Rhine Education Center

Are you a paranormal investigator? Are you interested in the scientific approach to exploring the paranormal?

In this course, students will explore topics of field investigations, including methods related to specific models of paranormal phenomena from a scientific perspective of a parapsychologist. In addition, this course will discuss equipment used in investigations, and introduce the scientific approach to these topics. Students will also be introduced to methods for dealing with clients and finding resolutions during investigations, discuss issues related to “public haunts” vs. private home cases, and provide methods for exploring the evidence and analyzing data to reach a conclusion.

The research findings from the field of Parapsychology have demonstrated that psi abilities-- ESP and PK (psychokinesis / mind over matter) – are functions of normal human beings, much like creativity. Some people are more creative than others in different disciplines, but everyone seems to have some creativity in them, provided they can find it and have some belief it can be developed and utilized.

Developing one's psychic/intuitive abilities is much the same. Some people have a natural aptitude for certain psychic talents that spontaneously manifest themselves, others need to find which applications of psi they have aptitude for and work on bringing them out.

This course will cover the major findings of Parapsychology relating to what makes a person more (or less) intuitive/psychic and will include exercises that will help you both test and develop the abilities you may have aptitude for, including a remote viewing experiment and a "Telepathy" game you can play with your family and friends.

In addition, we will discuss the importance of specific characteristics and beliefs, the range of beliefs about ESP around the world, how personal belief -- whether arrived at because of culture, religion, education or family upbringing -- can effectively support or block psychic experiences, and how to assess psychic readings.

This course is included in the Professional Field Investigations certificate and the Paranormal Investigations certificate programs.

The Field Investigations course is designed as an overview to introduce students to the methodologies of parapsychologists specifically with regard to the spontaneous occurrence of psychic experiences as they occur outside laboratory settings, with a main focus on cases of reported Apparitions, Hauntings and Poltergeists. Attendees will gain an understanding of the very basic skills and needed for investigation of ghosts, poltergeists, haunted places and related psychic experiences. The class will include:

• The conceptual models of the phenomena,
• How the scientific and psychic approaches can mesh together, and
• How to assess a situation, investigate it, and resolve the case to the satisfaction of the people having the experiences.

This four week course will introduce you to the science, practice and potential of Lucid Dreaming, or the conscious realization of dreaming while in the dream state. Topics covered will include a variety of lucid dream induction techniques, methods to stabilize and explore the lucid dream state, scientific research on lucid dreaming and potential activities to engage in while lucidly aware (e.g., accessing creativity, enhancing emotional or physical health, engaging a responsive inner awareness, seeking information outside of one’s knowledge and conducting spiritual practices). 

This 4-week course will focus on the technology used to examine paranormal phenomena.  The course will explore Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP), Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC), and other technology that is often used in the investigation of paranormal phenomena.

Instructor Loyd Auerbach is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts on the paranormal.  His courses are always well attended and some of the most exciting courses offered at the Rhine Education Center.

This 4-week course will focus on the technology used to examine paranormal phenomena.  The course will explore Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP), Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC), and other technology that is often used in the investigation of paranormal phenomena.

Instructor Loyd Auerbach is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts on the paranormal.  His courses are always well attended and some of the most exciting courses offered at the Rhine Education Center.

This 4-week course will go beyond the tools usually associated with paranormal investigations. Students will examine a wide range of technologies and applications allowing for a deeper exploration of paranormal phenomena. Emphasis will be placed on properly deploying these technologies during field investigations and how to interpret the resulting data.

The course will explore both quantitative (numerical) and qualitative (experiential) data collection techniques. Topics will include understanding and measuring human physiology and biofields, testing non-local effects on random number generators, documenting the intuitive processes of investigators, and more.

Students will come away with a new appreciation for the complex relationships between various paranormal phenomena and an expanded set of tools to use during their own investigations.

How is psi reflected by classical and more modern artists? Can we integrate our own psi experiences into the art that we create?

This 4 week course is designed for anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of how Art has given us a series of clues about the Psi human experience. We will review critical artworks going back to ancient times and we will wander across the Art history timeline to present for illumination. Who were these renegade artists who saw the creative potential of expressing what Psi meant to them, and who tried to capture the miraculous and mystical through various art media and across various cultural contexts? We will explore how artists have used art to convey the extraordinary, the unimaginable...

As we critically examine various art and art forms, the biography of a few selected artists will be placed within the framework of their time and their own personal and societal/cultural expressions. This journey shall enable the course participants to gain a deeper appreciation of a more obscure artistic legacy that has been given to us over the millennia, and to develop the tools to understand Art's more profound impact on our understanding of Psi phenomena and, equally, the importance of the creative muses in the exploration of consciousness.

This 4-week survey course will review paramount movements through the ages to discover how nature has enabled humans to connect with the deeper consciousness of all living things. Students will explore how the people of the world share a reverence for nature, considering it to be divine, sacred, or populated by spiritual beings, and how ancient beliefs and present-day movements are influencing attempts to use the powerful forces of Nature to conjure the extraordinary and the unimaginable.

This course is designed for artists, creative people, scientists, and anyone who has a sense that creativity and extended human consciousness may work together in the artistic, and possibly even the scientific process.

By reviewing the science of parapsychology and the works of contemporary and psi-inspired artists, this course will:

• explore how creative expression can help you to recognize your own psi
• inspire aspiring and experienced artists to draw on the findings of parapsychology as a basis for creative projects
• encourage researchers to promote public engagement by presenting their findings in creative and artistic ways

Though the information presented in this interactive course is designed for everyone, additional material will be available people who want to take a deeper dive into the research, technology, or creation of more complex products.

This 4 week course is designed for anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of how Art has given us a series of clues about the Psi human experience. We will review critical artworks going back to ancient times and we will wander across the Art history timeline to present for illumination. Who were these renegade artists who saw the creative potential of expressing what Psi meant to them, and who tried to capture the miraculous and mystical through various art media and across various cultural contexts? We will explore how artists have used art to convey the extraordinary, the unimaginable...

As we critically examine various art and art forms, the biography of a few selected artists will be placed within the framework of their time and their own personal and societal/cultural expressions. This journey shall enable the course participants to gain a deeper appreciation of a more obscure artistic legacy that has been given to us over the millennia, and to develop the tools to understand Art's more profound impact on our understanding of Psi phenomena and, equally, the importance of the creative muses in the exploration of consciousness.

This 4 week course will provide overview of the full range and depths of exceptional experiences, also known as anomalous events, including experiences of hallucinations, lucid and precognitive dreams, near-death and out-of body events, UFO sightings, alien abductions, psychokinesis, remote viewing, mysticism, anomalous healing, psi-events and past-lives.

Experiencing the Exceptional and Extraordinary will evaluate whether there are underlying similarities among all the phenomena and the issues with moving forward with a new scientific paradigm.

This is a continuing education course, but students will be introduced to scientific articles and references that will help them to make their own decisions about the world around them and its possibilities. Prepare to open your mind to a changing view of science while continuing to challenge your innermost thoughts and most firmly held beliefs.

How do native cultures view psi phenomena?

How do culture-based beliefs and folklore around healing and psychokinesis differ between places like China, Mexico, and the Australian Outback? Why are seers and clairvoyants accepted in some cultures but shunned by others, modern culture included? How are culture-bound/religion-bound magic, witchcraft, and sorcery beliefs related to psychic abilities and experiences?

This 8-week academic seminar will be a high level overview of the ideas and beliefs of psychic experiences, the human mind and spirit, and related areas (life after death, reincarnation, etc.) as those beliefs have been “seen” by anthropologists and parapsychologists around the world. 

We will look at and discuss the possible instances of psi phenomena best reported in studies of divination, witchcraft and sorcery beliefs and practices, various cross cultural studies, modern beliefs in the occult and supernatural, and the application of psychic functioning in archaeology and anthropology.  From the parapsychological side, we will examine the ways culture affects belief, which in turn affects the psychic experience.

The format for the seminar course is a short(ish) lecture and live discussion each week. Additionally, there will be weekly discussion questions (following up on our live discussions), a short-answer midterm quiz and short-answer final quiz.

How do native cultures view psi phenomena?

How do culture-based beliefs and folklore around healing and psychokinesis differ between places like China, Mexico, and the Australian Outback? Why are seers and clairvoyants accepted in some cultures but shunned by others, modern culture included? How are culture-bound/religion-bound magic, witchcraft, and sorcery beliefs related to psychic abilities and experiences?

This 8-week academic course will be a high level overview of the ideas and beliefs of psychic experiences, the human mind and spirit, and related areas (life after death, reincarnation, etc.) as those beliefs have been “seen” by anthropologists and parapsychologists around the world.  We will look at the possible instances of psi phenomena best reported in studies of divination, witchcraft and sorcery beliefs and practices, various cross cultural studies, modern beliefs in the occult and supernatural, and the application of psychic functioning in archaeology and anthropology.  From the parapsychological side, we will examine the ways culture affects belief, which in turn affects the psychic experience.

Are you interested in writing or talking about the paranormal like a professional? This course provides guidelines and practical skills necessary to present information about psychic/paranormal topics and parapsychology.

Students will learn the importance of determining whether they are speaking or writing to a general or specific audience, and the best ways to appear credible while presenting information to produce a positive impact. Topics will include public speaking and overcoming fear of speaking in public, and techniques that make presentations easier to understand. Additional topics will focus on working with the media, how to provide a good interview, and some basic marketing and publicity skills.

Whether you plan to write a book, produce articles, speak to general or paranormal-interested audiences, or even teach workshops, this course provides the practical skills you’ll need to be understood and appreciated by your audiences. While the emphasis will be on psi-related topics, these skills will serve you well in a variety of contexts (maybe even your day jobs).

How does Nature reveal the divine, the miraculous, and mystical, and what are the similarities between cultures that give us profound insight into its power?

This 4-week survey course will review paramount movements through the ages to discover how nature has enabled humans to connect with the deeper consciousness of all living things. Students will explore how the people of the world share a reverence for nature, considering it to be divine, sacred, or populated by spiritual beings, and how ancient beliefs and present-day movements are influencing attempts to use the powerful forces of Nature to conjure the extraordinary and the unimaginable.

As we critically examine a multitude of nature-based practices, such as the belief in supernatural beings and supernatural forces, we will introduce concepts used in ancient and modern movements such as animism, alchemy, astrology, biodynamics, bioenergetics, druidry, hermeticism, geomagnetism, green magic, qigong, natural healing, nature spirituality, mythology, polytheism, shamanism, Shintoism, tribal nature-based religions, wiccan, etc. This journey will enable students to gain an introduction and deeper appreciation of our connection to nature and how it governs our own psychic and conscious development, nurturing our connection to nature's more ethereal realms.

How do we explore spontaneous psi experiences and very unusual activity that happens in daily life?

This 8 week academic course will discuss the nature of spontaneous experiences, the types of experiences explored by parapsychologists, and how researchers take a structured approach to understanding what people experience and how they understand their own experiences.

We will explore topics like precognitive dreams, clairvoyant experiences, poltergeists, near-death experiences, spontaneous after-death communication, ghosts & apparitions, and reincarnation experiences. From classifications of experiences to examinations of peer-reviewed research articles, this course provides a foundation for understanding psi in daily life.

This 8 week academic course will discuss the nature of research and the different types of research methods that are used in scientific inquiry. It will include a discussion of science versus psuedo-science and provide an overview of quantitative and qualitative research techniques. This course will ask the student to read numerous research articles from the field of parapsychology and to draw on the course material to evaluate the strength of the research and the conclusions posted within the published papers.

The special issues related to research in parapsychology will be included in this course, and students will have an opportunity to discuss these issues and creatively provide ways to address these issues.

This four-week course will be a review of techniques and methods for investigations of spontaneous psi phenomena and experiences, including experiences of ESP and PK, apparitions, hauntings, poltergeists, reincarnation, and more. The course will cover the evolution of investigative techniques historically to the present day.

This 8 week academic course will explore a different scientific study in parapsychology each week. Students will be asked to read a scientific paper to prepare for each week, and the class will examine the purpose of the study, the methodology presented, the analysis technique, and the significance of the study to the field of parapsychology. Each week, the studies will be reviewed in class, and students will be asked to discuss specific topics in the courseroom to help provide additional insight into the study.

Studies will include Zener card research done at the Duke Parapsychology Lab, the Ganzfeld technique, studies of Remote Viewing, micro-PK experiments from the PEAR Lab, studies of healing, and poltergeists, among others.

The special issues related to research in parapsychology will be included in this course, and students will have an opportunity to discuss these issues and creatively provide ways to address these issues.

It is strongly recommended that students taking this course have a background in Research Methods or have taken a course in Research Methods for parapsychology.

This eight week academic course explores the phenomena and scientific evidence for energy healing and psychokinesis. Some theories present these as different expressions of the same phenomena. This proposal will be explored in this course.

Energy healing encompasses many techniques including laying on hands, reiki, qigong, healing touch, esoteric healing, and many, many more. Research on healing includes an observation of the phenomena and measurements of the effectiveness of these techniques on people, animals, plants and other organic matter. What does the scientific evidence indicate related to energy healing?

Psychokinesis, PK, or Mind-Matter-Interaction all describe the same phenomena. Can people affect physical objects with only their thoughts or intentions? This course will explore examples of macro and micro psychokinesis and discuss the scientific research that has been done to understand how these phenomena might work and what psychological factors might cause people to demonstrate PK.

This 4-week course provides a discussion of the ethical issues that can arise in psi research and field investigations and introduces practices to ensure ethical considerations are being addressed. Topics will include the basic foundation of ethics including an introduction to Institutional Review Boards and the ethical guidelines used by professional researchers. In addition, examples will be provided from real-life investigations and situations that are often encountered by field investigators.

Besides paranormal investigations, investigations also include exploring reincarnation, and practices related to mediumship and after-death communications.

This 8 week academic course examines the phenomena, experiences, and research related to the survival of human consciousness outside of the physical body. The course reviews the characteristics of Near Death Experiences (NDEs), Out of Body Experiences (OBEs), and after death communication (Mediumship) and examines the current research that is occurring in this area. Additional topics related to the survival of consciousness, including apparitions and hauntings, will also be explored.

In this course students will be introduced to the topics that are studied by professional parapsychologists. Topics will include an overview of the phenomena (Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Precognition, Psychokinesis, and Survival Issues), history, research methodologies and researchers that make up the vibrant field of scientific parapsychology. The course textbook is Introduction to Parapsychology, 5th edition by Harvey Irwin and Carline Watt. Besides the weekly class broadcasts, there is an online discussion forum for students to share their ideas, answer questions about the lectures, and communicate with the instructors.

Introduction to Parapsychology is the first course recommended for new students.  This course is an 8-week overview of the topics studied in the field of parapsychology including telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and survival studies.  Each topic is introduced, terminology is defined, and basic research methods are described to provide the basic knowledge of the field and give the foundation necessary to take additional courses.

Taking this course and completing it with a passing grade qualifies students for a certificate of completion from the Rhine Education Center.

In this course students will be introduced to the topics that are studied by professional parapsychologists. Topics will include an overview of the phenomena (Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Precognition, Psychokinesis, and Survival Issues), history, research methodologies and researchers that make up the vibrant field of scientific parapsychology. The course textbook is Introduction to Parapsychology, 5th edition by Harvey Irwin and Carline Watt. Besides the weekly class broadcasts, there is an online discussion forum for students to share their ideas, answer questions about the lectures, and communicate with the instructors.

Students who choose to be graded in this course will receive letter grades based on their participation in the weekly discussion forums, and their scores on two multiple choice/short answer essay tests given in weeks 4 and week 8. Students who complete this course with a passing grade will receive a certificate of completion from the Rhine Education Center.

This 4-week online course will explore the phenomenon of Presentiment and how this phenomenon impacts the scientific view of time.  Presentiment is an unconscious form of precognition that has demonstrated that the physical body and sometimes the mind respond to events that have not yet happened. 

Feeling the future, precognitive memory, physical responses to future events, and how studying after a test can improve your test scores.  Scientific studies that have explored these events call into question our perception of time.  Based on these studies, this course will explore theories of time in physics and philosophy.

Qualitative research methods typically gather information through interviews, questionnaires, observation, or a review of literature and art. Analysis methods vary for qualitative research, but there are extremely well-defined processes that will help the researcher to learn more about the event or phenomena being studied.

This course will describe some common methods of qualitative research and analysis techniques to gather information about psi phenomena outside of the laboratory environment. Through the review of articles and psi reports, the students will learn how qualitative research is performed and reported for paranormal and psi phenomena.

This academic course is designed for the serious student and qualifies for many certificate programs.