Glossary of Parapsychology / “Ghost” Hunting terms


This portion was written By Brian D. Parsons
Ohio Paranormal
Investigation Network
Agent - (1) Person who attempts to
communicate information to another in an ESP experiment. (2) The subject in a
psycho kinesis experiment. (3) Person who is the focus of poltergeist activity.
Alpha Rhythm - Electrical activity in the
brain (about 10 cycles per second) associated with a state of mental relaxation.
Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) - A
term used to refer to any state of consciousness that is different from "normal"
states of waking or sleeping. ASCs include hypnosis, trance, ecstasy,
psychedelic and meditative experience. ASCs do not necessarily have paranormal
features.
Apparition
- The visual appearance of a person whose physical body is not present.
Apport / Asport
- An apport is a solid object that seemingly appears from nowhere in the
presence of a medium. Asport is any object the ‘spirits’ or medium makes
disappear or teleports to another location.
Astral body
- The body a person seems to occupy during an out-of-body experience.
Astral plane
- A world some people believe exists above the physical world.
Astral projection - An out-of-body
experience.
Astrology - A theory and practice which
attempts to identify the ways in which astronomical events are correlated with
events on earth.
Aura - A
field that some psychics see surrounding the living body.
Automatic writing - Writing without being
aware of the contents, as when a medium apparently transcribes written messages
from disembodied spirits.
Automatism - Any unconscious and
spontaneous muscular movement caused by ‘the spirits’. (Automatic writing).
Autoscopy - Seeing one's 'double', or
looking back at one's own body from a position outside the body (OBE).
Bilocation - Being (or appearing to be)
in two different places at the same time (similar to autoscopy).
Call -
Response made by a subject in a card-guessing or other ESP test.
Card Guessing - An experimental test for
ESP in which subjects guess the identity of a set of cards.
Case study -
An in-depth investigation of an individual subject.
Cerebral Anoxia - Lack of oxygen to the
brain, often causing sensory distortions and hallucinations. Sometimes used to
explain features of the near-death experience.
Channeling -
The process by which a medium apparently allows a spirit to communicate through
his or her person.
Clairaudience - Auditory form of ESP
(compare with Clairvoyance).
Clairsentience - Physical sensations (or
smell) form of ESP. Sometimes used as a general term for clairvoyance and
clairaudience.
Clairvoyance - A subset of ESP. The
viewing of distant scenes not apparent to the eye, may appear externally -
either replacing the normal visual scene (visions) or being incorporated into it
(as could be the case with apparitions) - or internally, in the form of mental
imagery and intuition.
Closed Deck - A set of cards used in a
card-guessing test where each card appears a fixed number of times. Statistical
analysis of research data using a closed deck differs from statistical analysis
of data using an open-deck.
Cold reading - A technique using a series
of general statements, questions, and answers that allows fake mediums,
mind-readers, and magicians to obtain previously unknown information about a
person. (Reader has no prior knowledge).
Collective apparition - An unusual type
of ‘ghost’ sighting in which more than one person sees the same phenomenon.
Control - In
experimental parapsychology a procedure undertaken in order to ensure that the
experiment is conducted in a standard fashion and so that results are not unduly
influenced by extraneous factors.
Control Group - A group of people whose
performance is compared with that of experimental subjects.
Correlation
- An association between two or more events or variables.
Correlation Coefficient
- A mathematical index of the degree of association between two or more
measures.
Crisis apparition
- An apparition seen when the subject is at the point of death or is the
victim of a serious illness or injury.
Cross-correspondences - Interrelated bits
of information received from ‘the spirit world’ by different mediums at
different times and locations. The communications must be joined together to
form a complete message from ‘the spirit(s)’.
DAT - Decision Augmentation Theory. An
attempt to reconceptualize PK as a precognition-based selection process rather
than one of actual influence.
Decline Effect
- A decrease in performance on a psi test when the test is repeated.
Déjà vu - The feeling of having
experienced something before.
Dice Test - Experimental techniques for
investigating psychokinesis, in which a subject attempts to influence the fall
of dice.
Direct voice phenomenon (DVP)
- A ‘spirit’ voice, spoken directly to sitters at a seance. The sound
usually seems to come from a point near the medium, or through a spirit horn or
trumpet, but not from the mouth of the medium.
Displacement
- Responses on a psi test that correspond systematically to targets other than
the intended one (those before or after).
Dissociation - Activity performed outside
of normal conscious awareness, or mental processes that suggest the existence of
separate centers of consciousness.
DMILS -
Direct Mental Interaction with Living Systems. Used to denote instances where
one person is attempting to influence a distant biological system, usually the
physiology of another person. As it is unclear whether this represents an
influence (PK), a case of ESP on the part of the influence, or an opportunistic
selection process (see DAT), the term ‘interaction’ has been adopted.
Doppelganger - A mirror image or double
of a person.
Double Blind - An experimental procedure
in which neither the subject nor experimenter is aware of key features of the
experiment.
Down Through Technique (DT)
- An experimental test for clairvoyance in which the person guesses the
order of a stacked series of target symbols (cards) from top to bottom.
(opposite of up through technique).
Electrodermal response - A measure of
skin conductance or resistance related to sympathetic nervous system arousal.
This response can be elicited by external stimuli (a light, tone etc.), or by
internal activity (e.g. emotions).
Electroencephalograph (EEG) - A device
that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of
recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp.
Electrooculograhph (EOG) - A device that
records eye movement.
Empathy - Rarely used in modern
parapsychology, the popular usage of this term refers to a low-level form of
telepathy wherein the empath appears to be aware of the emotional state of a
distant person. An empath may also be able to “broadcast” emotions to others.
Empiricism -
The premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation.
ESP - Extrasensory perception. (receptive
psychic) The ability to gain knowledge through means other than the five
physical senses or logical inference.
Electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) - The
capture of ‘spirit’ voices on magnetic tape as an audio recording. Many times,
no sound is heard while the tape is recording. It’s only upon playback that the
harsh, hushed voices can be heard.
Experiment -
A test carried out under controlled conditions.
Experimental Group - A group of subjects
who undergo a specific experimental procedure. Often results from this group are
compared with those of a control group.
Experimental Parapsychology -
Parapsychology research involving experimental methods rather than survey
techniques or the investigation of spontaneous cases.
Experimenter - The person who conducts
the experiment.
Experimenter Effect - Influence that the
experimenter's personality or behavior may have on the results of an experiment.
False Awakening - An experience in which
a person believes he or she has woken up, but actually is still dreaming.
Forced choice experiment
- An experiment in which the subject is forced to choose among an
assortment of possible targets, such as the five ESP cards.
Free response experiment
- An experiment in which the subject knows only the general nature of the
target - for instance, that it is a picture - but not anything else.
Ganzfield experiment
- An experiment where input from the outside world is reduced by placing
halved ping-pong balls over the eyes and by masking external sounds (covering
subject's ears with headphones and playing white noise). A state of mild sensory
deprivation.
General Extrasensory Perception (GESP)
- ESP in which it is unclear whether the results are due to clairvoyance,
telepathy, precognition or retrocognition.
Ghost - A
form of apparition, usually the visual appearance of a deceased human’s ‘spirit
soul’ or that of a crisis apparition.
Ghost hunt / Ghost investigation - A
ghost hunt is an informal attempt to simply sight or record a ‘ghost’ in a
location similar to others known to be haunted. A ghost investigation, on the
other hand, is a carefully controlled research project, set up to record
paranormal activity, usually at a location known, or presumed to be haunted.
Goat - A
subject in an experiment who does not believe in the ability for which he or she
is being tested.
Hallucination - Perception of sights,
sounds, etc., that are not actually present. Ghosts, as we define them, are not
hallucinations, because they have a real, external cause.
Haunting -
Recurrent sounds of human activity, sightings of apparitions, and other psychic
phenomena, in a location when no one is there physically.
Hit - A choice that proves correct.
Hot Reading - A reading given in which
prior knowledge of the sitter has been obtained, often using devious or
fraudulent means.
Hypnosis -
State like sleep in which the subject acts only on external suggestion.
Illusion - A distorted perception of
objects or events causing a discrepancy between what is perceived and what is
reality. (sometimes confused with hallucination)
Incline Effect
- An increase in performance on a psi test when the test is repeated.
Intuition -
The non-paranormal ability to grasp the elements of a situation or to draw
conclusions about complex events in ways that go beyond a purely rational or
intellectual analysis.
Judge -
Person who compares targets and responses in a psi experiment.
Kirlian Photography - A photographic
method involving high frequency electric current, discovered by S.D. & V.
Kirlian in the Soviet Union. Kirlian photographs often show colored halos or
"auras" surrounding objects.
Laying on of hands
- A process by which certain healers profess to be able to heal patients
by touch.
Levitation -
The lifting of physical objects by psychokinesis (PK).
Life Review
- Flashback memories of the whole of a person's life, often associated with the
near-death experience.
Longbody - A
web of living connections among people, places, and objects.
Lucid Dreaming
- Dreaming in which the person is aware that the experience is a dream.
Often associated with feelings of aliveness and freedom, and with the ability to
control dream events.
Magnetometer (EMF detector, gaussmeter)
- A device to measure the presence of a magnetic field as well as its
strength, direction, and fluctuation. Paranormal researchers use the device in
an attempt to detect a ghost’s magnetic or energy aura.
Mean Chance Expectation (MCE) - The most
likely chance score in a psi test.
Medium - A person who professes to be
able to communicate with spirits.
Medium (direct voice) - A trance medium
who apparently acts as a transmitter for the voices of disembodied spirits.
Medium (materialization)
- A medium who seems to be able to give physical form to the deceased
from a substance called “ectoplasm”.
Medium (physical) - A medium who is the
center of moving objects and other physical incidents supposedly caused by
spirits.
Mesmerism - The induction of a sleep or
trance state, discovered during the work of Friedrich Anton Mesmer, from whose
name the word is derived. Also known as hypnotism.
Miss - A choice that proves incorrect.
Mist - A photographed anomaly (not seen
at time of photo) that appears as a 'blanket' of light. Theory suggests that
this is the appearance of a 'ghost' or 'spirit' of the dead. As with other
photographed anomalies there is environmental issues that are of concern to the
validity of their existence (moisture, reflection, dirty lens, etc.). There has
been no substantial proof that these are, or are related in any way, to 'ghosts'
or paranormal behavior.
Motor automatism - Bodily movement of an
intelligent and purposeful kind of which the person is not aware, as with
automatic writing.
Necromancy / necromancer - A form of
prophecy, in which the seer or sorcerer / sorceress raises the ‘spirit’ (not
corporal remains) of the dead in order to have the wraith foretell future
events. It was thought that upon entering eternity, the ‘spirit’ would have full
knowledge of the past, present, and future.
NDE - Near-death experience - the
out-of-body and other experiences people report having when they are close to
death. Events within NDE include: an OBE, life review, a tunnel experience
(drifting in darkness), encounters with guides (or angels), seeing dead
relatives or friends, a moment of decision (or being told) to turn back.
Noise-reduction model
- The idea that psi information may be more accessible if normal sensory
information is reduced to a minimum (reducing sensory ‘noise’ to make the psi
‘signal’ clearer) (see Ganzfield experiment).
OBE - Out-of-body experience - the
experience that the self is in a different location than the physical body.
Objective apparitions - Apparitions or
phenomena that appear independent of our minds, thoughts, or feelings.
Occam's Razor - The principle that we
should always prefer the simplest explanation of events.
Open Deck - A series of cards used in a
card guessing test where each card is chosen randomly and independently. This
enables each target to be selected any number of times. Statistical analysis of
research data using an open deck differs from statistical analysis of data using
a closed deck.
Open Matching (OM) - A card guessing
procedure in which key cards are placed face up on the table. The subject then
places the unseen target cards in piles in front of each key card, according to
their guesses.
Orb - A photographed (not seen at time of
photo) anomaly that, in theory, represents an ongoing 'spirit' of a deceased
person. It appears as a ball of light and may occasionally seem to be moving.
This is a highly controversial subject since there are many reasonable
circumstances that identify this as environmental (dust, rain, snow, dirty lens,
insects, reflection, lens flare etc.). There has been no substantial proof that
the balls of light are associated with 'ghosts', the dead or any paranormal
behavior.
Ouija Board - A board pre-printed with
letters, numerals, and words used by mediums to receive spirit communications.
Usually a planchatte (palm-sized triangular platform) is employed to spell out
words or point out numbers or letters. A game version of the Ouija board was
mass-marketed as OUIJA by Parker Brothers in 1966 and is currently distributed
by Hasbro.
Paranormal - Above or outside the natural
order of things as presently understood.
Parapsychology - The branch of science
that studies psychic phenomena. (term coined by J.B. Rhine)
Percipient - A person who sees (i.e.,
perceives) an apparition or ghost.
Phenomenology - An approach to research
that aims to describe and clarify a person's own experience and understanding of
an event or phenomenon.
Poltergeist - A German word meaning
'noisy or rowdy ghost' (see also RSPK).
Probability - The likelihood that results
in a test were due to chance.
Process Research - Research that aims to
investigate factors affecting psi.
Proof Research - Research that aims to
demonstrate the existence of psi.
Psychical Research
- Term coined in the late 19th century to refer to the scientific study
of the paranormal. Now largely superseded by 'parapsychology'.
PK - Psychokinesis - (expressive psychic)
the power of the mind to affect matter without physical contact.
PK (bio) -
Psychokinetic influence of biological systems e.g. changing the physiological
activity of a living system (see DMILS).
PK (deliberate) - Psychokinesis that
occurs as a result of conscious effort by the person causing it.
PK (macro) - The effect of psychokinesis
on objects in general.
PK (micro) - The effect of psychokinesis
on random events such as random event generators (REGs).
PK (spontaneous) - Psychokinesis that
occurs without conscious effort by the person who causes it.
PK (time-displaced) - The concept of
psychokinesis going backward in time to affect events that have already taken
place.
Place memory - Information about past
events that apparently is stored in the physical environment.
Precognition - The ability to predict
things beyond present knowledge.
Psi - A letter in the Greek alphabet that
denotes psychic phenomena.
Psi hitting
- A test performance significantly higher than expected by chance.
Psi missing - A test performance
significantly lower than expected by chance.
Psyche - The Greek word for “self”,
“mind”, or “soul”.
Psychic - A
person with above average ESP abilities.
Psychic healing - A mode of healing
affected by the psychic abilities of the healer.
Psychic surgery - The supposed ability to
paranormally perform invasive surgery using no conventional medical tools.
Psychometry - ESP of events associated
with inanimate objects.
Qualitative Method
- A research method involving the collection of non-quantitative data
(e.g., observations, interviews, subjective reports, case studies).
Quantitative Method - A research method
involving the collection and statistical analysis of numerical data.
Radio voice phenomenon (RVP)
- Receiving the voice of a deceased human being over a regular radio.
REG - Random event generator. A target
selection machine that operates in a way that should be impossible to predict
creating random events or random numbers. (same as Random Number Generator - RNG)
Remote viewing
- (1)Another term for clairvoyance.(2)An ESP procedure in which a
percipient attempts to become aware psychically of the experience of an agent
who is at a distant, unknown target location.
REMs - Rapid eye movement during sleep
that indicates dreaming.
Repressed psychokinetic energy - A
theoretical psychic force produced, usually unconsciously, by an individual
undergoing physical or mental trauma. When released, the power causes paranormal
occurrences such as poltergeist activity.
Response - An action made by a subject in
an experiment.
Response bias - Tendency of a subject to
prefer particular responses.
Retroactive Psychokinesis - Paranormal
influence that an agent can have on an experiment after it has been completed.
Retrocognition - A ‘time warp’ in which
one finds themself in the past, seeing or experiencing events of which they had
no prior knowledge.
RSPK - Recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis.
A possible cause of apparent poltergeist activity.
Run - A set of trials in a psi test.
Sceptic (skeptic) - A person inclined to
discount the reality of the paranormal and to be critical of parapsychological
research. Generally seeks rational or scientific explanations for the phenomenon
studied by parapsychologists.
Score - Number of hits in a psi test.
Scrying - A term used to cover a wide
range of divination techniques which parapsychology would tend to classify as
types of ESP. Most scrying techniques involve some degree of fixation on a
surface with a clear optical depth (crystal ball, a pool of ink or deep water)
or on an area which shows random patterns (flames in a fire, smoke), the idea
being that subconscious information available to the scrying will be manifested
in their interpretation of the imagery or random patterns they see.
Séance - A group of people who gather in
an effort to communicate with the dead.
Series - A sequence of runs in a psi
experiment.
Shaman - A ‘wizard’ in tribal societies
who is an intermediary between the living, the dead, and the gods.
Sheep - A subject in an experiment who
believes in the ability for which he or she is being tested.
Spirit photography - A spirit photograph
captures the image of a ghost on film. Many of these are supposedly intended as
a mere portrait of a living human being, but when the film is developed, an
ethereal ghostly face or figure can be seen hovering near the subject. This may
also incorporate orbs, vortexes, and mists to some degree.
Spirit theater - A term used by
modern-day magicians to describe shows, acts, or tricks in which ghosts or other
spirit activity are apparently produced.
Spiritualism - A belief system that
‘spirits’ of the dead can (and do) communicate with living humans in the
material world. (Usually through a intermediary known as a medium).
Subjective apparitions - Apparitions or
phenomena that are hallucinations created by our minds.
Supernatural - Something that exists or
occurs through some means other than any known force in nature. As opposed to
paranormal, the term ‘supernatural’ often connotes divine or demonic
intervention.
Statistics - Mathematical techniques for
analyzing and interpreting data.
Stigmata - Unexplained markings on a
person's body that correspond to the wounds of Christ.
Survey - A
method of data collection that involves interviewing (or giving questionnaires
to) a representative and often large group of people.
Target object
- In ESP, the object or event the subject attempts to perceive; in PK,
the object or event the subject attempts to influence.
Telekinesis - Paranormal movement of
objects.
Telepathy - The direct passing of
information from one mind to another.
Teleportation - A kind of paranormal
transportation in which an object is moved from one distinct location to
another, often through a solid object such as a wall.
Temporal Lobe Activity - Electrical
activity in the temporal lobes of the brain. Often associated with strange
sensations, time distortions and hallucinations. Sometimes used as an
explanation for seemingly paranormal experiences such as apparitions.
Thought form - An apparition produced by
the power of the human mind.
Trance - A sleeplike state in which there
is a change of consciousness.
Trial - In psi tests, a single attempt to
demonstrate paranormal ability (e.g., one attempt to guess a card or one attempt
to influence the fall of the dice).
Up Through Technique - An experimental
test for clairvoyance in which the subject guesses the order of a stacked series
of target symbols (cards) from bottom to top.
Vortex (vortice) - A photographed anomaly
that appears as a funnel or rope-like image (sometimes creating a shadow) that
is not seen at the time of the photograph that supposedly represents a 'ghost'.
Other theories include; a collection of orbs, a 'gateway' to where orbs
originate or travel to or a wormhole in time-space. No substantial evidence has
been found for any of these theories.
White noise - A hiss-like sound, formed
by compiling all audible frequencies (used in Ganzfield experiments).
Zener Cards - Set of 25 cards (5 each of
circle, square, Greek cross, five-pointed star, three wavy lines) designed by
the perceptual psychologist Karl Zener for use in card-guessing tests of ESP.
(also known as ESP cards).
This by no means is a complete dictionary of terminology. This is meant to
provide you with pertinent words to aid in the basic understanding of
parapsychology and the ghost hunting world.
Information for this glossary taken from
Michael Daniels, PhD., Psychic Connections: A Journey Into the Mysterious
World of Psi by Lois Duncan and William Roll, PhD.(Bantam Doubleday Dell
Books, 1995), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings by Tom
Ogden (Alpha Books 1999), Psychology Themes and Variations second edition
Wayne Weiten (Brooks/Cole Publishing 1989)
More
Terms from "About Paranormal Phenomenon"
By
Steven Wagner
ALCHEMY
-
The Science of turning the baser metals into gold or silver by chemical means.
The byproduct, "Quicksilver," was thought to have magical powers. This was a
very perfected science in Egyptian times and lasted all the way up into the
14th-16th Century A.D. when some of the alchemy methods were lost due to wars
and fires that were amid in those times.
ANOMALY
-
An irregular or unusual event which does not fit a standard rule or law. An
anomaly is something which cannot be explained by currently accepted scientific
theories. Anything weird, abnormal, strange, odd, or difficult to classify is
considered an anomaly.
ASTRAL PROJECTION
(see
Out-of-Body Experience)
AUTOMATIC WRITING
or
AUTOMATIC
ART
-
To freely channel your higher self or another soul's words, music, or art
without the interruptive interference of the mind.
CLAIRAUDIENCE
-
Hearing voices, astral music or discarnate beings.
CLAIROLEOFACTOR
-
To have an extraordinary sense of smell, as if you could smell flowers before
they bloom or smell trouble before it occurs or death before it happens.
CLAIRSENTIENCE
-
The ability to clearly feel yours and/or another's emotions and sensations.
CLAIRVOYANCE
-
To have lucid mental perceptions and keen insights about people and life
situations and to have clear visual mental images, pictures, to "see" auras and
other psychic phenomena.
CROSS-SPECIES COMMUNICATION
-
To have a special rapport and understanding with animals, plants or alien
beings.
CRYSTALOMANCY
-
The art of gazing into a crystal globe, a pool of water, a mirror, or any
transparent object. The person may put him/her self into a hypnotic state to see
visions or to summon forth spirits or demons.
DEJÀ
VU
-
Certain events and experiences seem as if you are re-experiencing the event or
situation that has happened at another time. As familiar as the experiences are,
you cannot recall nor figure out when they happened.
DEMONOLOGY
-
One who studies and practices the art of demonology. An individual who
specializes in the removal of evil or demonic forces from a given environment
using the art of demonology. One who brings demonic forces out of their slumber
to be cast away. Someone who uses the art of demonology to incantate demons for
ones use in battling them.
DIRECT WRITING
-
Direct writing is when spirits actually write using any means. This can be done
by slate writing or by pen and paper.
DIVINATION
-
The obtain unknown knowledge or future events from omens. Astrology may be
considered divination.
DIVINING ROD
-
A forked rod from a tree said to indicate the presence of water or minerals
underground.
DMILS
-
Abbreviation of Direct Mental Interaction with Living
Systems. Used to denote instances where one person is attempting to
influence a distant biological system, usually the physiology of another person.
As it is unclear whether this represents an influence (see
psychokinesis), a case of ESP on the part of the influence (see
ESP) or an opportunistic selection process, the term 'interaction' has been
adopted.
DOPPELGANGER
-
A
spirit of a living person outside of the physical body.
DOWSING
-
To be able to find underground water and/or underground minerals.
EMPATHY
-
Rarely used in modern parapsychology, the popular usage of this term refers to a
low-level form of telepathy wherein the empath appears to be aware of the
emotional state of a distant person. An empath may also be able to "broadcast"
emotions to others.
ESP
-
Extrasensory perception (ESP) is the knowledge of external objects or events
without the aid of the senses.
FAITH HEALING
-
To know that you and others can heal yourselves by simply believing it.
GANZFIELD
- A state of
mild sensory deprivation, characterized by the presentation of homogenous
sensory fields. Thus, a person in Ganzfeld will have diffusive plastic
hemispheres over their eyes while in a dimly red-lit room, be listening to white
noise through headphones, and be seated in a comfortable, semi-reclined chair.
Its use in parapsychology is based on a noise-reduction model.
INNER VOICE
-
Receiving guidance and assistance from inside of you.
INTUITION
-
Act of knowing without the use of usual rational processes. Based partly on
subconscious pattern association of known information, and partly
on subconscious
psi impressions.
OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE
or
ASTRAL
PROJECTION
-
To be able to leave your physical body and project your soul, consciousness or
what appears to be your mind to another place and return via a silver cord.
PARAPSYCHOLOGY
-
Literally beyond psychology. The study of apparent new means of
communication, or interaction, between organisms and their environment (commonly
referred to as
psi, or psychic ability), beyond those presently understood by the
scientific community.
PAST
LIFE RECALL
-
To remember or have mental flashes about living in another century.
POLTERGEIST
-
A general term applied to a variety of site-, or sometimes person-, specific
physical phenomena. These can include temperature variations, anomalous sounds,
and movement of physical objects. The word 'poltergeist' literally means 'noisy
spirit' and was coined back when such phenomena were thought to be due to the
presence of some sort of mischievous entity. Currently, poltergeist phenomena
are usually considered to be related either to unusual physical conditions at
the affected site, or to be related to
psycho kinesis. Anecdotal reports suggest that many poltergeist focus on an
individual under some form of emotional stress.
PRECOGNITION
- Pre-knowing; where nondeductible information about a future event is acquired.
PRECOGNITIVE DREAMS
- To have
dreams of events or incidents before they happen.
PREDICTION
-
To be able to predict future events before they occur.
PSI
- A
general term for parapsychological phenomena that includes informational (RV,
ESP) and energetic (PK)
effects. Psi, or Y, is the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet.
PSYCHIC
-
Popular term used to denote a person who regularly uses, or who appears to be
especially gifted with,
psi abilities. Also refers to general phenomena related to the mind (from
Greek psyche).
PSYCHIC SURGERY
-
The supposed ability to paranormally perform invasive surgery using no
conventional medical tools. The psychic surgeon uses either an unsterilized
knife, or his bare hands, to appear to make an incision and remove some internal
matter. Once the operation is finished, there is no sign of an incision, nor are
there any unpleasant aftereffects (e.g. infection). Many of the investigated
cases have turned out to be fraudulent, involving sleight of hand tricks to make
the operation appear convincing. However, it is possible that, in some
circumstances, the ritual nature of the "surgery" could help effect a cure
through the equally mysterious placebo effect.
PSYCHOKINESIS (PK)
- See
Telekinesis.
PSYCHOMETRY
-
To touch an object with your hands and get information about the object, it's
creator, its owner, or it's history.
REMOTE
VIEWING (RV)
-
Ability to access distant or shielded information primarily of visual character,
such as natural or structural features, via an unknown mental process. RV can
include other sensory modes, such as feelings, motion, or sound. Some
individuals associate specific approaches, or protocols, with RV. Other similar
terms: remote perception, enhanced perception, extrasensory perception (ESP).
SCRYING
-
A term used to cover a wide range of divination techniques which parapsychology
would tend to classify as types of
ESP. Most scrying techniques involve some degree of fixation on a surface
with a clear optical depth (e.g. a crystal ball, a pool of ink or deep water) or
on an area which shows random patterns (e.g. flames in a fire, smoke), the idea
being that subconscious information available to the scrying will be manifested
in their interpretation of the imagery or random patterns they see. Techniques
using a clear optical depth are actually very similar to the idea behind the
homogenous visual field used in
Ganzfeld ESP research.
SUBLIMINAL PERCEPTION
-
Sensory impressions below the threshold of conscious awareness.
SYNCHRONICITY
-
Meaningful coincidences that often are mediated by subconscious psi activity.
Our intuitive/psi
faculty nudges our paths into meaningful intersections in times of need.
TELEKINESIS
,
PSYCHOKINESIS, LEVITATION
-
To move an object or your body without physical means.
TELEPATHY
-
To know what others are thinking as if to hear thoughts in your head. Thought
transference including the sending and receiving of thoughts.
TERRAFIRM
-
To be connected with the planet Earth as if it were a part of you.
TIME
TRAVEL
-
To project your soul's consciousness out of your body and into a past or future
time.
TONE
HEALING
- Your tone
of voice affects others by disturbing, catalyzing, soothing, lulling, inspiring
and quite often healing them.
TOUCH HEALING
-
To impart through your hands soothing and healing vibrations of energy.
TRANSMEDIUMSHIP, TRANSCHANNELING
-
To have severe personality shifts.
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