Author Archives: Shervan K Shahhian, LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, The Most Comprehensive Online Library Regarding Mental Health, Psychology and Parapsychology in the World.

Doctored Degree in Clinical Psychology (PSYD) (ABD) All But Dissertation, a Masters (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology, a Bachelor's Degree (B.A.) in Psychology, a Associate Degree (AA) in Liberal Arts with an emphases in Psychology, Certification in Anger Management, Certification in MRT-Moral Reconation Therapy®, Certification in Clinical Hypnotherapy, and Certification in Advanced Hypnotherapy.

Psychedelics and Therapy: Ethics, Risks, and Practice

Core Risks:

“POSSIBLE LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Psychedelics in therapy sit at a really interesting intersection, because they raise not only clinical questions, but also epistemological ones about RISKS, consciousness, perception, and meaning-making.

Let’s break this into three layers: ethics, risks, and clinical practice.

1. Ethical Considerations

Core Risks:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Informed Consent (beyond the usual)

With substances like psilocybin, MDMA, or LSD, consent must include:

Possibility of ego dissolution
Emergence of traumatic or archetypal material
Experiences interpreted as spiritual, transpersonal, or “other intelligence” contact

This overlaps with frameworks such as:

Super-Psi model
Survival of consciousness hypothesis

Ethically, therapists must not impose interpretations (e.g., “this was just your brain” vs. “this was real contact”). The principle is: “CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Support meaning-making without ontological enforcement.

Suggestibility & Therapist Influence

Core Risks:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS“

Psychedelics MIGHT increase:

HALLUCINATIONS

Emotional openness
Pattern recognition
Authority sensitivity

This creates ethical risk of:

Core Risks:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Subtle indoctrination
False memory formation
Therapist-guided “spiritual framing”

This is why modern protocols emphasize:

Non-directiveness
Patient-led interpretation

Boundary Issues

Because sessions might involve:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Intense vulnerability
Regression states
Transference amplification

There is heightened risk of boundary violations, including:

Core Risks:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

Emotional dependency
Spiritual authority projection onto therapist

Ethically, therapists must maintain strict relational clarity, even in altered states.

2. Psychological & Clinical Risks

Acute Risks

“POSSIBLE LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Panic reactions (“bad trips”)
Temporary paranoia or delusional thinking
Dissociation or loss of reality anchoring

These maybe manageable in controlled settings, but risky outside them.

Vulnerability to Psychopathology

High-risk populations:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

History of psychotic disorders
Bipolar I disorder (mania triggering)
Severe dissociative instability

Possible outcomes:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Persistent perceptual disturbances
Psychotic decompensation

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD)

“POSSIBLE LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Visual distortions (trails, halos)
Can persist for months or longer

Rare but clinically significant.

Ontological Shock

Some individuals experience:

“POSSIBLE LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Radical shifts in worldview
Belief in contact with external intelligences
Difficulty reintegrating into consensus reality

This overlaps with:

Mystical experiences
Psychospiritual crises
What psychiatry might label delusional elaboration”CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

The ethical challenge:

When does meaning-making become maladaptive belief fixation?

3. Therapeutic Practice Model

Modern psychedelic therapy might follow 3 phases:

1. Preparation

Establish trust and psychological safety
Clarify intentions (not rigid goals)
Psychoeducation about:
- Altered states
- Emotional release
- Non-ordinary cognition

Therapists might emphasize:

“Trust, let go, be open.”

2. Dosing Session

Conducted in a controlled, comfortable environment
Often includes:
- Eyeshades
- Music playlists
Therapist role:
- Non-directive support
- Grounding if needed
- Minimal interpretation during the experience

3. Integration (arguably the most important)

This is where your background becomes highly relevant.

Integration involves:

Translating symbolic content into psychological insight
Differentiating:
- Metaphor vs. literal belief
- Insight vs. distortion
Incorporating experiences into:
- Identity
- Behavior
- Meaning systems

Possible Approaches used:

Existential therapy
Trauma-informed therapy
Mindfulness-based frameworks

Clinical vs Parapsychological Tension

Here’s where it can get especially nuanced.

Psychedelic experiences often include:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Apparent telepathy
Entity encounters
“Non-local” information

Possible Interpretations may vary:

Clinical Psychology

Brain-based models
Default Mode Network disruption
Predictive processing alterations

Parapsychology

Psi-mediated information
Expanded consciousness access
Super-Psi or survival-based interpretations

Ethical Best Practice Here:

A skilled therapist could:

Bracket ontology
Support function over belief:
- “Is this helping your life?”
- “Does this increase coherence or fragmentation?”

Bottom Line

Potential Benefits:

“POSSIBLE, LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST“

Trauma resolution (especially with MDMA)
Depression and existential distress relief
Increased openness, meaning, and emotional processing

Core Risks:

“POSSIBLE LIFE LONG HALLUCINATIONS”

Psychological destabilization
Suggestibility and belief distortion
Misinterpretation of anomalous experiences

Ethical Priority:

Protect autonomy, minimize harm, and support grounded integration without dismissing or imposing metaphysical interpretations.

Shervan K Shahhian

General Paresis of the Insane effects on Mental Health, explained:

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

General Paresis of the Insane (GPI): a late-stage form of neurosyphilis, has profound and progressive effects on mental health because it directly damages the brain, especially the frontal and temporal lobes.

Mental Health Effects of GPI

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Personality & Behavioral Changes (Often First Signs)

Loss of social inhibitions

Increased impulsivity and risk-taking

Irritability or sudden aggression

Emotional shallowness or apathy

The effected may appear “out of character,” which is often misread as purely psychological.

Mood Disturbances

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Euphoria (classically inappropriate optimism or cheerfulness)

Grandiosity (inflated self-importance; “I am powerful, wealthy, chosen”)

Depression (especially in later stages)

Rapid or unstable mood shifts

This combination can resemble bipolar disorder, but with a neurological basis.

Psychotic Symptoms

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Delusions (often grandiose or paranoid)

Hallucinations (less common, but possible)

Distorted sense of reality

Historically, many GPI patients were diagnosed with “madness” or primary psychosis before the link to syphilis was understood.

Cognitive Decline (Dementia-like Syndrome)

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Memory loss

Impaired attention and concentration

Poor judgment and decision-making

Disorientation

This progresses into a global dementia, sometimes might be resembling Alzheimer’s but with a different cause.

Insight & Self-Awareness Loss

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Patients often lack awareness of their condition

May deny obvious impairments

Poor reality testing

This can make treatment engagement difficult.

Executive Dysfunction (Frontal Lobe Damage)

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Inability to plan or organize

Reduced impulse control

Socially inappropriate behavior

This is why GPI can look like a mix of personality disorder and psychosis.

Clinical Pattern (Classic Progression)

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Subtle personality change

Mood elevation / grandiosity

Cognitive decline

Psychosis and neurological symptoms

Severe dementia and disability

Deeper Clinical Insight (Important perspective)

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

GPI is one of the clearest examples in psychiatry where:

A biological insult produces complex psychological phenomena

Grandiose or “revelatory” experiences can emerge from the illness.

Anomalous experiences, telepathic or revelatory states:

In GPI:

Experiences may feel deeply meaningful, expansive, or “special”

But they correlate with cortical degeneration, not enhanced perception

This doesn’t invalidate all anomalous experiences, but it shows:

Some “expanded consciousness” states can be degenerative rather than transcendental

Key Takeaway

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

General Paresis of the Insane can mimic:

Bipolar disorder

Schizophrenia

Frontotemporal dementia

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

…but it could be a progressive neuroinfectious condition that can possibly fundamentally alters:

Personality

Reality perception

Cognition

Shervan K Shahhian

Neurosyphilis Effects on Mental Health, explained:

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Neurosyphilis might have profound and sometimes misleading effects on mental health.

How Neurosyphilis Affects Mental Health

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Possibly, when the Neurosyphilis reaches the brain and nervous system, it can disrupt cognition, mood, perception, and personality.

1. Cognitive Decline (Possibly Dementia-like symptoms)

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Memory loss
Poor concentration
Confusion
Disorientation

In advanced cases, it can resemble major medical illnesses, CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

2. Personality & Behavioral Changes

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Irritability or aggression
Loss of social judgment
Apathy or emotional blunting
Disinhibition (acting out of character)

This can look like personality disorders or other psychiatric syndromes.

3. Mood Disorders

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Depression (very common)
Mania or hypomania
Mood instability

Some could be misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.

4. Psychosis

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Delusions (often grandiose or paranoid)
Hallucinations (auditory or visual)
Disorganized thinking

Historically, in some cases were labeled as schizophrenia before syphilis testing became standard.

5. Anxiety & Emotional Disturbance

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Generalized anxiety
Panic-like symptoms
Emotional instability

6. Neurological + Psychiatric Overlap

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Mental symptoms often appear alongside:

Headaches
Vision or hearing problems
Poor coordination
Stroke-like symptoms

This mixed picture is a key diagnostic clue.

A Classic Form: General Paresis

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

One severe form of neurosyphilis (historically called “general paresis of the insane”) includes:

Progressive dementia
Delusions of grandeur
Personality collapse

Before it was major cause of psychiatric hospitalization.

Why It Matters Clinically

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Neurosyphilis might mimic almost any psychiatric condition
It can even resemble:
- Psychotic disorders
- Mood disorders
- Neurocognitive disorders
Possibly, it could be unlike primary psychiatric illnesses

Clinical Insight

Unexplained combinations of:

Psychosis
Cognitive decline
Personality change

Often trigger testing for syphilis to rule out neurosyphilis.

Shervan K Shahhian

Graphology Handwriting Analysis, an explanation:

Graphology is the practice of analyzing a person’s handwriting to infer aspects of their personality, emotional state, and behavioral tendencies. It is commonly called handwriting analysis.

Although widely used in some personal-development or hiring contexts, most researchers in Psychology consider graphology a pseudoscientific technique because strong empirical evidence for personality prediction is limited.

What Graphologists Analyze

Graphologists study many features of handwriting, including:

Letter Size

Large writing: extroversion, confidence, desire for attention
Small writing: concentration, introversion, analytical thinking

Slant of Writing

Right slant: emotional expression, sociability
Left slant: emotional reserve, independence
Vertical writing: self-control and rationality

Pressure of Pen

Heavy pressure: strong emotions, intensity
Light pressure: sensitivity, low energy, or caution

Spacing Between Words

Wide spacing: independence, desire for personal space
Narrow spacing: sociability, need for closeness

Baseline (line direction)

Upward lines: optimism
Downward lines: fatigue, discouragement
Wavy lines: emotional fluctuation

Signature Style

Graphologists often believe signatures reflect how someone presents themselves to the public.

Scientific Perspective

Modern research in Parapsychology and psychology generally finds:

Graphology does not reliably predict personality traits.
Controlled experiments show little correlation with validated personality tests.

Graphology vs Forensic Handwriting Analysis

It is important to distinguish graphology from forensic document examination.

Forensic handwriting analysis is used in criminal investigations to verify authorship of documents and is studied in Forensic Science.

Graphology: personality interpretation Forensic analysis: identity/authorship verification

Psychological Interpretation

Some psychologists argue that handwriting can reflect motor habits influenced by emotional states, but:

Personality inference from handwriting remains weakly supported scientifically.
Temporary states (stress, fatigue, illness) can easily change handwriting.

In summary:

Graphology is a personality interpretation system based on handwriting patterns. While historically popular and sometimes used in counseling or self-exploration, mainstream psychology considers it unreliable as a scientific personality assessment tool.

Shervan K Shahhian

Psychopathological Hallucinations, an explanation:

CONSULT WITH a PSYCHITRIST and a NEUROLOGIST

Psychopathological hallucinations could be perceptions that occur without an external stimulus and might be associated with mental or neurological disorders. The person experiences them as real sensory events even though nothing in the environment is producing them.

In clinical psychology and psychiatry, hallucinations could be considered a disturbance in perception rather than imagination or fantasy.

Key Characteristics

Psychopathological hallucinations typically might have several features:

No external stimulus
The perception occurs without a real sensory trigger.
Experienced as real
The person usually believes the perception is genuine.
Involuntary
They cannot be easily controlled or stopped.
Often linked to mental or neurological conditions

Types of Psychopathological Hallucinations

1. Auditory Hallucinations

The most common form.

Examples:

Hearing voices talking
Voices commenting on behavior
Voices giving commands

Possibly associated with

Schizophrenia
severe mood disorders

2. Visual Hallucinations

Seeing things that are not present.

Examples:

people
animals
lights or shapes

It could be associated with:

CONSULT WITH a PSYCHITRIST and a NEUROLOGIST

Delirium
Parkinson’s Disease
neurological damage

3. Tactile Hallucinations

Feeling sensations on the body without cause.

Examples:

insects crawling on the skin
burning sensations

Could be linked to:

Substance Use Disorder
withdrawal states

4. Olfactory Hallucinations

Smelling odors that are not present.

Examples:

burning smells
rotting odors

Sometimes associated with:

CONSULT WITH a PSYCHITRIST and a NEUROLOGIST

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
brain tumors

5. Gustatory Hallucinations

Tasting something when nothing is in the mouth.

Examples:

metallic taste
poison-like taste

These are rare but may occur with neurological conditions.

Causes

Psychopathological hallucinations can arise from several mechanisms:

Psychiatric disorders

CONSULT WITH a PSYCHITRIST

Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder (with psychotic features)

Neurological conditions

CONSULT WITH a NEUROLOGIST

Epilepsy
Parkinson’s Disease
brain injury

Substances

drugs (LSD, stimulants)
alcohol withdrawal

Extreme stress or sleep deprivation might cause it?

Psychopathology vs Other Hallucination Types

In Parapsychology and anomalous experiences, it’s important to note the distinction researchers often make.

Clinical psychology usually interprets hallucinations as symptoms of pathology.

However, parapsychology researchers studying bereavement visions or anomalous experiences sometimes debate whether all such experiences are pathological.

For example:

Parapsychology researchers may examine veridical perceptions in certain cases.
Clinical psychiatry generally explains them through psychopathology.
CONSULT WITH a PSYCHITRIST and a NEUROLOGIST

In short:
Psychopathological hallucinations are sensory experiences without external stimuli caused by psychological or neurological disorders.

Shervan K Shahhian

Telepathic Hallucinations, explained:

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Telepathic hallucinations is a term sometimes used in clinical psychology and psychiatry to describe an experience in which a person believes they are receiving thoughts, messages, or communications telepathically, but the experience is interpreted clinically as a hallucinatory or delusional perception rather than actual telepathy.

It sits at the intersection of hallucinations, delusional beliefs, and anomalous experiences.

1. Clinical Psychology Definition

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

In mainstream psychiatry, telepathic hallucinations usually fall under auditory or thought-related hallucinations combined with delusions of telepathy.

Typical features include:

Believing someone is sending thoughts into one’s mind
Feeling that others can hear or read one’s thoughts
Perceiving silent messages without sensory input
Interpreting internal thoughts as coming from another person

These experiences can occur in disorders such as:

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Severe stress or trauma

Psychiatrists often classify them under passivity experiences or thought interference. CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

2. Types of Telepathic-Like Experiences in Psychiatry

CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

Thought Insertion

The person believes thoughts are placed into their mind by someone else.

Thought Broadcasting

The belief that one’s thoughts are being transmitted to others.

Thought Withdrawal

The feeling that someone is removing thoughts from the mind.

3. Psychological Mechanism (Clinical Explanation)

Psychologists explain these experiences through disruptions in self-monitoring of thoughts.

Normally the brain tags thoughts as self-generated.
In certain conditions, this mechanism fails, leading to:

Internal thoughts perceived as external
Inner speech mistaken for communication
Misattribution of mental events

Brain regions involved often include: CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

the temporal lobes
the default mode network
language areas involved in inner speech

4. Parapsychology Perspective

Researchers distinguish between:

1. Psychopathological hallucinations

Mental health conditions producing telepathic beliefs.

2. Misinterpreted anomalous cognition

A genuine psi experience interpreted incorrectly.

3. Psi-mediated information

Some parapsychologists propose that telepathic impressions may occur but be filtered through imagination or dreams.

Researchers suggest that some experiences labeled hallucinations could involve psi processes mixed with normal cognition.

This idea overlaps with the Super-Psi model you asked about earlier.

5. Distinguishing Telepathic Hallucinations from Other Experiences

Feature	Psychiatric Hallucination	Anomalous Experience (Parapsychology)
Control	Uncontrollable	Often spontaneous but meaningful
Emotional tone	Distressing or intrusive	Neutral or meaningful
Consistency	Disorganized	Sometimes coherent
Functioning	Often impaired	Usually preserved

However, most clinicians default to the psychiatric explanation unless strong evidence suggests otherwise. CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST

In summary:
Telepathic hallucinations refer to perceived mental communications that feel telepathic but are interpreted clinically as hallucinations or delusional beliefs, often due to misattribution of internal thoughts.

Shervan K Shahhian

Super-Psi Theory, explained:

The Super-Psi Theory is one of the main explanatory models used in parapsychology to account for extraordinary experiences, especially cases that appear to involve communication with the dead, spirits, or other non-physical entities.

Core Idea

The Super-Psi theory proposes that all paranormal phenomena originate from the living human mind, rather than from spirits, the afterlife, or external entities.

According to this model, a person’s unconscious psychic abilities could be far more powerful and wide-ranging than normally assumed, including abilities such as:

Telepathy: accessing the thoughts of other living people
Clairvoyance: obtaining information about distant events or objects
Precognition: acquiring knowledge about future events
Psychokinesis: influencing physical systems

“Super-Psi” means these abilities operate at an extraordinary level, combining many psi abilities simultaneously and unconsciously.

Why Parapsychologists Proposed It

Researchers introduced this theory to explain cases that look like spirit communication but might still be produced by the mind of a living person.

For example:

A person reports receiving information from a deceased relative that seems impossible to know.

Under Super-Psi, the explanation might be:

The person unconsciously obtained information via clairvoyance
They telepathically accessed memories of living relatives
Their mind combined this information into the appearance of a spirit message

So the experience feels like an external communicator, but the information actually originates from the living mind.

Where It Is Often Applied

Super-Psi is commonly discussed in research involving:

After-Death Communications
Mediumship
Apparitions
Poltergeist Phenomena

In each case, Super-Psi suggests that living human psi could produce the entire phenomenon.

Example

Imagine a medium gives accurate details about a deceased person.

Super-Psi explanation:

The medium telepathically reads the minds of the living relatives.
Clairvoyantly gathers additional information.
The unconscious mind organizes the data into the illusion of a communicating spirit.

Strengths of the Theory

Parapsychologists sometimes consider Super-Psi attractive because:

It does not require survival of consciousness after death
It keeps explanations within living human psychology
It is consistent with experimental evidence for psi abilities

Major Criticism

Many researchers argue the theory creates even bigger mysteries.

Critics say it requires almost unlimited psychic ability, such as:

Accessing any information anywhere
Knowing the future
Scanning multiple minds simultaneously

Because of this, some researchers believe Super-Psi becomes so powerful that it is almost unfalsifiable.

In Parapsychology:

The Three Main Models

Parapsychologists usually discuss three broad explanations for anomalous experiences:

Psychological/Psychiatric Model: hallucination, grief processes, cognitive factors
Super-Psi Theory: extraordinary psi of the living mind
Survival Hypothesis: consciousness survives death

Relevance to Your Interests

Parapsychology and anomalous experiences, Super-Psi is often debated in areas like:

bereavement visions
after-death communications
anomalous cognition
remote perception

It represents the most conservative paranormal explanation because it does not assume external entities.

Shervan K Shahhian

The Survival of Consciousness Hypothesis, explained:

The Survival of Consciousness Hypothesis is one of the central explanations in Parapsychology for phenomena suggesting that human consciousness may continue to exist after bodily death.

It proposes that the mind or consciousness is not completely dependent on the brain, and therefore may survive physical death in some form.

Core Idea

The hypothesis suggests:

Personal consciousness or identity continues after the death of the physical body.

In this view, the brain functions more like a receiver or interface rather than the sole producer of consciousness.

This idea contrasts with the standard view in Neuroscience (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST), which generally assumes that consciousness is entirely generated by brain activity and therefore ends when the brain dies.

Phenomena Often Used as Evidence

Researchers in Parapsychology study several types of experiences that may support survival:

1. After-Death Communications (ADCs)

Experiences in which people report contact with deceased individuals.

Examples include:

sensing a presence
hearing a voice
seeing apparitions
vivid dreams of the deceased

These experiences have been studied by Parapsychological researchers.

2. Mediumship

Some mediums claim to obtain information from deceased personalities.

Research organizations like the
Society for Psychical Research and the
Rhine Research Center have conducted controlled studies on this subject.

3. Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)

People revived after clinical death sometimes report:

leaving the body
seeing deceased relatives
entering a light or other realm

4. Reincarnation Cases

Cases where children claim memories of past lives.

A large body of cases was investigated by Parapsychologists.

Competing Explanation: The Super-Psi Model

Many modern researchers discuss a competing explanation called the Super-Psi hypothesis.

This model proposes that:

Living people unconsciously gather information through psi abilities such as telepathy or clairvoyance.
The information only appears to come from the dead.

So instead of survival after death, the source is the living mind.

The Three Main Interpretive Models

Parapsychologists often discuss three broad possibilities:

Psychological Model
Experiences arise from grief, memory, or hallucination.
Super-Psi (Living Agent Psi)
The living person’s mind gathers information paranormally.
Survival Hypothesis
Consciousness actually survives bodily death.

Why the Debate Continues

The survival hypothesis remains controversial because:

Evidence is suggestive but not universally replicable.
Many cases can have multiple interpretations.
Neuroscience still finds strong correlations between brain activity and consciousness.

So the question remains open scientifically.

Interesting note:
Some researchers argue that the most evidential cases are those where the information could not have been known by anyone present, which is where the debate between Survival vs. Super-Psi becomes most intense.

Shervan K Shahhian

Veridical Information, explained:

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

Bereavement Visions in Parapsychology Research, explained:

Bereavement visions are one of the studied forms of after-death related anomalous experiences in parapsychology. Researchers examine them as possible perceptual experiences of the deceased occurring after death, usually reported by grieving individuals.

1. What Bereavement Visions Are

In parapsychology, bereavement visions are experiences in which a grieving person perceives the deceased as present. These perceptions can include:

Visual apparitions (seeing the deceased person)
Auditory experiences (hearing their voice)
Tactile sensations (feeling a touch or embrace)
Sense of presence
Dream encounters with vivid realism

These are often grouped under After‑Death Communications (ADCs).

Typical characteristics reported in research:

Occur spontaneously
Usually happen within the first year after death
Are often comforting rather than frightening
Individuals usually remain psychologically stable

2. Classic Parapsychology Research

One of the earliest major investigations came from the Society for Psychical Research (SPR).

Findings:

Thousands of reports of apparitions and crisis experiences were collected.
Some reports occurred close to the time of death of the person seen.
Researchers proposed the possibility of telepathic hallucinations.

3. Modern Bereavement Vision Research

Modern parapsychology approaches the phenomenon more systematically.

Many have Researched

Some of the research has documented thousands of cases.

Findings:

ADCs occur across cultures and religions
Most experiencers report psychological comfort
Many experiences involve clear sensory perception

4. Bereavement Vision Research in Psychology

Psychological researchers also studied these experiences without assuming a paranormal explanation.

A study was conducted that:

Some studied widows and widowers and found:

Some reported sensing or seeing the deceased spouse
Most participants did not consider themselves mentally ill

This suggested bereavement visions are relatively common in normal grief.

5. How Parapsychology Interprets Bereavement Visions

Parapsychologists generally consider four explanatory models.

1. Survival Model

The experience is interpreted as actual communication from the deceased.

2. Psi or Super-Psi Model

Related to the Super-Psi Theory:

The living person unconsciously gathers information via telepathy or clairvoyance
The mind constructs the experience.

3. Psychological Model

The experience arises from grief-related cognitive and emotional processes.

4. Hybrid Model

Some researchers think multiple mechanisms may operate simultaneously.

6. Typical Characteristics of Bereavement Visions

Parapsychological case collections consistently report:

Occur during quiet states or transitions (sleep/waking)
The apparition often appears healthy and peaceful
Messages are usually brief and reassuring
The experience ends abruptly

These features differentiate them from clinical hallucinations associated with psychiatric disorders.

7. Why Bereavement Visions Interest Parapsychologists

They are important because they potentially relate to the survival of consciousness hypothesis.

Researchers view them as valuable because they:

occur spontaneously
often involve ordinary individuals
can sometimes contain veridical information

In summary:
Bereavement visions are reported experiences in which the bereaved perceive the deceased. Parapsychology studies them as possible after-death communications, psi phenomena, or grief-related experiences, while psychology often interprets them as normal features of the grieving process.

Shervan K Shahhian