Citation

An apparition is an experience, such as a vision or sense of presence, in which another person appears who is often dying or undergoing some other crisis. Six hypotheses were tested: people who see or feel apparitions have a higher capacity for absorption, fantasy, and cognitive-perceptual schizotypy than nonexperients. Six hundred and fifty-six undergraduate students, 76% females and 24% males (age range 17—57), completed four scales. Experients scored higher on absorption (AE: z = 6.06 and SP: z = 5.19), fantasy proneness (AE: z = 4.76) and cognitive perceptual schizotypy (AE: z = 7.01 and SP: z = 8.21) than nonexperients. The results suggest that, apart from the dominant schizotypy proneness, a second dimension (absorption) may underlie the differentiation of the two groups of participants. Gender differences were overall nonsignificant. Apparitional and other apparitionlike experiences are related to higher levels of reports of absorption and imaginative fantasy experiences. Visions of ghosts may be related to cognitive processes involving fantasy and cognitive perceptual schizotypy proneness. Often experients do not tell anyone about their experiences. This study demonstrated the viability of adopting a psychological approach to imderstand the crisis apparition experience.