This is a 30th Anniversary reprinting of a book that has been lauded by Newsweek and cited by numerous people -- from students of parapsychology to ghost hunters to celebrity paranormal investigators -- as the book that got them first interested and started on their paranormal journeys and studies. ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists, first published in 1986, is reprinted with minor changes and minimal updates [Note that the authors subsequent books have much of the update material already]. Writing the book during the height of the (now-defunct) accredited Master's degree program at John F. Kennedy University in the San Francisco Bay Area, parapsychologist Loyd Auerbach put together a true handbook for those interested in all forms of psychic phenomena and experiences, with a eye towards investigation of the paranormal (apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists). The material is presented in four sections with appendices. Section One is a "handbook" providing basic foundation knowledge of parapsychology and psychical research, psychic phenomena and experiences, and even the skeptical viewpoint. Section Two takes a look at Pop Culture -- from TV and film to science fiction and comic books -- and news and reality TV coverage of the topics. Section Three is a casebook of sorts, covering famous cases of hauntings (including an expose of the Amityville Horror case) as well as cases investigated by some of Auerbach's colleagues (and his own very first case). Section Four is the handbook for the would-be paranormal investigator / ghost hunter. It's a step by step manual that contradicts so much of what has been altered by television producers for reality TV. Coming from the 100+ years of field investigation of the paranormal by his predecessors, colleagues, and his own experience, this common sense guide will enable people to truly investigate, understand, and generally resolve ghostly issues. Honest and direct, even if you think you know how to investigate, this section alone will enlighten you in ways you may not have imagined. Finally, the Appendices provide resources for any and all interested in the topics covered by the book. There are tools for the investigator in Appendix A. Appendix B provides an updated (2016) list of organizations and resources, a "Who Ya Gonna Call?" directory, as well as the questions you should ask to make sure the ghost hunters or parapsychologists you contact actually are trained or educated and know what they're talking about (and know what they're doing). Additional suggestions for furthering your education in Parapsychology and the paranormal is included in this section. Appendix C provides a long list of suggested reading materials. There have been a few additional more recent titles added to this appendix (2016) as a starting point for the 21st century. Once you read this book, you'll have a real understanding of what the real scientific researchers and investigators have been doing since the 19th century start of the field, how the best investigations are conducted, what parapsychologists generally think of apparitions, hauntings, and poltergeists, and so much more!

GHOSTHUNTING is a common sense approach to the investigation and resolution of cases of reported ghostly happenings, including apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists. Written so that the reader quickly grasps what parapsychologists think ghosts are and how to best deal with the phenomena and the experiences of the people having them. Covers the investigative process from the initial call and assessment to the on-site investigative techniques and technology. Deals with how to come up with solutions and resolutions—ways to get "rid" of the phenomena. Includes a discussion of the use of technology and the use of psychics in paranormal investigations and if anyone can prove the existence of ghosts. Finally, the book covers information resources and organizations that the new ghost-hunter and the person who encounters a ghost can find to learn more about the subject and for help with cases they’re investigating or phenomena they’re experiencing.

Apparitions, Hauntings and Poltergeists - Ghosts - Have Fascinated philosophers and scientists for millennia. Parapsychologists have made significant inroads into understanding what is really going on. Hauntings seem to be a kind of recording that becomes attached to a place or object and keeps replaying. Poltergeist is a kind of paranormal stress relief valve. Dubbed noisy ghosts, poltergeists are actually the manifestation of rage or another intense emotion of an "agent" who is often, but not always, a teenager.

"In cases when mysterious phenomena jar our understandings of the material world, the experts in paranormal research can provide astonishing explanations. A parapsychologist and paranormal investigator, the author of this volume plumbs 25 years of experience to create a personal and captivating account of events both common and uncommon to the field of paranormal research. Anecdotes and studies in this volume run the gamut from encounters with intelligent entities and imprints of past events to peculiar moving objects to those events that may seem paranormal but actually have common explanations. Major research centers and related resources are discussed, and advice is given on how to judge the credibility of self-professed ghost hunters." -- Amazon.com viewed August 24, 2020.

Few people can claim the distinction of experiencing first-hand such occurrences as hauntings and the presence of poltergeists, but countless numbers of people are fascinated by these unexplainable events. Written by the world's most knowledgeable authorities in this field, the essays in this work promote a better understanding of the manifestations of and various reasons for hauntings and poltergeist phenomena. The experts come from such backgrounds as anthropology, history, philosophy, psychiatry, and sociology, and provide sober yet highly readable in-depth discussions of numerous ideas and rationalizations for hauntings and poltergeists, from a critical and scientific perspective. Divided into three major sections--sociocultural, physical and physiological, and psychological perspectives--this work provides an overview of each perspective and also addresses the general psychology of belief in the paranormal and how that belief relates to experiences with ghosts and poltergeists.

" a dazzling journey into one of the most important areas of science that has ever existed" - Dr. Larry Dossey MD, New York Times best-selling author of Reinventing Medicine. "Best Evidence is indeed one - if not the best itself - of the major books explaining and offering proof that psi phenomena are here to stay whether we like it or not " - Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D, physicist and National Book Award winning author of Mind Into Matter, Taking the Quantum Leap. "My highest recommendation not just one but a half-dozen astounding stories, any one of which can change the way we think about the nature of reality" - Dean Radin, Ph.D, author of The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena. " an important book " - Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut and author of Way of the Explorer: Psychic Exploration "For skeptics and cautious believers alike, a splendid introduction to 'impossible phenomena that refuse to disappear'" - Stanley Krippner, Ph.D, Co-Editor, Varieties of Anomalous Experience: Examining the Scientific Evidence. "Hard line skeptics won't be pleased, but Schmicker has done his homework an excellent survey of the strongest evidence" - Marcello Truzzi, Ph.D, Center for Scientific Anomalies Research

Explains the theories behind ghostly phenomena from the perspective of parapsychology. Covers whether or not anyone can prove the existence of ghosts. What these hauntings and poltergeists are are and what they tell us about human experience.How knowledge of parapsychological lab research enhances understanding of apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists, both from the perspective of an investigator and the people who encounters them. How investigators can recognize and enhance their psychic abilities. Written by a world-renowned ghostbuster, Loyd Auerbach

Ghostology is simply the study of Ghosts. It is not ghost hunting, neither is it is parapsychology. The study of ghosts - Ghostology, is not trying to capture apparitions on camera, although that is sometimes a part of it. It is not trying to record the sounds and the voices of the deceased or of spirits, although that too is a part of it. Ghostology is the holistic study of a fascinating aspect of our humanity, a shared human experience that dates back to the earliest civilisations and is common to all of them. Ghostology is not a "How to guide" for those seeking to investigate ghosts but it provides an up to date consideration and a discussion of the many methods and techniques that will prove helpful to anyone interested in the subject, for those who actively seek ghosts or who are merely interested in discovering more about this fascinating subject.

Ghosts and other supernatural phenomena are widely represented throughout modern culture. They can be found in any number of entertainment, commercial, and other contexts, but popular media or commodified representations of ghosts can be quite different from the beliefs people hold about them, based on tradition or direct experience. Personal belief and cultural tradition on the one hand, and popular and commercial representation on the other, nevertheless continually feed each other. They frequently share space in how people think about the supernatural. In Haunting Experiences, three well-known folklorists seek to broaden the discussion of ghost lore by examining it from a variety of angles in various modern contexts. Diane E. Goldstein, Sylvia Ann Grider, and Jeannie Banks Thomas take ghosts seriously, as they draw on contemporary scholarship that emphasizes both the basis of belief in experience (rather than mere fantasy) and the usefulness of ghost stories. They look closely at the narrative role of such lore in matters such as socialization and gender. And they unravel the complex mix of mass media, commodification, and popular culture that today puts old spirits into new contexts.