A History of Parapsychology

1
A History of Parapsychology

• Lecture 3
• Parapsychology
• Kevin Silber

2
An Overview

• In this lecture we will cover
• Antiquity and spiritualism
• Psychical research begins
• Move towards controlled studies

3
Aims

• This session will enable you to
• Have an understanding of the development of psi
• Recognise the context of parapsychological
  phenomena.

4
Antiquity

• Greek and Roman
• clairvoyance and dreams - from the gods,
• but some (Aristotle) - function of mind
• Oracle (institutionalized psychic reader) common,
  
• e.g., Delphi - King Croesus of Lydias invasion
  of Persia.

5
Judaeo-Christian

• many biblical accounts of psi,
• including clairvoyant and precognitive
  dreams,apparitions, visions, mediums.
• Prospero - 18th Century
• observations through study
• Not limited to religious devotees
• All kinds of people
• Not divine or demonic agencies
• Innate capabilities.

6
Naturalistic Approach

• Based around natural phenomena - magnetism and
  electricity
• Mesmer (1778) magnetized patients.
• Some went into a trance/sleep.
• On waking psychic phenomena dreams, hearing
  instructions. Healing.
• Did not invoke spirits a natural capability.

7
Spiritualism

• Movement (Swedenborg, 1688-1772) swept through
  Europe and US in 1848.
• Spirits spoke to groups of followers through
  entranced medium.
• Fox Sisters rappings gt yes/no and spell out
  letters.
• Founded or fraud?
• Tested in a number of ways joints?

8
More Spiritualism

• Movement spread (particularly in US).
• Many mediums.
• Writing on slates, voices, clairvoyant diagnoses,
  table tipping.
• Faraday test - wooden platform (on rollers) on
  table moved first, so muscular.
• Butgtouija board.

9
D.D. Home

• US mediums arrival in Britain, 1859 (year of
  Origin of Species.
• Many PK activists (spiritualism not evoked).
• Incorporation of PK within seances.
• gtconsolidate paranormal phenomena.

10
Psychical Research

• Society for Psychical Research (SPR) started in
  Cambridge, 1882.
• Physicists and spiritualistsbut spiritualists
  left. Very unpopular but a number of prominent
  members (professors, Fellows of Royal Society).
• Investigate wide range of phenomena (ESP and
  communication with spirits).
• Davey a medium - using distraction.
• Personal accounts and photos

11
Group Captain Victor Goddard kept this rather
strange picture. The photo was taken following
the last mission of this group. In the photo
appears the face of an airman who was killed
several days before the photo was taken, when he
walked into the rotating propellor of a plane.
12
1900-1930

• Work with mediums, e.g., Leonara Piper
  investigated for use of trance voice and
  automatic voices.
• In spite of precautions no evidence of fraud.
• So? At least ESP.
• Control personalities relationship with
  psychiatry?

13
Survival research

• Purpose of SPR not purely scientific.
• Shaken by Darwin.
• Survival of spirit.
• How to verify?
• Cross correspondence.
• But not clear so declining research in survival.

14
Physical Manifestations

• Marthe Berauad (1905) ectoplasm appearance. But
  in test conditions with Richet minimal
• Stella Cranshaw (1925) and Rudi Scheider (1930).
  Strict conditions gt manifestations.
• Also hauntings and poltergeists

15
The Modern Era

• J.B. Rhine
• Scientific Investigation - systematic
• (Stats from Fisher)
• Duke Uni Labs (then Rhine Research Center)
• Focus on ordinary people
• J of Parapsychology (1937).

16
Controlled Studies

• http//moebius.psy.ed.ac.uk
• Duke University
• Koestler Chair in Parapsychology

17
Media - The return of Stars

• Yuri Geller
• David Blaine
• Derren Brown
• Mediums
• http//www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsite
  s/M/mindcontrol/video/index.html