The 2014 Parapsychological Association (PA) grant competition has come to a close, and one grant proposal investigating macroscopic psychokinetic phenomena has been awarded. The Gilbert Roller Fund will be supporting a sitter group established by Alejandro Parra at The Institute of Paranormal Psychology of Buenos Aires (IPP). The research initiative is exploring territory that has far-reaching implications for furthering the science of parapsychology and understanding the nature of consciousness.

Alejandro Parra, PhD (Universidad Abierta Interamericana), assisted by associate researcher Juan Gimeno, will continue to lead research on the manifestation of apparent anomalous physical phenomena in an Argentinian sitter group. The sitter group, established in March 2013 and comprised of nine volunteers plus the two researchers, seeks to observe ostensible macroscopic psychokinetic phenomenon in the form of table movements. Parra and Gimeno hope to recreate conditions for this phenomenon to occur as it was previously witnessed during weekly meetings at the IPP. During those meetings, the researchers noted that the events tended to happen in the presence of one particular sitter, and plan to further explore the phenomena with his cooperation. The researchers aim to explore relationships between macroscopic psychokinetic phenomena, natural forces, and known states of consciousness.

The Gilbert Roller grant will help support the purchase of equipment, including material to build proprietary devices and conduct medical investigations. Some planned experiments will seek to replicate the results of previous occurrences of anomalous table movements; other experiments will explore psi-conducive techniques (i.e., altered states of consciousness), and examine the physiological and environmental variables present within and surrounding the sitter group. Each experiment will be recorded on video and the researchers plan on publishing their results in several articles.

Funding for these grants was made possible through a generous donation from the late Mrs. Marion Roller. The Gilbert Roller Fund supports scientific field investigations into macroscopic psychokinetic phenomena such as those reported in sitter-groups, séances, and poltergeist activity, and/or theoretical approaches to help explain the nature of such large-scale effects, and is administered by the Board of the Parapsychological Association. Donations to support the Gilbert Roller Fund can be made by contacting Executive Director Annalisa Ventola at business@parapsych.org.