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176 The journal of Parapsychology parapsychology in the Ibero-American World 177
of parapsychology, some may see little value in monitoring publi-
cations and research in these countries, perhaps because they doubt
that the material produced by such researchers would be of suffi-
cient quality to make an important contribution to the field (Alva-
rado, 1989a).
t
This lack of attention to informati about Ibero-American
n
0
n
f
or
in
a
t'
en
a
0
u
s
0
n
parapsychology presents a serious pro in for English-speaking
p
f
t
e
n
re
ive
ce
in
parapsychologists, who often receive in tions to attend parapsy-
t
in
so
e
chological conferences in some of thes countries where there are
of
th
c
0
I
e
0 aca em
cad
0
in
r
groups whose commitme academ* parapsychology is doubtful
a
p
n@endn he
iti
and whose only purpose in Lendin heir invitations is to legitim-
Ir
ize local efforts, which are so
eso rmie dubi(
time dubious mix of parapsychol-
nd so n. tter
ogy, spiritism, ufology, and so n. better knowledge of parapsy-
Litjcf
chology in these communities co facilitate evaluation of the goals
esailitate
Ie t1fY ems Iv,
d ne e,
of specific groups who identi emselves as parapsychologists.
)intedtfollol
David Hess (1990) has pointed tfollowing concerning Brazil-
ian parapsychology:
[Sincel anything "int!r@ati?rjo" or "firstivorld" in Brazil means addi-
tional status, the parafkchologists at Brazilian con-
ferences that rep@e=ncM'nlrou PpAcould _ 1 legitimating either Cath-
olic or Spiritist paraps ogy at the ex@@Ae of the other group. (p.
110)
'r
u
e
Although it is t e I t such groups exist, is important to men-
are
a
0
tion that there ai7a o serious groups and esearchers who for
a
e
d
many years have ca ed out important work work that deserves
L
recognition even th, gh the language barrier as hindered its re-
gh
:1
n
t t
ception in the in national parapsychologic arena. Efforts to
t na !(
)f ttentl(
t
bridge this lack of ention and to increase coo ration with Ibero-
c sw
r
American researc s will not only help those in e English-speak-
ing countries to
tru
ten
styles in research r understand cultural differ ces and national
I act
aJce,
ctice, but also help the researc s in the Ibero-
American world to improve the quality of their wor herefore, I
have selected the following countries for a general survey of the re-
search that has been conducted in parts of lbero-America: Argen-
tina, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Spain.
Spain
There has never been a serious attempt to organize the history
of psychical research in Spain, and information is scarce on earl
Ily
attempts to study psychic phenomena seriously. It was not until the
1920s that the Sociedad Espaf
iola de Estudios Metapsiquicos was
created under the presidency of the Count of Gimeno, member of
the Royal Academy of Sciences and Medicine. The Society pub-
lished a journal called Revista de Estudios Metapsiquicos (FernAndez
Briones, 1981b). The research orientation of the Society was to
study spontaneous cases and psychics, such as the famous Joaquin
Argamasilla (expert in dermo-optical perception) whose abilities
Houdini attempted to expose (Houdini, 1924).
Most of the work of this society, however, was lost after the
Spanish Civil War during a period of isolation in which only a few
researchers kept the torch burning. Familiar names from this period
are Sinchez Herrero, the Marquiz of Santa Clara, J. Palm6s, and M.
Otero y Acevedo, researchers whose independent efforts contrib-
uted to * new generation of investigators such as Ramos Perera Mo-
lina, Francisco Gavildn Fontanet, and Luis Ferndndez Briones. This
latter group, at the beginning of the 1970s, founded the first well-
organized society to investigate psychic phenomena in Spain. It was
called the Sociedad Espaflola de Parapsicologia (Ferridndez Briones,
1981b). From its inception, this Society, under the direction of Ra-
mos Perera Molina, had as its main goal to promote the scientific
study of parapsychology. To achieve this goal, the Society combined
the efforts of experts in experimental design, illusionism, psychol-
ogy, medicine, and other fields of science and in 1976 established a
research center (De Vicente, 1983).
To carry out its research projects, the Society has been divided
into several research committees that specialize in different areas
embracing field studies as well as experimental projects. Among
these committees are those concerned with the development of the-
oretical models to enhance ESP, Kirlian photography, experimental
research, OBEs, and the medical aspects of psi. More recently, a
new committee was established 2 to investigate anomalous phenom-
ena along the lines of the Society for Scientific Exploration.
Members of the Society have carried out original research pro-
jects in experimental parapsychology as well as research on sponta-
neous cases. They have also critically evaluated miracle claims made
by the Catholic church in Spain, such as the liTiefaction of the
blood of Saint Pantale6n (Jord.An Pefia, 1983).
One of the most interesting investigations has been conducted by
members of the research committee headed by Francisco Gavildn
Fontanet (1976). In this study, the committee investigated identical
" The goal of the committee is to investigate UFOs, cryptozoology, religious ap-
paritions, and other phenomena scientifically.
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178 The Journal of Parapsychology Parapsychology in the Ibero-American World 179
twin girls presumed to have been born with psi abilities. The case
had received extensive coverage by the media in Spain. According
to the reports of the case, one of the twin girls had suffered a burn
on her hand while ironing. Her sister, separated from her at the
time the burning occurred (16 kms away), developed a similar burn
on the same hand. The Society sent a team of researchers to carry
out a careful investigation of the case. They conducted a series of
experiments to determine the possible existence of psi communica-
tion between the sisters. One of the experiments consisted of sepa-
rating the two girls into two different buildings and stimulating one
of them (the sender) with different sensorial inputs (like perfume)
while observing physiological reactions, such as pupillary and patel-
lar reflexes, in the other twin (the receiver). Psychological profiles
of the twins were Aso obtained from projective tests. The sessions
with the two girls were simultaneously filmed to document the stim-
uli as well as the perceptual pattern of the reactions. The results
showed simultaneous reactions of the twins' reaction time and visual
and olfactory responses.
In 1978 the members of the Society conducted another impor-
tant study, an international survey of the motivational factors of
parapsychological researchers. Headed by Gavilin Fontanet (1978),
the main objective of the study was to find out what motivates para-
psychologists to investigate psychic phenomena.
They surveyed 201 parapsychologists from 18 countries around
the world. Among the parapsychologists were J. B. Rhine, S. Krippner,
and C. Tart. Three hundred questionnaires, each having 23 questions,
were prepared in five different languages' and were mailed to re-
searchers throughout the world. Among the interesting findings
were that 61% of the respondents were psychologists, psychiatrists,
and medical doctors, 45% considered themselves agnostics, 24% got
involved in parapsychology while looking for a philosophical answer
to the question of the nature of man, 3 1 % got involved for scientific
reasons, 51% believed in a transcendent intelligence, 50% believed
in some type of survival after death (of these 10% believed in rein-
carnation), and 71% rejected astrology.
Another research objective of the Society was the search for a
theoretical model to enhance psi abilities. For this purpose the So-
ciety created the Committee for the Development of ESP' headed
1.uils Ferndnd_-z Briones. The Committee's purpose was to outline
y T
b
'The languages were English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
A group that conducts experimental and theoretical research about ESP.
a methodological model for the practical development of ESP. Once
the model and the techniques were developed, the Society hoped it
would be possible to train subjects to obtain positive results over an
extended period of time (Fernindez Briones, 1976), thus confront-
ing the replicability problem that characterizes most psi research.
Although the Committee has not been successful as yet, the results
obtained so far are encouraging. FernAndez Briones summarized
the findings in his book entitled Desarrollo de la Percepci6n Extrasen-
sorial [The Development of Extrasensory Perception) (1983). Among
the techniques used by the Committee to attain this goal are the
inducement of altered states of consciousness and the application of
learning theory principles to ESP performance, such as those pro-
posed bL Charles Tart (1966). Although the results have only been
suggestive, Ferndndez Briones was hopeful enough to emphasize
the need for more research to test the proposed models sufficiently.
Other research conducted by members of the Society includes
investigations of poltergeist cases Uordin Pefia, 1980)'; conceptual
papers related to the ability of some fish, such as the electric eel and
the sturgeon of the Nile, to obtain information about their sur-
roundings through electrical communication, which the authors
speculated might be a primitive language of telepathy (Bardasano
Rubio & Arano Bermejo, 1980a); examination of the migration of
carrier pigeons and other animals to develop a model for ESP (Bar-
dasano Rubio & Arano Bermejo, 1980b); and studies of the socio-
logical and anthropological aspects of psychic surgery Uim6nez Vi-
sedo, 1984). Moreover, other members of the Society have:
speculated on the pineal gland as a possible somatic organ for ESP
reception (Bardasano Rubio et al., 1981); examined neurophysiol-
ogy and its importance for parapsychological research Uim6nez Vi-
sedo, 1985); considered the psychophysiological correlates of hyp-
nosis and its implications for parapsychology (Gonz@Jez Ordi, 1985);
investigated perception of the laying-on of hands by a sensorially
isolated subject (Prat et al., 1988); proposed three-dimensional
models of RSPK studies, that is, the cases are studied within a para-
psychological, psychological, and psychosociological context (De Cas-
tro, GonzAlez Ordi, & Berrocal Muela, 1984); and offered theored-
cal models to explain firewalking (Perera, 1989).
In the educational area, even though efforts have been made to
include parapsychology in the curriculum of universities in Spain,
-jorddn Pefia published a book called Casas Encantadas, Poltergeists (Haunted
Houses, Poltergeists] (1982), in which he presented an overview of cases and theories
of hauntings. For a review of this book, see Alvarado (1985).
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0.
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180 The journal of Parapsychology
these have not been successful as yet. Since its inception, however,
members of the Society have been very active in organizing numer-
ous educational activities and seminars at different universities. The
seminar offered by the president of the Society, Ramos Perera Mo-
lina, at the Universidad Aut6noma de Madrid in 1975 drew distin-
guished and prominent figures such as Prince Juan Carlos of Spain
and his wife and the minister of education.
Since 1975, the Society has also published a biannual journal,
entitled Psi Comunic"i6n, which includes English abstracts. The
journal covers both the activities of the Society and a wide range of
topics in parapsychology, some of which have been mentioned. In
addition, their journal includes a section for national and interna-
tional news on parapsychological activities around the world. Mem-
bers of the Society have published several books summarizing its re-
search activities. I have already mentioned the books by Ferndndez
Briones (1983). Other books include an anthology, entitled La Nueva
Parapsicologia: Introducci6n a la Parapsicologfa Cientoica [The New
Parapsychology: An Introduction to Scientific Parapsychology] ed-
ited by FernAndez Briones; (1981a), a valuable introduction to the
field, and Mario Capel's La Supervivencia Despuis de la Muerte: Evi-
dencia Espontdnea y Experimental [Survival after Death: Spontaneous
and Experimental Evidence] (1981) reviewing some of the research
and phenomena related to the issue of survival after death.
Although parapsychology has been negligible in Spain until re-
cent times, it is important to point out that we are now witnessing a
boom in parapsychological activities in that country. Unfortunately,
even though the Society seems to be the best organized, and to have
the most resources in the Ibero-American world, its members have
not participated in the broader international parapsychological con-
ferences, such as that of the Parapsychological Association, possibly
because of the language barrier. In addition, it is unfortunate and
disheartening to find that such a large, productive, and well-orga-
nized society has no member in the PA.
'c
At the 1990 Parapsychologic n convention, David
P s c '0gl
a h@ n
Hess, who has made several to study Brazilian parapsy-
t d @espe ve r stud
e to c Yb
chology, presented a p which h scribed Brazilian para-
f@
psychology in the f g t@erZ:
Brazil does AlWhave a coherent community of academic parapsycholo-
gists, and there are few if any people in Brazil who research and publish
@IA-RDP96-00792ROO0700900001 -1
Parapsychology in the Ibero-American World 181
at the standards of the Parapsychological Association. Instead, what is

a
r
called "parapsychology" in Brazil is large,
g	defined by rival groups of

I

e
ctu
ist) imell
e
Catholic and Spiritist (Kardec ect,	
(Hess, 1990)
in Bra





n Bra


l
a
r
s
n
tad
T erstand parapsychology
0
e
p
@	
we need to be familiar






Iith
wil h the tural milieu from which it h
1
l
i
r
I
m
e
a
e
t
u
@	volved, one that is dom-






el




Ca
inated by ro-Brazilian cults and Ca
B
r
a
z
il
r
0
y	licism. On the one hand,




ljc

id

re
cefr@
we have th piritist tradition that ce from France through the
is
t
h
I
r
i
t
t
e
p
eeI
teach* f Ilan Kardec; Spiritists ieve that spiritual progress is
Si
ar
I
K
f
a
s
0
Ings 0 1, @
of ca a
effected by a ries of compuIS07 carnations. They believe that
n
e
s
a
b
1
y
deceased
v
e
s
n hi
mediumship p vides opportuni
p
p
over,
individuals. Mo over, Spiritism
uS. Mo
_o_Brazilia
cul
the Afro-Brazilia cults such as
eI
1971G
(Bastide, 1971; Gie 1,
0
ss ctrum
This spectrum o
nt n and mix
has crept in and mix
variety of belief systei
chology have evolved.
the Kardecist type of
movements that essenli
of deceased individuals
sess individuals and a
ha
On the other ha
veloped a system th
t
to fight and eventu )
e
superstition and ezts
a-
1990). This syste a;
flt
one of the mos fltential
-
IAfrican
from the-African ig
jg
to communicate with
to com.
strongly influenced in Brazil by
nbanda and Candomble derived
to Brazil through the slave trade
1985).
Spiriti liefs and Afro-Brazilian religions
in B ilian society (Hess, 1987), creating a
F which Brazilian brands of parapsy-
are many interesting combinations of
m and all sorts of Brazilian religious
t1s
ept possession, the influence of spirits
R as the belief that divinities can pos-
e healing (Parra Alvarez, 1981).
, there the Catholic tradition that has de-
ises pa sychology as an ideology with which
destroy the movements the church sees as
to the" tablished Catholic dogmas (Hess,
been dev( ped mainly through the work of
and spected "parapsychologists" in
r Oscar Go ilez Quevedo, a Spanish-born
Brazil. Padre evedo (as he is known) and
Jesuit priest li g in
Luis 1, errei a Silva cofounded ie Latin American Center of
a
1h
Parapsychol CLAP, of the Anc Leta College of Sdo Paulo in
1970.
970
i
The ter, which was dosed do in 1982 and reopened in
he t n
T
1989 un reduced circumstances, use to offer clinical counseling
0
989 un r4 5e t 01
for esuffering from psychologi problems related to reh-
r 7 eSt. _j prc
3/h.
gious periences and practices (e.f., monic possession). The
en't ml
IOU p
Cent still has an impressive library of ks on parapsychology,
'en td tc f
, j s @ tie
whi used to be housed in huge facilities at also accommodated
r )rv
I a xpernimental and clinical laboratory an a museum of objects
One of the biggest parapsychology libraries in Latin America with approximately
100 volumes.
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