Published Research on the Paranormal

Haunted People Syndrome, Ghostly Episodes, and Encounter Phenomenology

Houran, J., & Lange, R. (1996). Hauntings and poltergeist-like episodes as a confluence of conventional phenomena: A general hypothesis. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 83, 1307–1316.
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Lange, R., & Houran, J. (2001). Ambiguous stimuli brought to life: The psychological dynamics of hauntings and poltergeists. In J. Houran & R. Lange (Eds.), Hauntings and poltergeists: Multidisciplinary perspectives (pp. 280–306). McFarland & Co.

Houran, J., & Thalbourne, M. A. (2001). Further study and speculation on the psychology of “entity encounter experiences.” Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 65, 26–37.

Houran, J., & Thalbourne, M. A. (2001). Theoretical refinements on transliminality and entity encounter experiences. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 65, 241–256.

Houran, J., Kumar, V. K., Thalbourne, M. A., & Lavertue, N. E. (2002). Haunted by somatic tendencies: Spirit infestation as psychogenic illness. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 5, 119–133.
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Houran, J., Wiseman, R., & Thalbourne, M. A. (2002). Perceptual-personality characteristics associated with naturalistic haunt experiences. European Journal of Parapsychology, 17, 17–44.

Houran, J., Ashe, D. D., & Thalbourne, M. A. (2003). Encounter experiences in the context of mental boundaries and bilaterality. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 67, 260–280.

Laythe, B., Houran, J., & Ventola, A. (2018). A split-sample psychometric study of haunters. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 82, 193–218.

Dixon, J., Storm, L., & Houran, J. (2018). Exploring ostensible poltergeist vs. haunt phenomena via a reassessment of spontaneous case data. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 18, 7–22.
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Houran, J., Laythe, B., O’Keeffe, C., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., & Lange, R. (2019). Quantifying the phenomenology of ghostly episodes—Part I: Need for a standard operationalization. Journal of Parapsychology, 83, 25–46.
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Houran, J., Lange, R., Laythe, B., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., & O’Keeffe, C. (2019). Quantifying the phenomenology of ghostly episodes—Part II: A Rasch model of spontaneous accounts. Journal of Parapsychology, 83, 168–192.
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O’Keeffe, C., Houran, J., Houran, D. J., Drinkwater, K., Dagnall, N., & Laythe, B. (2019). The Dr. John Hall story: A case study of putative “haunted people syndrome.” Mental Health, Religion, & Culture, 22, 910–929.
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Ventola, A., Houran, J., Laythe, B., Storm, L., Parra, A., Dixon, J., & Kruth, J. G. (2019). A transliminal “dis-ease” model of poltergeist “agents.” Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 83, 144–171.

Lange, R., Houran, J., Sheridan, L., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., O’Keeffe, C., & Laythe, B. (2020). Haunted people syndrome revisited: Empirical parallels between subjective paranormal episodes and putative accounts of group-stalking. Mental Health, Religion, & Culture, 23, 532–549.
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Laythe, B., Houran, J., Dagnall, N., & Drinkwater, K. (2021). Conceptual and clinical implications of a “haunted people syndrome.” Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 8, 195–214.
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Laythe, B., Houran, J., & Little, C. (2021). The ghostly character of childhood imaginary companions: An empirical study of online accounts. Journal of Parapsychology, 85, 54–74.
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Little, C., Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2021). Quali-quantitative comparison of childhood imaginary companions and ghostly episodes. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 85, 1–30.

Houran, J., Little, C., Laythe, B., & Ritson, D. W. (2022). Uncharted features and dynamics of the South Shields Poltergeist. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 86, 129–164.

Houran, J., & Laythe, B. (2022). Case study of recognition patterns in haunted people syndrome. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 879163.
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Houran, J., & Laythe, B. (2023). Phenomenology of AI-generated “entity encounter” narratives. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 3, 335–368.
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Houran, J., Laythe, B., Little, C., & Houran, D. J. (2023). Rethinking a ghostly episode in the legacy literature. Journal of Anomalistics, 23, 77–102.
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Houran, J., Massullo, B., Drinkwater, K., & Dagnall, N. (2024). Team analysis of a help-seeking “haunted person.” Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 24, 155–202.
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Houran, J., Massullo, B., & Jawer, M. J. (2024). Confronting the elusive force: A phenomenological analysis of a 20th century poltergeist. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 88, 75–109.
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Lange, R., & Houran, J. (2024). Development of the Haunted People Syndrome Screener (HPSS). Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 56, 6–26.

Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., Caputo, G. B., Sheridan, L., & Houran, J. (2025). The Monika encounter: A mixed methods study of a techno-based ghostly episode. Spiritual Psychology & Counseling, 10(2), 257–295.
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Houran, J., & O’Keeffe, C. (2025). Prototyping haunted people syndrome: Artificial intelligence-generated narrative, structured interview, and clinical validation. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication.
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Massullo, B. J., Houran, J., Escolà-Gascón, A., O’Keeffe, C., Drinkwater, K., & Dagnall, N. (2025). Quality-checking a novel “fact sheet” on ghostly episodes. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1585437.
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O’Keeffe, C., Massullo, B., Laythe, B., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., & Houran, J. (2025). Haunted people syndrome redux: Concurrent validity from an independent case study. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 39, 85–106.
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Transliminality, Mental Boundaries, and Anomalous-Experience Proneness

Evans, J., Lange, R., Houran, J., & Lynn, S. J. (2019). Further psychometric exploration of the transliminality construct. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 6, 417–438.
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Lange, R., Houran, J., Evans, J., & Lynn, S. J. (2019). A review and re-evaluation of the Revised Transliminality Scale. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research and Practice, 6, 67–89.
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Lange, R., Ross, R. M., Dagnall, N., Irwin, H. J., Houran, J., & Drinkwater, K. (2019). Anomalous experiences and paranormal attributions: Psychometric challenges in studying their measurement and relationship. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 6, 346–358.
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Drinkwater, K., Dagnall, N., & Houran, J. (2021). A conceptual matrix for mapping encounter experiences. Academia Letters, Article 3955.
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Drinkwater, K., Dagnall, N., Houran, J., Denovan, A., & O’Keeffe, C. (2024). Structural relationships among mental boundaries, childhood imaginary companions, and anomalous experiences. Psychological Reports, 127, 2717–2735.
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O’Keeffe, C., Houran, J., Caputo, G. B., Katz, D. L., & Williamson, J. (2024). Magic flights or mind’s eye? Competing content analyses of dimensional-slip narratives. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 56, 147–186.

Houran, J. (2025). GenAI mapping of dimensional-slips to classic transcendental spaces. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 89, 225–256.
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Houran, J., Katz, D. L., Williamson, J., Koren, S. A., Wahbeh, H., & Woollacott, M. (2025). Magic flights or mind’s eye? Further explorations of dimensional-slip narratives. Journal of Anomalistics, 25, 61–118.
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Houran, J., Laythe, B., & Houran, B. M. (2025). Still images as portals to immersive and transformative experience: A narrative review. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 57, 158–187.
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Houran, J., & Laythe, B. (2026). Still images, shifting minds: Testing the transformative effects of evocative visuals. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Advance online publication.
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Social, Cultural, and Interpretive Processes in Anomalous Experience

Houran, J., & Lange, R. (1996). Diary of events in a thoroughly unhaunted house. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 83, 499–502.
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Hill, S. A., O’Keeffe, C., Laythe, B., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., Ventola, A., & Houran, J. (2018). “Meme-spirited”: I. A VAPUS model for understanding the prevalence and potency of ghost narratives. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 18, 117–152.

Hill, S. A., Laythe, B., Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., O’Keeffe, C., Ventola, A., & Houran, J. (2019). “Meme-spirited”: II. Illustrations of the VAPUS model for ghost narratives. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 19, 5–43.

Drinkwater, K., Laythe, B., Houran, J., Dagnall, N., O’Keeffe, C., & Hill, S. A. (2019). Exploring gaslighting effects via the VAPUS model for ghost narratives. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 19, 143–179.

Houran, J., Hill, S. A., Haynes, E. D., & Bielski, U. A. (2020). Paranormal tourism—Market study of a novel and interactive approach to space activation and monetization. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 61, 287–311.
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Houran, J., Dagnall, N., Sapkota, R. P., & Lange, R. (2025). The spread of mind: Psychological contagion in theory and critique. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1631927.
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Houran, J., Maraldi, E. O., & Houran, B. M. (2025). Debating member-checks of exceptional human experiences. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 44, 10–28.
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Houran, J., Lange, R., Massullo, B., O’Keeffe, C., & Schumacher, D. (2026). Trickster-like experiences while documenting the paranormal: Rasch analysis of an initial survey. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 40(1), 52–74.
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Houran, J., Maraldi, E. O., Massullo, B., & Molnar, D. (2026). Evaluating anomalous experiences with respect and responsibility: A critical reflection. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 13, 1–31.
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Environment, Enchantment, and Physical Correlates

Laythe, B., & Owen, K. (2013). A critical test of the EMF-paranormal phenomena theory: Evidence from a haunted site without electricity-generating fields. Journal of Parapsychology, 77, 212–236.

Laythe, B. R., Laythe, E. C., & Woodward, L. (2017). A test of an occult-themed séance: Examining anomalous events, psychosomatic symptoms, transliminality, and electromagnetic fields. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 31, 572–624.

Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2019). Concomitant object movements and EMF spikes at a purported haunt. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 83, 212–229.
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Dagnall, N., Drinkwater, K., O’Keeffe, C., Ventola, A., Laythe, B., Jawer, M. A., Massullo, B., Caputo, G. B., & Houran, J. (2020). Things that go bump in the literature: An environmental appraisal of “haunted houses.” Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1328.
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Jawer, M. A., Massullo, B., Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2020). Environmental “Gestalt influences” pertinent to the study of haunted houses. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 84, 65–92.
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Escolà-Gascón, A., & Houran, J. (2021). Paradoxical effects of exposure to nature in “haunted” places: Implications for stress reduction theory. Landscape and Urban Planning, 214, Article 104183.
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Laythe, B., Houran, J., Lange, R., & Boussoffara, M. A. (2021). A “Multi-Event Sensor App” (MESA 3.0) for environmental studies of exceptional human experiences. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 21, 128–162.
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Houran, J., Laythe, B., Lange, R., Hanks, M., & Ironside, R. (2023). Immersive study of Gestalt variables in uncanny geographies. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 87, 65–100.
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Houran, J., Laythe, B., & Little, C. (2024). Confirmatory study of anomalous experiences in enchanted spaces. Journal of Anomalistics, 24, 396–426.
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Psi, ESP, Magick, Ritual, and Anomalous Cognition

Lange, R., & Houran, J. (2021). Replicable survey evidence for an “enchantment-psi” loop. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 53, 140–156.
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Laythe, B. R., & Roberts, N. (2023). A four element-themed self-selecting mobile application for ESP testing. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 36(4), 682–691.
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Lange, R., Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2023). Preregistered field test of an “enchantment–psi” loop. Journal of Parapsychology, 87, 11–32.
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Laythe, B., Roberts, N., White, G., & Houran, D. J. (2024). Trained transliminals: Exploring anomalous experiences and psi in magical practitioners. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 38(2), 233–257.
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Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2026). Development of a dual-mode application for psi research. Journal of Anomalistics, 26, 177–215.
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Survival, Near-Death Experience, and Consciousness

Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2022). Adversarial collaboration on a Drake-S equation for the survival question. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 36(1), 130–160.
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Tressoldi, P. E., Rock, A. J., Pederzoli, L., & Houran, J. (2022). The case for postmortem survival from the winners of the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies essay contest: A level of evidence analysis. Australian Journal of Parapsychology, 22, 7–29.

Rock, A. J., Houran, J., Tressoldi, P. E., & Laythe, B. (2023). Is biological death final? Recomputing the Drake-S equation for postmortem survival of consciousness. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 42, 9–26.
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Houran, J., Rock, A. J., Laythe, B., & Tressoldi, P. E. (2023). Dead reckoning: A multiteam system approach to commentaries on the Drake-S equation for survival. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 42(1), 80–105.
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Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (2026). AI evaluation of the Drake-S equation for postmortem survival using Sudduth’s evidentiary standards. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 90(1), 1–28.
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Pehlivanova, M., Lange, R., Greyson, B., & Houran, J. (2026). Operationalizing near-death experiences: Stability of the Rasch NDE hierarchy over two decades. Consciousness and Cognition, 139, Article 103979.
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In Press / Current Scholarly Work

Haunted People Syndrome and Anomalous Experience

Houran, J., Schofield, M., & Ironside, R. (in press). The ghost-brush installation: A case-centered primer on psychological contagion effects. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.

Massullo, B., Fach, W., Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (in press). Acknowledgement of understanding: Ethical consent at the intersection of care and research in anomalous experiences. Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

O’Keeffe, C., et al. (in press). Haunted People Syndrome reaffirmed: Part 1—An evidence-based reply to Auerbach et al. (2026). Journal of Scientific Exploration.

Massullo, B., et al. (in press). Haunted People Syndrome reaffirmed: Part 2—Clarifying ethics in clinical parapsychology. Journal of Scientific Exploration.

Drinkwater, K., et al. (in press). Haunted People Syndrome reaffirmed: Part 3—Artificial rater convergence on O’Keeffe et al. (2025). Journal of Scientific Exploration.

Ritual, Religion, and Exceptional Experience

Houran, J., Laythe, B., VanPool, T. L., Houran, D. J., & VanPool, C. S. (in press). Why do rituals work? A dual-pathway account of perceived efficacy. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies.

VanPool, T. L., VanPool, C. S., Massullo, B., Laythe, B., & Houran, J. (in press). Designing for the divine: Environmental pathways to spirit encounters at ancient Paquimé.

In-Press Scholarly Chapters

Houran, J., Maraldi, E. O., & Wahbeh, H. (in press). Working from a non-antagonistic definition of “anomalous experiences.” In E. O. Maraldi, H. Wahbeh, & J. Houran (Eds.), Routledge handbook of anomalous experience and parapsychology.

O’Keeffe, C., & Houran, J. (in press). From anecdote to analysis: Ghostly episodes in scientific perspective. In E. O. Maraldi, H. Wahbeh, & J. Houran (Eds.), Routledge handbook of anomalous experience and parapsychology.

Laythe, B. (in press). Magickal practitioners and parapsychology: A target population for studying parapsychological effects. In E. O. Maraldi, H. Wahbeh, & J. Houran (Eds.), Routledge handbook of anomalous experience and parapsychology.