Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
June 12, 2026
Sabine Rabourdin, Damien Roy, Claude Berghmans
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are phenomena where consciousness seems separate from the physical body, reported for centuries in spiritual traditions and now studied in neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology. This literature review presents scientific research and explanatory approaches to OBEs, which typically occur during altered states like sleep, meditation, hypnosis, psychotropic substance use, lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, or intense stress. Common descriptions include floating sensations, panoramic vision, altered body perception, and feeling of free movement. Despite advances, OBEs remain difficult to study rigorously, with no consensus on their origin and ununified results across disciplines. The discussion calls for a more precise classification grid and suggests advanced methodologies could provide new insights.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
June 12, 2026
Daniel Bourke
Terminal lucidity—the unexpected return of mental clarity shortly before death, even in people with severe dementia or brain damage—is a real phenomenon that occurs across cultures and time. This anthology brings together professionals from various fields to challenge prevailing ideas about death and argue for integrating such near-death phenomena into the dying process. The book also speculates on whether these experiences support a post-materialist worldview. While some included cases, like that of a child named Jack, may not clearly fit the definition of terminal lucidity and seem more like general visionary experiences of the dying, the collection offers valuable insights and opens doors for further research.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
June 12, 2026
Joshua Cutchin
A book review argues that psi phenomena (precognition, clairvoyance) are "panhuman phenomena" present across all cultures and epochs, and that collective culture is slowly accepting the data. Daniel Bourke's *Telepathic Tales* uses comparative analysis of stories—from religious epics to historical facts to anecdotes—to argue that these experiences reflect a latent human psychic talent that may distill into a single concept: knowing. The foreword by Dr. Gregory Shushan, a scholar of near-death experiences, establishes the tone. The work proposes reevaluating the past through the lens of this emergent reality.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
March 12, 2026
Robert A Charman
A detailed account from David Kennedy describes a series of unsolicited communications conveyed through a medium that appeared to come from his deceased wife, Ann, and that indicated observational awareness of events in his life after her death. The case is presented as possibly unique in the literature, yet it was not referenced by contributors to a major essay contest on evidence for life after death, and the Society for Psychical Research only recently obtained a copy of the book. The background includes Ann's severe heart condition and a prior episode where Kennedy heard a voice saying she would recover, which preceded her actual recovery.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
March 12, 2026
Gerhard Mayer, Sonja Nowara
German ghost hunters are motivated by curiosity and prior exceptional experiences (ExEs), not distress. Two online surveys—21 teams and 39 individuals—revealed that ghost hunting groups (GHGs) share similar site selection, investigative methods, and use of technical equipment, but differ in documentation and data handling. Individual ghost hunters reported more ExEs than student samples and hold stronger paranormal beliefs. 85% believe in a link between paranormal phenomena and the deceased, yet 30% identify as atheists or agnostics, indicating belief in spirits is not tied to belief in God. For most, ExEs inspire further pursuit; nearly two-thirds said prior ExEs were key motivators for taking up ghost hunting. Motivation ranges from scientific interest to confirming or questioning personal beliefs.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
March 12, 2026
Graham Kidd
The book synthesizes scientific discoveries about near-death experiences and consciousness during cardiac arrest, presenting them for both professionals and the general public. The author, a critical care and resuscitation researcher, writes with earnest enthusiasm about his field of expertise, though the text is repetitive in style. The work describes how lucid dying—heightened consciousness during cardiac arrest—may provide insights into the nature of consciousness and the mind-brain relationship.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
December 19, 2025
Renaud Évrard
Frederic Myers, a co-founder of the Society for Psychical Research, developed a late-19th-century theory of consciousness that distinguished between subliminal (subthreshold) and supraliminal (ordinary) consciousness. Although praised by contemporaries such as Theodore Flournoy and William James, his model faced conceptual problems: confusion between a unified 'Subliminal Self' and multiple 'subliminal selves,' difficulty explaining coexistence of lower and higher faculties in the subliminal, and inadequacy of the surface/depth spatial metaphor. Myers refined his model using a light-spectrum analogy. This paper proposes an alternative 'topography' dividing consciousness into a center (intraliminal) and periphery (transliminal), restating Myers' ideas. His work laid foundations for broader understanding of consciousness and influenced psychology and parapsychology.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
September 24, 2025
James Houran
Anomalous 'dimensional-slip' experiences reported by a woman named Nell closely match the 'Spirit World' of shamanic and indigenous traditions, a space marked by vivid encounters with spirits, ancestral memory, and moral-emotional reckoning. A content analysis using ChatGPT-4o compared four of Nell's written accounts to 32 classic transcendental realms from spiritual and psychological traditions. The strongest alignment was with realms containing symbolic-archetypal contents that serve integrative, transformative, and revelatory functions. Nell's own post-hoc assessment under masked conditions partially supported this interpretation. The study demonstrates how large language models can enrich spirituality research and offers a replicable framework for investigating certain consciousness states.