Pseudoscience and the Paranormal: A Critical Examination of the Evidence

Preface.

1. The Nature of Pseudoscience.
 The Paranormal.
 Scientific Mistakes: N-rays and Polywater.
 Why Study Pseudoscientific Claims? 

2. Psychics and Psychic Phenomena.
 Spiritualism.
 Psychic Readings.
 Psychic Predictions.
 Psychic Crime Detection.
 Ted Serios’s Thought Pictures.
 Prophetic Dreams and Hunches.
 Demonic Possession and Neuropathology.

3. Life After Death.
 Ghosts and Poltergeists.
 Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences.
 Reincarnation.

4. Laboratory Parapsychology.
 The Nature of the Evidence.
 Early Research: J. B. Rhine and S. G. Soal.
 The Uri Geller Episode.
 Recent ESP Research.
 Psi Theory and Belief.

5. Psychoanalysis.
 Freudian Theory.
 Clinical Applications of Psychoanalysis.
 Neurobiology and Mental Disorders.
 The Future of Psychoanalysis.
 The Psychology of Jung.
 Humanistic Psychology.

6. Astrology, the Lunar Effect, and Biorhythms.
 Astrology and Astronomy.
 Testing Astrological Predictions.
 Moon Madness.
 Biorhythm Theory.

7. UFOs I: Close Encounters of the First Kind.
 The Constructive Nature of Human Perception.
 Close Encounters of the First Kind.

8. UFOs II: Photographs, Physical Evidence, and Abductions.
 Photographic Evidence.
 Physical Evidence.
 The Tunguska Event.
 Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
 The Psychology of Abduction Stories.
 The Hollow Earth.
 The Great UFO Cover-up.
 The Role of the Media.

9. Ancient Astronauts, Cosmic Collisions, and the Bermuda Triangle.
 Ancient Astronauts.
 The Case of the Dogon.
 The Bermuda Triangle.
 Immanuel Velikovsky and Cosmic Collisions.

10. Faith Healing.
 The Nature of Disease.
 Faith Healers’ Techniques.
 Psychic Surgery.
 The Dangers of Faith Healing.
 The Role of Shrines.

11. Health and Nutrition Quackery.
 Fad Diets.
 Vitamins and Health Foods.
 Chiropractic.
 Brain Therapies.
 Stress and Imagery.
 Chelation Therapy.
 Homeopathy.
 Birth Stress.
 Hair Loss Cures and Hair Analysis.
 Iridology.
 Air Ions.

12. Current Trends in Pseudoscience.
 Carlos Castaneda and Don Juan.
 Collective Delusion.
 Creationism.
 Cryptozoology.
 Dowsing and the Magic Pendulum.
 Firewalking.
 Graphology.
 Functional Differences Between the Two Sides of the Brain.
 The Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon.
 Kirlian Photography.
 Plant Perception.
 Polygraphy.
 Pyramid Power.
 The Shroud of Turin.
 Subliminal Perception.

References.
Author Index.
Subject Index.