Damien J. Houran’s scientific contributions

This study examines a body of engaged “ritual magic practitioners” to understand their methods and techniques for facilitating putative parapsychological outcomes in everyday life, as well as outcomes on a computerized test of putative psi. We hypothesized that the combination of meditation, visualization, and related mental exercises at the core of magical practice relates to both invoked anomalous phenomena and spontaneously-occurring anomalous phenomena, and further that the perceptual-personality variable of transliminality (i.e., loose mental boundary functioning) is integral to this process. Likewise, we also anticipated that these associations would enable ritual magicians to score significantly above-chance on the psi test. A split-sample analysis found a positive and statistically significant series of relationships between transliminality and the majority of measured variables within the sample, and notably those involving questionnaire measures of subjective and objective anomalies as well as daily mental exercises. The ritual magicians also performed significantly below-chance (p < .01 for several conditions) on the psi test, as a function of open testing of ESP or using ritual to influence the test. We discuss these results in terms of significant predictions of trait and practice variables on ESP scoring, as well as the evidence that magical practice may represent techniques in which a transliminal dis-ease model might be better remediated.

The grounded theory of Haunted People Syndrome (HP-S) contends that spontaneous 'ghostly episodes' recurrently experienced by certain people are an interactionist phenomenon involving heightened somatic-sensory sensitivities which are stirred by disease states, contextual-ized with paranormal belief, and reinforced via perceptual contagion and threat-agency detection. A historical report of a poltergeist-like outbreak that was touted in a non-psi journal was used to test the applicability of this psychological model. Two independent and blinded raters used the Survey of Strange Events (SSE: Houran et al., 2019b) to map the anomalous phenomena in the case, as well as a Recognition Pattern Checklist to assess for contextual variables that the HP-S model links to the features and dynamics of sustained haunt-type anomalies. High inter-rater agreement on the raters' scores suggested that the available details of this case corresponded to (a) an occur-1 James Houran (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1725-582X) has a Master's in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Springfield (USA) and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Adelaide (Australia). is an independent researcher and social science student currently based in Texas. His primary interests are in the iconography and symbolism found in traditional tattooing ceremonies and the application of ritual practices to art. He is also an Eagle Scout and actively involved with agriculture and permaculture. http://dx. rence with above-average 'haunt intensity' compared to published norms, and (b) 100% 'agree-ment' on the ostensible presence of all five proposed recognition patterns of HP-S. Furthermore, a review of this episode's general structure using an SSE based Decision-Tree process cautioned against a purely parapsychological interpretation of some or all the reported anomalies. This basic analysis serves as a practical primer for using the SSE tool and HP-S model to guide future investigations of ghostly episodes by professional parapsychologists and citizen scientists alike. Überdenken einer geisterhaften Episode aus der älteren Literatur Zusammenfassung 2-Die Grounded Theory des Haunted-People-Syndroms (HP-S) geht davon aus, dass spontane "geisterhafte Episoden", die von bestimmten Menschen immer wieder erlebt werden, ein interaktionistisches Phänomen darstellen, das erhöhte somatisch-sensorische Empfindlichkeiten beinhaltet, die durch Krankheitszustände ausgelöst, mit paranormalen Überzeugungen kontextua-lisiert und durch perzeptuelle Ansteckung und das Verspüren einer Bedrohung verstärkt werden. Die Anwendbarkeit dieses psychologischen Modells wurde anhand eines historischen Berichts über einen poltergeistähnlichen Ausbruch geprüft, der in einer nicht-parapsychologischen Zeitschrift veröffentlicht wurde. Zwei unabhängige und verblindete Rater verwendeten den Survey of Strange Events (SSE: Houran et al., 2019b), um die anomalen Phänomene in dem Fall zu erfassen, sowie eine Recognition Pattern Checklist, um kontextuelle Variablen zu bewerten, die das HP-S-Modell mit den Merkmalen und der Dynamik anhaltender spukartiger Anomalien verbindet. Die hohe Über-einstimmung zwischen den Ratern bei den Bewertungen deutet darauf hin, dass die verfügbaren Details dieses Falles (a) einem Ereignis mit überdurchschnittlicher "Spukintensität" im Vergleich zu den veröffentlichten Normwerten und (b) einer 100 %igen "Übereinstimmung" bezüglich des offen-sichtlichen Vorhandenseins aller fünf vorgeschlagenen Erkennungsmuster von HP-S entsprechen. Darüber hinaus warnte eine Überprüfung der allgemeinen Struktur dieser Episode unter Verwen-dung eines SSE-basierten Entscheidungsbaum-Prozesses vor einer rein parapsychologischen Interpretation einiger oder aller berichteten Anomalien. Diese grundlegende Analyse dient als praktischer Leitfaden für die Verwendung des SSE-Tools und des HP-S-Modells, um zukünftige Untersuchun-gen von Geisterepisoden durch professionelle Parapsychologen und Laienwissenschaftler gleicher-maßen anzuleiten.

Research suggests a “Haunted People Syndrome (HP-S)” defined by recurrent and systematic perceptions of anomalous subjective and objective anomalies. Such signs or symptoms are traditionally attributed to “spirits and the supernatural,” but these themes are hypothesised to morph to “surveillance and stalking” in reports of “group-(or gang) stalking,” We tested this premise with a quali-quantitative exercise that mapped group-stalking experiences from a published first-hand account to a Rasch measure of haunt-type anomalies. This comparison found significant agreement in the specific “signs or symptoms” of both phenomena. Meta-patterns likewise showed clear conceptual similarities between the phenomenology of haunts and group-stalking. Findings are consistent with the idea that both anomalous episodes involve the same, or similar, attentional or perceptual processes and thereby support the viability of the HP-S construct.