Message #136882

[Thulsa Doom]

evasion of a law of its domain, there is ground then for making a hyphenated name, as "Parapsycho-physical". Those phenomena not thus described and given a hyphenated name are the more purely psychical ones and would be called "parapsychical". We have the following outline, then, as a tentative working adaptation of the more systematic German terminology:


Outline of Parapsychology (i.e., Psychical Research) on the basis of the other fields most involved in the laws seemingly evaded or transcended.

Parapsychological Phenomena:

A. Parapsychical: Telepathy and clairvoyance, experimental and spontaneous; dowsing; previsionary and monitory dreams or hallucinations; "psychometry", veridical "spirit" communication, etc.

B. Parapsycho-physical: Telekinesis, levitation, "psychic lights", temperature changes, "apports", etc.

C. Parapsycho-physiological: "Materializations", "extrusions", elongations, stigmatization, extreme body-temperature changes, etc.

D. Parapsycho-pathological: "Possession-pathology"; 1 "psychic healing" of organic disease, beyond effect of suggestion.

E. [Parapsycho-literary (and other parapsycho-artistic): Creative writing or other art, clearly "impossible" as result of natural training; e.g., Patience Worth, as reported. 2 (This may properly be regarded as a sub-heading of A, also.)]


The outline, as thus far developed, deals only with the branching of the subject on the basis of the types of laws seemingly transcended, and consequently of the other subject or science involved. When we consider the other major features of the so-called "psychic phenomena"—namely, their "psychic" or personality aspect—we find that further outlining is required to express this feature and that the added lines cut horizontally across those already indicated. Among the phenomena reported, corporeality and incorporeality is the principal feature of personality condition that stands out. That is, the occurrences reported are purported to be due to incorporeal agencies, called "controls", "spirits", etc., or else are supposed to be produced by certain corporeal (or, as we say, "living") agents who are specially sensitive and capable of these unusual performances. There seem to be four general cases possible on this principle: one corporeal agent may influence another, as in telepathy, or the one corporeal may be the only personality concerned, as in clairvoyance. The incorporeal agency (claiming to be a disembodied personality surviving



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