Rethinking Methodologies in Parapsychology Research with Children

Abstract

In contemporary parapsychology research, children are missing. The wealth of literature with adults highlights children’s paranormal experiences as an under-researched topic. Through this article, I argue for children’s inclusion in parapsychology research, but with a caveat – as active agents, rather than passive objects. I consider the convergences between missing children and absent women researchers in parapsychology and argue for a rethinking of traditional research methodologies in the field of parapsychology. Traditional methodologies rooted in a patriarchal system could explain the exclusion of children, and the othering of women researchers in the field. I include a discussion around my own research with children, which produces different kinds of meanings and data in the act of knowledge production around paranormal or unexplained experiences.