Paranormal Events Quiz
Alexander De Foe
Do paranormal events occur or are these phenomena limited to a person's subjective
experience, existing nowhere except in a person's mind? That is perhaps one of the biggest
questions that parapsychologists and philosophers alike have pondered at depth. Have you
ever wondered about such things? This quiz might give some insight into the nature of
experiences that seem to be unexplainable or out-of-the-normal.
Note: Although I developed this quiz as a professional parapsychologist, it was purely
developed for fun and entertainment purposes. This quiz is not intended to be used in any
official or formal capacity for evaluating knowledge of the paranormal. If you'd like to learn
more about paranormal psychology check out the 'Australian Journal of Parapsychology' (a
scientific journal).
Feel free to use/print this quiz as desired, as long as it is not modified from this PDF format.
Quiz downloaded from: http://alexdefoe.com/
Question 1: Experiences of transcendence
Have you ever had a mystical or spiritual experience of transcendence?
Experiences of transcendence and mystical experiences often take a person out of their
'normal' range of consciousness and broaden their awareness beyond the physical body and
personality-self. There seems to be a common trend noted in these sorts of experiences
among a wide range of individuals. Often, people who 'return' from mystical states such as
these find it difficult to find the right words to describe their experiences. Yet, commonalities
do arise among descriptions from a broad range of individuals.
What do you think might be some of the commonalities found in accounts of transcendental
states of consciousness?
Q1. Some of the common features of transcendence experiences are:
a) Experiencing a loss of sense of 'self'
b) Spontaneous experience of peak emotional states of peace, happiness or love that
arise for no specific reason
c) Experiencing the blurring of cognitive definitions such as race, gender, political
orientation and social class and finding it effortless to connect with other human
beings
d) All of the above
1
Question 2: Parapsychology
Have you ever wondered about what parapsychologists do with their time?
Parapsychology is a scientific discipline involved in examining paranormal phenomena and
psychic events. Parapsychologists are involved in scientific research into human experiences
that extend beyond the 'normal' range of consciousness, especially those that are common
but not explainable using the traditional instruments and measures of science.
Some people have misconceptions about the role of parapsychologists in contrast with other
professionals such as counsellors, or even non-professionals like New Age healers or tarot
card readers. In fact, the difference between these is quite vast!
Q2. The main role of a parapsychologist involves:
a) Conducting research into unexplained and paranormal phenomena such as
telekinesis, astral projection and shamanic healing with the aim of finding a scientific
explanation for these experiences
b) Offering counselling services that incorporate the spiritual dimension, including
dream-work and esoteric healing practices
c) Teaching others how to develop skills in higher human potential such as dream
awareness, expanded consciousness states and psychical abilities
d) All of the above
2
Question 3: Psychic abilities
Ever had a feeling that the phone was about to ring just before it did? Ever started thinking of
a long-lost friend or relative within a short time-span of meeting that exact person again? Are
these psychical phenomena or just coincidences that happen in life?
There are several interesting transcendental human abilities that have been reported
throughout research into altered consciousness states. These include abilities such as being
able to read a person's thoughts, to move objects with the power of one's mind and
precognition about what is about to happen before it happens. These 'abilities' of the human
mind are an area of great interest for researchers and practitioners.
Q3. Telekinesis is the alleged skill of:
a) Being capable of reading someone's thoughts
b) Having intuitive insight into people's emotions and previous experiences after just
looking at them
c) Having a pre-knowing about the words someone is going to speak before the person
speaks them
d) Being capable of influencing the movement of objects with the power of the mind
3
Question 4: Out-of-body experiences (OBEs)
Have you ever had an out-of-body experience, that is, an experience where you felt as
though your consciousness was separated away from your physical body and located in a
different space?
Expanded consciousness states are often reported during astral projection experiences, outof-body experiences (OBEs) or near-death experiences (NDEs).
As part of my research, I've found that the prominence of OBEs is higher than one might
think. In fact, these experiences could be amongst the most common 'paranormal'
experiences reported around the world.
Q4. Research suggests that around x% of people in the general population have had an OBE at
least once in their lifetime:
a) Less than 1%
b) 10%
c) 50%
d) Most people i.e. near 100%
4
Q5: Dreams
Some people dream in black-and-white. Some dream in cartoon-like images. Some
experience vast worlds in their dreams which are so convincing that one might mistake them
for parallel realities waiting to be discovered.
Some people experience lucid dreaming while being asleep. Lucid dreams are those in which
we have conscious control of the dream environment and are often able to manipulate the
dream content with our imagination. Lucid dreams are also often quite vivid and some
people even report their dream experiences as being even more real than the 'normal'
waking state.
Q5. The following strategies can be applied to learn lucid dreaming:
a) Keeping a dream journal
b) Talking about our dreams on a more consistent basis
c) Practicing mindfulness while being awake
d) All of the above
5
Q6: Meditation
Meditation is a great approach for reducing stress and improving one's well-being overall.
However, there is also an esoteric side to meditation practices.
Meditation techniques have been shown to help people reduce their stress levels, increase
their level of happiness in life and to develop a clearer mindset. More advanced meditation
techniques, on the other hand, often follow esoteric teachings and involve extensive mentaldiscipline training. Some of these including meditating on koans, meditating on the energeticcentres (or 'chakras' as referred to in New Age literature), or using visualisation practices.
Q6. Select which of the following meditation methods involves working with the chakra-model
of consciousness:
a) Zen meditation
b) Kundalini meditation
c) Transcendental meditation
d) Meditation on koans
6
Q7: Abductions
Have you ever seen a UFO?
Most people will experience seeing something odd or unusual in the night skies at least once
in their lifetime. Does this indicate evidence of alien life, or a mere trick of perception?
At least dozens of UFO sightings are reported around the world each month. Apart from
'fabricated' sightings, where video or photograph footage is doctored, there are also a
number of logical explanations that can explain most UFO sightings.
Q7. Select which of the following is a common explanation for a UFO sighting:
a) Lenticular clouds
b) Experimental aircraft
c) Meteors
d) All of the above
7
Q8: Subtle energies
When someone gets angry or upset towards you, are you generally affected by their
emotional reaction for up to hours after the event has happened? When you see someone in
pain, does it make you feel uncomfortable, or almost as though you are experiencing the pain
yourself for a moment?
Some people can deal with other people's pain quite easily, remaining centred and unshaken,
while others find it difficult to observe another person in pain or discomfort without 'taking
on' some of that discomfort themselves. In rare cases, this has been documented to the
extreme, where a person begins to replicate actual bruises or physical symptoms after being
affected from viewing another person in pain. This interesting and often unexplained
phenomenon affects a broad range of people, whether to a minor or major degree.
Q8. Individuals who absorb the emotional or physical pain of others and experience the pain as
their own are known to be:
a) Extra sensitive
b) Empathic
c) Telepathic
d) Extra perceptive
8
Q9: Parallel universes
Do parallel universes exist? Do multiple versions of us exist in multiple realities? Could these
radical ideas be linked to Einstein's musings on quantum mechanics and string theorist's
wildest speculations? Or, are these possibilities no more than great plot lines for TV shows
like 'Lost' and 'Fringe'?
One of the most fascinating and rare paranormal experiences reported is that where an
individual experiences themselves waking up in a different world, or a different time-line than
our world. The concepts of time and space are elusive and still leave open questions about
the possible existence of time travel and parallel universes.
Q9. The alleged phenomenon of waking up in a different timeline in the past or the future is
known as a:
a) Time slip
b) Time displacement
c) Dimensional slip
d) Dimensional displacement
9
Q10: Esoteric concepts
In esoteric literature there is a concept that refers to a consciousness field that has been
alleged to hold a record of all of the events that have ever and will ever occur in the history
of the universe.
Though parapsychologists do not tend to entertain this notion, the idea has become quite
widespread in New Age circles. Perhaps our concept of such a place originates from some
intuitive knowing that we can't quite explain. Or, perhaps the promise of seeing our own
future is enough to 'want to believe' in such an idea? What do you think?
Q10. The concept referred to above has often been termed:
a) The field of memories
b) The super-consciousness field
c) The field of knowledge
d) The akashic record
10
Answers
Question number
Correct answer
Question number
Correct answer
1
d
6
b
2
a
7
d
3
d
8
b
4
b
9
a
5
d
10
d
Questions answered
Feedback
correctly
0-2
This result indicates a minimum knowledge of paranormal studies.
3-4
This result indicates some knowledge about concepts in paranormal
studies.
5-6
This result indicates a broad range of knowledge about the
paranormal. Great work!
7 or more
This result indicates quite a high level of expertise about general
concepts in paranormal studies. Outstanding work!