The Parapsychological Association (PA) is an organisation aimed primarily at those, from whatever discipline, who are studying parapsychology in order to advance a scientific understanding of it, and to facilitate dissemination of that understanding. It brings together professionals working in the field with those who have a general interest. The PA was founded in 1957, and in 1969 became affiliated to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Most members are drawn from the US and to a lesser extent Western Europe, though other regions, particularly South America, are increasingly represented.
I first joined the PA thirty years
ago. My welcome letter, dated 23 August
1991, was signed by John Palmer, then chairman of the membership committee, and
soon to be President, who welcomed me as an associate member. Enclosed with the letter was the Fall 1990
issue of PA News – a four-page
newsletter edited by Nancy Zingrone – a small booklet containing the 1990
members’ directory, two pages on the PA’s aims and organisation, and a
publicity leaflet.
My application reference was provided by
PA associate, and the Society for Psychical Research’s Hon. Secretary, Arthur
Oram, who had also recommended me for co-optation to the SPR’s Council the
previous year. The wheels turned slowly
in those pre-internet days, as Arthur’s letter saying he was going to send a
reference to the PA was dated 9 January 1991, so it took a further eight months
for me to be told my application had been successful. The subscription was $35.
I only seem to have remained in the PA
until 1997, judging by the contents of my file, after which I left because I
didn’t feel I was getting much for the subscription, not being in a position to
attend the annual conventions, as PA conferences are termed. Members were supposed to receive the annual
Research in Parapsychology, but I recall publication being patchy, so apart
from the magazine I had little to show for the money.
In the first issue of the newsletter I
received, Nancy Zingrone had asked for suggestions for a better title than PA News.
By the time I left it was still called that, though the size had
increased to 12 pages. It would be nice
to see a set of these historical documents digitised on the PA website, or
perhaps included in the Lexscien online library (the PA is a partner organisation
and Research in Parapsychology is
already held in Lexscien).
During the early 2010s I re-joined for
several years when doing postgraduate research, but left again when that
finished and I was no longer eligible for the student rate. However, I had always maintained an interest
in the PA and was impressed by the number of online activities it had
undertaken during the pandemic – lectures, symposia, the convention (this year in
association with the Society for Scientific Exploration) and a monthly virtual
meet-up, the Psi Agora. So in March this
year I decided to join for the third time, along with quite a few others I
understand: like the SPR, membership has risen during the last couple of years
as online events, accessible to members everywhere, have increased in number.
Comparing the PA in the early 1990s with today,
I discovered that the PA’s membership categories have been rejigged to make
them more inclusive. In 1991 they were:
honorary member (which was by invitation) full member, associate member,
affiliate, and student affiliate. Even
affiliates had to have full membership of a professional organisation in an
academic field (associates had to have an advanced university degree, and I had
an MA in Modern European Thought, hence being admitted to that category).
Now the categories are: honorary member,
professional member, associate member, supporting member and student
member. The conditions for professional
membership have become more clearly delineated, though anybody who was eligible
for full membership then would still be elected to professional membership. Achieving an associateship is slightly harder
than it used to be, with two criteria to be met rather than one.
However, where the old affiliate had to be
a full member of a professional organisation, supporting member (my category
now) includes anyone ‘who has an interest in the scientific and scholarly
advancement of parapsychology,’ with no academic requirement. Like the old affiliates, supporting members
do not have voting rights, but whereas affiliates and associates paid the same,
and professional members paid more, these days supporting members, associates
and professional members are all charged the identical rate (currently $100).
An obvious difference in the last 30 years
is in the evolution of the PA News
into the beautifully-produced Mindfield. It debuted in 2009 and is a valuable addition
to the Journal of Parapsychology,
which is circulated to members (the default for both is digital, with paper
copies costing extra). The PA has
extended its activities to include career awards, book awards, a mentorship
programme for student members, and general information on parapsychology
provided through its website.
In addition to the PA’s direct
undertakings, it is worth mentioning that Analisa Ventola, its Executive
Director, has recently developed Public Parapsychology, previously a blog, into
an online forum to encourage networking.
While it is still in its early stages, it promises to bring in non-PA
members to explore parapsychological issues, and perhaps in turn encourage them
to consider joining the PA.
For anybody with a serious interest in parapsychology I would recommend PA membership. There is a collegiate feel, and the organisation is always seeking to find ways to push the boundaries of the discipline to demonstrate its relevance. For a taster of its scope and approach, there are many PA talks on YouTube. The cost of membership may be a deterrent for some, but the rewards are worth the subscription. Those who join both the PA and the SPR are eligible for a reduction on their subscriptions, making membership even better value, and supporting two important organisations in the process.
