Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Summer 2016

Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology

Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology www.exceptionalpsychology.com Published by the Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology.

Volume 4

ISSN 2327-428X

Number 1 Summer

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

2016

Editor

Erika A. Pratte, M.A. Board of Reviewers

Jean-Michel Abrassart, Ph.D. Candidate

Shaye Hudson, M.A.

Eberhard Bauer, Dipl.-Psych

Jack Hunter, Ph.D. Candidate

Callum E. Cooper, Ph.D. Candidate

David Luke, Ph.D.

Alexander De Foe, Ph.D. Candidate

Jennifer Lyke, Ph.D.

Guido De Laet, Dipl. - Counseling

Kini Roland, M.A. Student Leslie W. O’Ryan, Ed.D., NCC, LCPC

Renaud Evrard, Ph.D.

Drake Spaeth, Ph.D.

Annalisa Ventola, B.A.

Cover Artwork Erika A. Pratte, M.A.

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Table of Contents Letter from the Editor.…………………………………………………………………………………..4 Awakening to Life……………………………..………………………………….…………….…6—10 Nancy Rynes Introducing CIRCEE……………………………………………………………………………..12—14 Samuel Caussié, Olivier Charlet, Renaud Evrard, Thomas Rabeyron

Rhea A. White: A Personal Appreciation…...……………………………………………..……..15—18 Gerd H. Hövelmann What is Clinical Parapsychology? Parapsychologists’ Discussions between 1985 and 1995..…20—36 Renaud Evrard Formative Impacts of Psycho-spiritual Experience: A Preliminary Questionnaire Investigation……. ………………………………………………………………………………………….……...…37—47 Alexander De Foe & Mahima Kalla Clinical Perspectives on Assessment and Treatment of Individuals Reporting Disturbing Psychic Experiences.…………...………………………………………………………...…………………..49—60

Gail Kawanami Allen Out-of-Body Experiences: An Experiential Anthology………………………………………….62—64 Nelson Abreu

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Letter from the Editor

Welcome to Vol. 4, No. 1 of the Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology (JEEP), Summer 2016. This edition of JEEP is dedicated to clinical and counseling perspectives of exceptional experiences.

First in the line up is a personal account of transformative exceptional experiences (also known as exceptional human experiences) by Nancy Rynes. Next, members of the Center for Information, Research and Counseling about Exceptional Experiences (CIRCEE) introduce their fantastic and unique group that is located in France.

Gerd H. Hövelmann then gifts us with “Rhea White: A Personal Appreciation,” a submission that offers a glimpse into White’s committment to not only the study of exceptional experiences, but supporting those who study them.

CIRCEE co-founder Renaud Evrard begins the peer-reviewed article portion of JEEP with “What is Clinical Parapsychology?” a great article for those interested in key researchers, events, and publications regarding clinical parapsychology during 1985 and 1995. Next, Alexander De Foe and Mahima Kalla discuss if “first instance” psycho-spiritual experiences have a formative impact on subsequent spiritual development.

JEEP’s “From the Vaults” section contains an article from Theta, No. 1—4, 1987, by Gail Kawanami Allen regarding disturbing psychic events, diagnostic criteria, and therapeutic interventions. Lastly, Nelson Abreu presents a book review of Rodrigo Montenegro’s Out-of-Body Experiences: An Experiential Anthology.

I hope you enjoy this special edition of JEEP that shines a light on some of the historical and contemporary clinical and therapeutic approaches to exceptional experiences.

See you Vol. 4, No. 2, Winter 2016.

Best,

Erika A. Pratte Editor

Submission Deadline for Winter 2016 is November 1 The Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology publishes research articles, personal accounts, artwork, music, creative writing, book reviews and letters to the editor on subjectively anomalous experiences. Please send all inquiries and submissions to exceptionalpsychology@gmail.com Vol. 4 No. 1

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Personal Accounts

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology

Awakening to Life Nancy Rynes

Abstract In this personal account, Nancy Rynes describes the events that transformed her from an atheist to a spiritual seeker, all within the span of a week in January of 2014. She recounts how her awareness split during the accident itself, allowing her to experience a state of what she describes as dual-consciousness. She also describes a lengthy near-death experience (NDE) as a result of briefly dying in surgery a few days after the accident.

January in Colorado can be a beautiful thing.

After the cold, dark days of December, Mother Nature usually gifts us with abundant warmth and sunshine in the first month of the New Year. On some days, the temperature reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the first wispy scents of spring meander on the breeze.

January 3, 2014, brought in plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures. Since the day was just about perfect I decided to run some errands around town on my mountain bike rather than in my car, something I had done many times in the past. I live in a small town outside of Boulder, and the automobile traffic here during the day is light, so bicycles are a safe and quick way to get around.

The bike ride started out promising. I pedaled south from my home for about 1/2 mile, staying in the bike lane as I rode away from town. Traffic was light and the roads dry. I came into a traffic circle and continued riding in the bike lane. Three vehicles approached the circle from the road to my right, but I didn’t worry too much since they appeared to be slowing down to yield to me and the car behind me, as the law required.

As I began to cross in front of the incoming traffic, it appeared that the driver of the lead vehicle, a very large SUV, saw me and was stopping. A split second later, though, I realized she decided to drive straight into the circle without even slowing down. I knew without a doubt I was going to be hit and figured that the odds of a cyclist coming out alive in a confrontation with an SUV were pretty low.

Thoughts of my daughter, sisters, and niece flashed through my mind but there wasn’t anything I could do at that point to avoid the collision. The SUV hit me and as it did, by some miracle I retained full consciousness. While remaining conscious turned out to be a terrifying experience that would later cause me posttraumatic stress, it saved my life and allowed me a first glimpse into the world beyond the physical.

As the SUV struck me, I noticed something very odd happening: my consciousness was in two places at once.

I didn’t think much about it at the time except “Wow, that’s weird.” But even today, I still find it difficult to wrap my brain and emotions around that experience of dual-consciousness. My training as a scientist couldn’t provide an explanation for the split in my consciousness, but the experience stuck in my memory.

It seemed like the animal or survival-focused part of my human consciousness stayed in the me that was being hit by the SUV. That me was all about fear, raw emotion, and survival. But another, “higher” part of my consciousness watched the whole accident unfold from out in front and to the side of the SUV! How could this be?

The displaced and “observer-me” was oddly dispassionate about what unfolded. While it was definitely me, this part of my consciousness did not feel any panic or fear. She maintained an oddly calm state of being,

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology thoughtful yet loving. She felt she was witnessing something sad but also something that was supposed to happen just the way it was unfolding. I distinctly remember that this observer-me felt everything would be OK, so why be frightened?

I had this dual sense of consciousness for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes, until the paramedics arrived and began to stabilize me.

The first responders braced my back and neck, then brought me to the nearest hospital. It was there that the trauma team determined I had over 24 broken bones, most of them in my spinal column. I would need surgery to stabilize my lower spine, which was then scheduled for three days later.

The days before the surgery stretched on for what seemed like forever as I lay immobile in the intensive care unit. While I just wanted the surgery over with, at the same time I dreaded the operation. The thought of being anesthetized and having my back reconstructed frightened me. I never have liked going under the knife. Three prior surgeries left me a little skittish about anesthesia. I hated the forced loss of consciousness and, like many people, always had that nagging fear of not waking up. As an atheist and a scientist, I understood that this one life was all we had. The death of the body spelled the end of consciousness. Because of that, I carried with me a rather hefty fear of death.

Finally, on the Monday after my accident, one of the nurses finally came to wheel me to the operating room (OR). Once inside the OR, the nurse prepped my IV tubing and anesthesia drugs, then the anesthesiologist greeted me. He adjusted the IV drip and joked about it being time for cocktails, then I drifted off.

I’ve had three previous surgeries that required the same general anesthesia as I received this day — two abdominal and one minor back procedure. None of those experiences were remarkable in any way. In all of them, the anesthesiologist gave me the drugs, I drifted off into a gray state of nothingness (I wouldn’t call it “sleep”), and what felt like the next second I was waking up in the recovery room. No memories, no dreams, no sense of anything happening, just the experience of slipping into a gray unconsciousness one second and waking up in recovery the next.

Not this time.

I did drift off as the anesthesiologist gave me my “cocktail,” but it wasn’t to the gray state of nothingness that I expected.

I abruptly found myself standing in a spectacular landscape unlike any I’d ever experienced. Warm breezes drifted across my skin. Beautiful vistas of meadows and distant mountains surrounded me. And a pervasive, loving Presence overwhelmed me in its intensity.

My mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening since it felt so real. In the back of my awareness I knew I had just gone into surgery, but at the same time I wondered if I had somehow dreamed my life on Earth. This place felt more real to me than any of my time on Earth.

Surrounding me was a landscape of gently rolling hills, flower-filled grassy meadows, towering deciduous trees in full leaf, and a sense of a light mist floating through as if it were a humid summer morning.

The sky gleamed a very light, pearly blue, similar to what you might see at the ocean’s shore, with wispy clouds and a very bright but somewhat diffuse light.

Below the surface forms and colors of everything in the landscape, I also saw and sensed vibrating energy. It seemed I could see the surface of a leaf, for example, yet also see below it to an energy, a deeper vibration that made the leaf take on a subsurface radiance. Everything had this radiance: trees, grass, sky, flowers, and clouds. Colors seemed intensified by it. And a feeling of love flowed through everything and added to the energy I sensed Through it all I sensed and somehow physically felt an incredibly profound feeling of peace, rightness,

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology goodness, welcoming, and love flowing through my body. I cried at how beautiful it all was, and felt at home, right, and at peace.

The Beauty I saw and felt in those first moments really does deserve a capital “B.” It wasn’t just pleasing to the eye, there was something deeper to it, more harmonious, more blessed, and more powerful. Everything felt tied together by an enormous amount of love.

Soon, a figure in a vaguely human shape appeared to me. This figure approached silently from slightly behind me and to my right, coming in to view as if she emerged from mists. She greeted me with an energyembrace of pure love.

This person wasn’t recognizable as someone I’d known from life. I wondered if she was a spiritual being of some kind sent to bring me to whatever comes next. I hoped that was the case — I had already fallen in love with this place and wanted her to help me stay here.

While she appeared to be human, I sensed and saw that “human” wasn’t really the correct term for her.

Her general appearance was of a human female but I sensed that the form she held was one she took solely for me.

Kindness, compassion, and caring radiated from her face and I felt that she held a deep love for me in a way I had never experienced before from anyone. Not romantic love, but a love you might expect from an angel or a saint or the Creator. I also felt a profound, expansive love coming through her as if she was a transmitter, radiating out through her from others, and enfolding me in its warm embrace. The love coming from her made me relax into her presence as if she were a sister or trusted friend.

In hindsight, being able to feel love and energy flowing through me seems strange. After all, it’s not how we humans normally experience things in our own lives. We touch with our skin, hear things with our ears, and see with our eyes. The only things we typically feel are our own internal emotions, or things such as body pain, discomfort, or other physical sensations. We feel heat or a chill through our skin, but as humans we don’t typically feel love as a physical force.

But in that place, love felt like a normal, physical force.

She never did tell me her name or what she was. I didn’t even think to question this while I was there, but in hindsight it seems strange that I didn’t ask. For now I’ll simply refer to her as “my Guide” to keep things simple. The only thing that mattered to me was that she acted as my mentor and guide during my stay.

My Guide strolled with me. We marveled at the flowers that vibrated with colors I can’t describe. The trees formed a canopy overhead, pearly light filtered through the leaves, the blue sky beyond, and that sense of utter peace and love suffused everything. I enjoyed walking, feeling healthy again with no pain, sensing the cool grass beneath my bare feet and the warm breezes on my face.

We moved among the meadows and into more glades of trees. I sensed that the landscape fell away or disappeared behind me as we meandered along. I questioned that in my mind, and my Guide answered it without me even uttering a word. She somehow knew what I was thinking. A nd her reply was that yes, the landscape behind me did fall away as we continued to walk.

In time, as I grew more comfortable in her presence, my Guide began telling me more about this place.

I wasn’t in “Heaven” per se, just in a place to prepare me for what was to come — a slice of Heaven you might call it. There isn’t a good word to describe it in our language, though. The closest I can get would be to call it a waiting room or pre-Heaven.

She went on to explain that she chose to be a voice to me from many others beyond where we were now. These others were spiritual beings or souls who somehow communicated to me through her. She was a representative of sorts, a speaker, one who came here to teach me and to help me start on the next part of my

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology journey. I thought she meant I was going to die and the next part of my journey was to go on to the final afterlife.

I didn’t know what was beyond where I was at that moment, just that there was a barrier I could not cross yet. I couldn’t see that barrier in any way, or what lay beyond it. I could only sense that there was more, much more, than what I was seeing.

It turns out that I wasn’t being prepared for final death, though, but to return to life with information to help me, my family, and any others who wanted to hear. My Guide began communicating information to me, loving teachings or messages that those in Heaven wanted to pass along to me and to others back on Earth.

These messages were concepts that made up the core of this realm; knowledge that was an innate part of this place as it was beyond here.

We strolled again through the landscape as she communicated many things that the spiritual beings in that beyond wanted us here on Earth to understand. I realized that the spiritual realm operated very differently from Earth. Verbal communication is not at all preferred there. In fact, it seemed a rather awkward and unclear form of sending and receiving knowledge. Somehow in that place, the souls there used many more profound forms of communication than simple voice. These other forms are more direct, beautiful, and loving than anything we experience here on Earth.

My Guide explained my part in all of this: it would be my task to put what I learned into a form that I and other humans could understand. My job was to synthesize what she communicated to me, give it a human perspective, and then disseminate the information to as many people as possible, in a loving way, starting with me and my family.

A wave of fear rolled through my core. Even though I knew that I would do this, the thought of being some kind of a messenger scared me silly. Who would believe me? I feared my friends, family, and colleagues would think I was crazy. I knew I would lose credibility among some of my scientist friends, and I worried that some people I’d known for years might choose to end their friendships with me.

I could sense my Guide getting a little weary of my doubt and struggles. Perhaps to her, tasks like this are normal but for me this seemed a much bigger job than I would ever want or could ever accomplish.

Suddenly, she surprised me by laying down in the middle of one of the meadows, inviting me to join her like little children would, laying in the tall grasses and staring up at the sky. She tried to help ease my fears a little by interjecting some lightness and play. It worked. We stared up into the shimmering cobalt blue sky, watching the clouds drift by, and gazing up into the sky looking for rabbits and dragons and horses camouflaged as clouds.

Spotting cloud animals in Heaven — what a trip! I assumed that a spiritual existence would be all seriousness, solemnity, and stern faces but she allowed me to see how playful, loving, and joy-filled it could be.

She stayed there with me, remaining quiet and letting everything sink in while I watched the sky. I completely enjoyed the peace and love of this place and still felt amazed at the sense of a Divine Presence permeating everything. I didn’t want to give any of that up and couldn’t imagine leaving here.

Eventually she rolled over onto her side and looked at me saying, “I need to go soon, and it’s time for you to get back to your life.”

Panic and anger flared through me. I did NOT want to go back. We both stood, but I was an emotional mess: sobbing, arguing that I wanted to go with her on to the real Heaven.

She stayed firm in her stance and insisted on sending me back. I could feel her sadness as she looked at me. “It really is time for me to leave now. And it is time for you to go back.”

As she turned away from me, another wave of dread, fear, and anger washed through me. I opened my

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology mouth to argue again but I suddenly awoke in a bed, confused and sobbing. I looked around and saw people milling about the room, but none of them were the woman with whom I had just spent what felt like weeks. I already missed her more than I can express.

Over two years later, my life continues to evolve as a result of the accident and the near-death experience with which I was blessed. It was a chance for me to take stock of my life and to begin the work of making myself into be a better person. I learned so much though, that I will probably continue processing all of the experiences and information for the remainder of my time on here Earth.

My fear of death is gone now, and I am no longer an atheist. I have personally seen that there is much more to “consciousness” than this human existence on Earth, and the Divine is bigger and more mysterious than we understand.

Biography

Nancy Rynes is known as “the atheist who went to Heaven.” She is a speaker, artist, scientist, and author of the book A wakenings from the Light. Nancy writes and teaches workshops about bringing a little bit of Divine love and wisdom to your life on Earth. She lives near Boulder, Colorado. For more information, visit: NancyRynes.com

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Misc. Submissions

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Introducing CIRCEE: A French Approach to Exceptional Experiences Samuel Caussié, Olivier Charlet, Renaud Evrard, Thomas Rabeyron

Abstract CIRCEE (the Center for Information, Research and Counseling about Exceptional Experiences) is a French structure providing support to people reporting exceptional experiences. It also promotes scientific research concerning the psychology of such experiences and communicates about this topic in scientific journals and mainstream media. Most of the members of CIRCEE are clinical psychologists who try to ally a rigorous and scientific approach with a relevant clinical approach to anomalous experiences. In this brief article we will present CIRCEE and our objectives in psychological care and research.

The Center for Information, Research and Counseling about Exceptional Experiences is a network of scholars and clinical psychologists who develop a psychological and academic perspective on “paranormal” experiences. It is notably composed of a counseling service dedicated to anomalous experiences and different research actions in order to achieve a better understanding of unusual experiences. A first version of the counseling service was named SOS-PSEE (Service of Orientation and Support for People Sensitized to Exceptional Experiences) and was created in 2007 by the founders of CIRCEE, Thomas Rabeyron and Renaud Evrard, at the Institut Métapsychique International (IMI). As many research centers (Coehlo, Lamont, & Tierney, 2008), the IMI attracted, since its founding, some requests for help and information about anomalous experiences.

Today, CIRCEE, that was created in 2009, is a place for support, therapy and research. Its main goal is to conduct research on the psychology of exceptional experiences in order to explain the processes at their origin. It has a counseling center fully dedicated to listening to people reporting exceptional experiences.

Moreover, CIRCEE also aims to transmit results of psychological research on exceptional experiences in scientific journals and mainstream media (for instance: Acunzo, Evrard, & Rabeyron, 2013; Evrard, 2013; Rabeyron, Chouvier, & Le Maléfan, 2010; Rabeyron & Watt, 2010) . Our perspective is characterized by the will to combine openness and scientific rigor in the study of those experiences, often objects of fascination or rejection. We think it’s possible to apprehend them rationally and without preconception, while developing an adjusted listening to those who report exceptional experiences (Evrard, 2014). Our framework obeys the French deontological code of psychologists. It protects patients with a professional ethics code and confidentiality rules.

We receive messages and requests mainly thanks to our website (www.circee.org). After first email exchanges, we usually propose phone interviews in order to discuss the experiences reported. Contact requests frequently come to us after appearances of members of CIRCEE in the media (journals, conferences, television, etc.) during which we intervene as specialists of topics dealing with exceptional experiences and psi research. We can sometimes receive up to one hundred emails asking for interviews in one month.

CIRCEE’s main activity is counseling. Among the requests we receive, numerous are about a need for information, advice and sometimes support about dealing with exceptional experiences. CIRCEE helps to fill a

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology lack of serious information in mainstream media about some experiences like sleep paralysis. Our role is generally to reassure the callers on the non-pathological aspects of their experiences (when this is the case), to share some indications of what may cause them, and finally try to understand with them the origins of the phenomena. In a large part of the cases, one interview is sufficient to satisfy the person who contacted us. In more complex situations, for example in case of recurrent precognitions or chronic unusual perceptive phenomena (hallucinations, out-of-body experiences…), there is often the necessity to try to understand in more details the meaning of these experiences.

In this kind of situation, our main approach is a very specific one created and improved for counseling about anomalous experiences. It is mainly a mix of short psychodynamic therapy and phenomenologicalcentered approach. We also rely on the knowledge coming from the scientific literature in clinical psychology, anomalous psychology and psi research. We more globally have a position of “undecidability” concerning the “reality” or the truthfulness of the experience reported. It doesn’t mean we don’t take into account and discuss this question (which is usually very important for those who contact us), but we also try to deal with the more global function of these experiences in the psychological reality of the person. Our main goal is in this way to help the person to understand the experiences with regards to his or her own life.

The second main goal we pursue in CIRCEE is to improve scientific research in the field of anomalous psychology and clinical psychology of exceptional experiences. From this point of view, clinical interviews help us to collect a lot of information concerning a variety of experiences usually hard to obtain from clinicians. When we have the consent of the person, we also frequently record those interviews. We notably use specific technics of phenomenological interview methods in order to gather precise and detailed clinical material. We then analyze these data in clinical seminars, whose thinking are published in scientific papers (for examples, see Rabeyron & Caussié, 2016; Rabeyron & Loose, 2015). CIRCEE is also very useful to give easy access to specific experiences for new research lead by students. We are currently expanding the counseling service given that we receive more and more attention from the media in France, which engender an increase in the number of demands we receive. We are also improving our communication, notably thanks to our website. Finally, we have currently several axes of research that we are developing concerning psi research (mainly retro-causal effects; for instance, Rabeyron, 2014) and the modelization of the phenomenology of anomalous experience.

Bibliography Acunzo, D.J., Evrard, R., & Rabeyron, T. (2013). Anomalous Experiences, Psi, and Functional Neuroimaging.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 7:893.

Coelho, C., Tierney, I., Lamont, P. (2008). Contacts by distressed individuals to UK parapsychology and anomalous experience academic research units – a retrospective survey looking to the future. European Journal of Parapsychology, 23(1), 31-59.

Evrard, R. (2013). Psychopathologie et expériences exceptionnelles : une revue de la littérature. L'Evolution Psychiatrique, 78(1), 155-176.

Evrard, R. (2014). Folie et paranormal. V ers une clinique des expériences exceptionnelles. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes.

Rabeyron, T. (2014). Retro-priming, priming, and double testing: psi and replication in a test–retest design.

Frontiers in Human Neurosciences. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00154 Rabeyron, T., & Caussié, S. (2016). Clinique des sorties hors du corps : trauma, réflexivité et symbolisation.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology L’Évolution Psychiatrique. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.evopsy.2015.10.007 Rabeyron, T., Chouvier, B., Le Maléfan, P. (2010). Clinique des expériences exceptionnelles : du trauma à la solution paranormale. L’Evolution Psychiatrique, 75(4), 633-653.

Rabeyron, T., & Loose, T. (2015). Anomalous Experiences, Trauma, and Symbolization Processes at the Frontiers between Psychoanalysis and Cognitive Neurosciences. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. http:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01926 Rabeyron, T., Watt, C. (2010). Paranormal experiences, mental health and mental boundaries and psi. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(3), 487-492.

Samuel Caussié, Olivier Charlet, Renaud Evrard, Thomas Rabeyron CIRCEE contact@circee.org

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Rhea A. White: A Personal Appreciation Gerd H. Hövelmann

Holding a different opinion is no excuse for not expressing it.

Rhea A. White

May I please add a brief note – rather, a couple of personal reminiscences – to Renaud Evrard’s welcome tribute to my late friend Rhea A. White (1931–2007) that was published in the first issue of the Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology (Evrard, 2013)? Renaud in his article particularly emphasized Rhea White’s repeated and unhesitating support of a number of young women who were trying to get a foothold in parapsychology. I personally witnessed a number of such instances involving young female colleagues that clearly matched Evrard’d description. I will not mention names but I know that Rhea’s support and encouragement often was effective and quite significant.

In addition to these various young female scientists, however, there also was at least one young male parapsychologist who repeatedly, very substantially, and in a number of different ways profited from Rhea White’s support and endorsement: Me. Encouragement – Endorsement – Support Despite Strong Disagreement My own extensive and very “exceptional human experiences” with Rhea White began when, on 1 March 1980, I wrote a lengthy letter to her commenting on her paper on “the genesis of research hypotheses in parapsychology” that she had published shortly before in the pages of Parapsychology Review (White, 1980).

My lengthy letter was friendly but quite critical of the methodological and strategic proposals that Rhea had made in her paper, and I listed and discussed three issues where I felt we were in fundamental disagreement.

While even today I continue to believe that my critique was well-argued and justified, I had anticipated that Rhea White, who I did not know at that time, would be not amused. Therefore, I expected that she might not reply at all. Anyway – from the very first moment of our mutual contact it was clear to me and it must have been no less clear to her that, despite the quickly developing personal liking between us, we fundamentally differed in almost all respects regarding the status of, and possible strategic prospects for, parapsychology.

I was completely amazed then, and I continue to be amazed to this day, almost 35 years later, that Rhea, while emphasizing that she did not agree with my views at all, immediately started to support me in a variety of ways. Thus, it happened at least twice between 1980 and 1982, that I found a dollar check in my mail when she learned (not from me) that I could not afford to attend a conference or other relevant event. No large sums of money (Rhea wasn’t rich), but very helpful nonetheless.

At one point I received a letter from Eileen Coly of the Parapsychology Foundation indicating that Rhea had recommended me for their support, so if I’d care to formally apply for a research and/or travel grant,

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology she wrote, this would be favorably considered. This eventually enabled me to spend almost seven weeks in touring parts of the American east coast to visit the major psi research institutions there – from Rhea White’s own Parapsychology Sources of Information Center, in Dix Hills on Long Island, all the way down to Durham (FRNM, now Rhine Research Center) and Raleigh (Bill Roll’s Parapsychology Research Foundation) in North Carolina and Ian Stevenson’s Department at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (for a few details see Hövelmann, 2016). – So when a recent website – http://www.ahhh-thelight.com/rwhite_part1.htm [accessed 4 May, 2016] – described Rhea White as “a phenomenon, a singularity, a world treasure, though relatively few are aware of this fact yet,” I am the first to agree. Her giving some of her private money and even clandestinely organizing substantial funds for someone who she was sure she would continue to disagree with, has been one of the most moving events in my life.

In addition to this financial support, I profited from Rhea’s help in a variety of other ways. Thus, Rhea invited me to stay for a couple of days at her beautiful Long Island home in Dix Hills (with several waterfalls in the garden and books piling up from floor to ceilings in virtually every single room, including the bath room). Her library and fabulous paper collections were absolutely impressive. Rhea’s “Parapsychology Sources of Information Center” in Dix Hills in fact was essentially a one-woman operation, with some support from her partner Harriet Edwards.

Fig. 1: Rhea A. White in the living-room / home office of her house in Dix Hills, New York, August 1983. (© Gerd H. Hövelmann, 1983)

Yet another way of support was this: The bibliographic journal Parapsychology A bstracts International (PAI) was founded and edited by Rhea A. White, and it was distributed to the parapsychological and the archival world from her home (see also, Krippner, 1992). Rhea had recruited a small group of Contributing Editors who supported that work from the very first issue and who collected or (mostly) wrote the abstracts (starting more than a year in advance, in early 1982, actually). That group of Contributing Editors included Carlos Alvarado (for abstracts of articles originally published in Spanish), George Zorab (over 85 years old at the time, for Dutch; Hans Gerding took over after a couple of years), Toshio Kasahara (for Japanese), Pierro Cassoli (for Italian), and myself (for German). There may have been one or two others for French and other languages. The journal was originally published under the title Parapsychology Abstracts International, from the summer of 1983 until some time in 1989, when it was relaunched as Exceptional Human Experience

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology (EHE). I continued to be involved as a Contributing Editor, mostly compiling or writing abstracts, until 1992.

During those years I alone compiled (and mostly wrote or re-wrote) a total of almost 200 abstracts, which were published in PAI in 13 installments.

Rhea then moved and apparently had some funds to continue the work with a few local friends; however, the focus of the journal gradually shifted away from having been a journal of abstracts for some 10 years (indeed, very much like Psychological A bstracts) to publishing, in its later years, personal experience reports from either researchers (with some important little papers) and from whoever else raised her or his hand. I think Rhea published the journal until the late 1990s or even into the 21st century – as long as she could afford it and her health allowed her to work on it.

The bibliographic journal basically was Rhea’s “labor of love”, with quite a bit of input from some mostly young helpers (as described), but she herself did the vast majority of the work. However, the journal could not live any longer when Rhea couldn’t. For contemporary reviews of the journal, see Alvarado (1984), Hövelmann (1983), and Zingrone (1984).

Even before that time Rhea also had encouraged me to submit a manuscript – a number of linguistic and methodological ruminations on ‘electronic voice phenomena’ (Hövelmann, 1982) – and four or five book reviews, for the journal Theta, that at the time she was co-editing will William G. Roll.

Also supportive, in my estimate, where Stan Krippner and Rhea’s invitation, in the mid-1980s, that I join the first Position Papers Committee of the Parapsychological Association that included Stanley Krippner (Chair), Rhea White, Chuck Honorton, Ephraim Schechter, and myself. The committee’s deliberations and negotiations resulted in a document (Parapsychological Association, 1988) that I believe is of potential importance to this day.

After the SPR/PA Centenary Conference at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1982, Marcello Truzzi and I had decided to turn a slightly revised version of a paper that I had presented there into a so-called “stimulus paper” for a series of open peer commentaries in Truzzi’s anomalistic journal, the Zetetic Scholar. The paper was published there, in 1983, under the title “Seven recommendations for the future practice of parapsychology” (Hövelmann, 1983b), along with 23 Open Peer Commentaries. One of those two dozen commentators was Rhea White. The strong differences of opinion between Rhea and myself were openly exposed there for the first time for everyone to see. The final lines of Rhea’s quite extensive commentary read, Gerd Hövelmann is a valued friend and collaborator. I admire his industry and his high standards and I thank him for this opportunity to find out for myself where I stand on some of these important issues. I an [sic] dismayed by how diametrically opposed we are, ideologically speaking. But there it is. Let us remember that it takes two points, widely separated and opposite each other, to build a bridge. (White, 1983, p. 182) Typically Rhea. I saw Rhea White a number of times in subsequent years, but the last time we met was in Dublin, Ireland, in 1991, at a conference of the Parapsychology Foundation, entitled “Women and Parapsychology.” While Rhea White was a co-organizer of the meeting (Coly & White, 1994) and presented two papers of her own (White 1994a, 1994b), I was there as an Invited Observer, together with Hans Michels from the Netherlands. On the second evening there, Eileen and Lisette Coly invited the participants to their hotel suite for a little celebration. I told Rhea there and then, that if it had not been for her generous, varied and persistent support despite our irreconcilable differences, I might not have stayed in the field. She burst into tears.

We both could not know it at the time (and we stayed in touch after the Dublin meeting), but we never were to

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology see each other again.

References Alvarado, Carlos S. (1984). Bibliographic tools in parapsychology: Comments on Rhea A. White’s Parapsychology Abstracts International. Journal of Parapsychology, 48, 51–55.

Coly, L., & White, R.A. (eds.) (1994). W omen and Parapsychology. New Y ork: Parapsychology Foundation.

Evrard, R. (2013). Portrait of Rhea White: From parapsychological phenomena to exceptional experiences.

Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology, 1(1), 37–40.

Hövelmann, G.H. (1982). Involuntary whispering, conversational analysis, and electronic voice phenomena.

Theta, 10, 54–58.

Hövelmann, Gerd H. (1983a). Rezension zu [Review of] Rhea A. White & Harriet Edwards (eds.), Parapsychology Abstracts International, Volume 1, Number 1. Zeitschrift für Parapsychologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologie, 25, 121.

Hövelmann, G.H. (1983b). Seven recommendations for the future practice of parapsychology. Zetetic Scholar, 11, 128–138 [with 23 Open Peer Commentaries, pp. 139–184].

Hövelmann, G.H. (2016). Two days in New York with Alex Tanous. Paranormal Review, in press.

Krippner, S. (1992). Rhea A. White: Parapsychology’s bibliographer. Journal of Parapsychology, 56, 258.

Parapsychological Association (1988). Terms and methods in parapsychological research. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 82, 353–357.

White, R.A. (1980). On the genesis of research hypotheses in parapsychology. Parapsychology Review, 11(1), 6–9.

White, R.A. (1983). Comments on Hövelmann’s recommendations. Zetetic Scholar, 11, 180–182.

White, R.A. (1994a). The relevance to parapsychology of a feminist approach to science. In Coly, L., & White, R.A. (eds.), W omen and Parapsychology (pp. 1–20). New York: Parapsychology Foundation.

White, R.A. (1994b). On the need for double vision in parapsychology: The feminist standpoint. In Coly, L., & White, R.A. (eds.), W omen and Parapsychology (pp. 241–255). New York: Parapsychology Founda tion.

Zingrone, N.L. (1984). Review of Parapsychology A bstracts International, ed. Rhea A . W hite. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 78, 177–181.

Gerd H. Hövelmann Hövelmann Communication Carl-Strehl-Str. 16 DE -35039 Marburg Hoevelmann.communication@kmpx.de

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Peer Reviewed Articles

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What is Clinical Parapsychology? Parapsychologists’ Discussions between 1985 and 1995 Renaud Evrard

Abstract The field of “clinical parapsychology” has known a growing interest since the term was first coined in 1948.

At the end of the twentieth century, parapsychologists discussed the application of their findings on the clinical field, especially because people living distressing “paranormal” experiences solicited their laboratories. In this paper, I synthesize 28 communications in 5 different parapsychological conventions between 1985 and 1995.

Although not exhaustive, the picture that emerges shows a huge variety of frameworks and approaches. At first, clinical parapsychology was discussed as a professional application of parapsychology. But it was eventually seen as a clinical practice whose aim is completely disjoint from parapsychological research. While working on these clinical aspects, parapsychologists elaborated reflexive discussions about the aftereffects of parapsychological experiments and labeling, and developed an experience-focused approach that subverts the top-down objectivist knowledge of the parapsychological researcher.

Keywords: clinical parapsychology; Wim Kramer; Keith Harary; history; clinical psychology of exceptional experiences

My very first publication was entitled “Clinical parapsychology” (Evrard, 2007). Since,

I have not

stopped questioning this term and the field it is supposed to cover. During my thesis (Evrard, 2014), I have traced some of the interactions between parapsychologists and the clinical field. This article summarizes some discussions during parapsychological conventions between 1985 and 1995 when “clinical parapsychology” was first presented as an application of the knowledge parapsychologists believed they have firmly accumulated. But several questions emerged there, with much difficulties to circumscribe the use of the term, insomuch some authors have recently suggested its outright abandonment (e.g. Belz, 2009). Is there a clinical parapsychology? And what is meant by that?

The coinage of the term clinical parapsychology has been ascribed repeatedly to psychoanalyst Montague Ullman (1977). However, it’s the French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Laurence John Bendit who first used this term in 1948, when he contrasted it with academic parapsychology (Tremmel, 2014). The “psychoanalytic parapsychologists” have often discussed the links between “psi” and psychological or psychopathological functioning (Evrard, 2012). On the horizon floats a myth around the psychiatric labeling of “psychics,” a stigmatizing diagnosis whose questioning would open the issue of the differential clinical practice with parapsychologically-themed experiences (Evrard, 2011).

Simply put, clinical parapsychology would be the discipline that takes a clinical approach with people who think they are living parapsychological phenomena. Such a practice is generally found around parapsychology’s research centers (Coelho, Lamont & Tierney, 2008), and it becomes more and more formalized worldwide since twenty years ago (Kramer, Hövelmann & Bauer, 2012). These settings constitute objects of

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology study themselves. There have always been informal networks of therapists interested in paranormal issues, but the recent institutionalization of this area reveals a renewed interest that is likely to ask again the question of the boundaries between psychology and parapsychology (Evrard, 2013b). To this prospect of an international professionalization of the “clinical parapsychologist” (Kramer et al., 2012) is opposed the heterogeneity of theoretical and practical frameworks (Evrard, 2007). Professional counseling services dealing with such experiences are still extremely rare. This is even more the case when we look for approaches in clinical parapsychology that meet the standards for empirically supported treatments as required for other areas of counseling and psychotherapy (Belz, 2009, p. 326). But this kind of counseling could be opportunely required in many settings, even among those therapists who do not display an explicit interest in parapsychological issues (Roxburgh & Evenden, 2016a, 2016b).

It is the problem of the individual or the family involved in a “poltergeist” case (haunted house) (Roll, 1986) which was the first practice field of “clinical parapsychologists,” which is not without echo to the requests made to the exorcists who preceded them. This perspective of an application of parapsychology fleet during the first roundtables of the parapsychology conventions where the topic was discussed. A methodological disjunction will then be established between the experimental and the clinical approaches. But no consensus will be reached on the best position towards the experimental data and theories imported from parapsychology. The framework of these discussions was still confused and flickering.

Through the gained clinical experience and the numerous exchanges with other mental health disciplines, the field of clinical parapsychology will gradually structure itself to the point it becomes the main professional activity of some psychologists (Bauer, 2004). The research of an international consensus and an acknowledgment by clinical psychology is at the hearth of the “Clinical Parapsychology Expert Meeting” in 2007 in Naarden, Netherlands. This meeting was organized and chaired by psychologists Wim Kramer and Eberhard Bauer with participants from 8 different countries. Its proceedings were published in 2012, and two other Expert meetings have been held since (2010 and 2012). The evolution of the clinical parapsychology is far from linear, and it is precisely the diversity of ideas and issues raised over this 10 years period (1985-1995) we have sought to explore in this article.

Roundtables on Clinical Parapsychology PA Annual Convention 1985. Clinical par apsychology was fir st discussed as a pr ofessional application of parapsychology’s results (Roll, 1986, p. 168). A round table, organized as part of the annual convention of the Parapsychological Association, was supervised in 1985 by professor of psychology and parapsychology William G. Roll, famous for his studies on the poltergeist phenomenon he renamed Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK). Roll led the Psychical Research Foundation, an institution born from Rhine’s parapsychology laboratory at Duke University, but founded in 1960 in order to address the survival issue (see Roll’s psychology thesis for a critical analysis of this topic: Roll, 1989). The foundation received many anxious calls about “hauntings” and therefore sought to develop an appropriate clinical and scientific response.

Thus, Jeannie Lagle Stewart proposed a form of family therapy for “haunted families” (Stewart, 1986, p. 176-177). However, this therapy involved “psi sessions” where the therapist tries to “scan” the house in the absence of the family, using his/her own extrasensory abilities.

The same role confusion also reigns in what Elson A. Montagno, from the same foundation, considered as clinical parapsychology (Montagno, 1986, p. 171-172). The “psychics,” who may be former patients, as well as “entities”, were used for the diagnosis and care of physical or mental illnesses.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology The roundtable also hosted three psychologists form the John F. Kennedy University: Cynthia Siegel, Sharon Solfvin, and Julian D. Isaacs, who proposed less parapsychological perspectives. A specialized clinical setting had been set up at their university during the year 1984-1985.

Siegel (1986) used Arthur Hastings’s article (1983) as the first step towards a psychotherapy of the first paranormal experiences, based on the technical intervention during crises. This track actually contrasts with the previous work of psychoanalysts reporting cases during an already advanced therapy or with chronic psychotics (Ullman, 1977). She listed six common response patterns: (1) fear of being hurt; (2) fear of going crazy; (3) fear of hurting someone or sense of responsibility towards others; (4) loss of control; (5) sense of being divine or gifted; and (6) interest in the development of psi abilities. These six patterns are actually recurring but their identification guides to too generic answers: reassure, trivialize, explain. Subjectivity vanishes in this emergency clinical protocol.

Solfvin (1986) identifies a request made to all parapsychology laboratories. Individuals knock at the door with an anxiety related to a paranormal experience. This anxiety is the same whether the experience is real or not. Similarly, this “psi or pseudo-psi” experience can be the source of the anxiety or the means to formulate an earlier anxiety. This formulation “psi or pseudo-psi” brings us back to the undecidability promoted by psychoanalyst George Devereux (1953) and later by Adrian Parker (1993, p. 218): “psi” and “pseudo-psi” are two distinct scientific categories while, in the clinical practice, the paranormal experience does not allow sufficient purification to enable this distinction.

Solfvin (1986, p. 174) also used the term “post-psi distress syndrome” (PPDS). “Post” because it occurs after the alleged event; “Psi distress” because people say the psi component is source of confusion and fear; and “syndrome” because the event represents a convergence of many factors. With PPDS, Solfvin likewise connected paranormal experiences and traumatic breakthroughs. She explicitly linked it with the PTSD, mentioning uncontrolled flashbacks of the experience, mood disorders, and disorientation. She opened the clinical perspectives by advocating letting the patient choose between a cognitive, psychodynamic or Jungiantranspersonal psychotherapeutic approach of his/her PPDS. Julian D. Isaacs (1986) is more interested in how to condition experimental participants so that they have better performance in parapsychological tests.

PA Annual Convention 1986. The following year , William G. Roll chair ed another r ound table on “Psi and Mental Health” (Roll 1987a), followed by a round table on “Clinical Ethics in Psi Research” led

by Jeffrey Munson (1987). Roll (1987b) again introduced the session speaking of a professional application of parapsychology, offering an outlet for students lacking job opportunities, but drove the point home by denouncing the lack of appropriate structures for this clinical practice. He postulated that it is useless for a person with a paranormal experience to do a psychotherapy with a therapist denying its possible reality. Such that, according to him, people with these experiences are victims of the medical-psychological system just as they are already victims of “pseudo-parapsychologists” who carrying on business with the paranormal. Roll also mentioned an important problem for which he did not draw all the aversive consequences: these people’s major concern may change from a “psi” one to other symptoms more familiar to the therapist (Roll, 1987a, p. 161). This flexibility of the symptom can be interpreted as a doctrinal compliance concerning any therapeutic setting (Ehrenwald, 1957), making the diagnosis questionable. Is the paranormal experience not primarily a psychological suffering?

During the round table on “Psi and Mental Health,” Stewart (1987) again presented her therapy for haunted families where the therapist does not hesitate to act as a medium.

Tart (1987) returned the issue of mental health to parapsychologists themselves: they should not repress

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology their unconscious desires to move towards spirituality. This is a generalization of a reproach that he had already sent to the skeptics (Tart, 1984).

In the same vein, Miro-Quesada (1987) questioned the attitude of the clinical parapsychologist, almost touching the counter-transference issues. He wants the psi dimension be recognized in order to enable a “deep” communication between therapist and patient.

In this continuity, Larson (1987) described her thesis in which she sent questionnaires on the “resonance” to psychotherapists. Resonance was defined as a very intense level of relationship between therapist and patient. 44 of the 130 surveyed therapists (34%) acknowledged having lived resonant moments in therapy, sometimes giving descriptions of them very close to telepathic phenomena. But these subtle transmissions remained difficult to interpret.

In the roundtable on clinical ethical aspects of psi research, Munson (1987, p. 170) described three interactions between the clinical and parapsychological fields: (a) the understanding of psychodynamic influences through psi research; (b) the reception of persons seeking to validate their paranormal experiences and beliefs; (c) the actual clinical parapsychology. According to Munson, parapsychologists can’t avoid these problems because their area of expertise puts them in position to improve the treatment standards of some paranormal experiences. However, this ambition is not enough to transform these researchers into clinicians, and they have an ethical obligation to clearly demarcate their area of expertise.

Stanford (1987) added other possible interactions between parapsychological and clinical fields: (d) the psychological aftereffects of the participation to a parapsychological experiment; (e) the prevention of these effects by diagnosing at risk individuals before including them as participants in experiments; and (f) the orientation toward clinicians of the participants disrupted by the experimentation.

Nemeth (1987) raised a number of questions about what would found the specificity of clinical parapsychology. Without answering them herself, she led one to rethink the common premise of several speakers of a possible and useful application of lab parapsychology in the clinical field.

The extent of the problem is clearly taken by James Albert Hall (1987), a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst and hypnotherapist. His first sentence is: “Parapsychology is not a clinical science,” which has the merit of avoiding confusion. If parapsychology can still be associated with applications in the clinical field, it should not be to the detriment of the treatment. In the absence of a reliable psi test, the presumption of the paranormality of the alleged experiences reported by the patient is solely based on the clinical judgment. The risk is however great to encourage delusions. That’s why Hall proposed that the Parapsychological Association, the professional association of parapsychologists, take three directions: 1- Develop a self-administered questionnaire before the start of psychotherapy to continue research on the links between psi and mental functioning.

2- Provide guidelines for clinicians to differentiate parapsychological events from experiences caused by psychological disorders.

3- Parapsychologists who are also qualified clinicians should form a committee or a branch that serves as a scientific reference and specialized setting within the field of mental health. This clinic, respecting the standard rules of ethics, would still be better, according to Hall, than the amateurish parapsycholog1

The ethical problem raised here by Stanford resulted in relatively few reactions. It is only recently that IGPP researchers have established parapsychological experiments “under cover” (see for instance Pütz et al., 2007): participants believe they participate to a trivial psychology experiment and not a parapsychological test. Many psychological aftereffects would be avoided if such an experimental design could be standardized.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology ical assessments.

To our knowledge, the recommendations of Hall have not been taken into account, except for the recent foundation of the Parapsychological A ssociation A nomalous Experiences Committee in 2014.

In the end, the vision of the clinical parapsychology developed at these conferences was not yet sufficiently detached from the work of parapsychologists. And for good reason: too little clinical experience has been accumulated by these researchers. Most would not continue in this way and there will be little American authors deepening clinical issues with exceptional experiences. Notable exceptions will be James C. Carpenter (1988a, 1988b, 2002), William Braud and Ginette Palmer (Palmer & Braud, 2002), Athena Drewes (http:// www.perceptivechildren.org/), Ginette Nachman (2009), and Frank Pasciuti.

Conference on Psi Factors in Psychotherapy in 1986

One of the first major conferences showing parapsychologists’ interest for clinical practice was conducted by the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR). It took place in New York on 8 November 1986, and focused on the “psi factors in psychotherapy.” There, Jule Eisenbud discussed “psi in psychotherapy,” Montague Ullman “psi in psychopathology,” Benjamin Wolman “the psychotherapist’s ability to experience paranormal phenomena,” Keith Harary proposed “a group psychotherapy approach for cases of alleged apparitions,” Margaret Wallace Ferguson spoke of “diagnostic problems regarding psychopathology and psi phenomena,” James A. Hall explained “the meaning of parapsychological phenomena in clinical situation through Jungian psychoanalysis,” Arthur Hastings discussed the “therapeutic support for the first psi experiences,” James Carpenter spoke of “the psychotherapeutic discovery of the extra-sensory perception.” A final presentation by William G. Roll and Jeanne Lagle Stewart took stock of the “parapsychological counseling.”

Several presentations were published in the ASPR Newsletter (vol. XIII, No. 1 to No. 4, JanuaryOctober 1987) but not in a collective work. Such that the ideas carried by the conference were spread slightly.

Benjamin B. Wolman opened the session by stating that extra-sensory perception (ESP) was also part of the strings that any therapist should add to his bow (Wolman, 1987). Emeritus Professor of Psychology, with 40 years of clinical experience behind him, 18 books, 180 scientific articles, etc., his speech was authoritative.

It was based on several anecdotal clinical experiences when he was suddenly seized by the need to make a phone call that avoided the death of patients about to commit suicide.

Arthur Hastings (1987) repeated the arguments of the transpersonal approach he had developed in 1983. The first sentence of his speech said: “I do not know how it is elsewhere, but in California everyone seems to have psi experiences.” This microcosm (Dommeyer, 1973) influenced the development of “lightened” psychological counseling where therapists simply reassures the clients, telling them they are not crazy, and that “most of the psi studies have shown little or no causal links between psi and psychosis, schizophrenia or other diseases” (Hastings, 1987, p. 12). He referred clients to the California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in which the Transpersonal Center and the Spiritual Emergence Network developed these principles.

Margaret Wallace Ferguson (1987) seemed to have little experience of people living paranormal experiences. As a psychiatrist, to establish the differential diagnosis, she asked whether the person reporting an apparent delusion with a parapsychological theme likewise suffered from other symptoms of schizophrenia. And above all if the patient responds positively to medication, the she concluded that his/her belief was invalid and that he/she was schizophrenic!

Jule Eisenbud (1987) recalled the stages of psychoanalytic reflections on psi in therapy, indicating that, Vol. 4 No. 1

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology in his own experience, disclosing to patients elements supposedly “captured” telepathically by the analyst had always enriched the therapeutic process. He recalled that, for him, this material should not be brought in only for the purpose of demonstrating the existence of the psi, as this would parasite psychotherapeutic work of greater importance.

The ASPR will further discuss clinical topics during two symposia: “Psi, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Conference” (1992) and “Exceptional Human Experiences Conference” (1995).

Psi and Clinical Practice in 1989 The Parapsychology Foundation, founded by the medium Eileen Garrett in 1951, helped to structure the field of parapsychology. Since 1953, this foundation is responsible for organizing international congresses of parapsychology. In 1988, the Congress focused on the spontaneous psi experiences. Voices could be heard there on the need to address clinical aspects of parapsychology. Arthur Hastings’s talk (1992) on “Psi and the dynamics of motivation” pointed the spontaneous operation of psi in psychotherapy, beyond intuition of the therapist. That of Vernon Neppe (1992) already dealt with anomalous experience and psychopathology, and the one by Julian Isaacs (1992) addresses clinical issues around parapsychology labs.

Clinical parapsychology was therefore the theme of the next congress taking place in 1989. It brought together a panel of 10 speakers and 20 observers from all over the world, some of which had developed a clinical practice with people living paranormal experiences. The positions outlined at this conference, and the first debates on these issues, marked a new era. The conference proceedings, published lately (Coly & McMahon, 1993), were an important contribution to this field, so we will make a substantial analysis of them. We focus on interventions by Wim Kramer and Keith Harary, both psychologists with more than other clinical practice supporting their speech.

Wim Kramer The young psychologist Wim Kramer had researched psychic healers as part of his doctoral thesis (Kramer, 1986). He was then entrusted the role of clinical relay for the many people who were contacting the Parapsychological Laboratory of the University of Utrecht. Parapsychology was quite well developed in the Netherlands around the psychologist W.H.C. Tenhaeff who occupied a chair of parapsychology at the University of Utrecht, one of the first in Europe (Kappers, 1973). During the 1970s, a new wave of media coverage of the paranormal increased the number of requests from researchers in parapsychology. The solution was to create a position for a clinical psychologist and researcher in parapsychology (Dr. Hendricus Boerenkamp) responsible for responding to people who were contacting the laboratory for reasons beyond the research scope.

But a reorganization of universities and a lack of funds ended the service in mid 1980. It was again developed as the Parapsychological Advisory Service (Parapsychologisch A dviesburo). In his article, Kramer took stock of its activity from May 1986 to late 1988, and gives the figure of 816 interviews with more than 200 patients.

Much of the activity took place by phone with a small number of sessions, because of time and money constraints (Kramer, 1993, p. 132).

The role of the Parapsychological Advisory Service parapsychological was broader than its clinical function. He met the students, the media, police as well as patients. These multiple hats first created confusion areas. Those who call because of paranormal experiences received information on their experience through a “top-down” expert approach. Later, after reconsideration, a second type of “bottom-up” approach was privi-

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology leged: listening without judgment became the priority, while the information was then distilled with more caution.

It is interesting to note the factors that led to this change (Kramer, 1993, p. 134). The first model went through the fullest possible collection of information on the experience; then a work of cognitive reconstruction. But this required the patient some intelligence and a good capacity for abstraction; he must also overcome his resistance to the analysis of his emotions. The approach was seen as too psychologizing, not recognizing sufficiently the paranormal nature of the experience. And the variety of issues was too great to always understand and make sense of them.

The second counseling technique, applied since 1987, was more inspired by the Rogerian therapy. The patient was accompanied during the cognitive restructuring of his experience, but the therapist followed patient’s language and rhythm. The therapist was more subtle in the way he get information in order to less distort the patient’s narrative. However, one can’t entirely avoid a parapsychological shaping of the experience.

Compared to the question of the authenticity of psi, the therapeutic model was meant derived from systems theory (Kramer, 1993, p. 132). In this model, a functional analysis of the relationship between life events and paranormal experiences would provide the key to the therapy. This put a secondary plan the issue of the reality of psi processes behind the experience: What is important is that the patient lives his experience as genuine psi. Our goal, as counselors, is not to study paranormal experiences, but to provide psychological support to the patient. Since we can not be sure that the psi experience is real or not, we need to offer to our patient the benefit of the doubt and take for granted that the experience is real because the patient is convinced of its real character, at least initially. (Kramer, 1993, p. 132) This disjunction between scientific and clinical approaches is a real bifurcation. The hindsight promoted by this model nearly brought Kramer to include an ethnopsychiatric dimension vis-à-vis beliefs. Thus, around a case of a person who thought to be reincarnated (Kramer, 1993, p. 135), Kramer explained that what counts in therapy is that the patient can be advised without being forced to reject his feelings on the issue of reincarnation. The Dutch psychologist wrote that this second therapeutic approach is more difficult because it forces the parapsychologist to be an expert in occult theories, which are those with which it will work without believing in himself; and because he should adapt much more to the world of his patient than the reverse. It is an explicit alliance with the “ethnological” rather than the parapsychological knowledge.

The goals of this therapy are the reduction of emotional stress associated with the experience and the integration of the paranormal experience in the patient’s mental life (Kramer, 1993, p. 133). In the discussion that followed the presentation of this work, Ian Tierney indicated a possible danger of such normalization: it can lead a person to believe that an unpleasant paranormal experience will happen again. But Kramer said that the normality of experience does not mean that it is frequent (Kramer, 1993, p. 138). In the same vein, Keith Harary asked what Kramer did of transpersonal aspects of therapy. Kramer told that he left to others the task of the “psychological growth” of the patients, after the problems for which they came are resolved. Besides, most of the time, people do not choose clinical parapsychologists for a long-term therapy (Kramer, 1993, p. 184).

Kramer concluded the article by wishing the development and professionalization of parapsychological counseling (Kramer, 1993, p. 136-137). He himself however redirected to business counseling for companies, without losing sight of this field that he will ultimately help to re-energize through the Naarden Expert meeting and its avatars (Kramer, Hövelmann & Bauer, 2012).

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Keith Harary Keith Harary (1993) discussed less the clinical practice with paranormal experiences that the implications of clinical data for experimental parapsychologists. They are faced with people who think they lived paranormal experiences, and must wonder about the psychology of these people and their own psychological reactions. Harary viewed psi experiences as creative perceptual and communicative processes that need to be normalized and encouraged but if necessary also diagnosed as psychopathological processes. It’s a form of self -artistic expression that aims to translate the inner experience into the tangible world. If the experiencers are like artists, it’s their environment which may be inappropriate. This desire to maintain objective distance with such individuals is described by Harary as a phobic posture. This even affects the scientists who will stagnate in a fear of being deceived or a fear that psi goes beyond their control (Harary, 1993, p. 22).

The object “psi” would cause similar reactions to those who faced it directly and indirectly. These are the same fears, the same ambivalent attitude, which stand among members of Western societies. Our relationship to psi would not be fully objective. The effect of cultural stereotypes should not be neglected in a therapeutic appraoch (Harary, 1993, p. 29). Thus, the “psychic” is a mythical character, generally considered a spiritually more evolved creature. He embodies the change by the excess under the figure of the mutant (see Kripal, 2011). Harary recommended to dispose of cultural fascination for these mythical characters, and the supposed equivalence between “psychic” and artistic abilities is there to give us a more neutral apprehension model (Harary, 1993, p. 30-31).

These stereotypes also function as a narcissistic call for the person who will live a paranormal experience, and accept in his own way the “label” that culture offers him. Harary was very clear about the disastrous implications of these signifiers taken from the paranormal side, especially because they name without explaining anything (Harary, 1993, p. 33). Clinical intervention should therefore follow a self-critical guideline (Harary, 1993, p. 34): one should help these people integrate their experiences without encouraging them to share one’s “philosophical vision.” The significance of the paranormal experience belongs to whoever lived it, except (but these exceptions were not justified in Harary’s text) for an individual developing a psychotic episode or having dangerously lost ground.

Harary’s lucidity is actually autobiographical because, before being recognized as a researcher and clinician, he was nicknamed in research publications “Blue Harary” and was considered an excellent psychic able of at will self-induced out-of-the-body experiences. He will return to the consequences of such labeling in several of his publications.

This paper provides clues to differentiate the roles of researcher and clinician (Harary, 1993, p. 34-35).

The researcher can only work to expand the scientific knowledge that will be available to these individuals.

The clinician can only encourage them to maintain a balanced and rational perspective in their quest to integrate these experiences in their lives.

The equivalence between creativity and alleged psi poses problems for the differential diagnosis, because creativity is seen as a very positive value that contributes to good mental health, although this not always without moderate psychopathological counterparts. In general, creativity is perceived as “normal”, that is to say non-pathological in itself. But the thing is not so obvious for paranormal experiences. As will be pointed in the discussion, how to know if a writer is good or not? One should already read his work, and although one appreciates it, this judgment will not necessarily be shared by all (Harary, 1993, p. 43-45).

Harry stated we must first base our clinical appreciation on how the individual reacts to his experience

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology rather than on the content of the experience itself: “It is possible for a person to be mentally ill, and to correctly interpret one or several experiences as psi-related. It is also possible that a person is mentally healthy and yet wrong in the way he reaches the same conclusion” (Harary, 1993, p. 35).

Based on this principle, Harry distinguished six clinical patterns depending not on the type of experience lived, but how it’s experienced (Harary, 1993, p. 35-41): Profile 1: Those who claim a life full of paranormal experiences that seem to have a genuine base; Profile 2: Those who bear witness of some paranormal experiences, or even one, who seem to have a genuine base; Profile 3: Those who bear witness of some paranormal experiences, or even one, that seem to be a mixture of true and imaginary elements; Profile 4: Those who report paranormal experiences of seemingly hallucinatory nature, but that does not seem to suffer from disabling psychological disorder; Profile 5: Those who suffer from disabling mental disorder, and who relate paranormal experiences that seem pathological; Profile 6: Those who react to experiences witnessed by others.

The description of these patterns, which is the heart of Harary’s article, clarified the proposed clinical and differential approach. The profiles are given along axes of “frequence rate” (rare or frequent), “truthful appearance” (true or imaginary) and “psychological disorder” (suffering / not suffering from disabling psychological disorder). According to this typology, it seems indifferent on the psychopathological level that experiences are rare or frequent, of truthful appearance or mixing true and imaginary elements. Many scenarios are presented (see Table 1):

One can still imagine other profiles: in particular, Harary quickly eliminated cases of people with both psychological problems and experiences of true or mixed appearance. This criterion of the “truthful appearance” is also the least objective and greatly weakens this typology.

Harary distinguished several different in accordance with the profiles. Profile 1 seek more a community sharing his vision of the world; while the profile 2 is in a transitional period because of his experiences, and could evolve into a profile 1. Harary gives the example of a woman who obtained the improbable score of 25 cards guessed on 25 during an ESP experiment. Following this, she left seven years in a cult where she was the slave of a guru. She came out of it when she integrated her “parapsychological experiences” in a broader vision of her existence.

Profile 3 is as badly distinguished from profile 2. The only criterion is that the person doubts the genuineness of his experience, but the motives for belief in the paranormal are the same.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology The profile 4 is also only a variation of profile 3 where the untruthfulness of the experience is even clearer. The experience may have occurred as a result of taking drugs or “overactive imagination.” To explain this profile, Harary suggested that psychodynamic disorders may have been projected outside. Should this process not occur also in the other cases?

In the profile 5, the only one directly accompanied by a disabling psychological disorder, the paranormal experience is the “coloration” of a delusion but does not constitute its source. Psychotropic drugs would have the ability to remove these impressions.

People with profile 6 experiencing the paranormal experience by extension often have the same problems to integrate this mystery in their lives. They are weakened to the point of being prey of the cults.

In conclusion, Harary’s approach is interesting because it leads to a differential clinical practice. Unfortunately, his typology is incomplete and insufficiently rigorous. The criteria of “truthful appearance” complicates things: whereas Harary advised to focus on the reaction of the individual rather than on the content of his experience, he reintroduced in his typology the importance of the differential diagnostic at the level of the contents. In addition, the other criteria of frequency and disabling psychological disorder (apparently limited to psychotic delusions) are not well defined.

Other Interventions In Psi and clinical practice (Coly & McMahon, 1993), we find also an intervention of the clinical psychologist Robert L. Van de Castle (1993) who established a connection between paranormal experiences and multiple personality disorder (which will soon become dissociative identity disorder).

Adrian Parker (1993) had not, at that time, a clinical experience on which to base his intervention. He thus described the models already in place and discussed the model of schizotypal personality, of which he emphasized the tautological application on the psychiatric labeling of paranormal experiences. Indeed, they are explicitly represented in a number of items from the magical ideation or unusual perception subscales (Schetsche, 2003).

Schizotypy is also discussed in the intervention of Ian Tierney (1993), who again indicated its lack of relevance on the differential level. This clinical psychologist was one of the two clinicians associated with the University of Edinburgh since 1986 (and the creation of the Koestler Parapsychology Unit in 1985). He received people distressed by an experience they perceived as of the spring of parapsychology. If this request was recognized, the first clinical protocol was not conventional. These psychologists tried to analyze, often by exchange of letters or phone calls, if the experience was actually in the jurisdiction of parapsychology. If this was the case, they would send the person to a researcher whose experience was the specialty! Otherwise, they tried to offer the person a normative framework to explain his experience (hypnagogic hallucinations, etc.).

The reorientation of the pathological cases was done toward a mental health professional (preferably having a parapsychological interest). In this situation, clinical parapsychologists eventually accumulate little clinical experience themselves!

Tierney focused his presentation on theoretical models that can account for these experiences. It shows the complexity of the situation: there is no real opposition between psi and psychosis because it can be quite a delusion grafting itself on genuine psi experience. All psychopathological combinations are possible, from a good mental health to a delusional schizophrenia.

Another speaker was the South African neuropsychiatrist Vernon Neppe, who was on the advisors for the DSM-III-R and DSM-IV. His nosographic knowledge make him a support of his colleagues, since he de-

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology clared (Neppe, 1993, p. 147) that psychiatrists have tried to insert “subjective paranormal experiences” (in his terminology) within the framework of psychopathology without any empirical studies (for details of his critique, see Neppe & Tucker, 1989; Neppe, 1984a). He does not fall so far in an anti-psychiatric stance, which he considers a shift from psychological to sociocultural diagnosis. Instead, he proposed a new two-levels categorization. The first level is functional: no matter the peculiarity of the patient’s experience, it becomes abnormal only if it clearly interferes with its ability to function and cope (Neppe, 1984b). The second level is psychopharmacological: psychiatric diagnosis should be made according to the response and tolerance to medication with psychotropic drugs. Despite their interest, Neppe’s categorizations were not followed afterwards.

In his concluding remarks, the Professor of psychology Robert Morris (1993) recalled the importance of the issues raised during that conference. He considered this a step in the direction of a better consideration of the clinical aspects of parapsychological research, and a step towards the inclusion of the entire social context that surrounds it. According to him, parapsychologists must not shrink from their social responsibilities.

They will have to deal with the individuals’ and institutions’ perception of the parapsychological experiences.

Let us recall that that Morris himself encouraged in 1986 the implementation of a clinical work associated with the Koestler Parapsychology at Edinburgh University. In 2004, during his last parapsychological convention before his premature death, he will have this “visionary” statement: “The future of parapsychology is clinical.”

Symposium on Clinical Parapsychology in 1995 Interest in the professionalization of clinical parapsychology has continued to increase among parapsychologists. The 38th Annual convention of the Parapsychological Association will host a symposium on clinical parapsychology (Solfvin, 1995), like many other conventions thereafter (e.g., Bauer, 2004). This subfield’s progress will be regularly assessed.

The 1995 symposium gathered Robert L. Morris (University of Edinburgh), Martine Busch (Parapsychology Institute of Utrecht) and four members of a California private university, the Rosebridge Integrative Graduate School of Psychology, the only one to offer a training in clinical parapsychology: Virginia Bennett, Jon Klimo, Brian McRae, and Jerry Solfvin.

The perspectives opened by American authors differ little from previous work. They especially reflect on ways to conduct research on the subject and to introduce it at the university and in professional training.

Later, Jon Klimo published a text on clinical parapsychology which was very well referenced on the Internet (Klimo, 1998). As a specialist of channeling, he asserted that the most qualified people to take care of this area are those that: 1) are formed in clinical psychology; 2) are formed in parapsychology; and 3) have experienced themselves and overcome paranormal experiences. He is qualified for this “peer counseling” as he claimed to have this triple bag. In addition to the Graduate School Rosebridge, he would implement this program in a Master by correspondence program at the University of Greenwich in Australia.

The presentation of Morris (1995) was more neutral: it brings together clinical parapsychology, anomalistic psychology, and orthodox clinical training, seeking to build bridges between these disciplines. He claimed to have already succeeded introducing paranormal issues into clinical training seminars, especially in the final clinical psychology training year at the University of Edinburgh.

The presentation of Busch exhibited in six points the essential of the clinical procedure applied to the requests received at the Parapsychology Institute of Utrecht. (1) A written account is mandatory; (2) The reported event is not questioned; (3) Working on an experience more than a phenomenon; (4) The person should learn strategies to cope with his experiences; (5) Counselors provide a general parapsychological framework

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology and a singular psychological framework for the understanding the experience, including the learning on how to distinguish “genuine psi” from “pseudo-psi”; (6) Counselors explore the links between the psychology of the person and the supposed psi events. With this brief introduction, it is difficult to evaluate the work done. It seems nevertheless still rely on the assumption of a reality of psi processes, authenticable in the clinical setting, with in the background a critique of current medical and psychological systems.

Conclusion What does clinical parapsychology involve? In the light of the discussions in parapsychology conventions between 1985 and 1995, we see that it could take many forms and has not yet decided what would be its fate. Because of its sticking to a controversial discipline, which seeks to identify its object mostly by an experimental approach, and whose aftereffects on our worldview are important, clinical parapsychology is likewise carrier of controversy. It seems to need to postulate the reality of psi processes, in order to legitimize its specificity and its ability to make a difference clinically.

The French psychologist and psychoanalyst Pascal Le Maléfan also discussed, in a more isolated manner, the coordinates of this “clinical parapsychology” (Le Maléfan, 1986, 1989, 1990). He concluded that clinical parapsychology is only possible if the parapsychologist only pursues a clinical aim, that is to say, if he chooses to “listen” rather than to authenticate the material presented by the patient (Le Maléfan 1990, p. 64).

The choice of experience-focused approach rather than an evidence-focused one is at the heart of the change wrought by Rhea White in her passage from parapsychology to the study exceptional human experiences (Evrard, 2013a).

Rather than an application of parapsychology on the clinical field, should we not consider a reflexive application of clinical psychology on the parapsychological field? What would be its effects? One can imagine that the priority given to the subject in its totality and singularity, in situation and in evolution, would undo researchers’ objectivist approach. For its particular relation to knowledge, the clinician can not be satisfied by the place of the expert, of the guarantor of scientific truth, to whom one ask advices because he knows everything there is to know about anomalies. Do we really want a clinical parapsychologist as a modern version of the Church-trained exorcist priest? The clinician is only supposed to know by the patient, and should not believe in the power of his own solitary expertise. He should ensure his patient formulates and experiences his own truth. Clinical practice should be able to subvert clinicians’ knowledge, to leave room for the unknown, to the surprise, and the uncanny. This is an uncomfortable position for a researcher made clinician who thinks he is just trying to apply the generalist knowledge acquired in a given field.

In the conclusion of her presentation on clinical parapsychology, psychologist Martina Belz (2009, p. 355) hesitated to rename clinical parapsychology “clinical psychology of exceptional experiences”: In my opinion it would make much more sense to talk about “clinical psychology for people with ExE” instead of “parapsychology.” This would fit in much better with fully dimensional models in the con text of psychological health that are currently discussed than the actual classification systems. Another important advantage of this label leaves the judgment about the possible paranormal nature of the experience open. As we have shown above, ExE are based on retrospective reports and the subjective judgment of the experient with all the known problems, and individuals have a wide range of non classifiable known problems, and individuals have a wide range of non classifiable experiences for which they need help in understanding and coping. This understanding would open the field also for those clini-

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology cians who have an open or even skeptical attitude towards the paranormal. Independent of their worldview they will see clients and patients with these experiences who need help and advice. If we can offer an approach that does not demand a certain worldview and belief system but is useful for every expert with an open mind we will be more successful in moving the field forward and helping those who really need it.

Thus she left us understanding how this new name may match another paradigm for clinical practice with exceptional experiences emerging, with only a partial overlap with previous paradigms (Evrard, 2012).

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Biography Renaud Evrard is a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Lorraine (Nancy, France). In 2012, he obtained a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Rouen, with a thesis on clinical differential practice with exceptional experiences. With Thomas Rabeyron, he co-founded in 2009 the Center for Information, Research and Counselling on Exceptional Experiences (www.circee.org).

Renaud Evrard 2 place de la RĂŠpublique 54700 Champey-sur-Moselle, France evrardrenaud@gmail.com

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Formative Impacts of Psycho-spiritual Experience: A Preliminary Questionnaire Investigation Alexander De Foe & Mahima Kalla

Abstract Do “first instance” psycho-spiritual experiences have a formative impact on subsequent spiritual development?

We explored a sample of 29 people, 25 of whom reported experiences that they would characterize as spiritually transformative. Results indicated a broad range of psycho-spiritual encounters. Most prominent were accounts in which a connection to a greater universal force was reported. Content analysis revealed four taxonomies post-experience: (1) similar subsequent experiences, (2) dissimilar subsequent experiences, (3) integration of primary experience in subsequent life events, and (4) no subsequent spiritual experience. Changes in self-perspective were assessed and the three most common transformations noted in the data were those related to an alteration in (1) self-concept, (2) relationships with others, and (3) association with the universe or broader cosmos. Changes in religiosity were also evaluated, and it was found that participants predominantly either experienced no change in religious predisposition or a decrease in religiosity after their psycho-spiritual experience. However, those indicating a higher level of religious devotion were more prone to integrating their experience into their existing religious beliefs. Implications of this exploratory study are considered and the importance of investigating formative spiritual experiences is discussed.

Keywords: psycho-spiritual experience, spirituality, transcendence, self-concept

Ever since William James published his seminal work, Varieties of Religious Experience (see James, 1958), psychologists have debated the therapeutic role of the psycho-spiritual experience. More recently, Rhea White (1994) noted that many psychic and psycho-spiritual phenomena may be classed as “Exceptional Human Experiences” (EHEs) involving a psychological transformation. However, despite the increasing awareness of psycho-spiritual experiences within the psychological and psychotherapeutic professions (Vieten & Scamm, 2015), significant ambiguity remains regarding the differences between religious and spiritual encounters and their impacts on personality and self-concept.

Scholars have faced difficulties in classing the spiritual experience as a fundamentally unique encounter to that of a religious practice. A reason for the confusion in terminology may arise because the terms “religious” and “spiritual” are sometimes used interchangeably by researchers and participants in studies alike.

Marler and Hadaway (2002) noted that there is substantial overlap in descriptions of religious and spiritual experience, especially in samples who define their accounts based on their current religious/spiritual affiliation. On the other hand, researchers have also aimed to distinguish religiosity from spiritual experience by examining the differences across institutional spiritual practice and personal practice. For example, Roof (1993, 2000, as cited in Marler & Hadaway, 2002) noted that people often discuss their spirituality “… in personal or experiential terms, whereas religiousness included personal beliefs as well as institutional beliefs and practices” (p. 249).

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Smith and Orlinsky (2004) argued that making a distinction between religious and spiritual experience is not quite as simple as it might appear. These researchers found that 51% of practicing therapists classified their spiritual/religious inclinations in terms of “personal spirituality,” while 27% referred to “religious spirituality” and 21% spoke of “secular morality.” Bauer-Wu and Farran (2005) examined a functional definition of spiritual experience in their study of breast cancer survivors. These authors found that individuals in this sample regarded their sense of spirituality as an overall increased meaning in life, connectedness to others, and faith in God or a greater force beyond their personal self.

In the transpersonal literature, the term “psycho-spiritual” refers to a more encompassing and larger worldview that extends beyond the personal ego (Shapiro, Lee, & Gross, 2002). As mentioned earlier, psychospiritual experiences can also be regarded as EHEs in which one reports a transcendence of their personal identity. These accounts may include altered consciousness experiences and significant alterations in selfawareness, rather than a general shift in attitude towards spirituality. Models of psycho-spiritual and transpersonal development have been considered at length in prior literature, such as those canvassed by Friedman, Krippner, Riebel, and Johnson (2010), for example. These scholars noted that the psycho-spiritual experience can be classified in various ways, which may or may not include religious practice.

For the purposes of this preliminary research, we did not provide participants with a definition of “psycho-spiritual”. Instead, we were interested in how participants would respond to questions related to their encounters of a spiritual nature (depending on the definition they personally applied). We were not only interested in examining participants’ associations with religious and spiritual experience, but also how their experiences have, in retrospect, shaped their sense of self-concept.

In the present study we investigated “first instance” psycho-spiritual encounters and how these experiences influenced further psychological or spiritual development. In particular, we endeavored to explore one’s first encounter with what they had termed a spiritual experience. De Foe (2014) argued that transpersonal experiences tend not to occur in discrete spontaneous instances, but rather serve as a foundation for further spiritual development. Although it is well-known that psycho-spiritual experiences can lead to changes in selfconcept and subsequent similar experiences, research into the foundational nature of such experiences has been limited to specific accounts (for example, near-death experiences [NDEs]; Greyson [1981], Sutherland [1989], Sutherland [1990] and spiritual “awakenings” which involve phenomena such as “kundalini syndrome”; Lukoff, Lu, & Turner [1998]). The present study therefore serves as a pilot investigation into the transformative foundational impact of the spiritual experience in general.

Method Participants Participants were recruited via a number of Facebook groups and pages related to interest fields involving “spirituality” as a key term. The sample contained 42 questionnaire responses; however, 9 responses were removed as these people did not complete all required sections. A further 4 responses were removed as the textual input of these individuals was deemed inauthentic and/or inaccurate in response to the items presented.

Therefore, the final sample included 29 participants. Respondents were between 18-80 years of age. There were 12 men and 17 women. Most participants were in the 18-35 age group (N = 16). Eight participants were in the 36-50 age group. Five participants were in the 51-80 age group.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Materials An open-ended questionnaire was developed to explore the formative influence of psycho-spiritual experience. As the purpose of the pilot analysis was to explore preliminary descriptions of spiritual experience, an analysis of questionnaire validity was not conducted. The questionnaire included 10 items. The first five items assessed demographic data, religiosity, and first incidence with psycho-spiritual experience: (1) “What is your gender?” (binary), (2) “What is your age?” (scale), (3) “How religious do you consider yourself?” (scale), (4) “Which religion do you identify with?” (textual), and (5) “Have you ever had a spiritually transformative experience?” (binary).

The following five items were open-ended and aimed to assess participants’ qualitative accounts of prior psycho-spiritual experience (these items were only included in the analysis if participants responded “Yes” to Item #5): (6) “Describe your first significant spiritual experience,” (7) “How (if at all) did your religious orientation alter after your experience?” (8) “How do you believe the experience has impacted upon you as a person today?”, (9) “Describe any similar or different experiences you have had since,” and (10) “Other comments.”

The questionnaire was hosted on a SurveyMonkey™ server. All data was secured via a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection. The research was conducted in accordance with the Centre for Exceptional Human Potential (Melbourne, Australia) research ethics and data collection policies.

Design As this was an exploratory study based on a qualitative methodology, all participants were placed into one group. Bottom-up content analysis was applied in order to derive categories related to participant responses. Measures of frequency and thematic content were taken into account when coding categories (for example, overlap in context). Categories were manually coded in a step-wise fashion and responses that could not be coded into a discernable sub-category were considered as separate datum in the analysis. There were three content analyses that were carried out in this study (1. initial and subsequent spiritual experience – this was a twopart analysis corresponding to Item #6 & 7, 2. transformations in self-concept corresponding to Item #8, and 3. alterations in religiosity corresponding to Item #9).

Procedure Participants were directed to the SurveyMonkey™ website to complete the questionnaire. They were asked to first read the explanatory statement which outlined (1) the aims of the study, (2) the structure of the survey, as well as (3) rights to anonymity. It was explained that the questionnaire contains 10 items and that participants ought to allocate about 20 minutes in order to complete all questions. Participants were instructed not to write more than 200 words per open-ended item (i.e., Item #6-10).

Results Aside from demographic variables, religiosity was the only variable that was subject to quantitative analysis (it included a scale of 1-4 denoting “Not religious,” “Somewhat religious,” “Moderately religious," and “Very religious”). A large proportion of participants indicated that they were not religious (N = 14). Eight

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Table 1—Religiosity and Psycho-spiritual Experience

Religious Orientation

N

N Participants who reported a psychospiritual experience

Buddhism

3

3 (100%)

Hinduism

4

1 (25%)

Other (Christianity, Judaism, Pantheism, or Paganism)

8

8 (100%)

Formative and Subsequent Experiences Of the 29 respondents, 25 indicated having a significant psycho-spiritual experience. Our analysis revealed that a sense of connectedness to the universe and all living beings (sometimes including a transcendence of the personal self) was the most common form of experience described (N = 13). Examples of responses included: “I have had moments where I have felt connected to the entire universe, and have known myself to be a part of something greater” and “the whole world became alive, stones, plants, the air, even forks and man made things were consciously allowing the shape they were in”. Others in this category referred to a connection with a unifying source energy or God-like figure.

Five participants spoke of a spiritual rebirthing experience, encountering a new sense of hope or meaning within their lives. One respondent stated: “I felt different. I felt lighter, and had very different aspirations, and a new sense of who I was”. Another wrote: “I saw through a lot of my own ways of thinking for the first time, and a lot of social constructs and other things that seemed very superficial and “fake” to me”.

Three participants reported psycho-spiritual accounts related to their NDEs each of which related to a newfound sense of enthusiasm about life. Two participants reported experiences related to “energy healing," these involved accounts with Reiki and a Monroe Institute healing module which led the participants to a new perspective on health and well-being. Finally, two accounts were difficult to categorize. One participant spoke of an “indescribable” experience with their personal guru and another spoke of a single-pointedness experience of consciousness which was void of content.

We also evaluated whether primary spiritual experience inferred a higher likelihood of future similar experience, based on further content analysis on responses to Item #9, “Describe any similar or different experiences you have had since.” Figure 1 (on next page) shows variations in subsequent psycho-spiritual experience.

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Figure 1. Categories of subsequent psycho-spiritual experiences reported (N = 19).

Eleven participants reported only one major psycho-spiritual experience, with no follow-up accounts since. However, five of these participants reported a general spiritual self-awareness that was integrated into their lives as a result of their first experience. Experiences in this category resembled those such as… “My whole being is a spiritual experience every day” and “I feel every moment has a potential to teach us something spiritually.” These responses represented a general psycho-spiritual receptiveness to experience, rather than discrete experiences that followed a participant’s initial account.

Of those who had similar subsequent experiences after their primary account (N = 11), most described their subsequent accounts as very similar, but not near-identical to their first experience. For example, one participant stated “similar but unique," while another stated “similar but not as transformative” indicating that in some instances the experiences may have been similar in content but lesser in transformative impact.

Finally, three participants characterized subsequent psycho-spiritual experiences as disparate from their original accounts. For example, two described having spontaneous out-of-body experiences (OBEs; their original experience did not include OBE), and one described a spontaneous and distinct sense of bliss (a sense of “bliss” was disparate from the original account).

Self-concept and Lasting Impacts Content analysis revealed four main sub-clusters of changes related to self/self-concept based on responses to the Item #8, “How do you believe the experience has impacted upon you as a person today?”. We found that these could be categorized as: (1) a positive change in personality/self-concept (N = 9), (2) a positive change in attitude towards others (N = 8), and (3) a change in attitude towards the “universe” or “cosmos” (N = 6). Minimum overlap between these sub-categories was noted. Two participants did not indicate a significant shift in self-concept after their psycho-spiritual experience.

1. Self-impacts. The following changes in self-concept and personal attitudes were noted: a decrease in fear, anxiety, and mental stress (N = 3), a deeper sense of happiness and calmness overall (N = 2), becoming

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology more congruent with one’s values (N = 1), more confident (N = 1), and more open-minded (N = 1). One participant spoke of become more vigilant about their physical health. Many of the responses in this sub-category related to a connection with a more congruent sense of self, a sense of self-discovery, and the pursuit of living in line with one’s life values. For example, one of these respondents stated: “From that moment then, I’ve been taking off layer by layer of my artificial person, rediscovering myself in many ways.”

2. Relational impacts. Par ticipants in sub-category #2 (“attitudes towards others”) wrote about an increase in empathy and love towards others (N = 3), an increase in respect towards other people (N = 2), and a greater connection to others overall (N = 2). One of these participants spoke about recognizing the importance of connecting with others and the value of human relationships: “I love more, I’m much more careful about others. I believe we should all care more for the earth and life on it.” One additional participant also spoke of the apparent importance of sincerity and honesty in their life after their psycho-spiritual experience.

3. Existential impacts. Finally, the six par ticipants who spoke of a change in their relationship to the universe described a transformation towards greater connectedness and union with a higher cosmic force.

For example, “My thought process has been impacted the most, because I have grown to be respectful and appreciative of the universe. I feel a part of it, and this impacts the way I respond to events in life.” Another participant spoke of a change in self-focused to universe-focused values: “My values have changed in that they are more universally focused that ‘me’ focused.” Two of these participants spoke of an existential impact which led them to think about the cosmos and meaning of life: “I can only say that though the experiences were profound they were also subtle and gave me things to think about for years, that I still think a lot about today, about consciousness and the universe and existence in general.” Finally, two of the participants in this category spoke of recognizing themselves as more than the body and losing their fear of death as a result of their experiences.

Change in Religious Attitudes Figure 2 demonstrates how participant attitudes towards religion have altered since their primary psycho-spiritual experience.

Figure 2. Changes in attitude towards religion after primary spiritual experience (N = 25).

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Of the seven participants who noted an increase in religiosity after their experience, four expressed an increased interest in understanding religious scripture and embracing religious beliefs, as well as practicing religious traditions and values to a greater degree. For example, one of these respondents stated, “I have felt more committed to my religion and beliefs since these experiences. I find myself surrendering a little more each time I have an experience like this.” One participant noted a stronger belief in God. Another noted an increased interest in practicing religious ritual. The final participant in this category reported a shift in their general religious views from Atheism to Agnosticism.

Of the nine participants who did report a negative change in religious attitude (less religious), four spoke of “going beyond religion” (i.e., variations of this phrasing in which synonyms to the word “beyond” were frequent). For example, “My religious understanding of heaven is vastly different to my NDE experience of an afterlife. It is far more ‘real’ than what I imagined it to be.” Two spoke of a greater distinction between “religious” and “spiritual.” This manifested as a greater ability to distinguish between organized religious tradition and personal spiritual practice; a shift from a ceremonial to experiential focus. For example, “After this experience, I felt that my ‘religiousness’ did not require ceremony, mysticism, accepted methods of worship or people of authority to facilitate my own spiritual practice.” Two participants stated that they were now less inclined towards religious practice, and one participant expressed no interest in religious practice at all after their experience.

Quantitative analysis. It was interesting to note that those who expressed a positive change in attitude towards religion after their psycho-spiritual were already fairly religious to begin with (M = 2.29/4 on our religiosity scale, indicating somewhat to moderately religious), in contrast with those who experienced a negative change (M = 1.56/4, indicating not religious to somewhat religious) or no change at all (M = 1.44/4, indicating mostly not religious). A mixed-methods analysis showed that 2/3rd (N = 8) of 12 participants who had reported a psycho-spiritual experience and also at least a score of 2/4 on the religiosity scale (“Somewhat religious”+) either reported no change or an increase in their religious beliefs after their experience.

A Note on Induction of Psycho-spiritual Experience Although we did not ask participants to disclose the onset or cause of their psycho-spiritual experience, content analysis of Item #6 - #10 revealed that 12 participants indicated causal factors. Four of the participants had their first significant psycho-spiritual experience during a shamanic ayahuasca ceremony. Three related their first account to an NDE (while one additional participant spoke of a two-month period of debilitating illness). Two participants had their first experience after reading about Zen Buddhism throughout a consistent period. Finally, one participant described an initiation by a guru, and another described a spontaneous experience occurring during meditation practice.

Discussion The spiritual experience is an immensely personal encounter that may be conceptualized via a number of different means. In this study, we explored “first instance” spiritual experiences and their psychological impacts. Although we were careful not to define the terms “psycho-spiritual/spiritual” or “religious,” it was interesting to note the conclusions that participants arrived at regarding their personal accounts. The definition of a predominantly trans-personal experience of going beyond the self was of note in participant responses, and these accounts are consistent with work such as that of Friedman et al. (2010) on the broad dimensions of the

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology spiritual experience. An experience of re-birthing and re-connecting with a new sense of self were also common. Accounts within this category are consistent with conceptions of spiritual emergence presented by transpersonal scholars such as Stanislav Grof who theorized regarding the birth of a new and more encompassing sense of self after a psycho-spiritual awakening or crisis. Few participants spoke of a specific form of experience (i.e., an NDE or “energy healing” account), suggesting that most conceived of the psycho-spiritual experience as an encompassing overall change in perspective and attitude rather than a singular account.

The initial content analysis also provided evidence that primary spiritual experience may indeed be indicative of future psycho-spiritual development. We argued that the psycho-spiritual experience may be formative in nature; that is, contributing to a period of ongoing similar spiritual progression/development in one’s life. As 11 of the 25 participants reported similar ongoing accounts after their first experience, this provides some evidence to support the above line of reasoning. Notably, some subsequent experiences also differed from the initial account reported, but these were nonetheless categorized as “spiritual” experiences by respondents. Other spiritual encounters were written about in terms of general life outlook and perspective, rather than specific subsequent accounts. In fact, only six participants reported no ongoing psycho-spiritual encounters after their first account, which further supports the formative nature of primary spiritual experience.

It was interesting to observe that those who identified themselves as somewhat-to-very religious were more inclined to discuss their psycho-spiritual experience in terms of strengthening their beliefs, understanding of scripture, and religious practices. This observation is consistent with Marler and Hadaway’s (2002) findings, in that those who are more religiously-inclined tend to define their spirituality in terms of their existing beliefs.

Many participants in our analysis spoke of going “beyond” religion and finding meaning in the experiential practice of personal spirituality (rather than organized religion). These accounts are also consistent with Marler and Hadaway’s work, in terms of people defining “religious” experience in relation to ritual and doctrine and associating “spiritual” experience instead with personal and experiential practice.

Our third analysis indicated that foundational psycho-spiritual experience does indeed have a significant and ongoing transformative impact on self-concept and life outlook. A noteworthy personal impact was evident despite the type of experience described. Respondents spoke of “self” related changes (including value changes), “relational” changes in their perception of and interaction with other people, and “existential” changes in their experience of the universe, God, and consciousness overall. While it was difficult to quantify the measurable impact of these changes, a clear psychological impact in these three domains was evident in responses.

The fact that four participants spoke of inducing their primary spiritual experience during an ayahuasca ceremony is noteworthy, as this was the most prominent theme in regard to the context of one’s first psychospiritual encounter. The ayahuasca concoction is made up of two distinct plants – the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the Psychotria viridis leaf. The brew contains a potent concentration of the compound dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which can produce vivid visual phenomena and an altered state of consciousness (Strassman, 2001).

Labate and Cavnar (2014) noted that the incidence of tourists travelling to Brazil (and other countries where the ceremonies are offered) has greatly increased in the previous decade. They state that the “visionary qualities of ayahuasca offer infinite scope for a dynamic assembled of symbols and interpretive performances” (Labate, Cavnar, & Freedman, 2014, p. 5). Therefore, researchers should continue to consider that ayahuasca (or other psychoactive plant ceremonies) may form a significant aspect of one’s first encounter with a spiritual experience.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Limitations and Conclusion We acknowledge that the study was preliminary, and that there are a number of limitations worth noting. The religiosity scale used was not validated, and a more formally acknowledged scale could have been applied. This consideration is important if future studies are to focus specifically on the differences between religiosity and spiritual experience across participant accounts. The phrase “psycho-spiritual experience” remains widely open to interpretation. Although we were able to derive clear taxonomies based on participant accounts, future studies ought to strive towards a more consistent definition of the term. Although the N used for content analysis is reasonable based on general conventions stipulated for qualitative analysis, further research could explore the taxonomies uncovered here with a greater sample. Finally, as this was a qualitative study, conclusions can only be drawn regarding how participants conceptualized their subjective experiences.

It may be interesting to investigate how causal factors relate to specific types of psycho-spiritual experiences in a future quantitative study of larger scale. Doing this would help shed further light on the differentiation between religious and spiritual experience, as well as the broad scope of transpersonal experiences reported here.

In summary, the present research investigated the formative impacts of psycho-spiritual experience and examined a number of categories of accounts. Participants described their first psycho-spiritual experience in terms of a broader connection with a cosmic force, as well as a marked change in self-concept. Many experiences were formative, in that similar spiritual accounts were recollected that resembled primary experiences.

However, not all accounts were formative, and some participants reported a holistic self-integration overall.

Others remarked on dissimilar subsequent experiences. The transformative impacts noted were broad, with most participants recalling a significant personal impact as a result of their accounts; these included predominantly self, relational, and existential impacts. Finally, participants reported becoming less religious or not altering their religious beliefs at all after their experience; those who held prior religious beliefs had a higher likelihood of regarding their psycho-spiritual experience(s) in terms of reinforcement of their pre-existing religious orientation.

In conclusion, it is important that the role of the spiritual experience is deliberated with continued regard in the therapeutic domain. Considering the (often positive) psychological impact mentioned in participant accounts here, it is essential that practitioners examine the role of spirituality in a patient’s personal development and psychological growth. As literature related to psycho-spiritual experience becomes more widespread, clearer taxonomies will be required. As the present study revealed the critical role of primary or “first instance” spiritual experience in subsequent psycho-spiritual development, exploring how these primary accounts set the stage for future development is worthwhile investigating further.

References Bauer-Wu, S., & Farran, C. J. (2005). Meaning in Life and Psycho-Spiritual Functioning: A Comparison of Breast Cancer Survivors and Healthy Women. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 23(2), 172-190. doi:10.1177/0898010105275927

De Foe, A. (2014). A state cultivation model. Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology, 2(1), 14-21.

Retrieved from https://issuu.com/exceptionalpsychology/docs/jeep_summer_2014/14 Friedman, H., Krippner, S., Riebel, L., & Johnson, C. (2010). Transpersonal and other models of spiritual development. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 29(1), 79-84. Retrieved from http://

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology www.transpersonalstudies.org/ImagesRepository/ijts/Downloads/Friedman%20et%20al%20Spiritual% 20Development.pdf Greyson, B. (1981). Near-death experiences and attempted suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 11, 10-16.

Retrieved from https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/wp-content/uploads/ sites/267/2015/11/NDE4.pdf James, W. (1958). Varieties of religious experience. New York, NY: Mentor. (Original work published in 1902).

Labate, B. C., & Cavnar, C. (Eds.) (2014). Ayahuasca shamanism in the A mazon and beyond. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Labate, B. C., & Cavnar, C., & Freedman, F. B. (2014). Notes on the expansion and reinvention of ayahuasca shamanism. In B. C. Labate, C. Cavnar (Eds.), Ayahuasca shamanism in the A mazon and beyond (pp. 3 -15). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Lukoff, D., Lu, F., & Turner, R. (1998). From spiritual emergency to spiritual problem: The transpersonal roots of the new DSM-IV category. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 38(2), 21-50. doi:10.1177/00221678980382003 Marler, P. L., & Hadaway, C. K. (2002). “Being Religious” or “Being Spiritual” in America: A Zero‐Sum Proposition?. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41(2), 289-300. Retrieved from http:// www.jstor.org/stable/1388009 Shapiro, S. I., Lee, G. W., & Gross, P. L. (2002). The essence of transpersonal psychology: Contemporary views. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 21, 19-32. Retrieved from http:// www.transpersonalstudies.org/ImagesRepository/ijts/Downloads/IJTS%2021%20Shapiro%20Lee% 20Gross%20Essence%20of%20TP.pdf Smith, D. P., & Orlinsky, D. E. (2004). Religious and Spiritual Experience Among Psychotherapists. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 41(2), 144. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.41.2.144 Strassman, R. (2001). DMT: the spirit molecule. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.

Sutherland, C. (1989). Psychic Phenomena Following Near-Death Experiences: An Australian Study. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 8(2), 93-102. Retrieved from http://www.newdualism.org/nde-papers/ Sutherland/Sutherland-Journal%20of%20Near-Death%20Studies_1989-8-93-102.pdf Sutherland, C. (1990). Changes in Religious Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices Following Near-Death Experiences: An Australian Study. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 9(1), 21-31. Retrieved from http:// www.newdualism.org/nde-papers/Sutherland/Sutherland-Journal%20of%20Near-Death% 20Studies_1990-9-21-31.pdf Vieten, C., & Scamm, S. (2015). Spiritual and religious competencies in clinical practice: Guidelines for psychotherapists & mental health professionals. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

White, R. (1994). Exceptional human experiences: Background papers. Dix Hills, NY: Exceptional Human Experiences Network.

Acknowledgment We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Kylie Harris (at The University of New England) for providing advice into the potential long-term effects of spiritual emergency experiences.

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology Biography Alexander De Foe is an Associate Lecturer within the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

Mahima Kalla is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Monash University’s Faculty of Nursing, Medicine and Health Sciences, in which she is exploring the use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for supporting chronic disease healthcare.

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Reviews

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Book Review Out-of-Body Experiences: An Experiential Anthology Nelson Abreu

Title: Out-of-Body Experiences: An Experiential Anthology Editor: Rodr igo Montenegr o ISBN: 978-989-20-5631-9 Publisher: International Academy of Consciousness Year: 2015 Price: $23.00

Out-of-Body Experiences: An Experiential Anthology

represents a rich collection

of first-person descriptions of OBEs reminiscent of previous experiential anthologies of epistemologist Ernesto Bozzano and geologist Dr. Robert Crookall. Most books on the subject represent an individual author’s perspective, while anthology like this one provide a more diverse view of the phenomena through the first-person perspective of dozens of individuals. It is difficult to imagine the study of the nature of subjective experience without taking into consideration the first-person perspective. This book does not, however, provide a scientific analysis of the experiential reports. The first-person accounts are diverse, but they are not meant to represent the full range of OBEs or to be a statistically representative sample (there are no near-death experiences accounts). The accumulation of such reports, however, could allow additional, more analytical studies to explore the phenomenology of the OBE. Forty-nine out-of-body experience accounts by people of various levels of experience and professional backgrounds, collected in 12 countries, with authors aged from 8 to 63 years old, are candidly reported in Outof-Body Experiences: An Experiential Anthology. The accounts were solicited through the website of the International Academy of Consciousness. Reports from instructors, volunteers, students and their contacts are included.

Intentional OBEs, often experienced by seasoned experiencers or projectors, and first-time experiences, spontaneous or otherwise, are both included. The accounts demonstrate different types of OBEs ranging from simple “flights” through identifiable environments to visits to “parallel dimensions” – apparent realms of consciousness that are not associated with material environments featured in any map or atlas, in some cases described as the setting for the “afterlife” or life before birth.

Several concomitant OBE phenomena or sensations, such as the vibrational state, are described. The vibrational state is described as a sensation of vibration or resonance of the entire body. Experiencers and researchers of the phenomenon alike also report different types of exteriorization (“take off”) and expansion of the consciousness. One may find similarities between one’s own experiences and those of fellow projectors as well as learn from different styles of inducing the experience.

The features described are reminiscent of those described in previous works. For instance, sleep paralysis was described by Muldoon and Monroe; the aforementioned vibrational state which was described by Monroe or the experience of a “silver cord” reported by Crookall remain fairly common aspects in the accounts, but not

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology universal. The reader can also find less common descriptions of blind projection, animal OBEs and even a description of a cat’s silver cord. There is also a report of hearing music during the OBE and being able to play it, the experience of coming to with the sensation that one had been asleep but already away from the body, descriptions of an “extraphysical sphere of energy” (a supposed zone of biofield (“chi”) several meters in diameter around the body), depiction of microscopic vision of the sub-atomic structure of an object, descriptions of past live recall during an OBE and description of ”astral” beings with odd shapes and a projection into a location purportedly featuring poltergeist.

The highlight may be the thirteen veridical accounts reported in the book: first-person accounts that purportedly contain uncanny facts that were later corroborated. While such veridical accounts are rarer to find in specialized literature, they provide the reader with insights into the nature of consciousness and corroborate, in some cases, to validate the survival of consciousness after death. The promise of the approach is great, however, there are few scientific assurances that the accounts are indeed veridical. It would be more accurate to say that the experiencer judged them to be veridical.

One of the accounts, for example, describe one experiencer recounting seeing his mother during an OBE shortly after her death, before he had knowledge of the fact his parents were involved in a car crash. He portrayed her in a radiant glow. Traveling in Brazil thousands of kilometres away, the experiencer was subsequently able to describe the comatose state of his father lying in the same hospital room where he reported meeting his mother. He was surprised to perceive his father wearing socks that he disliked (which was later confirmed by his sister). Outside of a controlled environment, it is difficult to rule out other explanations for these supposedly veridical accounts, however. In another example, from the Netherlands, the individual describes floating out the window of his second-story apartment. Looking for evidence that he was perceiving reality, he drifted down to the parking lot and tried to find his car, which oddly he could not find. He describes becoming disappointed until he noticed that every car in the parking lot was white. He judged this situation to be a very unlikely scenario.

The reader is unable to quantify the odds involved without additional information. However, after resuming the waking state, he was surprised to see it had just snowed. As a result, “every car in the lot was entirely covered with a fresh and uninterrupted layer of pure white snow." (pg. 65) While he was unaware it had snowed, it is possible he obtained unconscious knowledge of the fact (from a weather report that predicted it the day before to sensory cues that went unnoticed by the conscious mind) and super-imposed that into his experience. Scientific research into the OBE would have to account for potential sensory cues and weigh the likelihood of targets for remote perception. The possibility raised by claims of “veridical” experiences that may be validated by posterior cross-referencing of observations can also inspire additional research that puts that claim to the test in a controlled, rigorous fashion.

Those new to the phenomenon will find the introduction of the book a great primer. The introduction traces the West’s exploration into the nature of the phenomena since Plato’s time to discussions on what the OBE could mean to consciousness science if it proved to be a means to access supposed “after life” realities. It explores the debate of those who view the OBE as a method of accessing realities being the one we experience daily and see their OBEs as being more than simply an altered state and those who are more skeptical of this interpretation. The author considers that evidence may be found by training scientists themselves to have repeated OBEs so as to thoroughly characterize the OBE experientially and to devise experiments to check whether or not the OBE represents access to a shared reality like our waking state.

The book describes thrilling and pleasant experiences, as well as indications of positive after-effects, but little quantification of both is available. The case of the NDE subset has been studied and analyses can be

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology found in scientific literature. These apparent benefits might provide motivation for a lay individual to consider past experiences in new light or researcher to seek first-time direct, personal experience. Since the OBE is often discussed in the book as a skill that can be developed, including accounts of intentional OBEs, it raises the possibility of prospective research. If the OBE could be safely and frequently induced, experiments could be devised to test the OBE being mere altered state and to explore what it could mean for the nature of consciousness and reality. Such an ability could also be used to verify and quantity effects and applications of OBEs and related altered states like lucid dreams (stress and pain-relief and enhanced problem-solving are possibilities under investigation). For the time being, this book revives the OBE anthology, increasing the number and features of first-person accounts available in literature.

The editor, Rodrigo Montenegro, MBA is a social entrepreneur who studied psychology at RenĂŠ Descartes University and is currently concluding an MSc in psychology with Roehampton University and he teaches at International Academy of Consciousness in London since 2005.

Nelson Abreu International Applied Consciousness Technologies (I-ACT) Los Angeles, California, 90012 USA nelson.abreu.ee@gmail.com

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Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology

The Journal of Exceptional Experiences and Psychology welcomes research articles, personal accounts, artwork, music, creative writing, book reviews, and letters to the editor regarding subjective anomalous experiences.

Many times these experiences can be considered transformative, spiritual, transpersonal, etc. Examples of exceptional experiences include (but are not limited to) near-death experiences (NDEs), synchronicities, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), and precognitive dreams.

To send an inquiry or a submission, please contact Erika A. Pratte, the editor, at

exceptionalpsychology@gmail.com

Be sure to check out our website at

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