The following diagnostic criteria set was developed for use in clinical, educational, and research settings and are intended to be utilized by professionals with appropriate clinical training and experience, and an appropriate professional education in scientific parapsychology. It is important that criteria not be applied mechanically by untrained individuals. The following criteria are intended to serve as guidelines and applied in a culturally and contextually sensitive manner.
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A. Pathologising content, form, or processing factors: The presence of two (or more) of the following criteria, known and applicable, suggests the need for co-diagnosis. At least one of these must be (1). If (1) does not apply, this suggests the possible need for the exclusive diagnosis of a mental disorder.
1) Characteristic phenomenology – The clinician will need to pay detailed attention to phenomenological themes and purported needs to identify incongruences.
2) Involuntary volition and control
3) Negative valence
4) Abnormal content
5) Malignant entity
6) Delusions
7) Functional impairment
8) Peculiarity dismissal
9) Medication tolerance
Note: Do not include criteria that are culturally acceptable.
B. Social/occupational need: A subconscious need has been identified as the catalyst for the initiation of extrasensory processes (e.g. identified an inability to meet basic needs and/or an inability communicate needs, feelings, or thoughts to an individual(s) in an interpersonal, academic, or occupational context).
C. Absence of disorganized thought. The speech of the individual is not severely disorganized or incomprehensible, and does not substantially impair effective communication. There is no presence of conceptual disorganization e.g. disruption of thought, incoherence, and thought blocking.
D. Absence of destructive hallucinations. The experience did not include exclusively negative content, such as non- constructively critical, persecutory, accusatory, or threatening hallucinations.
E. Absence of paranoia and dangerousness. The experience did not present in a harmful and unconstructive manner where conveyance of the experience has features of unwarranted fear, distrust, and suspicion. Also, the individual is not at significant risk of homicidal or suicidal behavior.
Citation: Kelly, T.M. (2015). Clinical Parapsychology: Extrasensory Exceptional Experiences (Textbook). University of Alternative Studies. Purchase.
Copyright © 2014 Theresa M. Kelly, MsD. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
