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We conducted two online surveys with German ghost hunting groups (GHGs) and individual ghost hunters. The first questionnaire targeted entire teams, the second individual members. Our goals were (1) to understand the current GHG scene in Germany—their composition, investigation approaches, and exceptional experiences (ExEs)—and (2) to gain insight into the people engaged in this time- and resource intensive hobby. We developed two questionnaires and included two established scales in the individual version to assess exceptional experiences (Fragebogen zur Phänomenologie außergewöhnlicher Erfahrungen [Questionnaire on the Phenomenology of Exceptional Experiences, PExE II]) and paranormal beliefs (Belief in the Supernatural Scale [BitSS]). We received twenty-one team responses and thirty-nine from individuals. Results from study 1 showed that GHGs exhibited similarities in site selection, investigative methods, use of technical equipment, and types of recorded anomalies. Social media now largely replaces traditional websites and local TV features. However, teams differ in documentation practices and how they handle collected data. Group sizes, founding dates, and annual investigation frequency vary widely. Study 2 found that ghost hunters reported more ExEs than student samples and hold stronger paranormal beliefs (BitSS). Surprisingly, 85% believe in a link between paranormal phenomena and the deceased, while 30% identify as atheists or agnostics—suggesting belief in spirits of the deceased is not necessarily tied to belief in God. For ghost hunters, ExEs are typically not distressing but inspire curiosity and further pursuit. Nearly two-thirds stated that prior ExEs were key motivators for taking up ghost hunting. In addition to the entertainment aspect, the possibility of ‘real’ contact with the supernatural plays an important role for many ghost hunters, something that cannot be found in media offerings on this topic. The motivation of ghost hunters ranges from scientific interest to the desire to confirm or question their own beliefs.

by Gerhard Mayer, PA President

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.

No abstract, obituary

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.

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.

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.