everal media stories over the past decade have captured our attention of seemingly miraculous results, such as: "Psychic Leads Police to Body", "Missing Boy Found Alive by Psychic", "Psychic Sleuth Reunites Long-lost Relatives". Nonetheless, to paraphrase Foxx Mulder, the Paranormal/UFO-believing FBI agent of the popular "X-Files" TV series: You can almost always count on psychics to say that the missing body will be found near water and that police should look for a nearby church or a school. Mulder seems to have caught most psychics at their own game.
s this a "game"? Psychic detectives claim to be adept in ESP, especially clairvoyance, precognition (sensing the future), and retrocognition (sensing the past). Some say that they are able to telepathically link with the personalities involved or communicate with the deceased (a form of psi studied as "Survival"). Some psychics work together, many work alone. There seems to be as many combinations of psi methods as there are individual psychics.
cceptance of psychic detectives varies greatly. Most police detectives today still flinch when psychics call offering help on a case. High media profile cases seem to bring them out of the woodwork, providing only vague information or wild goose chases. Modern police departments may be more or less accepting, particularly when normal channels of investigation are dead-ended or an emotional family brings a psychic into the case. Anecdotes show that some well-intentioned people cum psychics have been arrested for the very crimes which they sought to solve.
sychic detectives are a fascinating subject within applied parapsychology and pose a challenge to experimental parapsychologists who may be compelled to design experiments examining this application.
Listed below are some current references and links for further information:
Comprehensive Look at Psychic Detectives/Psychic Sleuths Clearinghouse/ Extensive References:
Lyons, A. & Truzzi, M. The Blue Sense. New York:Warner/Mysterious Press, 1992.
More About Applied Psi and Psychic Detectives: Mishlove, J. Roots of Consciousness. NewYork:Random House (rev.ed.), 1993, pp. 218-239.
About Psychic Deception/More References: Wiseman, R. & Morris, R.L. Guidelines for Testing Psychic Claimants. Hatfield:U.of Hertsfordshire Press, 1995.
Current General Parapsychology Information: Broughton, R. Parapsychology: The Controversial Science. NY:Ballantine Books, 1991.
Parapsychology Frequently Asked Questions. Radin, D.I., (Ed.)
Several of these books and reference materials may be obtained via the Rhine Research Center, 402 North Buchanan Blvd., Durham, N.C. 27701 or email: Rhine Research Center
Suzanne V. Brown, Ph.D. is a cognitive experimental psychologist who enjoys independent research, writing, and teaching in topics of parapsychology.
PNotN homepage
