From the Preface [An ESP experiment] “immediately appeals to his [or her] unconscious readiness to witness a miracle, and to the hope, latent in all [people], that such a thing may yet be possible. Primitive superstition lies just below the surface of even the most tough-minded individuals, and it is precisely those who most fight…” Continue reading “Why ESP can never be found inside the laboratory. A new approach to the investigation of the paranormal”
Category Archives: Anomalistic Experience
“God Spoke To Me”: Subjective Paranormal Experience and the Homeostatic Response To Early Trauma
Citation: Marks DF. “God Spoke to Me”: Subjective Paranormal Experience and the Homeostatic Response to Early Trauma. Imagination, Cognition and Personality. 2021;40(3):223-272. doi:10.1177/0276236620934003 Available here. There is a strong connection between subjective paranormal experience and childhood trauma. In this paper I hypothesise that a perception of control in relation to the trauma is brought by homeostasisContinue reading ““God Spoke To Me”: Subjective Paranormal Experience and the Homeostatic Response To Early Trauma”
Investigating the Paranormal: Part II
Parascience has so far failed to produce a single repeatable finding and, until it does, will continue to be viewed as an incoherent collection of belief systems steeped in fantasy, illusion and error. Originally appeared in Nature Vol. 320, 13 March 1986, pp. 119-124. The first part of this article is here. Psychological Factors ManyContinue reading “Investigating the Paranormal: Part II”
Psychology and the Paranormal
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” So the well-worn saying goes. Are there? If so, what are they? And how does one obtain solid evidence? These questions have taxed human beings for millennia. A zetetic approach I approach psychology and the paranormal in a spiritContinue reading “Psychology and the Paranormal”
Improbability and Impossibility in Nature
The Science of the Impossible When the sun, moon and earth all fall into alignment, something improbable happens – a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse in improbable but it is not impossible, because it actually can happen. Not very often, of course, but on a few rare, predictable occasions. On average a solar eclipse occursContinue reading “Improbability and Impossibility in Nature”
Under the Wallpaper
One never really knows what might be under the wallpaper. Redecorating reveals secrets, a history of domestic habitation. When my parents sold up and bought a house about 50 years ago, they left few traces. I often look down the street from the main road as I go past, to see if the place isContinue reading “Under the Wallpaper”
Reality or Illusion?
This post was updated on 17 August 2022. I have provided accounts of five striking coincidences over my lifetime. The five events individually have odds in the range 10-9 to 10-18. What are the odds that all five coincidences could happen to one individual? The answer is that the odds are way off the end ofContinue reading “Reality or Illusion?”
The Flying Horseshoe
A Mysterious Horse Shoe It is one of our cultural beliefs that horseshoes are lucky. Almost everybody knows it. Many respect it. There is a cottage industry around it. Almost every “olde worlde” pub and inn in Europe displays one or more horseshoes. Almost anybody who has had contact with horses, and many who haveContinue reading “The Flying Horseshoe”
Citizen 63 – Marion Knight
What I Missed Seeing It was 1963. I had played a minor role in a BBC documentary film “Marion Knight’ but had missed seeing it because I was travelling abroad. This was an era without video recorders or YouTube. If you missed something, you missed it, and that was that. The ‘Citizen 63’ series received critical praise. TheContinue reading “Citizen 63 – Marion Knight”
Coincidence, Luck or a Bit of Both?
How many striking coincidences can we expect in a single lifetime? Setting the bar high, let’s define ‘striking’ as a probability of less than one in a billion. I list here a few of my own. The first set of coincidences was an incredible run of luck while travelling as a student. I feel entitledContinue reading “Coincidence, Luck or a Bit of Both?”
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