A psychic (pronounced /ˈsaɪkɨk/; from the Greek ψυχικός psychikos—"of the soul, mental", also called sensitive^[1]) is a person who professes an ability to perceive In philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science, perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. The word "perception" comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means "receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses." information hidden from the normal senses Senses are the physiological capacities within organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception. The nervous system has a specific sensory system or organ, through extrasensory perception Extrasensory perception , also commonly referred to as the sixth sense, involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by German psychical researcher, Rudolf Tischner, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as(ESP), or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers Magic is a performing art that entertains an audience by creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats, using purely natural means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects or illusions who use techniques such as prestidigitation Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain (from the French for "lightness of hand"), is the set of techniques used by a magician (or card sharp) to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly, cold reading Cold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, illusionists, fortune tellers, psychics, mediums and con artists to determine or express details about another person, often in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than they actually do. Without prior knowledge of a person, a practiced cold reader can, and hot reading Hot reading is the use of foreknowledge when giving a psychic reading in stage magic performances, or in other contexts. The reader can gain information about the person receiving the reading through a variety of means, such as background research or overhearing a conversation. Hot reading is commonly used in conjunction with cold reading and can to produce the appearance of such abilities. It can also denote an ability of the mind to influence the world physically and to the telekinetic The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis (Greek τῆλε + κίνησις, literally "distant-movement") with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term coined by publisher Henry Holt to refer to the direct influence of mind on a physical system that cannot powers professed by those such as Uri Geller Uri Geller is an Israeli paranormalist living in England; he is well known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed physical effects. Throughout the years, Geller has claimed that he achieves these effects through psychokinesis and telepathy, though critics say they are easily replicated magic tricks. The.

Psychics appear regularly in fiction and science fiction, such as The Dead Zone The Dead Zone is a novel by Stephen King published in 1979. It is about Johnny Smith, who is injured in an accident and enters a coma for nearly five years. When he emerges, he can see horrifying secrets, but he cannot identify all the details of his "dead zone", an area of his brain that suffered permanent damage as the result of his by Stephen King Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. More than 350 million copies of King's novels and short story collections have been sold, and many of his stories have been adapted for film, television, and other media. King has written a number of books using the pen name Richard, or Jean Grey Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl and later, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix, and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with husband Cyclops, and for her central role and transformation in the from the Marvel comic book universe. A large industry exists whereby psychics provide advice and counsel to clients.^[2] Some famous contemporary psychics include Miss Cleo Youree Dell Harris , better known as Miss Cleo, is a self-proclaimed psychic and shaman who achieved fame as a spokeswoman for a psychic pay-per-call service in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She reportedly earned $13.5 million in this capacity. Harris currently offers private psychic consultations and other services through Wahgwaan,^[3] John Edward John Edward McGee, Jr. is an American television personality and psychic medium. He is best known for his TV shows Crossing Over with John Edward and John Edward Cross Country, both of which are premised on Edward's claims of communicating with the spirits of the audience members' deceased relatives, Danielle Egnew Danielle Egnew is a psychic, musician, actress, media personality, and activist known in the areas of music, film, radio and television for both performing and producing in all four genres. Born in Billings, Montana on February 28, 1969, Danielle Egnew currently resides in Los Angeles1, and Sylvia Browne Sylvia Browne is an American author on the subject of spirituality who describes herself as a psychic and spiritual medium. She has made several appearances on Larry King Live, was a weekly guest on The Montel Williams Show, and hosts her own hour-long show on Hay House Radio, discussing paranormal issues and giving callers advice in her role as a.

Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation. Defrauding people or entities of money or valuables is a common purpose of fraud, but there have also been fraudulent "discoveries", e.g. in science, to gain prestige rather than immediate monetary gain or self-delusion A delusion, in everyday language, is a fixed belief that is either false, fanciful, or derived from deception. Psychiatry defines the term more specifically as a belief that is pathological . As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, dogma, stupidity, apperception, illusion, or other effects of.^[4][5][6][7] In 1988 the U.S. National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in original gave a report on the subject that concluded there is "no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of parapsychological phenomena Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities and life after death using the scientific method. Parapsychological experiments have included the use of random number generators to test for evidence of precognition and psychokinesis with both human and animal subjects and Ganzfeld experiments."^[8] In a 1990 survey of members of that organization, only 2% of respondents thought that extrasensory perception Extrasensory perception , also commonly referred to as the sixth sense, involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by German psychical researcher, Rudolf Tischner, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as had been scientifically demonstrated, with another 2% thinking that the phenomena happened sometimes. Asked about research in the field, 22% would discourage it, 63% would allow but not encourage it, and 10% would encourage it.

History

Etymology

The word psychic is derived from the Greek Greek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical ancient Greek literature and the New Testament of word psychikos ("of the mind" or "mental") and refers in part to the human mind or psyche (ex. "psychic turmoil"). French astronomer and spiritualist Spiritualism is a monotheistic belief system or religion, postulating a belief in God, but with a distinguishing feature of belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world can be contacted by "mediums", who can then provide information about the afterlife Camille Flammarion Nicolas Camille Flammarion was a French astronomer and author. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fiction novels, and several works about Spiritualism and related topics. He also published the magazine L'Astronomie, starting in 1882. He maintained a is credited as having first used the word psychic, while it was later introduced to the English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into South-East Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, and of by Edward William Cox in the 1870s.^[9]

Early seers and prophets

Elaborate systems of divination Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of a standardized process or ritual. Diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency. Divination can be seen as a systematic method with which to organize and fortune-telling The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination. The difference is that divination is the term used for predictions considered part of a religious ritual, invoking deities or spirits, while the term fortune-telling implies a less serious or formal setting, even one of popular culture, where belief in occult date back to ancient times. Perhaps the most widely-known system of early civilization fortune-telling was astrology Astrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of celestial bodies and related details can provide information about personality, human affairs and other "earthly" matters. A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer. Astrologers believe that the movements and positions of, where practitioners believed the relative positions of celestial bodies Astronomical objects are significant naturally occurring physical entities, associations or structures which current science has demonstrated to exist in outer space. The term astronomical object is sometimes used interchangeably with astronomical body. Typically an astronomical body refers to a single, cohesive structure that is bound together by could lend insight into people's lives and even predict their future circumstances. Some fortune-tellers were said to be able to make predictions A prediction or forecast is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge. While there is much overlap between prediction and forecast, a prediction may be a statement that some outcome is expected, while a forecast may cover a range of possible outcomes without the use of these elaborate systems (or in conjunction with them), through some sort of direct apprehension or vision In spirituality including religion, visions comprise inspirational renderings, generally of a future state and/or of a mythical being, and are believed to come from a deity, sometimes directly or indirectly via prophets, and serve to inspire or prod believers as part of a revelation or an epiphany. Many mystics take the word vision to be of the future. These people were known as seers or prophets In religion, a prophet is an individual who has been contacted by, or has encountered, the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other humans. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy, and in later times as clairvoyants The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception. A person said to have the ability of clairvoyance is referred to as a clairvoyant ("one who sees clearly") (French word meaning "clear sight" or "clear seeing") and psychics.

Seers formed a functionary role in early civilization, often serving as advisors, priests, and judges.^[9] A number of examples are included in biblical accounts. The book of 1 Samuel The Books of Samuel are part of the Hebrew Bible. The work was originally written in Hebrew, and the Book(s) of Samuel originally formed a single text, as they are often considered today in Jewish bibles (Chapter 9) illustrates one such functionary task when Samuel Samuel is a leader of ancient Israel in the Book(s) of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible is asked to locate the donkeys of the future king Saul Saul (1079 - 1007 BC) was the first king of the united Kingdom of Israel (reigned 1047 - 1007) according to the Hebrew Bible. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel and reigned from Gibeah. He committed suicide during a battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, during which three of his sons were also killed. The succession to his throne was.^[10] The role of prophet appeared perennially in ancient cultures. In Egypt Egypt (pronounced /ˈiːdʒɪpt/ ; Arabic: مصر‎ Miṣr, pronounced [misˤɾ] ( listen); Arabic: مِصْر Miṣr [ˈmisˤɾ]; Egyptian Arabic: مَصْر Maṣr [ˈmɑsˤɾ]; Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, kīmi; Egyptian: 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 Kemet), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula, the priests of Ra Ra , Egyptian *ri:ʕu, is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it is thought that if not a word for 'sun' it may be a variant of or linked to words meaning 'creative'[citation needed] at Memphis Its Ancient Egyptian name was Ineb Hedj because of its majestic fortifications and crenallations. The name "Memphis" (Μέμφις) is the Greek corruption of the Egyptian name of Pepi I's (6th dynasty) pyramid, Men-nefer, which became ⲙⲉⲛϥⲉ Menfe in Coptic. Memphis was also known in Ancient Egypt as Ankh Tawy ("That which acted as seers. In ancient Assyria Assyria was a kingdom centered on the Upper Tigris river, in Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur (Akkadian: 𒀸𒋗𒁺 𐎹 Aššūrāyu; Arabic: أشور Aššûr; Hebrew: אַשּׁוּר Aššûr, Aramaic: ܐܬܘܪ Aṯur. The term seers were referred to as nabu, meaning "to call" or "announce".^[9]

The Delphic Oracle The Pythia was the priestess at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited for her prophecies inspired by Apollo, giving her a prominence unusual for a woman in male-dominated ancient Greece. The Delphic oracle was established in the 8th century BC. The last recorded response was given is one of the earliest stories in classical antiquity Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world. It is the period in which Greek and Roman literature (such as Aeschylus, Ovid, Homer and others) flourished of prophetic abilities. The Pythia The Pythia was the priestess at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited for her prophecies inspired by Apollo, giving her a prominence unusual for a woman in male-dominated ancient Greece. The Delphic oracle was established in the 8th century BC. The last recorded response was given, the priestess presiding over the Oracle In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion, predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination of Apollo In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and diverse of the Olympian deities. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; medicine, healing, and plague; music, poetry, and the arts; and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and at Delphi Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python, a deity who lived, was believed to be able to deliver prophecies A prophecy is the message that has been communicated to a prophet which the prophet then communicates to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of events to come inspired by Apollo during rituals beginning in the 8th century BC.^[11] It is often said that the Pythia delivered oracles in a frenzied state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that she spoke gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo, which priests reshaped into the enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature. Other scholars believe records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke intelligibly, and gave prophecies in her own voice.^[12] The Pythia was a position served by a succession of women probably selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. The last recorded response was given in 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great (Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ and Θεοδόσιος ο Μέγας), was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Reuniting the eastern and western portions of the empire, Theodosius was the last emperor of both the Eastern and Western Roman Empire. After his death, the two parts split ordered pagan temples to cease operation. Recent geological investigations raise the possibility that ethylene Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula C2H4. It is the simplest alkene (older name: olefin from its oil-forming property). Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and also has a role in biology as a hormone. Ethylene is the most gas caused the Pythia's state of inspiration.^[13]

One of the most enduring historical references to what some consider to be psychic ability is the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties ("The Prophecies"), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has (1503 – 1566), often Latinized to Nostradamus, published during the French Renaissance period. Nostradamus was a French apothecary and seer who wrote collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide and have rarely been out of print since his death. He is best known for his book Les Propheties, the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Taken together, his written works are known to have contained at least 6,338 quatrains or prophecies,^[14] as well as at least eleven annual calendars. Most of the quatrains deal with disasters, such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, and battles – all undated.

Nostradamus is a controversial figure. His many enthusiasts, as well as the popular press, credit him with predicting numerous major world events. Interest in his work is still considerable, especially in the media and in popular culture. By contrast, most academic scholars maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus' quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power.^[15]

In addition to the belief that some historical figures were endowed with a predisposition to psychic experiences, some psychic abilities were thought to be available to everyone on occasion. For example, the belief in prophetic dreams was common and persistent in many ancient cultures.^[16]

Nineteenth century progression

In the mid-nineteenth century, Modern Spiritualism became prominent in the United States and the United Kingdom. The movement's distinguishing feature was the belief that the spirits of the dead could be contacted by mediums to lend insight to the living.^{[17][page needed]} The movement was fueled in part by anecdotes of psychic powers. One such person believed to have extraordinary abilities was Daniel Dunglas Home, who gained fame during the Victorian period for his reported ability to levitate to a variety of heights and speak to the dead.^[18]

As the Spiritualist movement grew other comparable groups arose, including the Theosophical Society, which was co-founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891). Theosophy coupled spiritualist elements with Eastern mysticism and was influential in the early 20th century, later influencing the New Age movement during the 1970s. Blavatsky herself claimed numerous psychic powers.^[19]

Late twentieth century

By the late twentieth century psychics were commonly associated with New Age culture.^[20] Psychic readings were offered for a fee and given in settings such as over the phone, in a home, or at psychic fairs.^[21]

Popular culture

Belief in psychic abilities

In a survey, reported in 1990, of members of the National Academy of Sciences, only 2% of respondents thought that extrasensory perception had been scientifically demonstrated, with another 2% thinking that the phenomena happened sometimes. Asked about research in the field, 22% thought that it should be discouraged, 63% that it should be allowed but not encouraged, and 10% that it should be encouraged; neuroscientists were the most hostile to parapsychology of all the specialties.^[22][23]

A survey of the beliefs of the general United States population regarding paranormal topics was conducted by The Gallup Organization in 2005.^[24] The survey found that 41 percent of those polled believed in extrasensory perception and 26 percent believed in clairvoyance. 31 percent of those surveyed indicated that they believe in telepathy or psychic communication.

A poll of 439 college students conducted in 2006 by researchers Bryan Farha of Oklahoma City University and Gary Steward of University of Central Oklahoma, suggested that college seniors and graduate students were more likely to believe in psychic phenomena than college freshmen.^[25] 23 percent of college freshmen expressed a belief in paranormal ideas. The percentage was greater among college seniors (31%) and graduate students (34%).^[26] The poll showed lower belief in psychic phenomena among science students than social science and education students.

Some people also believe that psychic abilities can be activated or enhanced through the study and practice of various disciplines and techniques such as meditation, with a number of books and websites being dedicated to instruction in these methods. Another popular belief is that psychic ability is hereditary, with a psychic parent passing their abilities on to their children.^[27]

Psychic advice industry

Many people proclaim to have psychic abilities and some make a living as professional psychics or earn celebrity hosting their own TV or radio programs. Individuals such as Gary Spivey, John Edward and Sylvia Browne either have their own television shows or are frequently featured on talk shows. (see Paranormal television).

Some psychics are first known by the public as celebrities; for example, rock singer and actress Danielle Egnew, who has made frequent radio and television appearances as a psychic, rather than a singer.

Science fiction

The use of psychic abilities as a plot device or super power is common in fiction. Psychic abilities in science fiction are frequently depicted as inborn and heritable, as in Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man, A. E. van Vogt's Slan, Anne McCaffrey's Talents & Tower and the Hive series, and the television series Babylon 5. Another recurring trope is the conveyance of psychic power through psychoactive drugs, as in the Dune novels and indirectly in the Scanners films. Somewhat differently, in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wind in the Door and Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, psychic abilities may be achieved by any human who learns the proper mental discipline, known as kything in the former work and grokking in the latter. Popular movies include The initiation of Sarah. Psychic characters are also common in superhero comic books, for instance Jean Grey and Professor X from the Marvel comic X-Men.

Criticism and research

Parapsychological research has attempted to use random number generators to test for psychokinesis, mild sensory deprivation in the Ganzfeld experiment to test for extrasensory perception, and research trials conducted under contract by the U.S. government to investigate remote viewing. Some of these tests such as the Ganzfeld have been put forward as evidence of psychic phenomena by parapsychologists, and according to the Parapsychological Association, the consensus within that field is that there is good evidence for extrasensory perception, psychokinesis, and presentiment.^{[citation needed]} Critics such as Ed J. Gracely say that this evidence is not sufficient for acceptance, partly because the intrinsic probability of psychic phenomena is very small.^[4][28]

Critics such as Ray Hyman and the National Science Foundation suggest that parapsychology has methodological flaws that can explain the experimental results that parapsychologists attribute to paranormal explanations, and various critics have classed the field as pseudoscience. This has largely been due to lack of replication of results by independent experimenters.^{[29][30][31][32][33]}

The evidence presented for psychic phenomena is not sufficiently verified for scientific acceptance, and there exist many non-paranormal alternative explanations for claimed instances of psychic events. Parapsychologists, who generally believe that there is some evidence for psychic ability, disagree with critics who believe that no psychic ability exists and that many of the instances of more popular psychic phenomena such as mediumism, can be attributed to non-paranormal techniques such as cold reading, hot reading, or even self-delusion.^[34][35] Magicians such as James Randi, Ian Rowland and Derren Brown have demonstrated techniques and results similar to those of popular psychics, but they present psychological explanations as opposed to paranormal ones.^[36]

In January 2008 the results of a study using neuroimaging were published. To provide what are purported to be the most favorable experimental conditions, the study included appropriate emotional stimuli and had participants who are biologically or emotionally related, such as twins. The experiment was designed to produce positive results if telepathy, clairvoyance or precognition occurred, but despite this no distinguishable neuronal responses were found between psychic stimuli and non-psychic stimuli, while variations in the same stimuli showed anticipated effects on patterns of brain activation. The researchers concluded that "These findings are the strongest evidence yet obtained against the existence of paranormal mental phenomena."^[37] James Alcock had cautioned the researchers against the wording of said statement.^[38]

A detailed study of Sylvia Browne predictions about missing persons and murder cases has found that despite her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct, "Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case."^[39]

See also

• List of psychic abilities
• Homunculus
• Mind
• Psychic detective
• Magic (paranormal)
• Mentalist
• Psychic reading
• Psionics

References

1. ^ John E. Nelson (1994). Healing the Split: Integrating Spirit into our Understanding of the Mentally Ill. State University of New York Press. p. 329. ISBN 079141986X. http://books.google.com/?id=2W4AVXXBLhEC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=.
2. ^ Matthew Nisbet (May-June, 1998). "Psychic telephone networks profit on yearning, gullibility". Skeptical Inquirer. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_/ai_20615402.
3. ^ "FTC Charges "Miss Cleo" with Deceptive Advertising, Billing and Collection Practices". FTC. February 14, 2002. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/accessresource.htm.
4. ^ ^{a b} Gracely, Ph.D., Ed J. (1998). "Why Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof". PhACT. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/extraproof.html. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
5. ^ "Psychic Debunking". NOVA. PBS. April 15, 1993. No. 3, season 19.
6. ^ "SHE TOLD THEM BOY WAS DEAD. CRYSTAL BALL FAILS PSYCHIC IN MO. KIDNAP". NY Daily News. January 18, 2007. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/01/18/2007-01-18_she_told_them_boy_was_dead_crystal_ball_.html.
7. ^ Shari Waxman (June 13, 2002). "Shooting crap:Alleged psychic John Edward actually gambles on hope and basic laws of statistics.". Salon.com. http://dir.salon.com/story/people/feature/2002/06/13/probability/index.html.
8. ^ Druckman, D. and Swets, J. A. eds. (1988). Enhancing Human Performance: Issues, Theories and Techniques. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.. p. 22. ISBN 0-309-07465-7.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Melton, J.G. (1996). "Psychics". Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology. Thomson Gale. ISBN 978-0810394872.
10. ^ 1 Samuel Ch. 9
11. ^ Morgan 1990, p. 148.
12. ^
    • Fontenrose, Joseph (1978). The Delphic Oracle: Its Responses and Operations. pp. 196–227.
    • Maurizio, Lisa. The Voice at the Centre of the World: The Pythia's Ambiguity and Authority (in Lardinois, Andre; McClure, Laura (2001). Making Silence Speak: Women's Voices in Greek Literature and Society. Princeton University Press. pp. 38–54. )
13. ^
    • Spiller, Henry A.; Hale, John R.; de Boer, Jelle Z. (2000). "The Delphic Oracle: A Multidisciplinary Defense of the Gaseous Vent Theory". Clinical Toxicology 40 (2): 189–196. doi:10.1081/CLT-120004410. PMID 12126193.
    • de Boer, J.Z.; Hale, J.R.; Chanton, J. (2001). "New Evidence for the Geological Origins of the Ancient Delphic Oracle". Geology 29 (8): 707–711. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0707:NEFTGO>2.0.CO;2.
    • John R. Hale; Jelle Zeilinga de Boer; Jeffrey P. Chandon; Henry A. Spiller (August 2003). "Questioning The Delphic Oracle". Scientific American.
    • Betsy Mason (October 2, 2006). "The Prophet Of Gases". Science Now. http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1002/2.
14. ^ Chevignard, Bernard (1999). Présages de Nostradamus.
15. ^ Lemesurier, Peter (2003). The Unknown Nostradamus.
16. ^ Melton, J. G. (1996). Dreams. In Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology. Thomson Gale. ISBN 978-0810394872.
17. ^ Carroll, Bret E. (1997). Spiritualism in Antebellum America. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33315-6.
18. ^ Podmore, Frank (1997). Mediums of the Nineteenth Century. University Books. ISBN 0-253-33315-6.
19. ^ Melton. Chapter "Theosophical Society"
20. ^ Diane Daniel What's in the cards Just how well do the seers see? The Boston Globe (Calendar cover story cache 1999)
21. ^ Wendy Haskett Psychic Fairs Aim for Aura of Fun in Mind Reading LATimes.com, August 15, 1987
22. ^ McConnell, R.A., and Clark, T.K. (1991). "National Academy of Sciences' Opinion on Parapsychology" Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 85, 333-365.
23. ^ Douglas M. Stokes, Research in Parapsychology, 1990: Abstracts and Papers from the Thirty-Third Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, Journal of Parapsychology, Sept, 1992, Retrieved July 4, 2009
24. ^ David W. Moore (June 16, 2005). "Three in Four Americans Believe in Paranormal". Gallup News Service. http://www.gallup.com/poll/16915/Three-Four-Americans-Believe-Paranormal.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-08. Gallup poll shows that Americans' belief in the paranormal persists, Skeptical Inquirer, accessed October 28, 2006
25. ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_1_30/ai_n26718251
26. ^ Britt, R.: "Higher Education Fuels Stronger Belief in Ghosts" LiveScience, January 2006, Retrieved September 18, 2007.
27. ^ "Psychics – myths & misconceptions". http://www.hark.net.au/articles/psychics_info.htm. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
28. ^ Myers, David G; Blackmore, Susan. "Putting ESP to the Experimental Test". Hope College. http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=61&article_part=4. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
29. ^ () Science and Engineering Indicators 2006. National Science Board. 2006. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l3 See also Note 29: [29] Those 10 items were extrasensory perception (ESP), that houses can be haunted, ghosts / that spirits of dead people can come back in certain places/situations, telepathy / communication between minds without using traditional senses, clairvoyance / the power of the mind to know the past and predict the future, astrology / that the position of the stars and planets can affect people's lives, that people can communicate mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation / the rebirth of the soul in a new body after death, and channeling / allowing a "spirit-being" to temporarily assume control of a body.
30. ^ Hyman, Ray (1995). "Evaluation of the program on anomalous mental phenomena". The Journal of Parapsychology 59 (1). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n4_v59/ai_18445600. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
31. ^ Akers, C. (1986). Methodological Criticisms of Parapsychology, Advances in Parapsychological Research 4. PesquisaPSI. http://www.pesquisapsi.com/books/advances4/7_Methodological_Criticisms.html. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
32. ^ Child, I.L. (1987). Criticism in Experimental Parapsychology, Advances in Parapsychological Research 5. PesquisaPSI. http://www.pesquisapsi.com/books/advances5/6_Criticism_in_Experimental.html. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
33. ^ Wiseman, Richard; Smith, Matthew, et al. (1996). "Exploring possible sender-to-experimenter acoustic leakage in the PRL autoganzfeld experiments - Psychophysical Research Laboratories". The Journal of Parapsychology. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n2_v60/ai_18960809. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
34. ^ EBauer, berhard (1984) "Criticism and Controversy in Parapsychology - An Overview", Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, European Journal of Parapsychology, 5, 141-166 (2007-02-09)
35. ^ O',Keeffe, Ciarán and Wiseman Richard (2005) "Testing alleged mediumship: Methods and results", British Journal of Psychology, 96, 165–17
36. ^ Rowland, Ian (2002) "The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading", Self-Published, ASIN B000NDYWDA
37. ^ Moulton ST, Kosslyn SM (January 2008). "Using neuroimaging to resolve the psi debate". Journal of cognitive neuroscience 20 (1): 182–92. doi:10.1162/jocn.2008.20.1.182. PMID 18095790.
38. ^ Science contradicts Psi, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 2008
39. ^ Shafer R, Jadwiszczok A. "Psychic defective: Sylvia Browne's history of failure." Skeptical Inquirer 34(2):38-42, 2010

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