Veridical information refers to information that is demonstrably accurate and corresponds to real events or facts, especially when the person receiving it should not normally have access to it.
The term is widely used in parapsychology, psychology, and philosophy of mind when evaluating anomalous experiences.
1. Basic Definition
Veridical simply means truthful or corresponding to reality.
So veridical information is:
Information obtained during an experience that can later be objectively verified as correct.
2. Example in Parapsychology
In parapsychology, veridical information often appears in experiences like:
- Near-death experiences (NDEs)
- After-death communications (ADCs)
- Mediumship
- Remote viewing
- Apparitions
Example:
A person reports seeing a deceased relative during a dream or vision, and the relative communicates:
- a specific message
- a hidden object
- or an unknown family fact
Later, family members confirm the information is accurate but previously unknown to the experiencer.
If verified, researchers call this veridical information.
3. Example in Near-Death Research
In some reported NDEs, patients describe:
- conversations in the operating room
- objects placed in high locations
- events happening outside the room
If hospital staff confirm these details, researchers call it veridical perception during NDE.
4. Importance in Parapsychology
Veridical information is important because it helps researchers distinguish between:
| Experience Type | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Psychological hallucination | internally generated |
| Memory reconstruction | created after the fact |
| Super-psi hypothesis | psi functioning of the living mind |
| Survival of consciousness hypothesis | information from deceased consciousness |
Veridical information is considered key evidence in debates about the survival of consciousness after death.
5. In Bereavement Experiences
In grief-related anomalous experiences, a person might receive veridical information such as:
- location of lost objects
- unknown family information
- messages verified later
Researchers studying bereavement-related anomalous experiences sometimes treat such cases as potential evidence for anomalous information transfer.
6. Scientific Caution
Scientists remain cautious because veridical information could also arise from:
- coincidence
- subconscious inference
- Cold Reading
- Cryptomnesia
- Confirmation Bias
So careful documentation and independent verification are essential.
In simple terms:
Veridical information: accurate information obtained through an unusual experience that later proves to be objectively true.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 