Psychokinesis

Psychokinesis (Greek ψυχή + κίνησις, literally spirit-movement") or PK, also known as telekinesis (Greek ' + ', literally "distant-movement") or TK, is the proposed paranormal ability of the mind to influence matter or energy without the use of any currently known type of physical means.  For instance, psychokinesis might be used to distort or move an object, or to influence a random number generator.

Terminology
"Telekinesis" was coined in 1890 by German-Russian psychical researcher Alexander N. Aksakof.

"Psychokinesis" was coined in 1914 by American author-publisher Henry Holt in his book On the Cosmic Relations and adopted by his friend, American parapsychologist J. B. Rhine in 1934 in connection with experiments to determine if a person could influence the outcome of falling dice.

Both terms have been described by other names, such as "remote influencing," "distant influencing," "remote mental influence," "distant mental influence," "directed conscious intention," and "mind over matter."

Originally telekinesis was coined to refer to the movement of objects thought to be caused by ghosts of deceased persons, mischievous spirits, demons, or other supernatural forces. Later when speculation increased that humans might be the source of the witnessed phenomena (that which was not caused by fraudulent mediums) and could possibly cause movement without any connection to a spiritualistic setting, such as in a darkened séance room, psychokinesis was added to the lexicon, this done to differentiate between the earlier use of the term telekinesis.

Eventually, psychokinesis was the preferred term by the parapsychological community (and still is) and it was suggested that telekinesis become obsolete. Popular culture, however, such as movies, television, and literature, over the years preferred telekinesis to describe the paranormal movement of objects likely due to the word's resemblance to other terms, such as telepathy, teleportation, telephone, and television.

Psychokinesis, then, is the general term that can be used to describe a variety of complex mental force phenomena (including object movement) and telekinesis is used to refer only to the movement of objects, however tiny (a grain of salt or air molecules to create wind) or large (an automobile, building, or bridge). Hypothetically, a person could have very profound telekinetic ability, but not be able to produce any of the additional effects found in psychokinesis, such as softening the metal of a spoon to allow its bending with minimal physical force. Conversely, someone who has succeeded in psychokinetically softening metal once or a number of times may exhibit no telekinetic ability to move objects.

Measurement and observation
Currently parapsychology researchers describe two basic types of measurable and observable psychokinetic and telekinetic effects in experimental laboratory research and in case reports occurring outside of the laboratory.

Micro-PK or micro-TK is a very small effect, such as the manipulation of molecules, atoms, subatomic particles, etc., which can only be observed with scientific equipment. The words are abbreviations for micro-psychokinesis, micropsychokinesis; micro-telekinesis, microtelekinesis.

Macro-PK or macro-TK is a large-scale effect which can be seen with the unaided eye. The words are abbreviations for macro-psychokinesis, macropsychokinesis; macro-telekinesis, macrotelekinesis.

The adjective phrases "microscopic-scale," "macroscopic-scale," "small-scale," and "large-scale" may also be used; for example, "a small-scale PK effect."

Spontaneous effects
Spontaneous movements of objects and other unexplained effects have been reported, and many parapsychologists believe they are possibly forms of psychokinesis/telekinesis. Parapsychologist William G. Roll coined the term "recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis" (RSPK) in 1958. The sudden movement of objects without deliberate intention in the presence or vicinity of one or more witnesses is thought by some to be related to as-yet-unknown PK/TK processes of the subconscious mind. Researchers use the term "PK agent," especially in spontaneous cases, to describe someone who is suspected of being the source of the PK action. Outbreaks of spontaneous movements or other effects, such as in a private home, and especially those involving violent or physiological effects, such as objects hitting people or scratches or other marks on the body, are sometimes investigated as poltergeist cases.

Types of abilities - classification
Potential uses of such an ability may include:


 * movement of matter (telekinesis; see below)


 * object deformation (including metal softening and bending)


 * influence events


 * biological healing


 * teleportation (disappearing and reappearing elsewhere)


 * phasing through matter


 * transmutation of matter


 * shape-shifting


 * energy shield (force field)


 * control of magnetism


 * control of photons (light waves/particles)

Telekinetic abilities


 * movement of matter (micro and macro; move, lift, agitate, vibrate, spin, bend, break, or impact)


 * self levitation (including flying)

Notable claimants of psychokinetic or telekinetic ability

 * Uri Geller, the Israeli famous for his spoon-bending demonstrations, allegedly by PK.


 * Nina Kulagina, alleged Soviet psychic of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

See also these Wikipedia Category lists:


 * People claiming to have psychokinetic abilities
 * Supernatural healing

Belief in telekinesis
In September 2006, a survey conducted by phone and mail-in questionnaire polled Americans on their belief in telekinesis. Of these participants 28 percent of male participants selected "agree" or "strongly agree" with the statement It is possible to influence the world through the mind alone, as did 31 percent of female participants. There were 1,721 participants, and the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percent. The survey as a whole was about belief in various religious and paranormal topics.

Cultural references

 * In the 1976 film Carrie, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, Sissy Spacek portrays a troubled high school student with telekinetic powers.
 * In the Star Wars movie series, numerous characters have the ability to control the movement of objects using "the Force."
 * Telekinetic or similar abilities are often found in fictional characters in comic books, such as Jean Grey of the X-Men.

Published Scientific Papers on PK / TK

 * Can Our Intentions Interact Directly with the Physical World? (.pdf file) by William G. Braud, European Journal of Parapsychology, Vol. 10, 1994.
 * Does Psi Exist and Can We prove It: Belief and Disbelief in Psychokinesis Research (.pdf file) by Eckhard Etzold, presented at the Parapsychological Association Convention 2004.
 * Material Deformation by Intention (.shtml file) by Jack Houck, presented at the Science of Whole Person Healing Conference, March 28, 2003.
 * The Paranormal is not Excluded from Physics (.pdf file) by O. Costa de Beauregard, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1998.
 * The Strange Properties of Psychokinesis (.html file) by Helmut Schmidt, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1987.

Online Resources for Published Academic Articles and Scientific Papers on PK / TK
(do searches for "psychokinesis," "telekinesis," "conscious intention," etc.)
 * http://scholar.google.com Google's search engine for scholarly literature.
 * http://books.google.com Google's search engine for full texts of public domain books or excerpts of other books, including PK and TK related material.
 * http://www.pubmed.gov In the United States, a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
 * http://academic.live.com Windows Live Academic by the Microsoft Corporation. Search academic journals.

General information

 * The Skeptic's Dictionary: "Psychokinesis" A skeptical commentary article on psychokinesis.
 * "Psychokinesis" definition On the James Randi Educational Foundation's website.
 * Princeton's PEAR laboratory closing spring 2007, Princeton Alumni Weekly November 8, 2006: Notebook.
 * Online Telekinesis Test
 * Mind Over Matter Study An invitation by the Rhine Research Center of Durham, North Carolina USA to submit reports of PK or TK as part of an academic research study.

Major organizations and research centers in the PK / TK field

 * American Society for Psychical Research (New York City, USA)
 * Parapsychological Association (Petaluma, California, USA)
 * Parapsychology Foundation (New York City, USA)
 * Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) (Princeton, New Jersey, USA)
 * The Rhine Research Center (Durham, North Carolina, USA)
 * Society for Psychical Research (London, UK)