Abstract

We designed a self-administered questionnaire of extrasensory experiences which contains 46 questions to a population of persons interested in paranormal topics (N= 432). The sample included both female (60%) and male (40%) participants, their ages ranged from 17 to 83 years (Mean = 43.16; SD= 14.96). The experiences ranged from psi experiences such as extrasensory perception and psychokinesis, including spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK) and healing through paranormal means to psi-related experiences such as out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, the past lives recall, and contact with the dead or with extraterrestrial entities. We obtained information about the type and frequency of the experiences, and if they resulted -somehow- to be conflictive or traumatic and in what degree, and if they consulted about their experiences, who were the consultants, if they initiated a treatment or looked for advice, and if the treatment was effective. Over two thirds reported to be receptor of telepathic information, ESP in dreams, out-of-the-body experiences, psi healing, and spiritual contact. We found that almost two thirds of the people interviewed indicated that at least one of their experiences had been conflictive. Although the two thirds indicated never to have consulted, those who did, however, pointed out that relatives and friends were the persons most consulted and half manifested that this help had been effective. We compared our results with a sample of the same size of university students (N= 392) to whom we administered the same survey introducing an ordinal scale of Spirituality. The sample included both sexes (male 12.5% and female 87.5%) and their ages ranged from 18 to 66 years (Mean= 25.53; SD= 7.89). Using the t test we obtained an average significantly greater of experiences in our sample than the one for the students (Mean= 6.12 vs. 3.19, pdif<.0001). To determine ifspirituality has an influence on the report of the experiences, we compared the degree of spirituality between them. We found that our sample felt more spiritual than that of the students (U of Mann-Whitney, p <.0001, one tail), but that it does not influence the experiences in our sample. The students's spirituality correlates positively and significantly with the report of experiences such as perception of lights/energies, out-of-the-body experiences, and mediumnity/channeling (p<.0001). A discussion on the results are presented in this report. Although conflict refers to a confrontation between emotions and/or thoughts and trauma refers to the impact produced in the psyche by an internal or external fact, to our investigation, we understand that a situation highly conflictive or stressing can be as difficult to process psychologically as a traumatic event. Clinical psychologists and social psychologists should pay attention to the reports of parapsychological experiences, since these reveal the impact that they seem to have over the general population. Future studies should put emphasis in the psychodynamics of psi and in the emotional conflictivity which -in greater or lesser degree- this seems to generate.