ESP, Psychokinesis, and Psychics »

Psychic phenomena range from strong intuitions, to hearing spirit voices, to seeing visions of distant places. Psychics often experience such events in the form of dreams, trances, or unusual sensations. ESP, Psychokinesis, and Psychics surveys different types of psychic abilities and examines several popular psychics. It looks at skeptics and organizations that investigate possible fraud and discusses portrayals of psychics in popular media, as on the TV shows Ghost Whisperer and Medium. Finally, readers are given the information they need to test and develop their personal psychic abilities.

Throughout history, people have experienced amazing things that they could not fully explain. From encounters with strange creatures to sightings of mysterious flying lights, and from ghostly apparitions to visions of the future, these occurrences have fueled the idea that entities, powers, and dimensions may exist outside the boundaries of the everyday world. Each book in the Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena series examines one area of the paranormal. Designed to inspire readers' imaginations while informing them of the known facts, these books are written by occult experts with firsthand experience in paranormal investigations.

Children's Literature

The "Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena" series for young adults is written from the perspective that, although occult phenomena cannot be explained or proved, they do exist. Starting with a Foreword by "one of the foremost authorities on the paranormal," this volume explains that, though psychics have been around for millennia, modern practice lumps psychic phenomena and unexplained abilities together under the term psi (23rd letter of the Greek alphabet). Psi takes many forms: poltergeist attacks, telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and dreams, while psychics use a variety tools, including Ouija boards, astrology, I Ching, crystals, cards, and "scrying" with crystal balls. Though they contain more details than most readers may find interesting, two chapters introduce teens to some psychics, ancient (Nostradamus) and modern (Lisa Williams). Can psi be tested? Some who have tried are J. B. Rhine who developed Zener cards to measure ESP, the nineteenth-century Society for Psychical Research, and Dr. Gary Schwartz, who investigates "survival of consciousness" at the University of Arizona. Still, there have always been skeptics. These include the famous magician Harry Houdini, those who doubted the Russian occultist Madame Blavatsky, and outspoken modern skeptic James Randi. The author believes that, though some psychics inherit their powers, others can develop psi through study and exercises. "Go for it, " she urges. A misplaced final chapter discusses the perceived psychic powers of animals and plants. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft

Foreword     7
Introduction     13
Psychics: Who Are They and What Do They Do?     17
Psychic Abilities, or How Do They Do That?     23
Tools of the Trade     33
Psychics Through the Ages     49
Psychic Nation: The Paranormal Is With Us     59
Testing, Testing, or Does Psi Really Exist?     71
Psychic, Schmychic: It's All a Trick     83
Becoming a Psychic     93
Talking-and Listening-to the Animals     99
Timeline     107
Glossary     111
Endnotes     115
Further Resources     123
Bibliography     127
Index     133
About the Author     143
About the Consulting Editor     144