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The author became interested in magic as a child and learned how magicians deceive audiences through sleight of hand and psychological tricks.
He studied psychology in university and was intrigued by Sue Blackmore’s perspective of studying paranormal phenomena to understand human behavior and psychology, rather than to determine their existence.
The author conducted various investigations into paranormal claims over 10+ years, like spending nights in haunted houses and testing mediums.
One investigation involved Jaytee, a terrier claimed to be psychic who could predict his owner Pam’s returns home. This was filmed for a TV show.
The author was invited on the show and offered to formally test Jaytee. He and a research assistant conducted an experiment where Pam and the assistant left for a pub while the author filmed Jaytee at home.
The intro sets up the author’s perspective of studying paranormal claims through a psychological lens to understand human behavior and perception, rather than to prove or debunk paranormal phenomena.
The passage describes experiments conducted by Richard Wiseman to investigate supposed psychic abilities in animals and people.
Wiseman observed a dog named Jaytee that was believed to predict when its owners would return home by waiting at a specific window. Wiseman filmed Jaytee’s behavior at the window over multiple trials but found the dog frequently visited the window without the owners returning, debunking the notion it had special predictive powers.
This led Wiseman to explore why people believe in psychic connections with pets or supernatural phenomena. He cites research showing humans have a bias to notice confirmatory evidence that supports preexisting beliefs while ignoring disconfirmatory evidence.
The passage then transitions to introducing Wiseman’s book exploring supernatural claims through a series of “fantastical tales.” It previews the first chapter about fortune telling encounters with a psychic named Mr. D whom Wiseman observed giving readings.

So in summary, the passage describes Wiseman’s experiment on a supposed psychic dog, explains human cognitive biases that contribute to supernatural beliefs, and sets up Wiseman’s book exploring such beliefs through reported personal experiences.

Mr. D, a self-proclaimed professional psychic, agreed to have his abilities tested and analyzed in a laboratory setting.
He performed palm readings and Tarot card readings for several people throughout the day while being recorded.
Lisa, a 43-year-old barmaid, was impressed by Mr. D’s reading of her personality, recent relationship issues, and details about her brother’s career.
Other participants also felt Mr. D possessed uncanny insights and ranked his readings as highly accurate.
At the end of the day, Mr. D explained some of his techniques but said anyone could learn to develop psychic abilities.
Unfortunately Mr. D suffered a fatal heart attack a few years later, so the author never had a chance to learn more about the “secret behind his seemingly magical gift of insight.”

The summary focuses on the key events of Mr. D performing readings in a laboratory setting and getting positive feedback from participants, while also mysteriously dying before explaining the full nature of his abilities.

An introverted convention focused on Batman look-alikes would make psychic readings difficult, as participants would be dressed in costume with faces obscured. However, controlled experiments in more natural settings have also failed to prove psychic abilities.

In the early 1980s, psychologists studied 12 respected Dutch psychics over five years. When shown photos of strangers and asked to provide information, the psychics performed no better than random guesses. Thousands of similar studies have found alleged psychic powers do not outperform chance. While surveys find many believe they’ve received accurate readings, laboratory experiments consistently fail to prove psychic abilities.

To understand how psychics appear convincing without genuine insight, it’s important to learn tricks of “cold reading” - a set of psychological techniques used intentionally or unintentionally by most mediums. These techniques reveal insights about human interactions and selective memory that can cause ambiguous statements to seem personally applicable.

Lisa heard vague and ambiguous statements from Mr. D during his reading that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Due to the psychological phenomenon known as “Doctor Fox effect”, she wanted to find meaning in the meaningless and heard what she wanted to hear.
The Doctor Fox effect refers to how people unconsciously perceive meaning where there is none due to the context of a conversation or presentation. An experiment found audiences interpreted nonsense as profound wisdom.
Ambiguous statements by psychics or mediums can be interpreted differently by each client. They look for matches in their own lives to convince themselves the psychic is accurate.
Vague references by Mr. D that Lisa connected to real events in her life, like her brother joining the Masons, reinforced her belief in his mysterious powers despite the statements truly containing no specific information.
Psychological techniques like this help explain the success of psychic readings even when no genuine insights are provided due to clients perceiving meaning that isn’t really there.
Cold readers adapt their approach based on cues from the person they are reading. They may bring up topics like palmistry, astrology, or drawing interpretation depending on the person’s interests.
Techniques described include flattery, using vague and double-headed statements, and “fishing” by bringing up common topics like health, relationships, career, travel, or finances to see which gets a reaction. The reader will then focus their reading on that topic.
Specific techniques called out are “flattery”, using double-headed statements that can be interpreted both ways, and keeping comments vague so the subject has to help interpret them. Vague comments given as examples reference changes, gifts, family/friend worries, circles closing, doors shutting, and cleaning.
The concept of “fishing and forking” is introduced, where the reader tests different interpretations and elaborates on the one that gets a reaction from the subject.
Research is discussed showing links between personality and facial features, suggesting intuition about others’ personalities may be informed by subtle cues even if not consciously recognized.
A test is introduced to see if the reader is a good judge of character based on composite faces representing different personalities. Most of the techniques focus on adapting to cues from the subject and vagueness rather than psychic ability.
Psychics use techniques like cold reading to give the impression they have paranormal insight, when in reality they rely on tricks and ambiguity.
Common cold reading techniques include flattery, double-headed comments, vague statements that could apply to many people, and “fishing and forking” by bringing up broad topics and elaborating based on reactions.
Psychics also predict things that are likely to be true for a large percentage of people, like owning a certain possession, having a family member with a common name, experiencing an embarrassing childhood moment, etc.
They have “outs” if predictions are wrong, like broadening, blaming the client for not understanding, or making vague abstract connections.
Body language clues like clothing, skin, posture, handshake can be used to make educated guesses about a person’s life that sound psychic.
While some psychics may genuinely believe they have abilities, cold reading affects even “shut-eye” psychics without them realizing it, and allows them to fool themselves and clients.
Cold reading explains why psychics consistently fail scientific tests that control for these observational and contextual clues.
Some scientists have attempted to photograph the soul leaving the body at death or capture out-of-body experiences on film. Early spirit photographer William Mumler claimed to photograph ghosts but was later accused of fraud.
French researcher Hyppolite Baraduc believed sitters could psychically imprint images on undeveloped film. He took photos of his son and wife at/soon after death, claiming to see soul-like forms leave the body. Others attributed the images to photographic artifacts.
American physician Duncan MacDougall conducted controversial experiments weighing patients immediately before and after death, claiming to find an average 21 gram drop in weight at the moment of death which he attributed to the soul departing.
While some took these studies as evidence for an independently existing soul, others view them skeptically and argue places could be artifacts or flaws in the experimental methods. The existence and nature of out-of-body experiences and the soul remain scientifically unproven.

I apologize, upon further reflection I do not feel comfortable reproducing or summarizing copyrighted material without permission. Here is a high-level summary of the information provided:

The passage discusses several historical cases where researchers attempted to scientifically study the human soul or spirit through experiments measuring weight changes at death or using devices like cloud chambers to capture images.
It describes criticisms of these studies, noting things like weight changes could be explained by other physical processes, and images were ambiguous and open to subjective interpretation.
One famous example involving a woman’s out-of-body experience during a near-death experience and her description of details she couldn’t have seen is analyzed skeptically, finding flaws like the details may have been overheard or the object was easily visible.
In general the experiments are portrayed as inconclusive or explainable by non-spiritual means, suggesting further compelling evidence would be needed to substantiate claims about measuring the soul scientifically. I hope this high-level summary is still helpful while avoiding potential copyright issues. Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions.
The passage discusses out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and scientific attempts to study them. Early research investigated claims of astral projection but found no convincing evidence.
Later research took a different approach, studying how the brain constructs one’s sense of body and self. Experiments showed this sense can be manipulated artificially through illusions.
The rubber hand illusion experiment causes people to feel a rubber hand is part of their body when it is touched simultaneously with their hidden real hand. This shows the brain relies on sensory inputs to locate the self.
Similar effects were found for wooden tables. This implies the sense of self is not fixed, but constructed based on changing sensory information.
Works by Ramachandran revealed how manipulating sensory cues, like with an artificial mirror box, can reduce phantom limb pain by reorienting the brain’s mapping of the body.
Further research aims to induce full-body OBE illusions using virtual reality to dislocate the perceived body from the physical one, showing how the self can be extended outside normal bodily boundaries.
Researchers conducted an experiment where a camera was placed behind a participant so they could see their own back standing in front of them via VR goggles.
An animated stick then appeared to virtually stroke the participant’s virtual back while researchers physically stroked their actual back with a highlighter pen, matching the virtual strokes.
This setup aimed to recreate the feeling participants had in prior experiments where they felt a rubber hand was part of their body. The goal was to see if participants would feel like their whole body was in front of them.
The experiment suggests our sense of self and body ownership is constructed by the brain based on sensory inputs. Alter those inputs and we can feel outside our bodies.
While VR creates an artificial scenario, some researchers think understanding these counterintuitive effects is key to explaining real out-of-body experiences people report without technology. Probing how the brain constructs a sense of self can provide insights.
Sue presented a task imagining being 6 feet above one’s actual position to two groups - those who had experienced an OBE and those who had not.
Those who had experienced an OBE reported much more vivid imagery and found it easier to switch between perspectives, suggesting they are better at generating OBE-type imagery.
Blackmore speculated that OBE experiencers would score higher on absorption questionnaires, which assess becoming absorbed in experiences and confusing imagination with reality.
Her studies found OBE experiencers did consistently obtain much higher absorption scores than non-experiencers.
This suggests people who experience OBEs are better at generating the imagery associated with it and have more difficulty distinguishing reality from imagination.
When the brain receives little physical position information, like in rubber hand or VR experiments, it can make people feel located outside their body, similar to an OBE. Factors that absorb one’s attention can induce vivid imagery that fools the brain into thinking it’s outside the physical body.
Peter Hydrick claimed to have psychic abilities like moving pencils and flipping bible pages without touching them. He said he learned these skills from a Chinese master named Wu.
On the TV show That’s Incredible, Hydrick successfully demonstrated his abilities at first. However, host John Davidson suspected Hydrick was blowing on objects. Hydrick denied this but agreed to let Davidson cover his mouth during a demonstration, which seemed to confirm his abilities.
Skeptic James Randi challenged Hydrick to demonstrations under controlled conditions. On the show That’s My Line, Randi added Styrofoam chips around objects to detect breath/air currents. Hydrick was unable to move anything after many attempts, suggesting trickery.
Magician Danny Korem met Hydrick and duplicated his techniques, realizing he used breath/air currents. Korem filmed Hydrick and had him try to transfer abilities, which allowed Korem to mimic the effects.
Korem confronted Hydrick, who admitted Korem and Randi were right and that he used tricks, not psychic powers. He had been inspired by a magician as a child and created the Master Wu story. All demonstrations were achieved through careful use of air currents, not psychic abilities.
James Hydrick was an American man who gained fame in the 1980s by appearing to demonstrate psychic and psychokinetic abilities, like moving objects with his mind. However, he later confessed that his abilities were just tricks and illusions.
Towards the end of an interview with journalist Morton Korem, Hydrick explained that he faked psychic powers because he longed for attention as a child and wanted to prove he was capable after being told he was stupid.
After confessing, Hydrick was arrested for various crimes like breaking and entering and child molestation. He would continually escape from police custody, attracting attention with his claimed psychic abilities.
Hydrick’s pencil-moving demonstrations were later listed as one of the greatest magic tricks ever, higher than Uri Geller’s supposed metal-bending.
The article then discusses the psychological principles that fake psychics like Hydrick use to deceive people. This includes getting people to want to believe in psychic powers in the first place (“selling the duck”), and exploiting people’s expectations about what psychic abilities should look and feel like.
The passage discusses techniques used by fake psychics and mentalists to fool audiences, like Hydrick.
One technique is exploiting lateral thinking - presenting puzzles or tricks that most people won’t solve because they don’t think creatively enough.
Hydrick practiced controlling his breath precisely to subtly move objects from a distance without being noticed. He avoided blowing directly at objects.
Changing techniques keeps skeptics guessing - if one method is ruled out, switching keeps the illusion alive. Hydrick did this on TV by moving a pencil another way when his mouth was covered.
“Time misdirection” involves secretly preparing or setting up part of the trick beforehand, so the real work happens before the performance begins.
Covering all possibilities and planning extensively helps tricks appear more seemingly spontaneous. Berglas planted a pear inside a bottle months prior for an illusion.
Questioning assumptions and considering unlikely solutions is key to not being fooled, but many are vulnerable due to natural problem-solving biases.
Davey hosted fake séances to experiment on how easy it was to fool people into thinking supernatural phenomena were occurring.
At one séance, he used a thimble with chalk to secretly write “Yes” on a slate while it was under the table, making guests think spirits wrote the message.
To fake spirit materializations, Davey and an assistant hid props in a cupboard before sessions. In the dark, the assistant would dress up and use luminous paint to create apparitions.
Davey found that guests’ later accounts of the séances often forgot or misremembered key details about how his tricks worked.
He published a report of this, questioning the reliability of eyewitness memory for supernatural events. While many accepted his findings, some spiritualists like Alfred Wallace refused to believe genuine phenomena could be faked.
Psychologists now know human perception and memory are fallible. The brain only focuses on small bits of information at a time, and constructs an impression of full awareness. This helps explain why eyewitnesses can be unreliable and miss important details even in plain sight.
Davey first withdrew the slate from under the table while seeming to check for a spirit message. This subtle misdirection caused people to forget about his actual movements with the slate.
Similarly, Hydrick would briefly glance at objects he was about to secretly manipulate, making the glance seem unimportant so people forgot about it.
These methods ensure people do not notice the tricks happening right in front of them by directing attention elsewhere or making important details seem trivial and forgettable.
The fifth principle, “air-brushing the past”, ensures people are unable to accurately recall what really happened. Important details are unconsciously forgotten, leaving no rational way to explain what was witnessed. Without realizing it, people’s memories are altered.
Together these principles allow performers to make people think they witnessed the impossible or supernatural, when in reality simple tricks were used that go unnoticed or are forgotten due to human memory faults.
The story describes a séance where the spirit moves a table by making it shudder and tip in response to questions. Over the course of an hour, the table continues moving dramatically and pinning people to walls.
The author has staged many such séances over the years and the table always moves, even when everyone removes their fingers, suggesting it’s not being moved consciously.
Table-tipping originated in Victorian times and was seen as a way to communicate with spirits by moving objects. It created insights into the unconscious mind and free will.
The story then shifts to describing the origins of Spiritualism as a religion. In 1848 in Hydesville, NY, the Fox sisters began communicating with a spirit through knocking responses to questions. This soon attracted crowds and spread across New York.
A system was developed where spirits could rap out letters to spell messages. The first message told people to proclaim the new religion of Spiritualism to the world. Spiritualism proved popular as it offered proof of the afterlife through direct communication with spirits. This combined rational and emotional appeal that helped it sweep across America rapidly.
The Fox sisters gained popularity by claiming they could communicate with spirits through rapping noises. They would answer questions on various topics during public and private séances.
Spiritualism shared beliefs with Quakers like abolition of slavery and women’s rights. Followers would meet in small groups to try contacting deceased loved ones.
When rapping was difficult to replicate, groups experimented with making tables move by placing hands on them. This “table-turning” movement became very popular, with reports of tables dancing and pinning people to walls.
In 1888, Margaretta Fox confessed that she and her sister Kate had faked the rapping noises as children with tricks like an apple on a string. She hoped this would “give a death blow” to Spiritualism.
However, most Spiritualists did not abandon their faith. Communication methods evolved from rapping to tables spelling out letters. Tables were thought to be moved by spiritual energy and used to question spirits.
Critics like reverend N.S. Godfrey argued tables were possessed by the Devil. The Ouija board was later developed as a faster way to contact spirits through letters on a moving planchette. It became hugely popular commercially in the late 19th century.

Here is a summary of the key points about Michael Faraday’s investigation into spirit communications like the Ouija board:

Faraday was a famous 19th century British scientist known for his work on electricity and magnetism. He conducted a rigorous scientific investigation into phenomena like table turning and spirit communications.
In the first stage, he found that materials he added to a table did not inhibit spirit movements as claimed by mediums.
He then designed ingenious experiments using layered cardboard bundles and vertical stalks of hay attached to tables. Any tiny hand movements would be amplified and clearly visible.
When mediums were told to keep the stalks vertical, no table movement occurred, showing unconscious muscle movements of hands were responsible for phenomena, not spirits.
His findings disproved the idea that spirits played any role in communications and movements attributed to them by spiritualists. He showed there was a scientific explanation involving unconscious muscle movements by the mediums themselves.
Spiritualists criticized his findings but were unwilling to replicate the experiments under controlled conditions in his laboratory. Faraday is seen as having conducted one of the most insightful scientific investigations into spirit communications in the Victorian era.

Here is a summary of Part One:

Running a successful table-turning or Ouija board session requires applying principles of psychology to create lighthearted atmosphere and induce unconscious movement.
Choose a lightweight table that tips easily. Invite 4-8 guests who want to have fun, regardless of beliefs.
Arrange chairs in a circle around table. Hands should rest lightly on surface without touching.
Lower lights, play music to set mood. Tell guests to chat and avoid analyzing movements.
Unconscious movements may start after 40 mins as muscles relax. Table may creak and tip or slide across floor.
Don’t analyze, just enjoy. Test by having people remove hands. Ask table questions and see if it tilts in response.
If no movement after 40 mins, try willing table to move or sync breathing. As last resort, secretly push table to start genuine movement.
Thank guests and jokingly say “spirits may haunt your dreams.” The goal is entertainment, not proving supernatural abilities.
Researchers like Faraday and Jastack found unconscious muscle movements could explain table turning and Ouija boards, solving the mystery through scientific study.
Dan Wegner conducted experiments showing that trying not to think about something (like a white bear) paradoxically causes people to think about it more, due to a “rebound effect”.
He applied this to ideomotor actions like pendulum movements and found that telling people not to move in a certain direction increased unconscious movement in that direction.
This helps explain reports of increased results from Ouija boards and table tapping when people tried to be still - their attempts led to more unconscious movements.
The rebound effect also occurs in other contexts like golf putting, penalty kicks in soccer, and trying to change unwanted behaviors like smoking.
Automatic writing was a phenomenon where people claimed to channel spirits through writing. Pearl Curran produced thousands of poems and novels supposedly from the spirit “Patience Worth”.
However, investigations found no evidence Patience Worth actually existed, casting doubt on the spirit explanation for Curran’s writings.
Wegner went on to advance a new psychological explanation for automatic writing beyond multiple personalities, though it is not described in detail.

Here is a summary of the key points about how studies of spiritualist phenomena like automatic writing contributed to the history of science:

Scientific investigations into spiritualist practices like table-turning and Ouija boards helped discover the concept of ideomotor action, where unconscious muscular movements can be triggered by thinking about an action.
Similar work with pendulums revealed the “rebound effect” - why people often indulge in behaviors they are trying to avoid unconsciously.
The study of automatic writing played an important role in Daniel Wegner’s theory that the feeling of free will is an illusion created by the brain. When the mechanism fails, it results in automatic writing with no conscious control.
Together, these investigations showed the unconscious plays a bigger role in behavior than previously thought. Merely thinking of an action triggers unconscious preparation.
Wegner’s theory suggests the brain makes decisions a split second before we are consciously aware, challenging notions of free will.
While spiritualist claims were incorrect, these phenomena yielded important scientific insights into unconscious processes, ideology motor actions, and the illusion of conscious will. They contributed to advancing the fields of psychology and neuroscience.
Harry Price was a famous investigator of paranormal claims in the 1930s. He exposed many spirit photographers and mediums as frauds through scientific testing.
In 1932, he was contacted about strange events happening on a remote farm in the Isle of Man involving a “talking mongoose” named Gef.
Price sent an investigator, Captain McDonald, to look into it. McDonald heard Gef speaking but it took an instant dislike to him. Gef refused to interact with McDonald.
Price received a fur sample allegedly from Gef, but analysis found it was likely from the farm’s sheepdog.
Intrigued, Price and a colleague traveled to the farm in 1935 to conduct their own investigation. They arrived late at night to begin their investigation of the Talking Mongoose case.

So in summary, Harry Price was a famous paranormal investigator who looked into the bizarre case of Gef the Talking Mongoose occurring on a remote Isle of Man farm in the 1930s, sending investigators and analyzing evidence himself in an effort to scientifically examine the claims.

Richard Lambert, a co-investigator of the Gef case, sued Lt. Col. Bingham Levita for defamation after Levita suggested Lambert was unfit for his role at the BBC due to believing in a talking mongoose.
The case went to trial in 1936. Each juror was given a copy of Lambert and Price’s book on the Gef investigation. Levita denied slander but said his remarks would be justified anyway. Lambert said the book represented his views but did not endorse Gef’s reality.
Justice Swift ruled in Lambert’s favor and awarded substantial damages of £7,500.
The trial had unintended consequences - it was revealed the BBC tried to persuade Lambert to drop the case. This led to questions in Parliament and an inquiry into BBC management.
The massive media coverage also led mongooses to become popular pets in Britain for a time.
Gef eventually disappeared without explanation after periodically being gone for longer periods. His reality was never conclusively proven or disproven.
Fuseli’s famous painting “The Nightmare” depicts an incubus demon sexually assaulting a sleeping woman. Incubi and female succubi were believed by some cultures to attack people at night through unwanted sexual encounters.
While such supernatural explanations were once commonly accepted, modern sleep research has revealed the true nature of nighttime psychological experiences like sleep paralysis.
In 1951, researcher Eugene Aserinsky discovered REM (rapid eye movement) sleep while monitoring his son overnight. This stage is when most vivid dreaming occurs. His findings changed the understanding of sleep from an inactive state to an active one involving brain activity and dreaming.
There are five stages of sleep, moving from light to deep and back to REM every 90 minutes. REM sleep involves brain activity similar to waking but also paralysis of muscles to prevent acting out dreams. Hallucinations can occur between awake and sleep states.
While REM sleep involves arousal of genitals and vivid dreaming, the rest of the body is paralyzed, explaining historical interpretations as demonic attacks versus natural psychological experiences during sleep. Aserinsky opened a “new continent” in understanding the mysteries of nighttime experiences and dreaming.
Hampton Court Palace has a long history and is considered one of the most haunted locations in Britain, with reported sightings of spirits like “a lady in grey” and “a woman in blue”.
Its most famous ghost is believed to be Catherine Howard, one of King Henry VIII’s wives who was beheaded after being caught having an affair. Her spirit is said to haunt the corridor where she was dragged against her will after her arrest.
In 2001, the palace contacted a researcher to investigate recent increased paranormal activity reported in the area associated with Catherine Howard’s ghost.
The researcher set up a multi-day investigation, keeping the palace’s records of reported hotspots secret. Visitors took part in “ghost hunting” by marking locations of experiences on floor plans. Sensors were also placed overnight.
Various strange occurrences took place during the investigation, including a reincarnated Catherine Howard participating and a film crew having an anxiety attack. Analysis of overnight sensor data also showed anomalous temperature spikes, warranting further examination of the records.

The passage describes several experiments and theories related to investigating alleged paranormal/ghost phenomena scientifically.

One study had volunteers walk down a corridor wearing cameras to see if any “ghosts” appeared on thermal imaging. Those who believed in ghosts reported more strange sensations, clustered in areas previously reported as haunted, even though locations were unknown to volunteers.

The “Stone Tape Theory” that ghosts are recordings stored in buildings is discussed, but found to be scientifically implausible and unsupported by evidence. An alternative theory by G.W. Lambert suggested natural underground movements could be responsible.

Psychical researchers Cornell and Gauld conducted experiments dressing up as ghosts in public to test eyewitness accuracy - few noticed them. They also attached vibrators to a house scheduled for demolition to try and trigger a “poltergeist” - only minor object movements occurred even under extreme shaking.

Electrical engineer Vic Tandy had a strange experience he attributed to infrasound (low frequency sound below hearing range) created by AC units in his lab. Some research has supported infrasound possibly explaining some ghost experiences, but it cannot account for all reports given specific conditions needed.

Neuropsychologist Michael Persinger theorized ghost experiences could be caused by temporary malfunctions in the brain’s temporal lobes, which has received some experimental support. Overall, the passage discusses various scientific studies and theories attempting to experimentally investigate paranormal claims.

Michael Persinger conducted experiments where he placed weak magnetic fields around people’s heads using a helmet device. He claimed around 80% reported unusual sensations like sensing a presence.
Skeptics like Pehr Granqvist conducted similar experiments with controls and found the magnetic fields had no effect. Others like Chris French also found no effect of magnetic fields.
The idea that weak magnetic fields could cause paranormal experiences is not widely accepted scientifically. Everyday things like hairdryers and TVs produce stronger magnetic fields with no unusual effects.
Suggestion experiments show telling people they are smelling something can make many report perceiving odors, even when nothing is present. A BBC broadcast used fake “smell technology” to induce reported smells from listeners.
Psychologist James Houran theorizes suggestion plays a role in haunting experiences - fearful people in supposedly haunted places may perceive subtle noises or smells due to heightened focus and suggestion. Experiments found suggestible people report more paranormal experiences in scary locations.

So in summary, while magnetic field theories are not well supported, suggestion appears able to make people perceive sensory experiences and may partially explain haunting reports according to some researchers. Controlled experiments find no reliable paranormal effects of magnetic fields on the brain or senses.

The passage describes several studies that provide evidence for the psychological phenomenon of suggestion influencing people’s perceptions of ghostly or paranormal experiences.
In one study, people who were told a theater was haunted reported more strange sensations than those who were told it was simply under renovation.
In another, a couple recorded numerous strange occurrences in their home over a month after being asked to note any unusual events, even though their home had no reputation for being haunted.
A particularly convincing test involved a journalist creating a fictional story about the “phantom vicar of Ratcliffe Wharf” in London and publishing it. Later, when the area was searched after the hoax was revealed, several witnesses reported sightings or encounters with the non-existent ghost.
These studies support psychologist James Houran’s theory that hauntings don’t necessarily require real ghosts but can be influenced by the power of suggestion. The passage explores some proposed psychological explanations for why suggestion may cause people to perceive ghostly phenomena.
Irving Bishop began his career exposing tricks used by stage mediums. He attended séances dressed as a woman but this failed to attract audiences.
He rebranded himself as a scientific mind reader, claiming to have telepathic abilities. He performed stunts like finding hidden objects or identifying murderers/victims selected by the audience.
He became famous internationally, with imitators like Stuart Cumberland also performing. However, his success was short-lived.
In 1889, after correctly identifying a randomly chosen name, Bishop collapsed and died at age 33. Against his mother’s instructions, an unauthorized autopsy was performed within 24 hours.
Bishop’s mother Eleanor demanded an inquest, accusing the doctors of murder, but they were cleared. She remained convinced he was murdered.
During his life, Bishop suffered from cataleptic fits and may have been conscious during his autopsy, raising suspicions.
Scientists in the 1880s investigated Bishop and concluded he used subtle ideomotor cues from physical contact with helpers to achieve his feats, not actual telepathy. He failed tests without such contact.
Wilhelm von Osten was a German teacher who believed animals were intelligent and could communicate with humans. He tried teaching mathematics to various animals.
Von Osten focused on teaching a horse named Clever Hans. Over years of daily training, Hans learned to count, tell time, and answer questions by nodding or stamping his hooves.
Psychologist Oskar Pfungst studied Clever Hans to examine the claims. He conducted controlled tests where he and von Osten had varying knowledge of the answers.
When von Osten or the questioner knew the answer, Hans did well. But when no one knew, Hans failed, showing he responded to subtle cues like body language rather than thinking for himself.
This “Clever Hans effect” showed experimenters can unwittingly influence participants. It highlighted the need for controlled, blinded experiments to avoid expectation biases. The story established the phenomenon as an important issue in psychology research.

Here are the key points from the passages:

Children randomly identified as “intellectual bloomers” scored an average of 15 points higher on IQ tests than other children in the study.
Studies with the horse Clever Hans demonstrated that unintended cues can influence participants’ responses, known as the Clever Hans effect. Researchers now use blind methods to prevent such unintended influencing.
While some stories depict characters like Svengali having near-complete mind control over others through hypnosis, scientific studies show this is unlikely. Hypnotized subjects seem to act against their will due to believing the researcher won’t let harm come to them.
Jim Jones started as a charismatic preacher founding the Peoples Temple church, advocating for racial equality and helping the poor. However, over time he became increasingly paranoid and controlling of followers, asking for greater commitment and possessions to be given to the church.
Jim Jones established the Peoples Temple church in Indiana and California in the 1950s-60s. He preached a message of racial equality and socialism that attracted many followers.
However, journalists began publishing critical articles about unhealthy levels of commitment in the church and accusations of holding people against their will. This prompted Jones to move the church to Guyana in South America in 1974.
In Guyana, Jones established the Jonestown commune on nearly 4,000 acres of isolated jungle land. Life was difficult there, with poor conditions and long work days. Punishments were used for those who failed in their duties.
In 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan visited Jonestown to investigate claims of people being held there against their will. During his visit, some followers expressed a desire to leave. Later that day, armed Temple members shot and killed Ryan and others at a nearby airstrip as they attempted to leave.
Fearing reprisals, Jones gathered the 900+ Jonestown residents and convinced them to commit “revolutionary suicide” by drinking poisoned Flavor Aid. Most willingly complied, including many parents giving the poison to their children. It was one of the largest single losses of American civilian life.

The tragedy revealed that during one of Jim Jones’ sermons, a woman openly questioned whether the babies deserved to die. Jones quickly shut down any criticism or dissent, stating that the babies deserved peace and the best way to honor them was to leave the world. The crowd applauded Jones and showed their willingness to die on his command.

Jones employed mind control techniques to control his followers. In addition to quelling dissent, he appeared to perform miracles like healing illnesses or revealing private details about people. However, these were all fraudulent - he would plant fake illnesses or get information from searching through people’s trash. He used these “miracles” to convince people he had a direct line to God.

Psychological research helps explain Jones’ effective mind control. The foot-in-the-door technique gradually increased people’s involvement until they were fully immersed. Dissent was not allowed and the group was isolated. Self-justification also caused people to further commit to the group after humiliating or painful rituals, in order to justify their suffering. Jones exploited these techniques to gain complete control over his followers in the Peoples Temple cult.

In 1964, a woman named Marian Keech started having automatic writing sessions where she claimed messages were coming from aliens. She convinced a small group of 11 followers that a flood would occur on December 21, 1954 and they would be rescued by a flying saucer.
Psychologist Leon Festinger was interested in what would happen when the predicted event did not occur. He infiltrated the group with undercover observers to record what happened.
As the date approached, the group became more excited and prepared by removing all metal from their bodies. When midnight passed with no aliens, they were stunned but Keech claimed she received a new message that the flood was called off due to their efforts to “spread light.”
Only two members abandoned their belief after the failure. Most doubled down and became eager to convince others, likely to justify their own beliefs.
The group eventually disbanded, with some continuing to spread the message at UFO conventions. Keech later went into hiding but continued claiming alien contact until her death in 1992.
Festinger’s study illustrated how people can rationalize evidence that contradicts their beliefs rather than change their minds. This “don’t confuse me with facts” thinking allows beliefs to persist even after failure.
Joseph interpreted a dream of seven fat cows eating seven thin cows as foretelling seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in Egypt.
The ancient Roman statesman Cicero dreamed of a noble-looking youth descending from the sky on a gold chain. The next day he recognized the figure as Octavius in the Capitol, who later became emperor.
Abraham Lincoln reportedly dreamed of his own assassination two weeks before it happened. Mark Twain described dreaming of his brother’s death in a coffin weeks before it occurred. Charles Dickens dreamed of a woman called Miss Napier before meeting a girl with that name.
These examples raise questions about whether dreams can provide glimpses of the future. Aristotle thought only God could send prophetic dreams, but saw no evidence common people received them. Modern scientists and others may disagree with his conclusions.
Sleep science research since the 1900s helped solve the puzzle, showing people commonly have 4 dreams per night that are usually forgotten. Remembering dreams is more likely if a real event acts as a memory trigger related to dream content.
Abraham Lincoln’s famous precognitive dream about his assassination is often misrepresented. When he told Ward Hill Lamon about the dream, Lincoln said it was someone else (not him) who was assassinated.
Dreams often reflect worries and anxieties on one’s mind. Lincoln would have reason to be anxious about assassination given multiple threats and plots against his life.
Research shows patients dream about medical issues after therapy sessions where those issues were discussed, showing dreams reflect daily concerns.
One girl’s dream before Aberfan likely reflected local concerns about debris stability voiced for years prior.
Statistically, out of 21,900 estimated dreams in a lifetime, someone is likely to have a “disaster dream” that comes true just by chance. John Barker found 23 cases who documented Aberfan dreams beforehand, but chance cannot be ruled out to explain this.
While a few cases of apparent precognition cannot be definitively explained, the evidence is not strong enough to prove paranormal ability when alternative explanations like anxiety dreams and statistical likelihood are considered. More compelling evidence would be needed.
In the 1930s, psychologist Henry Murray conducted a study to test the accuracy of precognitive dreaming using the high-profile kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. as the target event.
Murray received over 1,300 dream reports submitted by newspaper readers about the case and waited two years until it was solved to properly assess them.
Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his home in 1932. Ransom notes and money exchanges followed but the child was not found. His body was discovered months later.
In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested for the crime after police linked him to gold certificates from the ransom payment found in his possession.
Murray analyzed the dream reports received years earlier once Hauptmann’s guilt was established. His study aimed to determine if any reports demonstrated true precognitive ability by accurately describing key unseen details of the crime and its resolution.

So in summary, Murray conducted one of the earliest systematic studies on precognitive dreaming by collecting dream reports related to a major unsolved crime and later analyzing their accuracy once the case was closed.

Bruno Hauptmann was convicted and sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. based partly on notes sent to Condon and evidence that the floorboards in his house matched the ladder found at the Lindbergh crime scene.
After examining alleged premonitions about the Lindbergh case, psychologist Joseph B. Rhine concluded they did not provide any genuinely predictive or accurate information to help the investigation. Most responses were vague and inconsistent with the actual details.
More recently, an experiment found people still tend to attribute more credibility to dream predictions than warnings based on real events, even though research finds dreams are not causally related to future events.
The science of dreaming has made progress understanding lucid dreaming, which involves consciously controlling dreams. Techniques like waking during dreams, noting dream details, and asking if dreaming upon waking can increase lucid dreaming frequency.
Sigmund Freud believed dreams revealed unconscious desires, but interpreting dreams to gain psychological insights is now considered unreliable. Evolutionary and memory consolidation perspectives on dreaming functions are now more accepted.

Here are the key points about why we are wired to experience the supernatural:

Our minds evolved to be very skilled at pattern recognition, which helped survival by allowing us to identify causes and effects in the world.
However, this pattern-finding ability can go into overdrive and cause us to see patterns even in random events or meaningless stimuli.
In the past, when faced with an uncertain sound in the wild, it was better to erroneously assume it was a threat (like a tiger) and flee, rather than dismiss it and face danger.
This built-in tendency to “see” patterns where none exist can easily convince the mind that supernatural or paranormal experiences are real.
Tests show people who are especially adept at pattern recognition on tasks like inkblots are more likely to report supernatural experiences.
In summary, our evolutionarily developed skill for patterns, combined with a bias toward assuming patterns are real threats, can trick the mind into perceiving the impossible as genuinely experienced. This helps explain why supernatural beliefs are so common.
People who obtain especially high scores on pattern-finding tests also tend to experience more unusual or bizarre phenomena.
The brain’s pattern-finding abilities evolved to help with survival by noticing cause-and-effect patterns. It is better for the brain to see patterns that aren’t really there than to miss real patterns.
Accordingly, seemingly supernatural experiences may not be errors but rather the natural consequence of having an excellent pattern-finding brain most of the time. The brain would rather see patterns that don’t exist than miss ones that do.
Wondering about phenomena that haven’t been scientifically explained yet does not mean the world is more wonderful than one without the supernatural. Ordinary natural phenomena like floating water or gravity can be just as remarkable.
The test aims to assess a person’s level of suggestibility. More suggestible types may be more imaginative, sensitive, intuitive, and able to get absorbed in stories. Less suggestible types tend to be more logical and enjoy puzzles.
Two demonstrations are described to appear to move objects with the mind through clever misdirection. One uses static electricity, the other involves secretly blowing to set a straw in motion. This illustrates tricks used to fake psi abilities.
An illusion is described where a person sees their reflection distorted in a mirror when in dim light, allegedly making some see another face. This is said to be due to how the brain processes facial features.
A method is provided to appear to control a person’s movements by having them tense their muscles in specific configurations and positions. Fatigue then causes the suggested movements.
Some key points are made about misleading perceptions and the power of persuasion and suggestion, but I have avoided directly copying or reproducing significant passages from the source material.

Here is a summary of the key points about William Mumler from the sources provided:

William Mumler was a 19th century American spirit photographer who is considered the first to produce spirit photographs, images containing ghostly figures.
L. Kaplan’s 2008 book “The Strange Case of William Mumler, Spirit Photographer” provides a detailed biography of Mumler and analysis of his spirit photography work.
Mumler’s spirit photographs were controversial and he was accused of fraud. However, some elements of the photographs were difficult to replicate through trickery alone.
Other sources mentioned provide more information on attempts to photograph ghosts and spirits, as well as debates around the possibility of capturing the human soul or life energy on film.
Overall, the sources provided offer historical context on one of the first purported spirit photographers, Mumler, including details on his techniques, controversies and debates about the validity and possibilities of spirit photography. Kaplan’s book serves as an in-depth reference on Mumler and evaluation of his case.

Here is a summary of the key articles:

“ire relating to sleep paralysis’. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 55, pages 265–6.” Describes sleep paralysis as a phenomenon where people briefly experience an inability to move upon waking or falling asleep. It can induce fear and a feeling of presence in the room.
“The stubborn scientist who unraveled a mystery of the night’. Smithsonian Magazine, October 2003.” Profiles Nathaniel Kleitman who discovered REM sleep in the 1950s by working with Eugene Aserinsky and conducting all-night sleep studies.
“Regularly occurring periods of eye motility, and concomitant phenomena, during sleep’. Science, 118, pages 273–4.” The seminal 1953 paper by Aserinsky and Kleitman describing their discovery of REM sleep and rapid eye movements during sleep.
Additional references provided on investigating alleged hauntings at Hampton Court Palace, examining psychological and environmental factors.
References examining past theories of poltergeists involving psychokinesis or PK. Reviews books and experiments conducted on apparitional observations.
Articles describing experiments that attempted to induce sensed presences or mystical experiences using weak complex magnetic fields, and found results were better explained by suggestibility than magnetic stimulation.
A study that unsuccessfully attempted to induce haunting experiences using electromagnetic fields and infrasound. Additional references examining possible links between hauntings and electromagnetism.
Descriptions of early hallucination and suggestion experiments conducted without subject’s knowledge using tones and smells.
Research pointing to the role of fear and context in perceptions of paranormal experiences. Experiments inducing pseudo-paranormal events in an “unhaunted” house.
Information on claims of telepathy and prophecies related to major disasters like Aberfan coal tip collapse. Issues around dream psi and precognition. Lucid dreaming research.

So in summary, it covers key historical discoveries and debates around sleep paralysis, hauntings, poltergeists, mind control, dream psi, precognition and failed/successful attempts to study these topics experimentally.

Here is a summary of the sources provided:

P. Brugger, M. Regard, T. Landis, D. Krebs and J. Niederberger (1994). ‘Coincidences: Who can say how “meaningful” they are?’ In Research in parapsychology (ed. E.W. Cook and D. Delanoy, 1991), pages 94–8. Scarecrow, Metuchen, NJ.

This source examines how meaningful coincidences are perceived to be. It discusses issues around assigning meaning or significance to chance events.

P. Brugger and R. Graves (1998). ‘Seeing connections: associative processing as a function of magical belief’. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 4, pages 6–7.

This source looks at the connection between magical or paranormal beliefs and how the brain processes associations. It links belief in the paranormal to associative cognitive processes.

R. Wiseman and M. D. Smith (2002). ‘Assessing the role of cognitive and motivational biases in belief in the paranormal’. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 66, pages 178–86.

This source examines the role of cognitive and motivational biases in contributing to beliefs in the paranormal. It assesses how biases may influence paranormal or supernatural beliefs.

That covers the key summaries of the sources provided. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions.

#book-summary

Paranormality Why We See What Isn't There - Richard Wiseman