Parapsychology: Dictionary of Parapsychology I-M

A dictionary of parapsychology. Please note that words in grey are hyperlinked to a corresponding archive with articles related to that particular topic.

I

I Ching

Ancient Chinese "Book of Changes". It describes 64 hexagrams (patterns of 6 broken and unbroken lines) which are used in a divinatory practice involving the throwing of yarrow stalks or coins.

Illusion

(a) An appearance that leads the person to draw mistaken conclusions.

(b) In conjuring, a perceptual trick.

Imagery

The ability to perceive images in the mind. These may be visual, auditory, tactile, etc.

Immortality

Various beliefs based on the assumption that some aspect of personal existence survives death.

Incline Effect

An increase in performance on a psi test when the test is repeated. Cf. decline effect.

Incorruptibility

Inexplicable lack of decay in a corpse.

Indirect Voice

Mediumistic phenomenon in which the discarnate entity appears to speak using the vocal apparatus of the medium. Often the voice will sound very different from the medium's normal voice. Cf. direct voice.

Intuition

The non-paranormal ability to grasp the elements of a situation or to draw conclusions about complex events in ways that go beyond a purely rational or intellectual analysis. Cf. clairsentience, empathy.

Invocation

Summoning benevolent spiritual beings. Cf. evocation.

J

Judge

Person who compares targets and responses in an psi experiment.

K

Ka

Ancient Egyptian term for the double or astral body. See also Ba.

Karma

Hindu and Buddhist ethical doctrine of "as one sows, so shall one reap". See also reincarnation.

Key Cards

Reference cards used to indicate each target alternative in a card-guessing test.

Kirlian Photography

A photographic method involving high frequency electric current, discovered by S.D. & V. Kirlian in the Soviet Union. Kirlian photographs often show coloured halos or "auras" surrounding objects.

Kundalini

In Yogic belief, a source of tremendous vital energy that may be stimulated by various practices. Kundalini, or the "Serpent Power", is believed to provide energy for paranormal phenomena.

L

Laying on of Hands

A healing practice, in which the healer's hands are placed on or near the body of the sick person.

Levitation

The paranormal raising or suspension of an object or person.

Life after Death

See survival.

Life Review

Flashback memories of the whole of a person's life, often associated with the near-death experience.

Lucid Dreaming

Dreaming in which the person is aware that the experience is a dream. Often associated with feelings of aliveness and freedom, and with the ability to control dream events.

Lucidity

(a) An early term for clairvoyance.

(b) Lucid dreaming.

Luminous Phenomena

The experience of strange lights or glows, often around objects or people. See also aura.

Lycanthropy

The supposed magical transformation of a person into the form of a wolf. See also shape-shifting, therianthropy, werewolf.

M

Macro-PK

Psychokinetic effects that can be directly observed rather than only inferred from statistical analysis. Cf. micro-PK.

Magic

(a) Practices that aim to use paranormal or spiritual means to influence events. See also white magic, black magic.

(b) The art of conjuring.

Magician

A person who practices magic.

Majority Vote Technique

An ESP procedure in which several subjects guess a target (or one subject makes several guesses). The most frequent guess is used as the response.

Mantra

A sacred sound or sacred syllables used in meditation. See also transcendental meditation.

Match

An alternative term for hit.

Matching

See preferential matching, matching tests.

Matching Tests

Card guessing tests in which the subject uses key cards when making guesses. See also blind matching, open matching, screen touch matching.

Materialization

The formation of a visible and tangible object or human shape during a seance. Cf. apport.

Mean Chance Expectation (MCE)

The most likely chance score in a psi test.

Medicine Man / Medicine Woman

A witchdoctor or shaman.

Meditation

Mental or physical-mental techniques which aim to produce spiritually desirable states of consciousness. See also ASC, Yoga.

Medium

A person believed to act as an intermediary between discarnate entities and the living. See also clairvoyant medium, trance medium, mental mediumship, physical mediumship.

Mediumship

Activity of a medium.

Mentalism

A branch of conjuring involving the simulation of psi.

Mental Mediumship

The paranormal obtaining of information by a medium. Cf. physical mediumship.

Mesmerism

A system of healing developed by F.A. Mesmer, involving the induction of trance states and the supposed transfer of animal magnetism. People in Mesmeric trance often showed paranormal abilities such as clairvoyance.

Message

See communication.

Metal Bending

Psychokinetic ability to bend metal objects. A phenomenon popularised by Uri Geller.

Metamorphosis

See shape-shifting.

Metempsychosis

Another term for reincarnation.

Micro-PK

Psychokinetic effects that cannot be directly observed, but only inferred from the statistical analysis of data. Cf. macro-PK.

Mind Reading

See telepathy.

Miracle

A beneficial event attributed to supernatural or divine intervention.

Misdirection

Techniques used by conjurers and mentalists to distract a person's attention or confuse their thinking.

Miss

A mismatch between the target and response. Cf. hit.

Mnemonist

A person who has learned techniques that enable extraordinary feats of memory.

Morphic Resonance

A term coined by Rupert Sheldrake to refer to the way in which the "morphogenetic field" (underlying form) of an object or organism may influence distant fields.

Motor Automatism

See Automatism

Multiple Personality

A psychiatric condition in which the person manifests two or more distinct and separate personalities at different times. Cf. possession.

Muscle Reading

See contact mind reading.

Mystic

(a) A person who has mystical experiences.

(b) Used loosely to refer to psychics, mediums or romantics.

Mystical Experience

ASCs involving experiences of ecstasy, unity, timelessness, loss of self, divine revelation, etc.

Mysticism

Religious or spiritual doctrines which argue that the human mind or soul can directly experience the divine. See also mystical experience, transpersonal psychology.