Talk: The Phenomena of Parapsychology: A scientific approach to the extraordinary

What if science could explain your most mysterious experiences – like sensing someone’s thoughts, glimpsing the future, or feeling a presence when no one’s there?

Parapsychology is the scientific study of the paranormal – those strange, often unspoken moments that challenge our understanding of reality. From telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition to altered states of consciousness and near-death experiences, parapsychology explores the outer edges of human perception. It also investigates ghost sightings, poltergeists, mediumship, and even memories of past lives – phenomena that seem to blur the boundary between life and death.

What many don’t realise is that this field has a long and surprising history. The scientific investigation of paranormal phenomena began in 1882 – before psychology itself was formally established. Over the past 140 years, parapsychological research has quietly influenced our understanding of the mind, both within and beyond the mainstream. Join Dr David Luke for a deep dive into this fascinating realm – and discover what decades of scientific research say about the extraordinary experiences so many of us quietly wonder about.

Speaker Bio:

Dr David Luke is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Greenwich, and Perrott-Warrick Senior Researcher (via Trinity College, Cambridge) exploring parapsychology. He is a past president of the Parapsychological Association, the field’s professional body. His research focuses on transpersonal and paranormal experiences, anomalous phenomena and altered states of consciousness, especially via psychedelics, having published more than 100 academic papers in this area, including thirteen books, such as Otherworlds: Psychedelics and Exceptional Human Experience. When he is not running clinical drug trials with LSD, studying lucid dream precognition, or exploring apparent weather control with Mexican shamans he manages a small ancient woodland and is a cofounder and trustee of Breaking Convention: International Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness. He lives life on the edge of Sussex, England.