N

NDE Psychic Dictionary Index

See near-death experience.

Near-Death Experience (NDE) Psychic Dictionary Index

Experiences of people after they have been pronounced clinically dead, or been very close to death. Typical features of the NDE are an OBE, life review, a tunnel experience, light, coming to a boundary (marking death), seeing dead friends and relatives, experiencing a loving or divine presence, and making a choice (or being told) to return. Occasionally NDEs can be frightening and distressing. NDEs often have profound effects on the person's later life. See also cerebral anoxia, survival.

Necromancy Psychic Dictionary Index

Black magic practices involving communicating with the dead.

Newspaper Test Psychic Dictionary Index

(a) A communication in which the spirit forecasts an item in a future day's newspaper.

(b) An conjuring effect in which a magician or mentalist predicts a future newspaper item.

Null hypothesis Psychic Dictionary Index

The hypothesis that experimental results are due to chance.

Numerology Psychic Dictionary Index

A system of divination involving the interpretation of numbers.

O

OBE Psychic Dictionary Index

See out of body experience.

Object Reading Psychic Dictionary Index

See psychometry.

Occam's Razor Psychic Dictionary Index

The principle that we should always prefer the simplest explanation of events.

Occultism Psychic Dictionary Index

Esoteric systems of belief and practice that assume the existence of mysterious forces and entities.

Omen Psychic Dictionary Index

A sign that foretells events.

One-Ahead Principle Psychic Dictionary Index

In mentalism, a procedure for sequentially revealing information where the revealing of one item gives the mentalist the next answer. Also used by fraudulent clairvoyants.

OOBE Psychic Dictionary Index

See out of body experience.

Open Deck Psychic Dictionary Index

A series of cards used in a card guessing test where each card is chosen randomly and independently. This enables each target to be selected any number of times. Statistical analysis of research data using an open deck differs from statistical analysis of data using a closed deck.

Open Matching (OM) Psychic Dictionary Index

A card guessing procedure in which key cards are placed face up on the table. The subject then places the unseen target cards in piles in front of each key card, according to their guesses. See also blind matching.

Oracle Psychic Dictionary Index

(a) An answer to a question, believed to come from the gods.

(b) a shrine at which these answers are given.

Orgone Energy Psychic Dictionary Index

A term used by Wilhelm Reich to refer to a universal life force, associated with sexuality.

Ouija Board Psychic Dictionary Index

A board with letters and numbers on which messages are spelled out by unconsciously moving (with the fingers) a glass or planchette. See also automatism. See also our full article about OUIJA BOARDS

Ouija (pronounced wee-juh or wee-jee) refers to the belief that one can receive messages during a séance by the use of a Ouija board (also called a talking board or spirit board) and planchette. The fingers of the participants are placed on the planchette which then moves about a board covered with numbers, letters and symbols so as to spell out messages. (Wikepedia)

Out Psychic Dictionary Index

In conjuring and mentalism, a convincing explanation for an apparent failure, or a convincing alternative ending to an effect that has not worked as planned. Also used by fraudulent clairvoyants and mediums.

Out of Body Experience (OBE, OOBE) Psychic Dictionary Index

A fully conscious experience in which the person's centre of awareness appears to be outside of the physical body. See also autoscopy, near-death experience.

P

Palmistry Psychic Dictionary Index

The art of assessing a person's character and forecasting life events by examining features of the hand. See also divination.

Paranormal Psychic Dictionary Index

Beside or beyond the normal. Inexplicable in terms of our ordinary understanding or current scientific knowledge.

Paranormal Dream Psychic Dictionary Index

Dreams in which the dream imagery provides paranormal knowledge (e.g., ESP or precognition). See also announcing dream, lucid dreaming.

Parapsychology Psychic Dictionary Index

Term coined by J.B. Rhine to refer to the experimental and quantitative study of paranormal phenomena. Now generally used instead of "psychical research" to refer to all scientific investigation of the paranormal. Cf. transpersonal psychology.

Past-Life Memories Psychic Dictionary Index

Mental images that are believed to be memories of previous lives. See also reincarnation, past-life regression.

Past-Life Regression Psychic Dictionary Index

A technique of hypnosis involving regressing people to supposed previous lives. See also reincarnation.

Pendulum Psychic Dictionary Index

An object suspended by a thread. Movements of a pendulum are often used by dowsers to locate objects or answer questions.

Percipient Psychic Dictionary Index

Person who receives impressions in an ESP test. See also agent, subject.

Phantasm Psychic Dictionary Index

An apparition.

Phenomenology Psychic Dictionary Index

An approach to research that aims to describe and clarify a person's own experience and understanding of an event or phenomenon.

Phrenology Psychic Dictionary Index

The reading of character and mental ability from the shape of a person's skull.

Physical Mediumship Psychic Dictionary Index

The production of paranormal physical phenomena (lights, sounds, materialization, elongation, levitation, etc.) by a medium. Physical mediumship often (but not always) involves a state of trance. See also mental mediumship.

Picture Drawing Psychic Dictionary Index

A free-response ESP test in which the subject attempts to draw impressions of the target.

Pilot Study Psychic Dictionary Index

A preliminary study, generally of modest scale.

PK Psychic Dictionary Index

See psychokinesis

Placebo Psychic Dictionary Index

An inactive treatment often given to a control group.

Placement Test Psychic Dictionary Index

A test for PK in which the subject attempts to influence the place in which dice or other objects land. See also dice test.

Planchette Psychic Dictionary Index

A small platform on casters generally used with a ouija board. Sometimes used with an attached pencil to produce automatic writing.

Plant Psi Psychic Dictionary Index

ESP exhibited by plants.

PMIR Psychic Dictionary Index

See psi-mediated instrumental response.

Pocomania Psychic Dictionary Index

A Jamaican spiritist religion. See also Voodoo.

Poltergeist Psychic Dictionary Index

German word meaning "noisy or troublesome spirit". Poltergeist activity may include unexplained noises, movements of objects, outbreaks of fire, floods, pricks or scratches to a person's body. Unlike hauntings, which are associated with specific locations, poltergeists typically focus on a person (the focal person or poltergeist agent) who is often a young child or adolescent. Many physical mediums experienced poltergeist activity in their childhood.

Possession Psychic Dictionary Index

Refers to cases in which a person's body is apparently taken over by another personality or entity. Cf. multiple personality. See also demonic possession, discarnate entity.

Prayer Psychic Dictionary Index

A sincere attempt to communicate with a spiritual being or power.

Precognition Psychic Dictionary Index

The paranormal awareness of future events. See also prediction, premonition, prophecy.

Prediction Psychic Dictionary Index

A statement that claims to foretell future events. Cf. premonition, precognition, prophecy.

Preexistence Psychic Dictionary Index

Belief that the personality or soul exists prior to birth. Cf. survival. See also reincarnation.

Preferential Matching Psychic Dictionary Index

Technique in which a judge ranks a subject's free responses in terms of their similarity to various possible targets.

Premonition Psychic Dictionary Index

An experience believed to foretell future events. See also prediction, precognition, prophecy.

Presence Psychic Dictionary Index

A subjective feeling that a person, animal or discarnate entity is present.

Probability Psychic Dictionary Index

The likelihood that results in a test were due to chance. See also significance.

Process research Psychic Dictionary Index

Research that aims to investigate factors affecting psi. Cf. proof research.

Proof research Psychic Dictionary Index

Research that aims to demonstrate the existence of psi. Cf. process research.

Prophecy Psychic Dictionary Index

(a) A prediction, usually resulting from a sense of spiritual revelation.

(b) The ability to receive prophetic revelations.

Proxy Sitting Psychic Dictionary Index

A seance in which another person sits in on behalf of the person receiving a communication.

Pseudo-Random Numbers Psychic Dictionary Index

Numbers generated by an electronic calculator or computer using a complex mathematical algorithm that simulates a random process. Although the numbers generated are essentially unpredictable, they are not strictly random. See also random numbers, random event generator.

Psi Psychic Dictionary Index

A term used to encompass all paranormal abilities. Includes both ESP and PK abilities.

Psi-Hitting Psychic Dictionary Index

Significantly better than chance performance on a psi test.

Psi-Mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR) Psychic Dictionary Index

Theory put forward by Rex Stanford that psi activity is used to serve an organism's needs.

Psi-Missing Psychic Dictionary Index

Significantly worse than chance performance on a psi test. Psi-missing is also evidence for psi, because a target can only be missed consistently if the person "knows" what it is.

Psyche Psychic Dictionary Index

Generally refers to the mind.

Psychedelic Psychic Dictionary Index

Literally "revealing mind". A class of plants and drugs (e.g., peyote, psilocybin, LSD) that can produce florid ASCs.

Psychic Psychic Dictionary Index

A person who exhibits psi ability (also used as an adjective).

Psychical Research Psychic Dictionary Index

Term coined in the late 19th century to refer to the scientific study of the paranormal. Now largely superseded by "parapsychology".

Psychic Healing Psychic Dictionary Index

Forms of healing using psychic powers. See also laying on of hands, psychic surgery.

Psychic Photography Psychic Dictionary Index

General term used to refer to paranormal photographic images. See also Kirlian photography, spirit photography, thoughtography.

Psychic Surgery Psychic Dictionary Index

Actual or simulated surgical procedures carried out by healers.

Psychokinesis (PK) Psychic Dictionary Index

The paranormal influence of the mind on physical events and processes.

Psychometry Psychic Dictionary Index

Obtaining paranormal knowledge using a physical object as a focus. Also known as object reading.

Pyramid Power Psychic Dictionary Index

Belief that pyramid shapes can produce paranormal effects.

Q

Qualitative Method Psychic Dictionary Index

A research method involving the collection of non-quantitative data (e.g., observations, interviews, subjective reports, case studies). Cf. quantitative method.

Quantitative Method Psychic Dictionary Index

A research method involving the collection and statistical analysis of numerical data. Cf. qualitative method.