A New Science of the Paranormal: The Promise of Psychical Research

Mainline science rejects the paranormal because it cannot be proven by the classical methods of controlled experiments. But sciences such as geology, astronomy, and anthropology also don't rely on laboratory testing for repeatable results. Moreover, psi concerns consciousness, which is by definition non-quantitative. "Psi researchers must stop acting like science's poor relations," says author Lawrence LaShan, "limiting themselves to controlled experiments such as analyzing statistics of people guessing cards being flipped in the next room"

This provocative book outlines the principles of making a real study of the large, exciting events -- clairvoyance and precognition; mediumship and spirit controls; psychic healing -- that would bring mainline science into and revitalize the whole field. "And the issue is not just academic," says LeShan. "The old, materialistic worldview has not worked. Psychic research," he argues, "can transform our sense of reality itself to offer a new and more hopeful picture of ourselves and of the world."

Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D. is a research and clinical psychologist who has worked with cancer patients for over forty years. His pioneering research in psychological factors in cancer has led him to be called 'The father of mind-body medicine'. He is past president of the Association of Humanistic Psychology and has appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America. He has published sixteen books, including Cancer As A Turning Point and How to Meditate (which have both become classics in their fields), and You Can Fight for Your Life, an early work about psychology and cancer. His books have been translated into fourteen languages. He has also published approximately 100 papers in numerous professional journals including the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders, American Archive of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychotherapy, Advances in Mind-Body Medicine, and numerous other professional journals. Dr. LeShan has directed several research projects, and received professional awards: the Normal Cousins Award for Development of Human Relations in Psychology and Medicine, the Center for Integrative Cancer Therapies Award for Advancing Patient Participation in Their Own Treatment, the Pathfinder Award from the Association of Humanistic Psychology, and the Gardener Murphy Award. He served for five years as a U.S. army psychologist.