Parapsychology is unique to the study of psychology. In fact, some people don't consider it a kind of psychology at all because of its roots in paranormal phenomenon. The word parapsychology is derived from the Greek word para meaning "alongside" plus the addition of the word psychology, which
applies principles to the study of the mind. It is a study of paranormal events such as near-death experiences, extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis. These are processes known as psi, which is intended to bear some sort of description without implying any sort of mechanism.
Parapsychological research includes both fieldwork and laboratory research. Most of the research is conducted at universities and privately funded research laboratories around the world, although fewer universities seem to want to support parapsychological research in recent years. This research
is often published in specialized parapsychological publications and a few such publications have garnered a spot in mainstream psychological journals of academia. Some experiments conducted by parapsychologists include the use of pseudorandom number generators to test for evidence of
psychokinesis while Ganzfeld experiments test for extrasensory perception. Research trials have also been conducted through the United States government to investigate the possibility of remote viewing.
Although it has been extremely difficult, this up and coming research field of paranormal investigation and study has been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science as a legitimate scientific field of study. Those actively involved in the research and furthering the
development of parapsychology have said it has been difficult to get traditional scientists to formally accept their research and some scientists and science educators have called the subject pseudoscience. Scientists that have questioned and criticized the methods and results obtained in
parapsychological research include James Alcock, Ray Hyman and Stanley Krippner. Rather than giving this field of study another look or viewing it from a different angle, skeptical researchers blame methodological flaws rather than the anomalistic explanations used frequently by
parapsychologists. Even today, the ever-resistant traditional scientific community has not accepted any evidence whatsoever that the paranormal does in fact exist in some form or another.
The Parapsychological Association (PA) was established on June 19, 1957 in Durham, North Carolina. J.B. Rhine proposed its formation at a workshop held at the Parapsychology Laboratory of Duke University, which focused on the parapsychology phenomenon. This organization's aim was to advance
parapsychology as a legitimate science, to publicize knowledge in this field and to integrate its findings with other scientific branches. The field of parapsychology advanced under the leadership of Margaret Mead, an anthropologist, who helped the field advance well enough so that it became
affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which is the largest general scientific society in the world.
The study of parapsychology covers a wide variety of paranormal phenomena within their scope of study including but not limited to: telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, reincarnation and the study of various hauntings. According to the Parapsychological Association, the study of
paranormal phenomena does not extend to all of the various types of paranormal occurrences nor is the field of study concerned with the likes of vampires, alchemy, UFOs, Bigfoot, astrology, witchcraft or paganism.
In the ABC television series Lost, the parapsychology phenomena plays a major role and greatly impacts and shapes certain parts of the series. Parapsychology is frequently mentioned and is one of the fields of study investigated by a specialized group called the DHARMA Initiative. There are
several parapsychological references on Lost such as astral projection (the psychic ability to project oneself outside the confines of one's physical body), extrasensory perception (ESP) as well as clairvoyance and telepathy. Other references to parapsychology include certain aspects of faith
healing as well as near-death experiences.
It is my hope that the field of parapsychology will never dissipate despite negative reactions and influences and that it may someday be able to be recognized as a more viable form of psychological science within the scientific community.
Lara Ameen is a junior at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in English with a double minor in Creative Writing and Disability Studies. She enjoys writing about her favorite paranormal television shows and is fascinated by the relationship between psychology, spirituality and the
paranormal. Her biggest aspirations are to be a fiction novelist and television screenwriter.
