Paranormal Psychology

People have always believed in the paranormal, throughout history there have been copious reports of the supernatural. Even Winston Churchill reportedly saw the ghost of Abraham Lincoln on a visit to the Whitehouse soon after World War II. A recent survey showed that as many as three quarters of us believe in the paranormal and nearly one in five claim to of seen an actual ghost!

What is Paranormal Psychology?

Psychical Research and Parapsychology are scientific approaches to the study of apparently paranormal phenomena. Paranormal psychology or ‘Parapsychology’  is the investigation into paranormal and psychic phenomena. It is the scientific study of interactions between living organisms and their external environment that seem to transcend the known physical laws of nature. Parapsychologists study paranormal claims including near death experiences, reincarnation and telepathy.

The History of Parapsychology

Joseph Banks Rhine, initially a botanist by formal training, studied psychology at Harvard and then Duke with William McDougall. Rhine is generally considered to be the founding father of parapsychology (he and McDougall coined the term) as an area of scientific inquiry. Inspired by a lecture by Arthur Conan Doyle on the possibility of communicating with the dead, he initiated formal laboratory and field research on paranormal phenomena at Duke University. He also started the Journal of Parapsychology, founded the Parapsychological Association and edited several editions of the book “Extra Sensory Perception”. His Rhine Research Center and Institute for Parapsychology, originally affiliated with Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, later became a wholly independent entity. Although there is evidence that data produced by some of his assistants may have been fraudulent, Rhine himself was known for rigorous lab research and approach to statistical analysis.

Case Study –

The Flying Saint

Saint Joseph of Cupertino (San Giuseppe da Copertino, 1603-1663; born Giuseppe Maria Desa in Cupertino, southeastern Italy) was considered rather dull witted (in modern terms, he may have suffered from learning disabilities), and said to possess a violent temper (a point we will return to). Joseph was extremely pious, however, and became a Franciscan friar. Joseph exhibited various mental psychic phenomena; for instance, it is said he was aware of the thoughts of people who came to confession and would know if they were not being completely honest. Due to his mental deficiencies, he could learn only a small amount of material at a time. When preparing for exams he simply studied one specific topic, and then prayed that that would be the very subject, of all possible subjects, that would be asked of him – and so it was. Was this an example of precognition, or was Joseph telepathically influencing or accessing (perhaps unconsciously) the examiners in terms of the questions they would put to him?

Joseph was also said to have the power to heal the sick. But it was his bodily levitations, his literal flights in the air, that he is most famous for, and which by many are considered to be absolutely mysterious and miraculous, either justifiably earning Joseph the appellation of Saint (he was canonised in 1767), or in the skeptic’s opinion dismissal as either a fraud, or at the least someone who incited  it is still difficult to dismiss all of the varied eyewitness accounts of Joseph’s flights. Reportedly the first levitation was in his hometown of Cupertino during an outdoor procession on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Joseph took off, flying over the crowd. After it was over, in embarrassment, he fled to hide in his mother’s house. From then until the end of his life, Joseph experienced uncontrolled fits of bodily levitation. Various minor incidents could potentially initiate a levitation: a casual remark about the wonders of God, or viewing an image of the Virgin Mary, could send Joseph into ecstasy, and then with a loud sob or cry he would fly into the air.

His reported flights were not trivial. On one occasion he flew from the middle of the church to the high altar, a distance of forty feet, and remained there for about fifteen minutes before descending. He once flew over the heads of bystanders to reach a statue of the Immaculate Conception, and then flew back again over their heads once more. Another time he reportedly flew eighty yards, over a pulpit, to a crucifix.⁵ During another levitation he ended up in a tree, and once he came out of his trance he was unable to get down until a ladder was fetched. On several occasions he carried another person up with him, holding them by the hand or hair.

Although it is “only” eyewitness testimony (but what else can we have from the seventeenth century?), it is incredibly varied and consistent, and Joseph’s levitations were not always viewed positively. Indeed, his superiors often found Joseph to be an embarrassment. His unannounced flights during solemn ceremonies could cause a disruption. Once floating before the altar holding the Holy Sacrament, his sandals fell off. Joseph was at times banned from choir practices, public masses, and even from meals with his fellow friars. Joseph and his “miracles” attracted a huge following, and especially later in his life, the church authorities periodically attempted to place him in seclusion. In my mind, these facts only reinforce that the levitations may well have been genuine.

Watch the link below to find out more about him.