From Shaman to scientist: essays on humanity's search for spirits (Google eBook)

James Houran

Scarecrow Press, 2004 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 268 pages

Parapsychologists and self-styled ghost-hunting organizations are just two examples of people who seek out the existence of ghosts. This resource, examines ghost hunting as a cultural and scientific phenomenon, sidestepping the many issues surrounding the reality of ghosts, and discussing the many and varied methods used by ghost hunters. Taking the approach that there is no such thing as the supernatural, only things we don't yet understand, the ghost experience is examined through case studies; the forms and functions that ghost hunters have taken down through history are analyzed; key historical figures and their influence on the research of ghostly phenomena are reviewed; ghost hunting in the 21st century, including the exploding phenomenon of Internet ghost-hunting organizations, is discussed; and the advances in the theory and technology of the parapsychology field are covered. For those who are skeptical about the reality of ghosts but who want to understand how so many individuals claim to have anomalous experiences, this book reviews the data, offers insight into logical explanations, and discusses why this is and has been for centuries such an important issue to humans.

Contents

• Science in Search of Spirit: 1
• How Shamanism Began Human Evolution Dissociation and Anomalous Experience: 21
• Spirits as Human Nature and the Fundamental Structures of Consciousness: 59
• Interactions with Apparitions Ghosts and Revenants in Ancient and Medieval Sources: 97
• Historical Profiles in Poltergeist Research: 127
• American Childrens Ghost Stories Manipulation and Mastery of a Belief System: 191
• Ghost Hunting in the TwentyFirst Century: 211
• Afterword: 233
• Further Reading: 239
• Index: 241
• About the Editor and Contributors: 261

About the author

\James Houran Houran serves as a peer-reviewer for many psychological and parapsychological journals, and is an associate editor for the Australian Journal of Parapsychology and a consulting editor for the European Journal of Parapsychology. He is a former Instructor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. His research has produced more than 80 professional publications in psychology and parapsychology journals, and his work has been frequently profiled in print and electronic media worldwide, such as A&E, History Channel, BBC, ABC News, and several commercial documentaries.

Bibliographic information

• Title: From Shaman to scientist: essays on humanity's search for spirits
• Editor: James Houran
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0810850540, 9780810850545
• Length: 268 pages
• Subjects: Body, Mind & Spirit / Parapsychology / General; Body, Mind & Spirit / Supernatural