Among the many phenomena reported from physical mediumship, apport phenomena – i. e. the inexplicable appearance of solid objects – rank among the most curious occurrences. In the present paper, we describe a selection of seeming apport phenomena that were observed around a German medium, Herbert Baumann (1911-1998), who seemed particularly able to produce apports,. Baumann was a close friend of the first author, who thus had the opportunity to receive more than one hundred examples of what he considers to (...) be genuine apports, both during séances and in everyday private life. We then introduce the quantum theory of theoretical physicist Burkhard Heim (1925-2001) as an example of a physical theory that apparently can account for the occurrence of so-called psi-phenomena including apports. (shrink)

– Technological advances of the last decades offer possibilities to study phenomena of physical mediumship using new approaches of investigation. Such an approach is represented by Eckhard Kruse’s analyses of supposed “spirit voices” recorded in dark séance rooms during sittings with an alleged physical medium, Warren Caylor. Kruse concluded that the results of his investigations provide evidence, if not proof, demonstrating that these voices are indeed produced by materialized “spirits”. He publicized this interpretation of his work via various dissemination channels. (...) As I will show in this article, however, Kruse’s approach of studying these “spirit voices” is loaded with severe conceptual and methodological deficiencies that ultimately render his claims untenable. (shrink)

Madame d’Esperance was a physical medium, well-known for her materialized forms which bereaved sitters often recognized as their dead relatives. A critical evaluation is made of her acclaimed biographical account, Shadow Land, with a particular focus on her activities, first in Newcastle, England and then in Gothenburg, Sweden. In this process we had access to recently discovered archives and rare publications. A presentation is made of some of the fraudulent methods used by physical mediums and the possible psychological processes behind (...) the remarkable experiences of the sitters attending séances. (shrink)

In October 2015 I supervised a series of séances in Hanau, Germany with Felix Circle physical medium Kai Mügge. The purpose was to try to obtain better documentation of Kai’s table levitations than my team was able to achieve in Austria in 2013 (Braude, 2014). Although that goal was not met over the course of four séances, we nevertheless witnessed some interesting phenomena that are difficult to explain away normally given the control conditions imposed at the time. These include object (...) movements beyond the reach of the sitters, a very strange “exploding” sound from the séance table, and some extended levitations in which the table seemed to sway or swim in mid-air. But what may be most interesting about this series of séances is the way the phenomena reflect the complex, and tortured, underlying psychodynamics of the occasion. Indeed, what readers need to know about the FEG phenomena has as much to do with personalities involved as with the phenomena themselves. As a result, this report focuses as much on the background to the investigation as on the investigation itself. (shrink)

The psychical research literature has many examples of séance room materialization phenomena. This article consists of a reprint of, and commentary about, Eric J. Dingwall’s paper “The Plasma Theory”, published in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1921. Dingwall discussed some of the previously published ideas on the topic, and emphasized those related to mediums Eva C. and Kathleen Goligher. The purpose of the current article is not to provide evidence for the phenomena, but to present (...) relevant contextual information relevant to the article, additional bibliography, and theoretical concepts, some of which are forgotten today. (shrink)