Psychology – Intriguing Phenomena of the Mind
December 13, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
John W. Martin asked:
Psychology – Intriguing Phenomena of the Mind
http://www.yallways.com
Strictly defined, psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviors. Psychologists study everything from interpersonal relationships to unconscious habits of the mind. They also attempt to relate behaviors and thoughts to neurological processes. While most professionals in this field work within the realm of mainstream science, some have adopted a focus on “paranormal psychology,” commonly referred to as parapsychology.
Parapsychology first developed as a field in the 19th century. In 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was founded in London to promote the critical evaluation of paranormal psychic phenomena. Three years later, psychologists in the United States created the American Society for Psychical Research. Both organizations still exist today and continue to conduct prominent research. They are now joined by other interested institutions, like the Parapsychological Association, and sections of major universities.
Parapsychology focuses on several key phenomena. One of the most heavily studied is extrasensory perception (ESP). ESP refers to the ability to garner information without using any of the known physical senses. This can include precognition, telepathy, and clairvoyance. A key method of ESP study has involved sensory-deprivation. When unable to use other sense, subjects are able to test supposed ESP abilities. Results from these so-called “ganzfeld experiments” seem to prove the existence of some ESP phenomena. However, such findings have not been confirmed by the general scientific community.
Some parapsychologists specifically focus on the survival of consciousness beyond the death of a person’s physical body. Most research in this area involves exploration of near-death experiences. These refer to instances where a person has come close to death or been revived after cited as medically deceased. In many such cases, subjects describe an “out of body experience” in which he or she was able to observe the situation from outside their physical self. Other subjects have reported communicating with deceased loved ones or spiritual figures. Today, this phenomenon is widely studied in universities, such as at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and by the International Association for Near-Death Studies.
A more obscure segment of parapsychology is the study of psychokinesis, or the ability of the mind to influence physical matter. Although claims in this area are numerous, scientific study of such phenomena is difficult. One popular method of studying this phenomenon involves using computers as random number generators. A subject is then asked to try and influence the outcome of the device. Some results from these experiments seem to show that a person can influence a random event. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to determine whether data is accurate or simply the result of chance success.
Despite some empirical findings, most scientists still consider parapsychology to be a pseudoscience. They do not support supposed experimental findings, and continue to debate the credibility of parapsychologists. However, this has not deterred researchers, and parapsychology continues to be studied by scholars around the world. Some projects have even received government funding and media support. However, more experimental findings are necessary before even a single parapsychology claim can be verified.
Psychology – Intriguing Phenomena of the Mind
http://www.yallways.com
Strictly defined, psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviors. Psychologists study everything from interpersonal relationships to unconscious habits of the mind. They also attempt to relate behaviors and thoughts to neurological processes. While most professionals in this field work within the realm of mainstream science, some have adopted a focus on “paranormal psychology,” commonly referred to as parapsychology.
Parapsychology first developed as a field in the 19th century. In 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was founded in London to promote the critical evaluation of paranormal psychic phenomena. Three years later, psychologists in the United States created the American Society for Psychical Research. Both organizations still exist today and continue to conduct prominent research. They are now joined by other interested institutions, like the Parapsychological Association, and sections of major universities.
Parapsychology focuses on several key phenomena. One of the most heavily studied is extrasensory perception (ESP). ESP refers to the ability to garner information without using any of the known physical senses. This can include precognition, telepathy, and clairvoyance. A key method of ESP study has involved sensory-deprivation. When unable to use other sense, subjects are able to test supposed ESP abilities. Results from these so-called “ganzfeld experiments” seem to prove the existence of some ESP phenomena. However, such findings have not been confirmed by the general scientific community.
Some parapsychologists specifically focus on the survival of consciousness beyond the death of a person’s physical body. Most research in this area involves exploration of near-death experiences. These refer to instances where a person has come close to death or been revived after cited as medically deceased. In many such cases, subjects describe an “out of body experience” in which he or she was able to observe the situation from outside their physical self. Other subjects have reported communicating with deceased loved ones or spiritual figures. Today, this phenomenon is widely studied in universities, such as at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and by the International Association for Near-Death Studies.
A more obscure segment of parapsychology is the study of psychokinesis, or the ability of the mind to influence physical matter. Although claims in this area are numerous, scientific study of such phenomena is difficult. One popular method of studying this phenomenon involves using computers as random number generators. A subject is then asked to try and influence the outcome of the device. Some results from these experiments seem to show that a person can influence a random event. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to determine whether data is accurate or simply the result of chance success.
Despite some empirical findings, most scientists still consider parapsychology to be a pseudoscience. They do not support supposed experimental findings, and continue to debate the credibility of parapsychologists. However, this has not deterred researchers, and parapsychology continues to be studied by scholars around the world. Some projects have even received government funding and media support. However, more experimental findings are necessary before even a single parapsychology claim can be verified.
Savannah Georgia – America’s Most Haunted City
October 24, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Deb Bunting asked:
In 2003, the American Institute of Paranormal Psychology named Savannah America’s Most Haunted City. And Savannah is able to support the title. Ghosts, apparitions or paranormal activities have been reported at many of Savannah’s inns, restaurants, private residences, and of course, cemeteries.
There are many magnificently restored buildings nestled around Savannah’s twenty-one squares. Many of these buildings are stately homes supposedly still occupied by former owners. James Habersham has been known to roam around the Olde Pink House, now a restaurant, but formerly his home. Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, was born and raised in Savannah. Her parents, long deceased, are said to still roam Juliette’s childhood home.
Savannah’s Sorrel-Weed House, visited by The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) in 2005 as part of their SciFi Ghost Hunters Halloween special, is supposedly haunted. The story goes that Mrs. Weed caught her husband in a compromising position with one of the Weed’s many slaves. Mrs. Weed, very distraught, ran back to her second-floor bedroom. After a long argument with her husband, she either threw herself (or was thrown) to her death from a second floor balcony. Soon after Mrs. Weed’s death, the slave found with Mr. Weed was found hung in her slave quarters. Both women are said to be still roaming the grounds.
The Hampton-Lillibridge House was said to be so haunted, that Jim Williams (of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” fame) had an exorcism performed at this former boarding house. On countless occasions, residents and passersby have heard the sound of jazz coming from inside the home.
The Kehoes were a very prominent family in Savannah, as Mr. Kehoe owned the ironworks on the riverfront. The Kehoes built this fireproof, all-iron home and lived there with their 10 children. The Kehoe’s heirs sold the house in 1930 and the property changed hands many times to include use for 65 years as the Goette Funeral Home. It is now a beautiful bed and breakfast where many of its visitors report supernatural occurrences such as a woman screaming, a nurse shushing visitors, the Lady in White making appearances, and several instances involving ghosts of children.
The list goes on and on!
So, what is it about Savannah that makes it so attractive to ghosts and ghost stories? Many people start with the fact that Savannah is literally built on its dead. Savannah was the first city in Georgia founded in 1733. It was established in the same location as the Creek and Choctaw maintained their burial grounds.
As the colony began to grow and thrive, it needed more room. Buildings were erected on the burial plots of the original colonists. Tombstones in cemeteries were moved to make room for sidewalks and roads. Places of worship were erected on the graves of slaves.
Second, Savannah has a very violent history. Many bloody battles and skirmishes were fought in Savannah. One of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution, the Siege of Savannah, where about 1200 men lost their lives in one hour, was fought in Savannah.
Also, the city has been victim to many city-wide fires, at least two yellow-fever epidemics and several hurricanes.
Third, Savannah has been a major port city since the days of King Cotton, so many a sailor has ventured through Savannah spinning a romantic tale or two.
Fourth, Savannahians are (proudly) an eccentric bunch, as were their ancestors, which adds history and volume to the ghost stories. Take the
Lastly, I blame the large amounts of Spanish moss hanging from the majestic oak trees. The blankets of moss look like ghostly shrouds and give the entire region an eerie look.
Whatever the reason, the ghost stories are endless, earning the Savannah the right to the title of America’s Most Haunted City.
In 2003, the American Institute of Paranormal Psychology named Savannah America’s Most Haunted City. And Savannah is able to support the title. Ghosts, apparitions or paranormal activities have been reported at many of Savannah’s inns, restaurants, private residences, and of course, cemeteries.
There are many magnificently restored buildings nestled around Savannah’s twenty-one squares. Many of these buildings are stately homes supposedly still occupied by former owners. James Habersham has been known to roam around the Olde Pink House, now a restaurant, but formerly his home. Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, was born and raised in Savannah. Her parents, long deceased, are said to still roam Juliette’s childhood home.
Savannah’s Sorrel-Weed House, visited by The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) in 2005 as part of their SciFi Ghost Hunters Halloween special, is supposedly haunted. The story goes that Mrs. Weed caught her husband in a compromising position with one of the Weed’s many slaves. Mrs. Weed, very distraught, ran back to her second-floor bedroom. After a long argument with her husband, she either threw herself (or was thrown) to her death from a second floor balcony. Soon after Mrs. Weed’s death, the slave found with Mr. Weed was found hung in her slave quarters. Both women are said to be still roaming the grounds.
The Hampton-Lillibridge House was said to be so haunted, that Jim Williams (of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” fame) had an exorcism performed at this former boarding house. On countless occasions, residents and passersby have heard the sound of jazz coming from inside the home.
The Kehoes were a very prominent family in Savannah, as Mr. Kehoe owned the ironworks on the riverfront. The Kehoes built this fireproof, all-iron home and lived there with their 10 children. The Kehoe’s heirs sold the house in 1930 and the property changed hands many times to include use for 65 years as the Goette Funeral Home. It is now a beautiful bed and breakfast where many of its visitors report supernatural occurrences such as a woman screaming, a nurse shushing visitors, the Lady in White making appearances, and several instances involving ghosts of children.
The list goes on and on!
So, what is it about Savannah that makes it so attractive to ghosts and ghost stories? Many people start with the fact that Savannah is literally built on its dead. Savannah was the first city in Georgia founded in 1733. It was established in the same location as the Creek and Choctaw maintained their burial grounds.
As the colony began to grow and thrive, it needed more room. Buildings were erected on the burial plots of the original colonists. Tombstones in cemeteries were moved to make room for sidewalks and roads. Places of worship were erected on the graves of slaves.
Second, Savannah has a very violent history. Many bloody battles and skirmishes were fought in Savannah. One of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution, the Siege of Savannah, where about 1200 men lost their lives in one hour, was fought in Savannah.
Also, the city has been victim to many city-wide fires, at least two yellow-fever epidemics and several hurricanes.
Third, Savannah has been a major port city since the days of King Cotton, so many a sailor has ventured through Savannah spinning a romantic tale or two.
Fourth, Savannahians are (proudly) an eccentric bunch, as were their ancestors, which adds history and volume to the ghost stories. Take the
Lastly, I blame the large amounts of Spanish moss hanging from the majestic oak trees. The blankets of moss look like ghostly shrouds and give the entire region an eerie look.
Whatever the reason, the ghost stories are endless, earning the Savannah the right to the title of America’s Most Haunted City.
What is E.S.P and How Does it Happen?
Keith Ward asked:
Psi is the collective term for various hypothetical mental abilities (called extrasensory perception or E.S.P.), along with other paranormal phenomena.
If you have thought seriously about E.S.P, and developing it, you must know that it is a prerogative of your subconscious mind and for it to develop; your conscious, waking mind should take a backseat.
The common way to initiate this is to relax your mind to the extent of pushing it beyond waking consciousness, so it reaches to a floating, dreamlike state. When this is completed, your subconscious will automatically begin perceiving your suggestions and E.S.P. will set in. Look up audio files on the net which can help you reach this state of mind, the altered state that favours E.S.P.
These are the major types of E.S.P.:-
Telepathy: The ability to read the minds of other people.
Clairvoyance: The ability to “see” events or objects happening somewhere else.
Precognition: Similar to Divination, the ability to see the future.
Retrocognition: The ability to see the distant past.
Mediumship: The ability to channel and connect with dead spirits.
Psychometry: the ability to read information about a person or place by touching a physical object
Telekinesis: the ability to affect the material world with the mind alone is a psi phenomenon too, though not strictly E.SP.
The idea behind E.S.P has been around for centuries, only in different forms. The modern concept began to take shape only recently, the beginning of 20th century onwards. The bottom-line behind this is that the human mind can perceive matters beyond the scope of known bodily senses.
1934 saw the coinage of the term E.S.P by Duke University professor J. B. Rhine, one of the most eminent researchers in the field of paranormal psychology.
The possession of Extra Sensory abilities is a widely debated topic. Some people are of the opinion that everybody possesses them and experiences involuntary moments of manifestation.
Others will say that only a handful of psychics, shamans or mediums are blessed by it. The widely agreed upon belief though, is that all of us have the potential for E.S.P, only some of us are more in tune to our subconscious and hence to our Extra Sensory Perceptions than others are.
Debates also run about how this actually works. One theory says that, like our ordinary senses, ESP is energy moving from one point to another point. This energy is then electromagnetic wave-like in nature, similar to light, radio and X-rays, which have not been physically detected, but are just streams of packets of energy.
Like other other-worldly concepts, even E.S.P has no concrete scientific basis. Believing in it is a bit like believing in God. It needs faith more than facts. But once you begin believing, it can work wonders. The existence and reach of this has been proven the world over time and again and it is truly wonderful once it begins to manifest.
Psi is the collective term for various hypothetical mental abilities (called extrasensory perception or E.S.P.), along with other paranormal phenomena.
If you have thought seriously about E.S.P, and developing it, you must know that it is a prerogative of your subconscious mind and for it to develop; your conscious, waking mind should take a backseat.
The common way to initiate this is to relax your mind to the extent of pushing it beyond waking consciousness, so it reaches to a floating, dreamlike state. When this is completed, your subconscious will automatically begin perceiving your suggestions and E.S.P. will set in. Look up audio files on the net which can help you reach this state of mind, the altered state that favours E.S.P.
These are the major types of E.S.P.:-
Telepathy: The ability to read the minds of other people.
Clairvoyance: The ability to “see” events or objects happening somewhere else.
Precognition: Similar to Divination, the ability to see the future.
Retrocognition: The ability to see the distant past.
Mediumship: The ability to channel and connect with dead spirits.
Psychometry: the ability to read information about a person or place by touching a physical object
Telekinesis: the ability to affect the material world with the mind alone is a psi phenomenon too, though not strictly E.SP.
The idea behind E.S.P has been around for centuries, only in different forms. The modern concept began to take shape only recently, the beginning of 20th century onwards. The bottom-line behind this is that the human mind can perceive matters beyond the scope of known bodily senses.
1934 saw the coinage of the term E.S.P by Duke University professor J. B. Rhine, one of the most eminent researchers in the field of paranormal psychology.
The possession of Extra Sensory abilities is a widely debated topic. Some people are of the opinion that everybody possesses them and experiences involuntary moments of manifestation.
Others will say that only a handful of psychics, shamans or mediums are blessed by it. The widely agreed upon belief though, is that all of us have the potential for E.S.P, only some of us are more in tune to our subconscious and hence to our Extra Sensory Perceptions than others are.
Debates also run about how this actually works. One theory says that, like our ordinary senses, ESP is energy moving from one point to another point. This energy is then electromagnetic wave-like in nature, similar to light, radio and X-rays, which have not been physically detected, but are just streams of packets of energy.
Like other other-worldly concepts, even E.S.P has no concrete scientific basis. Believing in it is a bit like believing in God. It needs faith more than facts. But once you begin believing, it can work wonders. The existence and reach of this has been proven the world over time and again and it is truly wonderful once it begins to manifest.
