A New Approach to Psi: Re-Envisioning Paranormal Experience as Meaningful Coincidence

This book critiques conventional parapsychological viewpoints about extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (PK), collectively referred to as ’psi’. Since the 1930s, an over-arching view on psi has been built on J. B. Rhine’s theories and research at Duke University. The author argues that there are fundamental problems with the psi paradigm, and offers solutions based largely on Jung’s Theory of Synchronicity, treating the subject matter in a rigorous scientific way. The synchronicity concept speaks to ambiguous psi terminology, the narrow methodological approaches in psi testing, and limited interpretations of psychic experience that do not consider the pivotal role of meaning. This book considers problems with terminology, findings, and the psi construct from a Jungian synchronistic standpoint, which gives credence to issues such as archetypes, meaningfulness, and numinosity. An important new contribution to the understanding of psi, this book will be of interest to practitioners and researchers working in the disciplines of psychology, parapsychology, consciousness studies, and physics, especially quantum mechanics. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Preface Introduction 1. The Rhinean Revolution and What It Did for Parapsychology Who Was J. B. Rhine? What Rhine Did for Parapsychology Rhine’s Ideas under Scrutiny The Problem of Unification The Psi Process and Parapsychological Nomenclature Laboratory Psi and Parapsychological Nomenclature Rethinking Psi as Synchronicity Ted Owens: The Synchronicity Man? 2. The Trickster in Parapsychology: Part I. Secret Weapons Who Is the Trickster? The Trickster in the Laboratory The Trickster’s Secret Weapons: Experimenter Psi and the Decline Effect Types of Experimenter The Meta-Analyses: I. Experimenter Psi The Decline Effect The Meta-Analyses: II. Declines and Inclines Ramifications of Claimed Experimenter Psi and Chronological Decline Effects 3. The Trickster in Parapsychology: Part II. More Secret Weapons False Positives and False Negatives Questions About Questionable Research Practices Magic, Reliability, and Six Sigma The Trick of the Cause in Parapsychology Fear of Psi and Fear of No Psi Overcoming the Trickster 4. Synchronicity and Related Psi Theories The Theory of Synchronicity The Synchronicity Quaternity On Model Building: Consciousness, Psychophysical Reality, Archetypes, and the Self The Spacetime Factor and Archetypal Inevitability Psi-Mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR) and Conformance Behavior Meaningful Information Creation Psychopraxia Decision Augmentation Theory Model of Pragmatic Information Archetypal Synchronistic Resonance Multiphasic Model of Precognition First Sight Theory Synchronicity Theory Revisited: The Question of Psi Synchronicity Suggests Psi; Psi Equals Synchronicity Is Laboratory Psi Research Eliciting Synchronicity? Towards a Synchronistic Understanding of Psi 5. Quantum Mechanics, Consciousness, and Psychophysical Reality Quantum Mechanics The Double-Slit Experiment The Role of Consciousness Psychophysical Reality Revisited Appendix A: Experiments on Meaningful Coincidence Appendix B: Synchronistic Confirmation? Appendix C: Optional Stopping and Optional Extension–Rounding Out Ns References Index This book critiques conventional parapsychological viewpoints about extrasensory perception (ESP) and psychokinesis (PK), collectively referred to as ‘psi’. Since the 1930s, an over-arching view on psi has been built on J. B. Rhine’s research and theories at Duke University. The author argues that there are fundamental problems with the psi paradigm, and offers solutions based largely on Jung’s Theory of Synchronicity, treating the subject matter in a rigorous scientific way. The synchronicity concept speaks to ambiguous psi terminology, the narrow methodological approaches in psi testing, and limited interpretations of psychic experience that do not consider the pivotal role of meaning. This book considers problems with terminology, findings, and the psi construct from a Jungian synchronistic standpoint, which gives credence to issues such as archetypes, meaningfulness, and numinosity. An important new contribution to the understanding of psi, this book will be of interest to practitioners and researchers working in the disciplines of psychology, parapsychology, consciousness studies, and physics, especially quantum mechanics.