Defining Parapsychology

Parapsychology – Haunting Experiences

In this course, Professor Ciarán O’Keeffe (Buckinghamshire New University) explores the field of parapsychology, specifically looking at haunting experiences. In the first lecture, we consider how parapsychology is defined and its three main areas of interest: extrasensory perception, psychokinesis and after death communication. In the second lecture, we think about environmental explanations for haunting experiences, in particular the buildings in which they commonly are reported. In the third lecture, we think about psychological explanations for haunting experiences, including the hypnogogic and hypnopompic states during which many of these reports are made. Next, we review Wiseman et al. (2003), exploring the methodology and findings of this paper. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about paraethics, a term coined by Professor O’Keeffe which is concerned with the ethical considerations around practicing parapsychology.

Defining Parapsychology

In this lecture, we think about what parapsychology is, focusing in particular on: (i) extrasensory perception (ESP), which is divided into telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance; (ii) psychokinesis in macro (visually observable) and micro (requiring specialist equipment to observe) forms; (iii) after death or survival communication, including hauntings and mediumship; (iv) the difference between proof-oriented and process-oriented parapsychologists.