A study of psi: Manifestations of phenomena and experiences of ordinary and extraordinary people.

摘要

The title of my Project Demonstrating Excellence (PDE) is: A Study of Psi: Manifestations of Phenomena and Experiences of Ordinary and Extraordinary People. The purpose of this project was to investigate psi phenomena through surveying and talking with ordinary people and through dialogues with spiritual leaders who regularly experience psi as a spiritual phenomenon in their ceremonies and rituals.; Several studies have suggested that normal individuals sometimes have experiences which are called paranormal or "psychic" and are hesitant about reporting these experiences to others because of both religious and social taboos against such claims.; New evidence suggests that people who experience some of these psi phenomena are undergoing what is called a "spiritual emergency". The newly revised (1994) DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) has included spiritual emergencies in the new manual as a non-pathological category of mental disorder in the new V Code. Both pathological and non-pathological manifestations of mental disorders are seen as contributing to the spiritual growth of the individual. The Sloan Paranormal survey was mailed to adults between the ages of 21 and 65 drawn at random from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. A college sample was also included.; Gender, race/ethnicity, education, income, and geographical origin of immediate family were found to be significantly related to experiencing paranormal events.; The dialogues with three extraordinary spiritual leaders revealed that their spiritual experiences were unusual and included spirit possession and out-of-body travel. All of their experiences may be called paranormal.; The paranormal experiences of ordinary people were many and varied: They included seeing angels, predicting the death of someone, seeing a child before it was born, having dreams come true, experiencing deja vu, and many other paranormal events.; It is believed that this PDE will help people by raising consciousness regarding the most neglected area of human development, the intuitive intellect. This PDE will help people to look at their dreams, visions, and psi experiences, not as aberrations, but as meaningful, relevant experiences, and thereby help them find meaning and purpose in their lives. It may, perhaps, help fill the spiritual vacuum of Modern Western Society.