Introduction

We live in an age of science. However, there are many types of human experience which continue to defy any scientific explanation, at least in terms of the scientific knowledge we have at the present time. In some cases we may have a partial explanation, but in others even this is lacking. These cases which continue to deny any conventional scientific explanation are referred to as “paranormal” phenomena. However, in practice there is considerable overlap between what is regarded as “paranormal” and what is considered to be merely “unusual”. Because of this, the present book will review both categories without necessarily making a distinction between them. The purpose of this book is to review the scientific evidence we have about unusual and paranormal experiences. The main categories of unusual and paranormal experience are listed below, and they will all be examined in detail later in the book.