We
publish this newsletter quarterly with the hope
that it keeps you abreast of the current events
at the Rhine Center, the latest psi research,
intriguing experiential reports of psi, relevant
books, and commentary from notable scientists in
the field. While we remain connected to our
friends abroad who hold an ardent commitment to
the field, here in Durham, NC, we continue to
bring intellectual, interesting, and capable
speakers from the psi world to our community,
and we have had a resurgence of members and a
growth of our own infrastructure in the latter
part of 2008 and the first part of 2009 that has
been most encouraging, to say the least.
A
notable celebration of our ongoing commitment
and success occurred in mid-March as Stacy Horn
came to Durham to discuss her newly published
book, Unbelievable: Investigations into
Ghosts’, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other
Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology
Laboratory (Ecco, 2009), describing the
Rhine Center's early years and ongoing legacy.
She joined Professor Sy Mauskopf, co-author of
The Elusive Science (with Michael
McVaugh, 1980) for a lively panel discussing the
beginnings of the Duke Center for Parapsychology
and the place of J.B. and Louisa Rhine in the
history of Parapsychology.
For a non-profit organization that is run almost
entirely by volunteers, our growing group of
diverse, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable
volunteers keep the Rhine moving forward. These
new volunteers were blessed with the chance to
get to know one of the Rhine Center's most
intelligent, courageous, and steadfast
researchers, Steve Baumann, as he worked
diligently through a battle with cancer in 2008
and 2009. His passing on April 18th surprised
and saddened all of us, and his life was one of
inspiration to all who knew him as well as one
that left long-lasting contributions to the
field of parapsychology.
Baumann's quiet integrity and knowledge remains
with us. During the question and answer session
after a talk this winter about EVP's,
(Electronic Voice Phenomena), a frustrated
member of the audience asked, "I don't know how
anybody can listen to something like this and
just discount it. Why are scientists so
defensive and close-minded about this field?"
Dr. Baumann's calm response was heartening as he
said, "I believe with sufficient evidence
presented by good scientists we will make
headway. There are lots of people who are less
conservative than you think -- many, many who
are more liberal."
Our community, though saddened by the loss of
this brilliant researcher, is a close one, and,
like Baumann himself, we remain committed to the
field that J.B. And Louisa Rhine helped define
so many years ago. As J.B. Rhine once said, "ESP
is nonphysical. It shows that there is something
that man can do (be) that extends beyond
space/time. That's tremendous! That's like
discovering another continent, a new world." The
more we learn about this world, the more its
boundaries (which are really just our own
limitations) expand. The more we understand, the
more we have to accept that we are truly
connected in ways far beyond our physical
knowing. In my opinion, this connection is what
keeps us going, and it is never severed.
I hope you enjoy this spring newsletter, and
know that we welcome all feedback as well as any
recommendations for future article topics. As
always, we at the Rhine Center remain
open-minded and supportive, and we will be glad
to lend a listening ear if you, by chance or
choice, have journeyed into the mysterious world
of psi.
a presentation by Athena Drewes
PhD, child psychologist/parapsychologist,
and RRC Advisory Board member.
Friday April
24th, 2009
7:30 – 9:00pm
at the Stedman Auditorium Directions
Many adults recall the puzzlement of psychic experiences from their
own childhood while others are puzzled as they encounter the
paranormal for the first time with their own children. Over the past
few years there are increasing reports of children seeing spirits or
apparitions. We hear about special psi ability of so-called
“Indigo/Rainbow children” and/or of some autistic children. How
should adults deal with their own childhood memories? How should
parents respond to their children's reports and experiences? And how
should children and teens handle their own seeming encounters with
the spirit world?
Rhine Members $10:00 * Non-Members
* $15.00 * Students $5:00
The Rhine
Center is sad to announce the passing of our
dear friend and colleague, Dr. Steve Baumann,
who transitioned from this world in the early
morning hours of April 18th. As many of you
know, Steve was valiantly fighting a
glioblastoma brain tumor this past year, but
after 14 months of chemotherapy and healing help
by many friends, a second aggressive tumor was
discovered that could not be contained. He
showed tremendous resolve to lead a normal and
happy life throughout this time period,
attending and giving talks, continuing with his
research, and spending as much time as possible
with his two daughters, Elana and Naomi, and his
beloved partner, Bonnie. He was deeply devoted
to them all. At the time of his passing, he was
surrounded by loved ones in the comfortable
setting of a local Duke hospice.
The Rhine Center and friends celebrated
Baumann's 60th birthday with a big party in the
Rhine Center library on February 12th, and all
were grateful for the chance to celebrate with
him, to spend time with him, and to wish for his
continued health. In the same spirit of
celebration for a life well-lived, a large group
convened for a special memorial on Monday
evening, April 20th, again at the Rhine Center
library. Though we missed him that evening, his
presence was felt in the spirit of the community
and in the love surrounding his beautiful
family.
A biomedical engineer and neurophysiologist,
Baumann received a B.S. in psychology (1973), an
M.A.T. in teaching science (1974) and a Ph.D. in
biomedical engineering (1982), all from Duke
University. He held adjunct appointments at Duke
University in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering and Department of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. For many
years active in parapsychology research and
programs, Steve was most currently engaged in
the study of the bioenergy characteristics of
healers with his colleague Dr. Bill Joines. He
had worked closely with Dr. Joines in the
Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering on developing techniques for the
measurement of energy from psychic (i.e.
biofield) healers. Additionally, he spent much
of his time studying the use of virtual reality
(VR) and functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) for medical and education-related
applications at Duke University, RTI
International, and Psychology Software Tools
where he was the Research Director for VR/fMRI.
He has been a long-time research associate of
the Rhine Research Center and has studied
psychic healing, PK and poltergeists. His goal
was to utilize the power of science to study the
limits of human consciousness.
Baumann's research results and his sincerity and
dedication to parapsychology leave a strong
legacy, and his passing is a deep loss for our
local community. He is survived by his two
daughters, Elana and Naomi, his partner, Bonnie
Albright, and other members of his extended
family. Condolences can be sent to the family at
4523 American Drive, Durham, NC 27705.
The
media is making much ado about so-called
psychic children these days, from a popular
TV show to a wide variety of sensible to
sensational publications and online
publications to aid the bewildered parent.
But this is no new thing. It is well
accepted among those who study the
paranormal that psi occurs most clearly and
strongly in the early years of life. Reports
of children manifesting remarkable psi
ability are a regular, if not common,
feature of our ongoing spontaneous case
collection.
One recent account speaks for itself,
here in the unedited words of a concerned
mother:
“Betty (not her real name) is almost 11
years old and has had some rather unique
abilities since she was very small. From the
time she was very little, Betty would sit
coloring or drawing and begin to say out
loud what I, my sister-in-law, or her father
were thinking. It was almost as if she would
‘tune’ in to what you were thinking when she
wasn’t thinking about anything in
particular. Sort of a human speaker for your
thoughts. It was odd, but we got used to it.
For her second birthday, her grandmother
decided to get a stuffed rocking horse with
her name on it. Granny didn’t tell anyone
because she wanted it to be a big surprise,
but the week before her birthday, Betty ran
around telling everyone her Grandma was
getting her a “rocker horse” for her
birthday. To this day, her grandmother
believes we found out somehow what she
planned and told Betty, but we didn’t. She
just sometimes knows things. Again, since
she was very little, Betty has seen ‘swirly
colors’ around people. We assume these are
auras, but aren’t sure. Her vision is
checked by an eye doctor annually. She can
tell you what colors surround you.
Most unusual of all, Betty has been seeing
and speaking to spirits of children since
she was small.
She began by telling me about
the ‘fuzzy people’ (at first I thought she
meant literally fuzzy, but she meant out of
focus) and later referred to them as ‘blurry
people’. To hear your three-year old tell
you about a little boy who came to visit in
her room and told her that he had an
accident in his grandmother’s kitchen with a
knife and he was afraid his mother would be
angry at him because he wasn’t supposed to
do it, was a little confusing for me to
begin with. Or to hear her tell of a little
girl who got very sick and was in the
hospital before she died. She would tell me
what these kids would tell her in her mind –
not with actual voices – and the things she
told me were way too sophisticated and
beyond her knowledge base to have come from
her imagination.
While she is left handed and quite artistic,
she does not have a wild imagination. She
sees these spirits a couple of times a week
on average and they have never been adults –
only small children up through young teens.
She has not had any frightening or negative
experiences along this vein. To her, these
things are just normal, but she no longer
tells friends or the kids at school because
they don’t believe her and that hurts her
feelings.
Betty’s father lost his wedding band
somewhere in the house a couple of months
ago. It was missing for 5 or 6 weeks and he
swore he had put it on the dresser where he
always did. We didn’t all get involved to
look for it or anything like that, but when
we were getting ready to go out, I tapped
Betty on the forehead and said,
“Why don’t you
use that psychic noodle of yours to find your dad’s
wedding ring?” and as soon as I did it, her eyes flew
open, she took a quick breath, jumped up, went to my
filing cabinet, reached way in under a huge stack of dry
cleaning on top and pulled the ring right out. If I had
seen it on TV, I would not have believed it; it was that
quick and that amazing. I asked her how she knew where
it was and she said that when I asked, she saw a picture
of it in her head and just knew where it was.
Read More
Kathe Martin, Ellen Kaye Gehrke, and Mary Jo
Bulbrook on Conversations from the Other Side
On
January 9th, Mary Jo Bulbrook, Ellen Kaye
Gehrke, and Kathe Martin had a panel discussion
entitled "Conversations with the Other Side."
Dr. Bulbrook, who is a spiritual/medical
intuitive and psychotherapist with a practice at
the Triangle Holistic Center in Durham, NC,
started the conversation by saying to receive
messages, be rested and clear, work on your own
stuff, and get out of your own way.
Conversations can be confusing, she said, and
sometimes tricky to understand, but you will
learn how you individually "hear" with practice
and open-mindedness. Don't immediately accept
your experiences as truth, she said, because you
can be fooled. Spirits have different roles with
humans, and not all are positive.
Read More
On
January 25th, Dick Lowrie, PhD, came up from
Florida to discuss the early, unpublished
research of psi capabilities in animals as well
as his more current research and thoughts about
the state of psi research. In the 1950s, Lowrie
said, J.B. Rhine was gathering anecdotal
evidence about animal psi experiences.
Sally
Rhine Feather, who introduced Lowrie and was in
the audience, commented that she remembered
coming home from college and working to gather
this research for her father. Read More
On
February 27th, Bob Van de Castle, PhD, gave a
talk about Dreams and ESP at the Stedman
Center. He began with an historical summary of
the importance of dreams. The Bible has many
examples, one he noted being the story of
Joseph's interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream,
and the Medieval Church, he added, clearly found
precognitive aspects to dreaming. Jesuits in the
Middle Ages believed if you had dreams that came
true then you were working with the devil! This,
of course, was the witch hunt era, and knowing
this logic, it's doubtful that many "accused"
witches would have confessed to precognitive
dreams. Read More
On
Saturday February 28th, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM,
Bob Van de Castle, PhD, along with his partner,
Bobbie Pimm, conducted a Dream Helpers workshop at the Rhine Center. During Friday
night, eleven participants had the privilege of
dreaming for the twelfth member of our group,
our "focus" person. The dreamers met on Friday
night after Van de Castle's dream talk, and the
focus person was chosen.
Read More
On
February 20th, Ginette Nachman, MD, PhD, spoke
about Synchronicity, a lively phenomenon with
which we are all familiar, though some may call
it "coincidence" or ignore it altogether.
Nachman has an soon-to-be-published book about
synchronicity, so we don't want to spoil her
forthcoming information by giving extensive
details from her talk, but the audience had
lively discussions of examples of synchronicity,
and the talk was a reminder that meaningful
coincidence happens to everyone. As one audience
member said at the end of the talk, "I just came
here because I thought I was crazy - every time
I thought of someone, they would call me. If I
wanted my mother to call, I would just sit and
think about her for five minutes or so, and sure
enough the phone would ring. I started thinking I
had some kind of strange power!"
Spirit Under the
Microscope: What Science Can Tell Us About
the Afterlife by Julie Beischel, PhD
As
a society, we are fascinated by individuals
who experience regular communication with
the dead. Mediums and the “bodily
challenged” individuals with whom they
communicate have become ubiquitous in
popular culture.
As with any natural phenomenon, bringing
mediumship into the laboratory allows for
its controlled and repeated examination.
That’s where I come in. I am a scientist who
researches mediums, the information they
report, and their experiences. I study human
communication; one of the people just
happens to be dead.
While I was obtaining my doctorate in
Pharmacology and Toxicology at the
University of Arizona (UA), I lost my mother
to suicide. After I graduated, a number of
fortuitous “coincidences” led me to take a
position at the UA studying mediums. When
that program lost funding and closed in
2007, my husband Mark Boccuzzi and I created
the
Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in
Human Potential in order to continue
performing this important yet often
marginalized research.
The scientific study of mediums is actually
over a century old. Today, we can
confidently offer the conclusion that during
mediumship readings, certain mediums can
report accurate and specific information
about the deceased loved ones, known as
“discarnates” of living people, or
“sitters.” They do this without any prior
knowledge about the discarnates or sitters,
in the absence of any sensory feedback, and
without using fraud or deception.
Investigating mediums in the lab should
include two equally important factors: an
optimal research environment and maximum
experimental controls. This increases the
probability of capturing the phenomenon in a
laboratory setting while eliminating all
conventional explanations for the accuracy
of the mediums’ statements. I like to say
that you can’t study football on a
basketball court using baseball players and
the rules for hockey and then conclude that
football doesn’t exist.
In order to
create an optimal research environment, we
recognize that there are three people
participating in each mediumship reading:
the medium, the sitter, and the discarnate.
We take into account motivation, fatigue,
and communication abilities when choosing
discarnate participants. We also optimize
the process for the mediums by, for example,
performing phone readings at times chosen by
the mediums and requesting information
commonly found in “regular” medium-client
readings, such as descriptions of the
discarnates and causes of death. Read More
Journal of
Parapsychology Review: Spring/Fall 2008 by John
Palmer
Editor's
note: From its beginning in 1937, the
Journal of Parapsychology has been
recognized worldwide as an authoritative
resource for anyone interested in the
scientific study of paranormal phenomena. J.
B. Rhine and William McDougall of the famed
Duke University Parapsychology Lab
established the JP to share experimental
research findings with the scientific
community. Their strict criteria for
evaluating research reports remain in place
today through peer review. In addition to
professionally scrutinized articles about
original research, the JP includes
theoretical discussions, book reviews,
correspondence, and abstracts of papers from
the Parapsychological Association’s annual
convention. Editor John Palmer and Managing
Editor Dave Roberts maintain the tradition
of thorough research and careful
documentation in the JP today. We have asked
John Palmer to give us a brief summary of
the articles from the latest issue of the
Journal. Enjoy!
In the lead article in this issue, Jim
Carpenter briefly reviews his First-Sight
model of ESP, which he described in the last
issue of the Newsletter. The model proposes
that ESP is a natural, ongoing, and
unconscious mental process intended to guide
the formation of our conscious experience.
Memory plays a similar role in our mental
life. In some circumstances, ESP information
helps memory achieve this purpose, whereas
in other circumstances it is suppressed
because it is of no use or even could get in
the way. One purpose of the JP article was
to show how the model can account for
otherwise puzzling findings from research
relating ESP to memory. For example, the
model explains why high ESP scores tend to
go along with high scores on tests of
long-term memory but with low scores on
short-term memory. Carpenter also discusses
experiments in which memory seems to affect
ESP performance, or ESP seems to affect
memory performance. Read More
Michele Bustamante and
Sally Rhine Feather
on Animal Communication
On
March 6th, Michele Bustamante and Sally Rhine
Feather, PhD, spoke at the Stedman Center on
animal communication. Bustamante, founder of
Tiyoweh Communications, has been practicing
professionally as an animal communicator and
consultant for 8 years. Numerous childhood and
adult telepathic experiences as well as her
naturally deep connections to animals lead her
to study with animal communication pioneer
Penelope Smith. Michele is also a Reiki Master
and incorporates Reiki, Shamanic techniques, and
flower essences in her practice to support
healing.
Sally Rhine Feather Ph.D., Executive Director of
The Rhine Research Center, had her first job at
the Duke Parapsychology Lab in the early 1950’s.
She assisted her father, JB Rhine, in collecting
accounts of animal behavior that suggested psi.
Reports of pets who knew when their owner was
coming home, homed over long distances, or
trailed owners into entirely new locations were
astounding to her then as they are now, both for
the devotion they show and for the mechanism of
how this can happen.
"We
can all do this," Bustamante says; when it comes
to telepathy, "words are meaningless." For
example, she continued, we do well communicating
intuitively as babies. Babies and toddlers
naturally understand and connect with animals in
ways that adults have forgotten. When we learn
language, Bustamante says, it actually limits
us. For example, certain animals send messages
in certain ways. Missing animals will often send
pictures. Knowing language or expecting to hear
words might block us from receiving the image of
the animal's whereabouts. With animals who are
sick or injured, Bustamante will sometimes feel
their pain in her own body - again, something
that bypasses language.
Read More
Stacy Horn and Sy Mauskopf on the Rhine Center’s Legacy
March
was a time of celebration at the Rhine as Stacy
Horn's new book, Unbelievable, was
published on March 10th by Harper Collins. The
Rhine gathering on March 20th was a great
success, as audience members were granted the
dual presence of Stacy Horn and Dr. Sy Mauskopf,
whose book on parapsychology and the Rhine
Center, The Elusive Science,was
published in 1980. Together, the two books give
a comprehensive account of Parapsychology
throughout the 1800's, 1900's, and during the
last decade. What a treat to see Mauskopf and
Horn together comparing notes about their
research and demonstrating such complete
understanding and respect for the Rhine Center!
Dr.
Mauskopf gave us an overview of the field as it
came into being and morphed through the decades,
noting that while Parapsychology had times of
flourishing it also had times of strong
opposition by mainstream science. However, even
in the times of opposition, he said, there were
always "one or two major scientists who defended
it." Its "heyday," he said, was the period
between 1882-1920, with a flowering of studies
and interest in psychical research. 1920-1930,
however, was a time of "winding down" as there
was a split in the national societies, but
1930-1945 he noted, was a time of renewal in the
field, so influenced by J.B. and Louisa Rhine
that he called it the "Rhinean Revival." By
1950, Mauskopf said, success had become mixed
with the field not "succeeding" as some had
hoped yet never fading completely. Read More
Donna Gulick on Accessing the
Right
Hemisphere of our Brain for Peace and
Security in a Turbulent World
On April 3rd,
Donna Spring Gulick spoke at the Stedman
auditorium on ways to access the right
hemisphere of your brain for a more balanced
style of living. Peacefulness should be the way
we begin everything, she said, and she started
the talk with a prayer for that very reason. Our
culture is so dominated by left-brain thinking,
she said, that intuitives say that our energy
fields stop at the elbow (they should go to the
earth). In fact, some say we are starving the
earth.
Spirit Talks, Spirit Walks, Afterlife
Research and Paranormal Investigations,
a talk and half-day workshop with
Julie Beischel PhD and Mark Boccuzzi, from Windbridge Institute of
Tucson, Arizona
June 5
Returning Psi to Healthcare: A
Progress Report” a talk by social worker, Beth Wechsler, MSW,
LICSW who has been giving CE-accredited program around the country
on Psychic Experiences of Clinicians and their Clients.
July 24
The Power of Premonitions How
Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives by Larry Dossey, MD, one
of the foremost authorities on the synergy of physical health and
spiritual awareness, editor of many books on integrative medicine,
and RRC Advisory Board member.
A
notable celebration of our ongoing commitment
and success occurred in mid-March as Stacy Horn
came to Durham to discuss her newly published
book, Unbelievable: Investigations into
Ghosts’, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other
Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology
Laboratory (Ecco, 2009), describing the
Rhine Center's early years and ongoing legacy.
She joined Professor Sy Mauskopf, co-author of
The Elusive Science (with Michael
McVaugh, 1980) for a lively panel discussing the
beginnings of the Duke Center for Parapsychology
and the place of J.B. and Louisa Rhine in the
history of Parapsychology. 
I hope you enjoy this spring newsletter, and
know that we welcome all feedback as well as any
recommendations for future article topics. As
always, we at the Rhine Center remain
open-minded and supportive, and we will be glad
to lend a listening ear if you, by chance or
choice, have journeyed into the mysterious world
of psi. 
Many adults recall the puzzlement of psychic experiences from their
own childhood while others are puzzled as they encounter the
paranormal for the first time with their own children. Over the past
few years there are increasing reports of children seeing spirits or
apparitions. We hear about special psi ability of so-called
“Indigo/Rainbow children” and/or of some autistic children. How
should adults deal with their own childhood memories? How should
parents respond to their children's reports and experiences? And how
should children and teens handle their own seeming encounters with
the spirit world? 
The Rhine
Center is sad to announce the passing of our
dear friend and colleague, Dr. Steve Baumann,
who transitioned from this world in the early
morning hours of April 18th. As many of you
know, Steve was valiantly fighting a
glioblastoma brain tumor this past year, but
after 14 months of chemotherapy and healing help
by many friends, a second aggressive tumor was
discovered that could not be contained. He
showed tremendous resolve to lead a normal and
happy life throughout this time period,
attending and giving talks, continuing with his
research, and spending as much time as possible
with his two daughters, Elana and Naomi, and his
beloved partner, Bonnie. He was deeply devoted
to them all. At the time of his passing, he was
surrounded by loved ones in the comfortable
setting of a local Duke hospice. 
The
media is making much ado about so-called
psychic children these days, from a popular
TV show to a wide variety of sensible to
sensational publications and online
publications to aid the bewildered parent.
But this is no new thing. It is well
accepted among those who study the
paranormal that psi occurs most clearly and
strongly in the early years of life. Reports
of children manifesting remarkable psi
ability are a regular, if not common,
feature of our ongoing spontaneous case
collection. 
One recent account speaks for itself,
here in the unedited words of a concerned
mother:
“Betty (not her real name) is almost 11
years old and has had some rather unique
abilities since she was very small. From the
time she was very little, Betty would sit
coloring or drawing and begin to say out
loud what I, my sister-in-law, or her father
were thinking. It was almost as if she would
‘tune’ in to what you were thinking when she
wasn’t thinking about anything in
particular. Sort of a human speaker for your
thoughts. It was odd, but we got used to it. 
On
January 9th, Mary Jo Bulbrook, Ellen Kaye
Gehrke, and Kathe Martin had a panel discussion
entitled "Conversations with the Other Side."
Dr. Bulbrook, who is a spiritual/medical
intuitive and psychotherapist with a practice at
the Triangle Holistic Center in Durham, NC,
started the conversation by saying to receive
messages, be rested and clear, work on your own
stuff, and get out of your own way.
Conversations can be confusing, she said, and
sometimes tricky to understand, but you will
learn how you individually "hear" with practice
and open-mindedness. Don't immediately accept
your experiences as truth, she said, because you
can be fooled. Spirits have different roles with
humans, and not all are positive.
On
January 25th, Dick Lowrie, PhD, came up from
Florida to discuss the early, unpublished
research of psi capabilities in animals as well
as his more current research and thoughts about
the state of psi research. In the 1950s, Lowrie
said, J.B. Rhine was gathering anecdotal
evidence about animal psi experiences. 
On
February 27th, Bob Van de Castle, PhD, gave a
talk about Dreams and ESP at the Stedman
Center. He began with an historical summary of
the importance of dreams. The Bible has many
examples, one he noted being the story of
Joseph's interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream,
and the Medieval Church, he added, clearly found
precognitive aspects to dreaming. Jesuits in the
Middle Ages believed if you had dreams that came
true then you were working with the devil! This,
of course, was the witch hunt era, and knowing
this logic, it's doubtful that many "accused"
witches would have confessed to precognitive
dreams. 
As
a society, we are fascinated by individuals
who experience regular communication with
the dead. Mediums and the “bodily
challenged” individuals with whom they
communicate have become ubiquitous in
popular culture. 
Editor's
note: From its beginning in 1937, the
Journal of Parapsychology has been
recognized worldwide as an authoritative
resource for anyone interested in the
scientific study of paranormal phenomena. J.
B. Rhine and William McDougall of the famed
Duke University Parapsychology Lab
established the JP to share experimental
research findings with the scientific
community. Their strict criteria for
evaluating research reports remain in place
today through peer review. In addition to
professionally scrutinized articles about
original research, the JP includes
theoretical discussions, book reviews,
correspondence, and abstracts of papers from
the Parapsychological Association’s annual
convention. Editor John Palmer and Managing
Editor Dave Roberts maintain the tradition
of thorough research and careful
documentation in the JP today. We have asked
John Palmer to give us a brief summary of
the articles from the latest issue of the
Journal. Enjoy! 
On
March 6th, Michele Bustamante and Sally Rhine
Feather, PhD, spoke at the Stedman Center on
animal communication. Bustamante, founder of
Tiyoweh Communications, has been practicing
professionally as an animal communicator and
consultant for 8 years. Numerous childhood and
adult telepathic experiences as well as her
naturally deep connections to animals lead her
to study with animal communication pioneer
Penelope Smith. Michele is also a Reiki Master
and incorporates Reiki, Shamanic techniques, and
flower essences in her practice to support
healing.
March
was a time of celebration at the Rhine as Stacy
Horn's new book, Unbelievable, was
published on March 10th by Harper Collins. The
Rhine gathering on March 20th was a great
success, as audience members were granted the
dual presence of Stacy Horn and Dr. Sy Mauskopf,
whose book on parapsychology and the Rhine
Center, The Elusive Science,
was
published in 1980. Together, the two books give
a comprehensive account of Parapsychology
throughout the 1800's, 1900's, and during the
last decade. What a treat to see Mauskopf and
Horn together comparing notes about their
research and demonstrating such complete
understanding and respect for the Rhine Center!
Dr.
Mauskopf gave us an overview of the field as it
came into being and morphed through the decades,
noting that while Parapsychology had times of
flourishing it also had times of strong
opposition by mainstream science. However, even
in the times of opposition, he said, there were
always "one or two major scientists who defended
it." Its "heyday," he said, was the period
between 1882-1920, with a flowering of studies
and interest in psychical research. 1920-1930,
however, was a time of "winding down" as there
was a split in the national societies, but
1930-1945 he noted, was a time of renewal in the
field, so influenced by J.B. and Louisa Rhine
that he called it the "Rhinean Revival." By
1950, Mauskopf said, success had become mixed
with the field not "succeeding" as some had
hoped yet never fading completely.
