | | | | some countries report more of certain types of |
| presence of adolescents and children. | | | | phenomena than others? And, why all the references |
| I believe that the study of the paranormal is the study | | | | to the female bloodline? |
| of the essence of life, and I know that that study is as | | | | The survey raised as many questions as it answered! |
| old as we are! | | | | So, what could I do but listen to the requests to reopen |
| Some of the earliest reports of parapsychological | | | | it. My aim is to gather the largest database of |
| phenomena are to be found in the ancient spiritual | | | | information on spontaneous paranormal experiences. |
| texts - The Egyptian Book of the Dead, and the | | | | Would you like to contribute anonymously? |