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Abstract. Some German hunters came up with pictures taken from a wildlife camera and showing a strange humanoid-like object of about 10 cm size. Its puzzling appearance and a remarkable absence of wildlife in that area after its occurrence triggered paranormal explanations. After reexamination of the pictures, we found a more plausible conventional explanation. This case study serves as an interesting real-world example for the constructive nature of human perception. We discuss how the perceptual system uses spatial and temporal/memory factors to disambiguate ambiguous and restricted sensory information. Keywords: visual perception, perceptual construction, ambiguity

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Mayer, G., & Fuhrmann, M. (2022). Sleep paralysis and extraordinary experiences. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 2(1), 111–143. https://doi.org/10.31156/jaex.23534

We investigated sleep paralysis (SP) with an online questionnaire. Our sample consisted of 380 participants who experienced at least one SP. In this paper, we present the relation of SP to extraordinary experiences, paranormal beliefs, and absorption. We used a German questionnaire, Fragebogen zur Phänomenologie außergewöhnlicher Erfahrungen (PAGE-R-II), to assess the extent to which people with SP have had other extraordinary experiences, a German translation of the Belief in the Supernatural Scale (BitSS), and a German version of the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS). Our hypotheses regarding a positive correlation between the frequency of SP and certain forms of extraordinary experiences, paranomal/ supernatural beliefs, and absorption were only partially confirmed. We found an expected significant correlation between the frequency of SP and the expression on the PAGE dimensions “Dissociation” and “External,” but not between SP frequency and the other scales. The group (55%) reporting paranormal experiences during SP had highly significant higher mean scores on the PAGE, BitSS, and TAS. There were also significant correlations between the applied scales and specific hallucinatory perceptions and emotions, which leads us to believe that two main types of experiencing SP may exist: one mainly connected with typical negative emotions and a more external focus of experience, and another characterized by positive emotions and more internally experienced perceptions. This hypothesis requires further investigations.

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Mayer, G., & Fuhrmann, M. (2023). Schlafparalyse und außergewöhnliche Erfahrungen. Journal of Anomalistics, 23(1), 41–76. https://doi.org/10.23793/zfa.2023.41

We have investigated sleep paralysis (SP) with an online questionnaire. Our sample consisted of 380 participants who experienced at least one SP. In this paper, we present those parts of the investigation that concern the relationship of SP to extraordinary experiences, paranormal beliefs, and absorption. For this purpose, we used a self-developed German questionnaire on SP experiences, a German questionnaire Fragebogen zur Phänomenologie außergewöhnlicher Erfahrungen (PAGE-R-II), to assess the extent to which people with SP have had other extraordinary experiences, a German translation of the Belief in the Supernatural Scale (BitSS), and a German version of the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS). Our hypotheses regarding a positive correlation between the frequency of SP and certain forms of extraordinary experiences as well as paranormal/supernatural beliefs and absorption were only partially confirmed. We found an expected significant correlation between the frequency of SP and the expression on the PAGE dimensions “Dissociation” and “Externality”, but not between the frequency and the other two mentioned scales “Coincidence” and “Internality”. 55 % of participants reported having paranormal experiences during SP. This group had highly significant higher mean scores on the three scales PAGE, BitSS and TAS. Furthermore, the exploratory part revealed interesting correlations between the applied scales and specific hallucinatory perceptions and emotions, which leads us to the assumption that two main types of experiencing SP may exist: one mainly connected with typical negative emotions and a more external focus of experience, and another one, which is more likely accompanied also by positive emotions and by more internally experienced perceptions. This assumption requires further investigations.

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Nowara, S., & Mayer, G. (2024). Deutsches Ghosthunting — Historischer Überblick und Einblicke einer Insiderin. Journal of Anomalistics / Zeitschrift Für Anomalistik, 24(1), 151–188. https://doi.org/10.23793/zfa.2024.151

Ghost hunting is a leisure activity for amateur researchers. The fascination with the supernatural is a driving force behind them using technical equipment to visit allegedly haunted buildings or ruins at weekends and carry out so-called “paranormal investigations.” The data collected with various measuring devices is examined for anomalies that are not compatible with conventional explanations and compared with subjective perceptions. This article consists of two parts. The first part provides a brief overview of the history of haunting investigations. Furthermore, some social and cultural studies on the current form of ghost hunting as it appears in the 21st century in the USA, Great Britain and Germany are presented. In the second part, co-author Sonja Nowara, an active ghosthunter, offers an insight into the activities of ghosthunters as well as observations of the scene from the perspective of a well-informed insider, taking into account more recent developments such as the increasing commercialization of some parts of the scene.

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