Citation: Kelly, T.M. (2014). Classification & Statistical Manual of Extrasensory Experiences. Copyright © 2014 Theresa M. Kelly, MsD. Interested professionals are welcome to Download a Complimentary Copy of the CSM-EE. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Phenomenological Features

The essential feature of the (CI) type of clairvoyance is the causal influence of an entities mind onto an experient without the intervention of the five senses. This type of clairvoyance is typically known as trance mediumship or channeling. In either case, two forms are typically assumed to exist. The first form has characteristics of mental mediumship, but with the medium sitting or lying down in a deep meditative state. During these sessions, the medium may speak as though the information is being conveyed to the medium, but rather, the information is coming directly from the entity, but being conveyed through the medium’s natural voice and behaviors.

During a session of this type, the medium’s consciousness is believed to be “set aside” within their physical body as a means to allow an entity’s consciousness to enter the medium’s physical body. This form of mediumship, versus mental mediumship, appears to allow a means of more comprehensible communication between sitters (i.e. those desiring to speak to an entity in which are not the medium) and the entity called. Mediums in which describe “surrendering to the experience” report that they have little to no knowledge or recall of what messages where conveyed while in trance. Because of this, a second party typically assists the medium by writing down or recording (e.g. audio or audiovisual) the medium’s behavior and information conveyed during the session.

The second form is characteristic of the entity influencing the medium’s physical body in addition to speech (i.e. automatism or xenoglossy). The medium is often awake and aware of most of the communication period and the thoughts and words are conveyed from entity, to medium, to sitter. If the medium is aware of what is being conveyed, they typically describe the experience as though their “self” or “will” had “taken a backseat” (i.e. watching and listening, while feeling not in control of what is being said or done), but often report feeling as though they do have the ability to end the “call” at will if necessary.

In cases when an entity appears to enter a medium’s physical body, where the medium often reports a feeling of surrender (i.e. unable to end the call), the medium typically reports the call lasting as long as the entity requires to fulfill their purpose (e.g. conveying information to a particular individual). Reports of clairvoyant interaction are not limited to discarnate spirits, but have also included seemingly “evil spirits” or “demonic entities, “angelic” entities, spirit guides, and omnipotent spirits described as the Holy Spirit, God(s), Goddess(es), and Nature itself. In addition, some mediums report the feeling of leaving their physical body, often triggered when the medium no longer feels entirely in control of their mental or physical faculties. While this may be suggestive of an out-of-body experience, this may simply be the result of the medium experiencing a sense of detachment rather than the medium’s consciousness actually vacating their body (Kelly, 2011b).

Intention Specifiers

The first set of specifiers is for identifying whether the experience was intentional or unintentional.

A. Spontaneous. This specifier applies when an entity’s consciousness interacts with the mind of the experient void of the experient’s conscious choice, decision, or intention.

B. Intentional. This specifier applies when an experient selects or specifies the entity to interact with, and is open to the experience of entity interaction.

The second set of specifiers is for identifying the subconscious or conscious need or goal that is assumed to be the catalyst for initiating clairvoyant interactive processes.

A. Adaptive. This specifier applies when interaction is initiated to assist the experient or a sitter in understanding and/or adapting to the loss of an individual of which they typically have some level of emotional investment. However, understanding and/or adaptation may also be consciously or subconsciously required by the experient or sitter in regard to the self or a past, present, or up-and-coming situation involving some level of emotional investment on the experient’s or the sitter’s behalf.

B. Decisive. This specifier applies when interaction is initiated to assist the experient or a sitter in coming to a decision involving the self, another individual, object, or event/situation in which they typically have some level of emotional investment. This specifier also applies when the experient interacts with an entity in order to assist a sitter in coming to a decision in regard to the loss of an individual of which they typically have some level of emotional investment.

The third set of specifiers is for identifying the form of the clairvoyant experience.

A. Trance Mediumship. This specifier applies when an interactive session has characteristics of mental mediumship, but with the experient sitting or lying down in a deep meditative state. Here the information is coming directly from the entity and is being conveyed through the experient’s natural voice and behaviors.

B. Channeling. This specifier applies when an entity influences the medium’s physical body in addition to speech. Here, if the experient is awake and aware of most of the communication period, they may describe the experience as though their “self” or “will” had “taken a backseat,” and may or may not report the ability/sensation that they could end the call at any time.

The fourth set of intention specifiers is for identifying the source of the information conveyed.

A. Nature. This specifier applies when information conveyed is not directly from a living individual (e.g. human or animal), not from a discarnate, and not from some other described single entity.

B. Discarnate. This specifier applies when information is conveyed from a once living, but now deceased individual (e.g. human or animal).

C. Other Entity. This specifier applies when information is conveyed from an entity that has never lived in the physical sense (e.g. human or animal), but is described as living non-physically and possessing a single consciousness (e.g. angels or spirit guides that never lived as human).

The fifth set of intention specifiers is for identifying what the information conveyed pertains too.

A. Individual. This specifier applies when information is conveyed pertaining to the experient or another individual(s) (i.e. person, animal, discarnate, entity), such as features of that individual (e.g. the individual’s location, viewpoint, eye color, etc.).

B. Object. This specifier applies when information is conveyed pertaining to an inanimate physical object(s) (e.g. a watch, necklace, home, etc.), such as features of that object (e.g. the objects current location, size, color, position, previous owner, etc.).

C. Event. This specifier applies when information is conveyed pertaining to a situation (e.g. a birth, death, meeting, divorce, crime, etc.), such as features of that event (e.g. effect, consequence, issue, outcome, probability, result, state of affairs, etc.)

Development and Course

Childhood onset may present itself through automatism, xenoglossy, physical mediumship, psychopompic activity, or compound. Adolescent onset primarily presents itself most commonly through automatism, physical mediumship, psychopompic activity, or compound, with other modes being less common. Adult onset primarily presents itself most commonly through automatism, physical mediumship, psychopompic activity, or compound, with other modes being less common.

Course Specifiers

These specifiers are for identifying the characteristic course of clairvoyant interactive experiences over time.

A. Single Episode. This specifier applies when the experient reports a clairvoyant interactive episode without a prior history of episodes.

B. Episodic. This specifier applies when the experient reports clairvoyant interactive episodes of which seem to occur irregularly and of which the duration of the experience is temporary (i.e. lasting under 1 hour in duration).

C. Continuous. This specifier applies when the experient reports a clairvoyant interactive episode of which seem to occur in a continual manner, or when episodes are so frequent it is difficult for the percipient to determine where one episode ends and another begins (e.g. prolonged and closely spaced episodes).

Modality Specifiers

These specifiers are for identifying the characteristic mode(s) of clairvoyant interactive experiences only. In any case, some emotional investment in the individual, object, or the situation on the experient or sitter’s behalf is expected.

A. Automatism. (Input) This specifier applies when an entity takes control of the experient’s verbal (i.e. automatic speaking) or motor skills (e.g. automatic writing, automatic drawing, use of a Ouija board, etc.). Here the experient may have no conscious awareness or volition over their own verbal or motor activity (i.e. automatic movement) resulting in the sensation of detachment.

B. Xenoglossy. (Input) This specifier applies when an entity impresses its own personality or skills onto an experient of which the experient himself/herself does not actually possess (e.g. communicates in a language or vocabulary unknown to the experient). In cases involving xenoglossy and the spirit of a discarnate entity, the personality or skills of the spirit, from when he/she was alive, are impressed onto the medium for the duration of the session. Here the experient may have no conscious awareness or volition over their own verbal or motor activity (i.e. automatic movement) resulting in the sensation of detachment.

C. Physical Mediumship. (Output) This specifier applies when there is evidence to support that the experient is influencing the energies and energy systems of entities. Here the experient may or may not report other psychical ability, but reports that they are a source of “power” for spirit manifestations such as loud rapping and other noises, voices, materialized objects, materialized spirit bodies, or body parts such as hands, or the occurrence of levitation. In other words, a physical medium typically provokes the communication of spatially located spirits. Here the physical manifestations are perceptible to other individuals. This modality is the product of spirit-based telekinetic phenomena where the entity is the source of the disturbances and the experient is the source of the entity’s additional “power.” It is debatable whether this modality is extrasensory or psychokinetic in regard to the experient (i.e. if this influence of “power” is the result of influencing the consciousness of the entity or some type of physical energy such as electric or luminous energy.

D. Psychopompic Activity. (Output) This specifier applies when an experient reports the ability to not only assist spirits, which have or have not crossed-over, resolve unfinished issues with the living, but also assist spirits that have not crossed-over on their journey to the afterlife.

E. Compound. Several modalities are involved, in which case each mode involved should be noted.

Associated Mental Health Findings

Mental health disorders somewhat common in experients of clairvoyant interaction include: Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia, and Sleep Disorder (Kelly, 2011b).

Associated Medical Condition Findings

Physical medical conditions somewhat common in experients of clairvoyant interaction can include: Allergies/Sensitivities, Autoimmune Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diabetes, Digestive Disorders, Hypertension, Hyperthyroidism, Hypoglycemia, and Epilepsy (Kelly 2011b).

Differential Classification

A variety of extrasensory and psychokinetic phenomena can present with somewhat similar phenomenology. These include:

• Clairvoyant Cognition or Mental Mediumship. Applied only when there is evidence to support that the information conveyed through the experient did not involve the occupation of another entity’s consciousness or subjection to controlled behavior, but rather the information was only perceived by the experient.
• Obsession. Applied when reported features are similar to that of physical mediumship, but the effects are typically identified as the result of a single entity and are fairly continuous either in proximity to the experient or in proximity to the experient’s home (i.e. recurring often over the course of weeks, months, or years). Here the physical manifestations are perceptible to other individuals and the experient may be the cause of an entity’s increased ability to interact with its immediate environment. In other words, the experient is haunted by an entity.
• Psychokinesis. Applied when there is no evidence to support an “intelligent” entity was present during the physical influence of the environment (e.g. noises, rapping or knocking sounds, movement of objects, presence of heat or light without a known source, etc.). Rather, evidence supports that the experient may have been the solitary cause of the physical manifestations.
• Apparition Activity. Applied when a “ghostly image” is seen by an experient or the experient and other individual’s that are the image of a deceased person or in some cases a living person in crisis (sometimes referred to as astral projection). However, this type of activity may also include other sensory-modalities besides the visual mode and can include more than the appearance of people or animals (living or deceased), but also inanimate objects. In the case of seeing a “ghostly image” of a discarnate entity, physical mediumship may still apply. This is of course unless the same apparition has been seen by other living individuals over time (e.g. an anniversary ghost; a ghost that appears the same time every year).
• Poltergeist Activity. Applied when experiences similar to physical mediumship are present, but effects appear to be limited to a certain location (residence, building, graveyard, etc.) and may involve the movement of objects (e.g. the throwing of objects), the dis-placement (e.g. the disappearance or appearance of objects, sometimes referred to as apportation), noises, voices, the sensation and/or physical evidence of biting, scratching, pushing, or pinching, the presence of unexplainable stains (e.g. blood), unexplained appearance of religious words, symbols, sigils, or images, or electronic phenomena/disturbances (e.g. lights flickering, power outages, etc.). However, if some of the aforementioned features are present and appear to be focused on the experient (e.g. the experient moved to a new residence and the entity fol-lowed) this could be an occasion of poltergeist obsession.

Citation: Kelly, T.M. (2014). Classification & Statistical Manual of Extrasensory Experiences. Copyright © 2014 Theresa M. Kelly, MsD. Interested professionals are welcome to download a complimentary copy of the CSM-EE. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.