ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists: A Parapschologist's Handbook

by Loyd Auerbach

This is a 30th Anniversary reprinting of a book that has been lauded by Newsweek and cited by numerous people -- from students of parapsychology to ghost hunters to celebrity paranormal investigators -- as the book that got them first interested and started on their paranormal journeys and studies.ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists, first published in 1986, is reprinted with minor changes and minimal updates [Note that the authors subsequent books have much of the update material already].Writing the book during the height of the (now-defunct) accredited Master's degree program at John F. Kennedy University in the San Francisco Bay Area, parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach put together a true handbook for those interested in all forms of psychic phenomena and experiences, with a eye towards investigation of the paranormal (apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists).The material is presented in four sections with appendices.Section One is a "handbook" providing basic foundation knowledge of parapsychology and psychical research, psychic phenomena and experiences, and even the skeptical viewpoint.Section Two takes a look at Pop Culture -- from TV and film to science fiction and comic books -- and news and reality TV coverage of the topics.Section Three is a casebook of sorts, covering famous cases of hauntings (including an expose of the Amityville Horror case) as well as cases investigated by some of Auerbach's colleagues (and his own very first case).Section Four is the handbook for the would-be paranormal investigator / ghost hunter. It's a step by step manual that contradicts so much of what has been altered by television producers for reality TV. Coming from the 100+ years of field investigation of the paranormal by his predecessors, colleagues, and his own experience, this common sense guide will enable people to truly investigate, understand, and generally resolve ghostly issues. Honest and direct, even if you think you know how to investigate, this section alone will enlighten you in ways you may not have imagined.Finally, the Appendices provide resources for any and all interested in the topics covered by the book.There are tools for the investigator in Appendix A.Appendix B provides an updated (2016) list of organizations and resources, a "Who Ya Gonna Call?" directory, as well as the questions you should ask to make sure the ghost hunters or parapsychologists you contact actually are trained or educated and know what they're talking about (and know what they're doing). Additional suggestions for furthering your education in Parapsychology and the paranormal is included in this section.Appendix C provides a long list of suggested reading materials. There have been a few additional more recent titles added to this appendix (2016) as a starting point for the 21st century.Once you read this book, you'll have a real understanding of what the real scientific researchers and investigators have been doing since the 19th century start of the field, how the best investigations are conducted, what parapsychologists generally think of apparitions, hauntings, and poltergeists, and so much more!

Genres: Paranormal, Ghosts, Nonfiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

LOYD AUERBACH, M.S. (Parapsychology), Director of the Office of Paranormal Investigations and President of the Forever Family Foundation, has been in the field for over 30 years focusing on education and field investigation. The author of 9 books including The Ghost Detectives’ Guide to Haunted San Francisco, co-authored with the late renowned psychic Annette Martin. His newest release is ESP WARS: East and West, covering the psychic spying programs of the US and Soviet Union/Russia, co-authored by Dr. Edwin C. May (who ran the US program) and Dr. Victor Rubel. The book is now available on Amazon.com and other online booksellers. He is a professor at Atlantic University and JFK University, and teaches Parapsychology (local and distance) through HCH Institute in Lafayette, California. He is also on the Board of the Rhine Research Center and the advisory boards of the Windbridge Institute and the Forever Family Foundation. His media appearances on TV, radio and in print number in the thousands, including ESPN’s SportsCenter, ABC’s The View, Oprah, and Larry King Live. He works as a parapsychologist, professional mentalist/psychic entertainer, public speaking & media skills coach, and as a professional chocolatier.

http://www.mindreader.com
http://www.hypnotherapytraining.com/p...
http://www.hauntedbychocolate.com
http://www.facebook.com/loyd.auerbach
http://www.youtube.com/loydauerbach & http://www.youtube.com/profparanormal
http://about.me/auerbachloyd
http://www.linkedin.com/in/loydauerbach/

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN EXCELLENT SURVEY OF PARAPSYCHOLOGY

Author Loyd Auerbach wrote in the Introduction to this 1986 book, “If you experience something that may or may not be of the psychic kind, what do you do? Who do you call? … What can you do? This book is an attempt to answer these and other questions to providing information about how the real life ‘ghostbusters’---parapsychologists---do their scientific investigations, and what parapsychology has to say about these experiences, the form they take why they happen, and what can be done about them… whether you believe in paranormal experiences or not, this book is intended to enlighten and educate you about them, emphasizing the kinds that not only tend to bring on the strongest reactions (usually fear, if not confusion and curiosity) and that many find the most interesting, but that also are surrounded with the greatest number of misconceptions. I’m speaking, of course, about hauntings, apparitions, and poltergeists.” (Pg. 1-2)

He continues, “So, whether you are a believer, nonbeliever, or somewhere in between, this book is meant to enlighten you as to what parapsychologists are really up to and what people do experience. It’s meant to impress upon you the importance of keeping an open mind while at the same time questioning reports of psychic happenings, especially when reported by the mass media.” (Pg. 21)

In the first chapter, he explains, “Parapsychology is the study of psychic of ‘psi’ phenomena… These are exchanges of information between living things ... and the environment… which occur without the use of what we call the ‘normal’ senses, and do not seem to be explicable by the ‘known’ physical laws of nature… We can break psi down into two main kinds of interactions, and a third group of occurrences that don’t quite seem to fit as yet.” (Pg. 15-16)

He continues, “The first group of phenomena has been called receptive psi or informational psi, and is probably more familiar to you as ESP or extrasensory perception. These experiences … can be broken down into… ‘telepathy,’ which is an awareness of information or emotions that exist in the mind of another… Next, we have clairvoyance… referring to the receiving of information from objects or events at the present time without the use of the ‘normal’ senses.” (Pg. 16)

He goes on, “The second group of interactions has been collectively referred to as expressive psi, or ‘mind over matter.’ The term parapsychologists have applied … in this category is ‘psychokinesis,;’ or more simply, PK… PK covers a wide range of effects… you’re probably most familiar with … ‘telekinesis,’ or the ability to move objects from a distance… other macro-PK effects include the materialization of dematerialization of objects (even ostensibly ‘teleportation’…) Another major PK-related area is that of ‘psychic healing’… Finally we come to the PK-related phenomenon that will receive most of our attention throughout this book: the POLTERGEIST experience… parapsychologists link the experience to a living person or persons… In a poltergeist case, objects are generally reported to move about under their own power, things break by themselves…” (Pg. 20-22)

He adds, “We now move to an area that has been of central importance to humanity … the idea of life after death… we have ‘apparitions’… An apparition is what if seen, heard, felt, or smelled and is related to some part of the human personality/mind/soul that can somehow exist … after the death of its body… The term ‘haunting’ does often refer… where an apparition … hangs around a particular location or person… Related to the idea … is the experience of part of the mind or spirit splitting off and leaving the body. The ‘out-of-body’ experience; … called an OBE… this is called ‘astral projection,’ where the spirit or soul actually leaves the body, tethered to it by a silver cord of some ectoplasmic variety.” (Pg. 22-23) He adds, “Another term I’d like to mention is the ‘near-death experience’ (NDE)… During this interval they felt themselves leaving the body… the body is resuscitated, and the person … [has] a recollection of that near-death process.” (Pg. 27)

He explains, “When a phone call or letter comes into a parapsychological … research center, where the caller … wants to report a paranormal experience, the call of how to deal with that … experience must be made… is an investigation in order?... Unfortunately, due to the poor funding of the field of parapsychology… parapsychologists often do not have the time to race right out and spend what may be days or sometimes weeks on a single case, especially since they rarely charge for those investigations… there are other considerations. Many experiences are really not open to full-scale investigation.. to warrant investigation, certain criteria have to be filled. First of all, is the experience a current one?...Secondly, have ordinary explanations been looked at and ruled out?... Finally, are there any witnesses, and are they available as well? If there are corroborating witnesses… the final determination to investigate becomes a bit easier.” (Pg. 53-55)

He acknowledges, “Since psi is far from full recognition by the scientific community at large, and has not been supported as something truly within the realm of science, parapsychology, which studies these phenomena, still finds the focus of its studies shrouded in mystery, awe, and fear.” (Pg. 56)

He notes, “parapsychologists have for the most part stayed away from survival research, since whatever results are produced will also fit some other hypothesis besides that of survival… Any evidence of survival of some part of the human personality that can interact with the physical world after the death of the body is technically secondhand information, due to the lack of cooperative apparitions willing to hand around for objective study. Any interpretation of an apparitional experience… can be looked at in one of three ways. First of all, there’s the possibility of being mistaken… Secondly, we could way that this evidence is highly suggestive of some postmortem status. But there’s a third possibility that makes all the difference. What if your own psi abilities are responsible for what you’re experiencing.” (Pg. 196)

He surveys portrayals of parapsychology in film, TV, radio, books, and other mass media. For example, he states that “we really cannot avoid the conclusion that the events of the Amityville ‘Horror’ were fiction, pure and simple… The case of the ‘Amityville Horror’ is a prime example of how things can be fabricated and blown out of proportion through utilization of the media.” (Pg. 303)

He concludes, “I want to say that without a bit of humor one can be all too susceptible to becoming truly obsessed or taken over by subjective paranormal experiences, and the film brought this point home to many of us in the field… Psychic experience is a part of the NORMAL range of human experience. Learn to enjoy it, learn from the experiences and what they say about your life, learn to inject humor into otherwise fearful experiences. You have nothing to fear from these things except your own fear.” (Pg. 408)

This book will be of keen interest to anyone studying parapsychology.

[Brian Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book that hooked me completely into investigating the paranormal and understanding how parapsychology worked. Many have said this is the "Bible" of investigating and I could not agree more. This is a must read for anyone who has an interest in ghosts and especially ghost investigation.

[Zanner58 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. He doesn't pull any punches. He calls out the fakes.

[Karen Heasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book goes into great detail on many things

[Scott Buchanan]

Great paranormal information from an experienced researcher. Easy to read.