Educating Parapsychologists

Journal of Parapsychology, The, Sept, 1999 by Matthew D. Smith

All in all, we should applaud the efforts of those who have been instrumental in making sure that parapsychological research activities are well-represented in a forum that allows the widest access to such information. Indeed, we should welcome and support all efforts to raise the profile of parapsychology education among both our colleagues and the public.

It is with this in mind that I am, therefore, grateful to the Parapsychological Association (and the editor of the Journal of Parapsychology) for allowing me this opportunity to highlight what I believe to be important issues in the continuing development of parapsychology. I appreciate that, by and large, I am probably preaching to the converted, in that I guess many readers of this journal will agree with me that the inclusion of parapsychology (taught in a balanced and responsible way) in a program of studies can be a valuable and rewarding experience for both teacher and student alike. Indeed, to quote John Beloff (Beloff, 1975): "There is no other discipline that I know which engages at the same time a person's critical faculties and his [or her] imagination and then stretches them both to a comparable extent" (p. 11).

However, if we are to ensure that as many people as possible are able to benefit from such a rewarding educational experience, we need to spend some time considering how this might be best achieved. As a first step, I hope this paper has, at the very least, been an opportunity to open this discussion.

(1.) Although I make no apologies for the Anglocentric nature of this brief overview, I am aware that my perspective is likely to be biased by the fact that I am most familiar with the UK educational system and the opportunities available within it (and, to a lesser extent, opportunities in the USA). I am currently compiling a directory of educational opportunities on behalf of the Parapsychological Association and would welcome being sent details of other educational opportunities. Likewise, if you would like further details of any of the educational opportunities to which I have referred, I would be more than happy to pass on as much as I know.

REFERENCES

BELOFF,J. (1975). The study of the paranormal as an educative experience. Parapsychology Review, 6, 8-1l. Reprinted in N. Zingrone, (Ed.), Education in Parapsychology. 1999, Parapsychology Foundation, New York.

BEM, D.J., & HONORTON, C. (1994). Does psi exist? Replicable evidence for an anomalous process of information transfer. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 4-18.

BRAUD, W. G., & SCHLITZ, M. J. (1991). Consciousness interactions with remote biological systems: Anomalous intentionality effects. Subtle Energies, 2, 1-46.

BROUGHTON, R. S. (1992). Parapsychology: The controversial science. NY: Ballantine Books.

HYMAN, R. (1996). Evaluation of a program on anomalous mental phenomena. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 10, 31-58.

IRWIN, H. J. (1999). An introduction to parapsychology. 3rd edition. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

RADIN, D. I. (1997). The conscious universe: The scientific truth of psychic phenomena. New York: Harpercollins.