RESEARCH AT ISRAE

Advancing the Scientific Study of Anomalous Experiences

ISRAE conducts and supports interdisciplinary research into religious, anomalous, and exceptional human experiences.

Our work examines these phenomena from multiple perspectives—including psychology, parapsychology, consciousness studies, social and cultural processes, environmental factors, and the experiences of those who encounter them.

Rather than beginning with assumptions about what unusual experiences must represent, we seek to identify recurring patterns, test competing explanations, develop useful models, and follow the evidence wherever it leads.

RESEARCH AREA 1

Haunted People Syndrome & Encounter Phenomenology

A central focus of ISRAE research is the study of recurrent hauntings, ghostly episodes, sensed presences, entity encounters, and related anomalous experiences.

This work helped develop the Haunted People Syndrome framework, which examines these episodes as complex events shaped by interacting psychological, social, environmental, and potentially anomalous factors.

Our research also develops methods for describing and measuring the phenomenology of extraordinary encounters more systematically.

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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RESEARCH AREA 2

Transliminality & Mental Boundaries

Why are some people more prone than others to unusual perceptions, experiences, and states of consciousness?

ISRAE research examines transliminality and related characteristics associated with permeability between ordinary awareness, imagination, unconscious processes, and anomalous experience.

This work explores individual differences in experience-proneness without assuming that such experiences are either wholly internal or necessarily paranormal.

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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RESEARCH AREA 3

Social, Cultural & Interpretive Processes

Extraordinary experiences do not occur in an interpretive vacuum.

Our research examines how beliefs, expectations, culture, social interaction, prior experience, and attribution influence the way anomalous events are perceived, remembered, communicated, and understood.

This work helps distinguish the experience itself from the meanings people and communities subsequently assign to it.

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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RESEARCH AREA 4

Environment, Enchantment & Physical Correlates

Places matter.

ISRAE research investigates how environmental conditions, physical settings, expectations, and the perceived character of locations may contribute to extraordinary experiences.

This includes research on haunted environments, environmental measurements, place-based experience, and the interaction between physical surroundings and human perception.

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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RESEARCH AREA 5

Psi, Magick, Ritual & Anomalous Cognition

ISRAE also studies forms of anomalous cognition and intentional practice associated with psi, extrasensory perception, ritual, meditation, visualization, and contemporary magickal practice.

This research examines both reported experiences and measurable outcomes while considering the psychological traits, altered states, intentions, and practices that may influence anomalous cognition.

The goal is not to validate a particular belief system, but to investigate these practices and experiences as legitimate subjects of empirical inquiry.

Laythe, B., 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., 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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RESEARCH AREA 6

Survival, Near-Death Experience & Consciousness

Some exceptional experiences raise fundamental questions about consciousness, identity, and the possibility that aspects of human experience may not be fully explained by conventional models.

Our work and collaborations examine near-death experiences, survival-related phenomena, extraordinary states of consciousness, and related experiences with the same combination of empirical rigor and interpretive openness applied throughout ISRAE research.

These questions remain unresolved—and therefore worth studying carefully.

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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RESEARCH AREA 7

Current Scholarship & Works in Progress

ISRAE’s research program is ongoing. This section highlights scholarly articles, book chapters, and related academic work that is currently in press, under review, or in active development.

These projects extend our existing research areas while also exploring emerging questions, new methods, and interdisciplinary applications.

Publication status is identified clearly so that work in progress is distinguished from completed, peer-reviewed research.

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.