Paranormal Terms

Pact: the belief, prevalent in the late middle ages through the Renaissance, that someone could trade his or her soul in return for
worldly gain

Paranormal: Beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation. Above or outside the natural order of things as
presently understood.

Paranormal Dream: Dreams in which the dream imagery provides paranormal knowledge.

Parapsychology: The branch of science that studies psychic phenomena. The study of the evidence for psychological phenomena,
such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis, that are inexplicable by science. (term coined by J.B. Rhine)

Past-Life Memories: Mental images that are believed to be memories of previous lives.

Past-Life Regression: A technique of hypnosis involving regressing people to supposed previous lives.

Pentacle/Pentagram: a five-pointed star, often held to have magical or mystical significance, formed by five straight lines
connecting the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing another pentagon in the completed figure.

Percipient: Having the power of perceiving, especially perceiving keenly and readily. A person who sees (i.e., perceives) an
apparition or ghost.

Phantasm: A phantom or an apparition. Also called phantasm.

Phantom Lights: can be attributed to blue methane flame produced by swamp gas, or electrical discharges in the form of what is
termed ball lightning or perhaps even misplaced fireflies. Yet, in other instances, the phenomenon of floating lights observed over
water, the edge of woods, lonely back roads and in the windows of darkened houses just can't be dismissed by ordinary
explanations. These might be globules which coalesce and intensify in luminosity to the point where they become visible in dark
surroundings

Phasmophobia: The Fear of Ghosts.

Phenomenology: An approach to research that aims to describe and clarify a person's own experience and understanding of an
event or phenomenon. A philosophy or method of inquiry based on the premise that reality consists of objects and events as they
are perceived or understood in human consciousness and not of anything independent of human consciousness.

Philosopher's Stone: A wondrous beacon of sublime wisdom and awesome revelation, a powerful conjurer's device, perhaps even
an extraterrestrial gem encoded with unimagined, otherworldly knowledge. For century's alchemists, mystics, learned men and
seekers of truth quested for the fabled Philosopher's Stone, not really knowing where or even precisely what it was. Once
obtained, it would impart the wisdom of the world and of the angels. Should this actually exist and is in someone's possession, it
may well be regarded as one more enigmatic artifact, since it is unlikely to include instructions!

Placebo: An inactive treatment often given to a control group.

Place Memory: Information about past events that apparently is stored in the physical environment.

Planchette: A triangular device that is used as a pointer on a Ouija board.

Plant Psi: Extra Sensory Perception exhibited by plants.

Poltergeist: This is a German word for "knocking ghost", which means a ghost which seems to move items around a room. The
most typical item to look for here is that the same person is around when this phenomenon occurs and decreases or stops when
they are not around. Many believe this is caused by emotional and psychological stress in a living individual. Normally this
individual tends to be a pre-teen female just entering adulthood. They are unconsciously causing this situation by a subconscious
form of psychokinesis. When their apparent issues are resolved the situation seems to return to normal.

Portal: Strong energy gateway between the spirit world and our world.

Possession: Invasion of the human mind by a spiritual or demonic entity, where the invading agent for a span of time, influences or
entirely subverts the personality of the human host. It is in these instances that the boundaries of psychology, religion and
spiritualism are rendered less distinct.

Prayer: Prayer is an active effort to communicate with a deity or spirit either to offer praise, to make a request, seek guidance,
confess sins, or simply to express one's thoughts and emotions.

Precognition: The ability to predict things beyond present knowledge, the knowledge of something in advance of its occurrence,
especially by extrasensory perception; clairvoyance.

Prediction: A statement that foretells future events.

Pre-existence: Belief that the personality or soul exists prior to birth.

Premonition: A presentiment of the future; a foreboding. A warning in advance; a forewarning. A forewarning of a future event.

Presence: The state or fact of being present; current existence or occurrence. A supernatural/paranormal influence felt to be
nearby. The feeling that an unseen person, spirit or being is nearby.

Preternatural: Associated with inhuman, demonic or diabolical spirits and forces.

Process Research: Research that aims to investigate factors affecting psi.

Proof Research: Research that aims to demonstrate the existence of psi.

Prophecy: A prediction, usually resulting from a sense of spiritual revelation.
The ability to receive prophetic revelations.

Psi: Parapsychological phenomena or abilities considered as a group. A letter in the Greek alphabet that denotes psychic
phenomena.

Psi-Mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR): Theory put forward by Rex Stanford that psi activity is used to serve an organism's
needs.

Psyche: The Greek word for "self", "mind", or "soul".

Psychedelic: Literally "revealing mind". A class of plants and drugs (Example: peyote, psilocybin, LSD) that can produce florid
Altered States of Consciousness.

Psychic: A person with above average ESP abilities. Capable of extraordinary mental processes, such as extrasensory perception
and mental telepathy.

Psychic Impression: Energy left in an area that can later be "played back" like a recording in time. Psychic Impressions left in an
area are not interactive and are often associated with a haunting, called "Residual Hauntings". (Example of a Residual Haunting:
When people see ghostly soldiers fighting battles on battlefields, etc..) When a person has preformed events over and over again
in a location they tend to leave a psychic impression on the area, which sometimes stays in the location long after that person
has passed on. Traumatic events in a location may also leave a strong psychic impression on the area.

Psychical Research: A term coined in the late 19th century to refer to the scientific study of the paranormal. Now largely known as
'parapsychology'.

Psychic Photography: General term used to refer to paranormal photographic images.

Psychic Vampire: This is a term for individuals who seem to instinctively draw and absorb the psychic energies from others,
usually while conversing with (or at) them.

Psychokinesis (PK): The power of the mind to affect matter without physical contact. The production or control of motion,
especially in inanimate and remote objects, purportedly by the exercise of psychic ability.

Psychometry: ESP of events associated with inanimate objects. The ability or art of divining information about people or events
associated with an object solely by touching or being near to it.

Pyramid Power: Belief that pyramid shapes can produce paranormal effects.