Begin with attention
Read the mindfulness overview, then notice what is present before deciding what it means.
Start hereConnection Theory Academy · Psychic WatchStay curious.
Stay curious.
Look a little deeper.
A student library for exploring intuition, psychic development and the questions that surround them. Discover thoughtful teaching, original research and philosophy, with clear notes to help you put each source in context.
16 curated resources · Sources reviewed
Develop your practice.
Keep your judgement.
There is no established scientific method guaranteed to awaken psychic abilities. These resources help you explore spiritual teaching, strengthen attention and examine unusual experiences without confusing a meaningful moment with proof.
You can be open to an idea without having to accept it.
Build a practice
Explore beginner foundations and boundaries. Record your observations and review them honestly.
Start hereQuestion the result
Learn how studies work. Give alternative explanations and unsuccessful tests room in the conversation.
Start hereYour student reading deskFollow your curiosity.
Follow your curiosity.
Check your sources.
Find an introduction, investigate a question or follow a research journal. Every entry has an Academy reading guide and a direct link to the original source.
Development
The College of Psychic StudiesBegin with a sound foundation.
A useful map of beginner, foundation and advanced training. The College places grounding, meditation and opening and closing a practice within its spiritual teaching framework.
Development
The College of Psychic StudiesWhat does mediumship training involve?
An introduction to the College’s mediumship teaching and historical setting. A helpful starting point for understanding what a structured development pathway can look like.
Development
NIH · NCCIHAttention before interpretation.
A public research overview of meditation and mindfulness, including possible benefits, limitations and adverse experiences. A grounded companion to a practice built around paying attention.
Research
NIH · NCCIHLearn to read beyond the headline.
An accessible guide to research papers: how a study was designed, what was measured, how results were analysed and what its conclusions can support.
News & journals
Society for Psychical ResearchGo to the research, not the rumour.
A journal covering experimental, theoretical, historical and methodological work on anomalous experiences. Its contents provide a route from a popular claim to a research paper.
Research
Society for Psychical ResearchGive an unfamiliar idea some context.
A specialist reference project introducing subjects, people and debates in psychical research. Useful for finding terminology and a bibliography before following a claim further.
Card images are Academy editorial illustrations, except the credited Oxford photograph. They are not publisher artwork or evidence of the subjects discussed. Individual credits appear in each guide.
Psychic Watch · News & journalsFollow the discussion.
Follow the discussion.
Go back to the source.
Keep these publication desks close. Their own sites carry new issues and articles; this Academy collection is an editorial selection, not an automatically updated news feed.
Society for Psychical Research
Read contents and research papers. Check methods, evidence and debate.
Open reading guideMindfield Bulletin
Follow specialist news and commentary, with open and subscription material.
Open reading guideMystery, place and responsibility
A reading on the stories we bring into significant places and the respect they deserve.
Open reading guideLook beyond the classroomA directory for
A directory for
your next question.
Useful institutions, archives and research organisations to explore. This is an independent directory: listing an organisation does not imply a partnership, endorsement or Academy accreditation.
Research society
Society for Psychical Research
Research, journals, archives and public discussion of unusual experiences. The SPR states that it holds no corporate view on their existence or meaning.
Explore membership, lectures and its library.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)Teaching institution
The College of Psychic Studies
London-based teaching and an online programme spanning psychic development, mediumship and spiritual subjects.
Compare course levels and tutor-led learning.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)Spiritualist college
Arthur Findlay College
An established destination for Spiritualist education, including mediumship and spiritual development. Check the college directly for its current programme.
Explore residential and online teaching.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)Professional association
Parapsychological Association
A professional organisation for researchers and scholars studying psi experiences, with a bulletin and events.
Explore research discussion, events and membership.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)University research
University of Northampton
A starting point for exceptional-experience and consciousness research, named researchers and publications.
Follow published work and academic references.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)Official archive
Alan Watts Organization
Original recordings, publications and a route to licensing enquiries. Prefer the official archive to unattributed clips or imitations.
Discover original work; enquire directly about licensing.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)Philosophy publisher
Verso Books · Alain Badiou
Publisher-hosted discussion with Badiou on encounters, chance and what people choose to build afterwards.
Read the interview and explore the author’s books.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)Public research information
NIH · NCCIH
Research-literacy guidance and evidence overviews to help distinguish an interesting claim from a well-supported conclusion.
Build the habit of checking methods and limitations.
Visit the organisation (opens in a new tab)The Academy Watch standardReputable sources.
Reputable sources.
Honest distinctions.
We favour named authors, original papers, universities, official archives, established teaching institutions and identifiable publishers. A source’s reputation does not make every claim it contains correct.
Spiritual practice is labelled as teaching, philosophy as interpretation, and research with its limitations. Older work is dated where the publisher provides a date. A review date tells you when we checked a resource, not when it was first published.
Read the original
Academy summaries and discussion prompts are our own editorial introductions. Full articles, recordings and books remain with their rights holders. Some sources charge for access.
Use a source thoughtfully
Record observations separately from explanations. Include misses and disagreement. A personal experience can be important without establishing its cause.
Suggest the next reading
Send a title, original link and a sentence about its student value. Suggestions require editorial review before joining this collection.
Suggest a sourceOne idea.
One useful next step.
Choose a resource, write down one question and try a short reflection. Bring what you notice to your next Academy conversation.