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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.

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.

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.

Over the past few years, Ghost Hunting Groups (GHGs) were founded, particularly in the United States, which have committed themselves to the investigation of haunted sites. This article will focus on the analysis of this movement and its remarkable development, which results from three major factors: (1) the presence of ghost-hunting-related themes in the media, such as on television and in movies, (2) the popularization of the internet and the possibilities that emerge in the area of information access, general exchange and networking, as well as (3) easy availability and manageability of high-tech equipment along with the simplification of data processing due to data digitalization. First, this article will dimensionalize the field of GHGs according to various criteria. Subsequently, an attempt is made to reconstruct the emergence of the movement. Next, the most important methodological approaches (equipment, procedures) will be outlined. And finally, the main part of the text will focus on the situation in the United States. It is based on self-portrayals of the GHGs on their webpages, the analysis of the Ghost Hunters TV series that plays an important role in the emergence of the movement and is closely linked to the GHG The Atlantic Paranomal Society (TAPS), as well as on the few scientific studies that exist on the movement. In a second step, the paper will look at GHGs in Germany, which adopt the American model on the one hand, but in many cases use a different culture-dependent framing, on the other. The article concludes by highlighting problems this form of non-professional research pose to scientific anomalistics.

In 1991, the Parapsychology Foundation organized an international conference on the topic "Women and Parapsychology," held in Dublin, Ireland. The survey aimed for an assessment of the situation in parapsychology 30 years after this conference. Our team asked women active in the research field of parapsychology and related areas about their scientific careers, authoring articles, contributions to the field and gender-specific experiences. We distributed the link to the extensive online questionnaire on several e-mail lists and websites and also sent the link specifically to individuals. 30 women completed the questionnaire. We got a selective, non-representative sample, with a high average age and level of education. Due to these limitations, the survey did not provide complete clarity as to whether parapsychology differed from other disciplines with regard to the status and situation of women. Several aspects are comparable to the situation of women in other research fields. As is generally the case in academia, women tend to be paid less. They have to make greater efforts to be taken seriously by male colleagues, which can slow down their careers, in addition to career interruptions due to raising children, greater difficulties balancing work and family life, and the like. We found a relatively low proportion (10%) of women who reported sexual intimidation or harassment in the field of parapsychology. General funding problems in parapsychology are even greater for women because of the additional childrearing responsibilities and less institutionalized research. Some findings lead us to the thesis that it is not necessarily the gender aspect that is responsible for rude and inappropriate behavior on the part of male colleagues, but rather a tendentially greater openness on the part of female researchers for worldviews and heterodox research subjects outside of the scientific mainstream. This thesis must be validated in further studies.