The Paranormal Activity Lab at University of Virginia

The market for stories of paranormal academe is a rich one. There�s Heidi Julavits�s widely acclaimed 2012 novel The Vanishers, which takes place at a New England college for aspiring Sylvia Brownes. And, of course, there�s Professor X�s School for Gifted Youngsters�Marvel�s take on Andover or Choate�where teachers read minds and students pass like ghosts through ivy-covered walls.

The Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) at the University of Virginia�s School of Medicine is decidedly less fantastic than either Julavits�s or Marvel�s creations, but it's nevertheless a fascinating place. Founded in 1967 by Dr. Ian Stevenson�originally as the Division of Personality Studies�its mission is �the scientific empirical investigation of phenomena that suggest that currently accepted scientific assumptions and theories about the nature of mind or consciousness, and its relation to matter, may be incomplete.�

"Survival of personality after death" is something like a law of conservation of energy applied to human consciousness.

 

What sorts of �phenomena� qualify? Largely your typical catalog of Forteana: ESP, poltergeists, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, �claimed memories of past lives.� So yes: In 2014, there is a center for paranormal research at a totally legitimate (and respected) American institution of higher learning. But unlike the X-Mansion, or other fictional psy-schools, DOPS doesn�t employ any practicing psychics. The teachers can�t read minds, and the students don�t walk through walls. DOPS is home to a small group of hardworking, impressively credentialed scientists with minds for stats and figures.

Read Full Story: The Atlantic.