Psychic Abilities and Parapsychology
Psychic abilities such as postcognition, psychometry, telepathy
and physical/mental mediumship are all branches of a broader
subject known as Parapsychology. People with psychic abilities
are claimed to affect or retrieve information through a channel
that does not belong within the scope of conventional or
mainstream science. The credibility of such claims has been
vehemently questioned by many, due to lack of evidence but its
existence, however absurd it may seem, cannot be simply
discarded because of the deep roots Parapsychology has in
history and culture.
Anomalous Cognition:
These are the two types of psychic abilities or Parapsychology -
Anomalous Cognition and Anomalous Operation. Anomalous Cognition
may also be known as Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) and includes:
Telepathy: is the ability to communicate information mentally
from one person to another, without using any physical signs and
other aids.
Precognition: is the ability to perceive information and predict
future events before they actually happen. This information is
achieved by a special mental ability and not deductive reasoning.
Postcognition or Retrocognition: is the ability to achieve
information about events that has already occurred which are
usually unknown by others. For example, "psychic detectives"
claim to use this method to detect possible murderers.
Psychometry: is another form of postcognition which enables a
person to achieve information about events that had already
occurred by being in close contact with the area or object where
the event took place.
Clairvoyance: is the ability to perceive distant objects,
persons, or events. Sometimes clairvoyants may claim to have the
ability to see through opaque structures like brick walls, and
perceive unseen energy such as radio waves. Subtypes include
clairaudience, clairalience, clairgustance, and clairsentience.
Anomalous Operation:
Anomalous Operation, simply put, is communication by paranormal
means. The different types of Anomalous Operation are closely
related which include:
Psychokinesis: or telekinesis or remote influencing is the
ability to move physical objects and influence the behavior of
matter mentally without the aid of any other devices.
Out-of-body experience (OBE): is the ability to separate one's
physical body from the soul, spirit or mind. OBE is a common
phenomenon and often linked to Near-death experiences, dreams,
alcohol and drugs.
Astral Projection: is closely linked with Out-of-body
experience. The astral body is a "double" of the real physical
body but separated from it, moving freely on its own in the
astral plane. Astral projection is also often linked with drugs,
dreams and NDE's.
Near-death experience (NDE): is one of the most common
Out-of-body experiences. When some people who are proclaimed to
be clinically dead are revived again, they relate experiences in
which they travel out of their physical bodies and see their own
dead bodies.
Mediumship: in which private s