Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
June 12, 2026
Sabine Rabourdin, Damien Roy, Claude Berghmans
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are phenomena where consciousness seems separate from the physical body, reported for centuries in spiritual traditions and now studied in neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology. This literature review presents scientific research and explanatory approaches to OBEs, which typically occur during altered states like sleep, meditation, hypnosis, psychotropic substance use, lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, or intense stress. Common descriptions include floating sensations, panoramic vision, altered body perception, and feeling of free movement. Despite advances, OBEs remain difficult to study rigorously, with no consensus on their origin and ununified results across disciplines. The discussion calls for a more precise classification grid and suggests advanced methodologies could provide new insights.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
June 12, 2026
Daniel Bourke
Terminal lucidity—the unexpected return of mental clarity shortly before death, even in people with severe dementia or brain damage—is a real phenomenon that occurs across cultures and time. This anthology brings together professionals from various fields to challenge prevailing ideas about death and argue for integrating such near-death phenomena into the dying process. The book also speculates on whether these experiences support a post-materialist worldview. While some included cases, like that of a child named Jack, may not clearly fit the definition of terminal lucidity and seem more like general visionary experiences of the dying, the collection offers valuable insights and opens doors for further research.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
March 12, 2026
Robert A Charman
A detailed account from David Kennedy describes a series of unsolicited communications conveyed through a medium that appeared to come from his deceased wife, Ann, and that indicated observational awareness of events in his life after her death. The case is presented as possibly unique in the literature, yet it was not referenced by contributors to a major essay contest on evidence for life after death, and the Society for Psychical Research only recently obtained a copy of the book. The background includes Ann's severe heart condition and a prior episode where Kennedy heard a voice saying she would recover, which preceded her actual recovery.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
December 19, 2025
Renaud Évrard
Frederic Myers, a co-founder of the Society for Psychical Research, developed a late-19th-century theory of consciousness that distinguished between subliminal (subthreshold) and supraliminal (ordinary) consciousness. Although praised by contemporaries such as Theodore Flournoy and William James, his model faced conceptual problems: confusion between a unified 'Subliminal Self' and multiple 'subliminal selves,' difficulty explaining coexistence of lower and higher faculties in the subliminal, and inadequacy of the surface/depth spatial metaphor. Myers refined his model using a light-spectrum analogy. This paper proposes an alternative 'topography' dividing consciousness into a center (intraliminal) and periphery (transliminal), restating Myers' ideas. His work laid foundations for broader understanding of consciousness and influenced psychology and parapsychology.