Psi

This paper investigates the relationship between psychoactive substances and so-called paranormal phenomena falling within the study of parapsychology. It is primarily concerned with extrasensory perception (ESP)—telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance—as well as out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and near-death experiences (NDEs). Psychokinesis (PK), aura vision, encounter experiences, and sleep paralysis only make a very limited contribution to this review as they are seldom related to psychoactive drugs within the parapsychological literature. The paper borrows widely, but by no means exhaustively, from parapsychology as well as transpersonal studies, anthropology, ethnobotany, phytochemistry, psychiatry, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and neurobiology, particularly neurochemistry. It is organized into neurochemical models of paranormal experience (section 1), field reports of intentional and spontaneous phenomena incorporating anthropological, historical and clinical cases, and personal accounts (section 2), surveys of paranormal belief and experience (section 3), experimental research (section 4), and a methodological critique of the experimental research with recommendations for further work (section 5).

Tato práce má za cíl poskytnout stručné, kritické a ucelené uvedení do problematiky anomální kognice, tedy jevů označovaných jako telepatie, či „mimosmyslové vnímání“. Zaměřuje se na vytvoření teoretické pozadí problematiky a to zejména po stránce terminologické a metodologické. Snahou je zkoumat disciplínu kritickým pohledem vědy, vědecké metodologie, a také představit konfrontací s aktuálními vědeckými (zejména fyzikálními) paradigmaty. Výklad problematiky a metodologie je takřka nepředstavitelný bez stručného přehledu historie zkoumání těchto jevů. Součástí práce je také zhodnocení kognitivních a informačních aspektů „mimosmyslové komunikace“ a s tím spojená kritika terminologie..

We describe our further exploration into research of anomalous mental phenomena (AMP) in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). We visited numerous research centers in major cities of Russia and the Ukraine, met with leading researchers in the field, visited their laboratories, and participated in some experiments. In their research, our Russian colleagues emphasize studies of anomalous perturbation (AP), also termed psychokinesis (PK), and "distant mental effect" on biological systems (bio-AP or bio-PK). The experiments have been conducted in top academic and research institutions, including Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, and several research institutes of the Russian and Ukrainian Academies of Sciences. Although the quality of research varies considerably in different institutions, there are groups that have developed rigorous methodologies. We also consider the potential cultural impact on Russian AMP research. We conclude with a discussion of the causal model of AP studies vs. informational, perceptual model in relation to the Russian research.

Nel più totale rispetto dei dettami dei padri fondatori della storia comparata, Marc Bloch ed Emile Durkheim, si vuole ricercare nella comparazione del Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI) di Bettino Craxi con il Parti Socialiste di François Mitterrand e con il PSOE di Felipe González le cause comuni e la reciproca influenza che hanno condotto i suddetti partiti, tra gli anni Settanta e gli anni Ottanta, a una profonda trasformazione in senso socialdemocratico. Gli anni Settanta si configurano per i partiti socialisti sud-europei come una fase di "rinascita" dai logoramenti del compromesso storico in Italia, dalla subalternità al Gollismo totalizzante in Francia e dalla frammentazione della clandestinità in Spagna. Tutti e tre questi percorsi di fuoriuscita dalle crisi politiche interne sono guidati e resi possibili da Leader che, progressivamente, prendono il controllo e finisco per impersonare il partito stesso. Questa tesi nasce con l'ambizione di dimostrare come quest'influenza reciproca tra i partiti socialisti sud-europei non fosse limitata ai soli rapporti politico- istituzionali, ma nascondesse - in realtà - un rapporto più profondo tra Craxi, Mitterrand e González.

Updated September 2020
This is a brief overview of what is currently known (by the ATransC Directors) about transcommunication with an emphasis on Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). It is written by Tom Butler and published by Association TransCommunication (ATransC). Please feel free to share this under the Creative Commons 3.0 License

This explanation is written in terms of the Trans-Survival Hypothesis. It depends on current parapsychological research (psi, psi-field and survival) and the accumulated evidence provided by the citizen scientists of the paranormalist community. (Reference the book: Your Immortal Self: Exploring the Mindful Way by Tom Butler)

This paper provides an in-depth discussion of research of anomalous mental phenomena (AMP) in the former Soviet Union. The authors spent approximately two months in Russia during 1992 and 1993, interacting with researchers in Moscow and Novosibirsk. The authors primarily discuss experiments in anomalous perturbation (often referred to as psychokinesis-PK and bio-which have been the main focus of AMP research programs in the Soviet Union. In particular, the authors discuss the methodologies and results of experimental attempts by human operators to affect the following inanimate and animate target systems: (1) microcalorimeters, (2) electric noise generators, (3) cellular cultures, (4) plant seeds, (5) plant biopotentials, (6) frequency of impulses emitted by an electricity-generating fish, (7) eating behavior of mice, (8) person's reaction time, and (9) parameters of human EEG.

This paper reviews the research on psychedelic substances in relation to so-called paranormal phenomena, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition (i.e., ESP), as well as out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and near-death experiences (NDEs). Reference is made to the age-old shamanic use of these substances to specifically induce such experiences, and to contemporary reports from within academia and psychotherapy bearing witness to such phenomena. However, the review focuses primarily on describing and critically evaluating the contribution of controlled experiments that have attempted to induce ESP using psychedelics, and of surveys, which have either directly or indirectly investigated the belief in, and experience of, the paranormal in relation to the use of such substances. Furthermore, a methodological critique of the experimental research is offered alongside some recommendations for further research in this field.

Five groups of anomalies regarding spacetime laws reveal ‘beyond spacetime’ processes and point to a meta region of the universe that would accommodate them. They are (1) the nonlocality in entanglement, (2) nonlocality in psi processes; (3) a subquantum (sub-Planckian) region at the origin of the universe (preceding the emergence of matter, space, and time), as well as at the subquantum scale in general; (4) a non-material ‘dark energy’ filling the cosmos; and (5) speeds breaking the speed of light C during the inflation phase. Moreover, the connective and/or semantic properties of these anomalies rule out a quantum vacuum or quantum mechanics (QM) explanation as well. Such a ‘beyond spacetime’ region, in cosmology, has to be modeled as a hyperdimension (HD). The Infinite Spiral Staircase Theory (ISST, Hardy 2015) posits a triune hyperdimension—of hyperspace, hypertime and consciousness—, that allows all five anomalies while laying a cogent grounding for meaningful (semantic) interconnectedness and mind-over-matter influences as exhibited both by psi and by the connective dynamics of mind and consciousness in Semantic Fields Theory.

Verrassende psyche is een bundel parapsychologische artikelen van drs. Titus Rivas en Anny Dirven (1935-2016), geschreven in opdracht van Stichting Athanasia. De bundel toont aan dat de psyche zich in de praktijk niet laat inperken door het dominante wereldbeeld. De mogelijkheden, herkomst en bestemming van de psyche zijn veel verrassender dan ontologische materialisten ons willen doen geloven. - Articles on psychical research by Titus Rivas MA and Anny Dirven (1935-2016), written on behalf of Athanasia Foundation. The book shows that the psyche is not prepared to be constrained by the dominant scientific world view. The possibilities, origin and destiny of the psyche are more surprising than ontological materialists would want us to believe.

The past decade has seen many exciting new developments in neurobiology.  Three particularly paradigm-rattling revelations reviewed in this report include; first, the elucidations of 'functional receptivity,' which expand multi-fold the elegant complexity of receptor function by showing that, not one, but rather, myriad unique cascades of intracellular signals leading to discrete profiles of gene activation can result from multiple receptor conformations, as opposed to merely an active or inactive state.  Second: epigenetic and state-dependent neuroplasticity which suggests monumental therapeutic potential and challenges the status quos of biological reductionism and pharmaceutical industry.  And last: receptor heteromerization wherein metabotropic receptors belonging to separate families form complexes engaging in functional, allosteric co-modulation and neurotransmitter signal integration, humbling the current level of neurological comprehension while presenting the potential for vastly improved pharmacological interventions.  The author makes use of psychedelics as a vector connecting these exciting areas noting how they have played, and will continue to play, an indispensable role in their exploration.

Many studies have provided strong support for the existence of paranormal and psychic phenomena (" Psi "). For multiple reasons, however, Psi does not readily lend itself to scientific investigation. In contrast with the consensus-based scientific method that is grounded in repeatable observations and experiments, Psi and consciousness studies typically involve personal experiences (e.g., intuitive hunches, precognition, clairvoyance, and absent healing) that are true and meaningful only for the individual test subject. Furthermore, much scientific research is based on objective observations having their origins in, and ultimately limited by, the five senses as extended by instrumentation. Such observations and instrumentation may be inadequate to capture and characterize Psi phenomena. As if to compound these challenges, the notion of the detached observer, a key underpinning of the scientific method, can no longer be assumed at the level of subtle energies believed to be associated with Psi phenomena. For all of these reasons and others, the replication of results demanded by the scientific method is often challenging to obtain. A new framework for scientific investigation of Psi is needed, and the journey to this framework has not been without its own challenges. As a much-needed stopgap, this paper provides guidelines for conducting Psi studies. The guidelines may prove useful both to researchers and to editors of journals on Psi, subtle energy, mind, and consciousness. The guidelines serve two main purposes: a) to identify cross-disciplinary methods for researchers to use, and b) to demonstrate results that might be considered scientifically sound in other fields of research but that might be met with overt skepticism in Psi research. As these guidelines are intended only as a starting point, reader comments are invited and encouraged. Please send comments to editor@rosicrucian.org. Résumé De nombreuses études ont fourni un appui solide en vue de l'existence de phénomènes paranormaux et psychiques (les « Phénomènes Psi »). Pour de multiples raisons, cependant, les «Psi » ne se prêtent pas facilement à la recherche scientifique. Contrairement à la méthode scientifique, fondée sur le consensus et qui se base sur des observations et des expériences réplicables, les études portant sur les Phénomènes Psi et la conscience consistent généralement en des expériences personnelles (p. ex., des intuitions, des pressentiments, la clairvoyance et la

After the end of the World War II, the SPD undertook a deep transformation, evolving from a «workers part» to a «citizens party», which aimed at building a «Western» form of democratic socialism. This process culminated in the Congress of Bad Godesberg, when the SPD formally abandoned its Marxist tradition. The consequences were twofold. On the one hand, the Spd represented itself as a responsible political force that could credibly enter the government. On the other, the Spd began to pressure and encourage other European Social Democratic forces to follow the «German model», and marginalize the Communist parties operating in their domestic political systems. This was the case of 1970s’ Italy, where the Spd played a substantial role in influencing the Psi’s transition, particularly after the election of Bettino Craxi as General Secretary.

Spontaneous combustion occurs when an object self-ignites. The cause may be chemical, as when lithium oxidises explosively in water, or biological, as when a haystack catches fire due to heat generated from bacterial fermentation. There is no scientific evidence that the human body can self-ignite. However, spontaneous human combustion (SHC) as an alleged cause of death has a long and controversial history. If true, the mechanism of ignition is mysterious and challenges what we know about the human body.....

A Prehistoric Mural in Spain Depicting Neurotropic Psilocybe Mushrooms? The Selva Pascuala mural, a work of post-Paleolithic rock art in Spain, contains fungoid figures herein hypothesized to depict neurotropic fungi, especially Psilocybe hispanica, a species that occurs in a neighboring region. This hypothesis is based on features of these figures related to fungal morphology, along with ethnographic analogy, and shamanistic explanations of rock art. If correct, this interpretation would support inference of prehistoric utilization of this fungus in the region. The mural represents the first direct evidence for possible ritual use of Psilocybe in prehistoric Europe. ¿Se Representan Setas Neurotrópicas Psilocybe en un Mural Prehistórico de España?. El panel de Selva Pascuala (Villar del Humo, Cuenca, España) conserva pinturas rupestres de cronología postpaleolítica entre las que se incluyen figuras con apariencia de seta, para las que aquí planteamos la hipótesis de que representan setas de efectos neurotrópicos, en concreto Psilocybe hispanica, una especie que crece en regiones próximas. Esta hipótesis se basa en las características de estas figuras en comparación con la morfología de dichas setas, a lo que se añade la analogía etnográfica y la teoría del chamanismo aplicada al arte rupestre. Si estamos en lo cierto, esta interpretación apoyaría la posible utilización regional de estas setas durante la Prehistoria. El panel supone la primera evidencia directa del posible uso ritual de Psilocybe en la Prehistoria europea.

In this paper, I consider what the growing evidence in parapsychology can tell us about the nature of consciousness. Parapsychology remains controversial because it implies deviations from the understanding that many scientists and philosophers hold about the nature of reality. However, given the difficulties in explaining consciousness, a growing number of philosophers have called for new, possibly radical, explanations, which include versions of dualism or panpsychism. In this spirit, I briefly review the evidence on psi to see what explanation of consciousness might best be supported. After a brief survey of the evidence, I conclude that the best explanation would probably be neutral monism. I then explore a framework for neutral monism, using well-known features of quantum mechanics, to develop a ground or bridge between consciousness and matter. This framework, which I believe helps explain the psi evidence, suggests that a non-local proto-conscious field of potential or seed s...

Storm,  Sherwood,  Roe,  Tressoldi,  Rock  and  Risio  (2017)  performed  a  meta-analysis  of  laboratory  studies  of ESP in dreams, finding a moderate overall effect (r = .20).  Certain statistical decisions, such as primarily reporting unweighted effects, may have inflated these observations.  In the current article, I perform an inverse-variance weighted meta-analysis using the database provided by Storm et al., finding a much smaller overall effect (r = .07).  I also find evidence that a significant relationship exists between effect size and sample size, suggesting that the prior results may have been primarily driven by large effects found in small-n studies.  I suggest that future researchers of ESP in dreams should produce more large-n studies, which could alleviate many notable criticisms of the current psi literature.