Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Paranormal Phenomena

I mentioned in a previous post (currently pinned) that the Paranormal is not a belief system, but rather an area of inquiry—one that benefits greatly from an interdisciplinary approach.


Michael D. Swords illustrated this beautifully in his paper “A Guide to UFO Research” (published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration):


🔗 Link to paper


In it, he presents a diagram showing how UFO phenomena are studied across multiple academic fields. It inspired me to create a similar diagram—this time, for Paranormal Phenomena as a whole.



So, why is an interdisciplinary approach needed for studying the paranormal?


 Because the paranormal isn’t just one thing—it mixes personal experiences, strange physical effects, deep cultural beliefs, and sometimes even philosophical questions. No single field can cover all that. By bringing in insights from different disciplines, we get a fuller, more balanced view of what’s going on.

This is a working draft, and I may update it as I continue with my blog series. I’d love to hear your thoughts 💫


- C.E.


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