Is Paranormal Research Really Science?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Like many of my human peers, I have an insatiable desire to understand my environment. \u00a0Knowing this, I\u2019ve come to appreciate some of the lesser known,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Paranormal Research Really Science?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Like many of my human peers, I have an insatiable desire to understand my environment. \u00a0Knowing this, I\u2019ve come to appreciate some of the lesser known,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Rogue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-06-27T01:33:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jonathan Ryan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jonathan Ryan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/\",\"name\":\"Is Paranormal Research Really Science?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-06-27T01:33:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-06-27T01:33:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/#\/schema\/person\/9d8e2419586ac4fa0e11d59d9baecb60\"},\"description\":\"Like many of my human peers, I have an insatiable desire to understand my environment. \u00a0Knowing this, I\u2019ve come to appreciate some of the lesser known,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is Paranormal Research Really Science?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/\",\"name\":\"The Rogue\",\"description\":\"Rogue Stuff.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/#\/schema\/person\/9d8e2419586ac4fa0e11d59d9baecb60\",\"name\":\"Jonathan Ryan\",\"description\":\"Jonathan Ryan is a novelist, writer and co-founder of Sick Pilgrim. 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{"id":772,"date":"2013-06-26T20:33:46","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T01:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/?p=772"},"modified":"2013-06-26T20:33:46","modified_gmt":"2013-06-27T01:33:46","slug":"s-paranormal-research-really-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geekgoesrogue\/2013\/06\/s-paranormal-research-really-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Paranormal Research Really Science?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The short answer to both questions is yes, paranormal occurrences can be tested with science and technology.<\/p>\n

At the Rhine Research Center<\/a> in Durham, North Carolina, researchers and scientists work to bridge the gap between science and the paranormal. The Center has ties to Duke University, which established a parapsychology laboratory in the 1930s<\/a> to research paranormal phenomenon such as precognition, apparitional experiences (ghosts), dreams, clairvoyance, near-death experiences, and reincarnation. Using state of the art equipment, experiments are conducted to collect data for further research.<\/p>\n

Duke is not alone in the study of parapsychology. \u00a0In the early 1900s, Stanford University was the first academic institution to open a research facility for the study of paranormal events in a laboratory setting. \u00a0Today there are two Universities that have active parapsychology labs. \u00a0The Division of Perceptual Studies, a unit at the University of Virginia\u2019s Department of Psychiatric Medicine, and The University of Arizona\u2019s Veritas Laboratory.<\/p>\n

To study experiences that lie outside the normal range, or that have no scientific explanation, one steps into the world of metaphysics. \u00a0This branch of philosophical science works to clarify the fundamental notions by which people understand the world. \u00a0In essence, metaphysics gives us the tools to study ourselves, in our own environment, experiencing ourselves in that environment.<\/p>\n

When we look at these words, and see how they work from the inside out, it is clear that the academic world believes in the supernatural. \u00a0So why must we make fun of individuals who devote their life to the study of ghosts, psychics and that which lives between the realms? Aristotle believed that metaphysics was just as important as the other subjects, and deemed it the \u201cQueen of all Sciences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Know that I\u2019m not an academically certified scientist, nor do I even play one on television, but I am a very hard-core researcher of all things science, technology and that which bridges the two. In my life I\u2019ve encountered things that go beyond my understanding. \u00a0And, while trying to explain the situation to others, have found myself working to recreate the parameters in which the event happened.<\/p>\n

Science! Technology! Answers!<\/p>\n

Now this is where I really start geeking out. \u00a0For years there were no tools for studying the unseen sciences. \u00a0To prove the existence of air, you could hold up a piece of cloth and see it float away. \u00a0Showing that ghosts exist, however, was not so easy. Despite what your relatives may have said about the the old Johnson house down the road, the ability to see any type of energy moving around was difficult.<\/p>\n

Enter technology. \u00a0The same tools that NASA uses to see far into space, or listen for stars to sing songs, are quite similar to what professional paranormal researchers use. \u00a0Along with the high-tech gear they also use things like voice recorders, digital cameras and thermometers. \u00a0Using the scientific method and technology, those who study the unseen are coming back with quantifiable data that begs for further study of the metaphysical sciences.<\/p>\n

I do have to put a bit of my spin to this, because of my deeply held beliefs and opinions. \u00a0As stated above, my life has been enriched with experiences that defy understanding. \u00a0After going to ministers, pastors and priests, and being rebuked (for lack of a better word), I went to the researchers. \u00a0Then my studies took me to the mystics and shamans of the world\u2019s faith systems, so that I could get a deep understanding of what \u201cunseen\u201d meant.<\/p>\n

During this journey I learned that there are those who really want to know about what is outside of us, and what is all around our world. \u00a0This was not done to sensationalize or debunk, but rather to share with others that we, all of humanity, the cosmos and all of the Universes, are really more than the sum of our parts. \u00a0Sadly, I\u2019ve also learned that there are those who would use this to debunk, shame and sensationalize those who had paranormal experiences. \u00a0No matter what we believe, or what our faith system may be, there is no place for shaming others for how they walk in this world. \u00a0We are called to give help, not to judge.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Kim Upton,\u00a0Rogue Geek Tech Editor<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"