11 The Substantiality of Spontaneous Cases1 IAN STEVENSON INTRODUCTION IN CONSIDERING A topic for this Presidential Address I was sorely tempted to discuss what might be called the political situation of parapsychology in relation to the field of science as a whole. Yet I have set aside this inclination because I believe that our political difficulties result from the general scientific immaturity of our field-yes, one can still say this after ninety years-and they will be removed or at least diminish only after further advances in our scientific work. I decided therefore to talk with you about my favorite topic within parapsychology, which is also the subject about which I can claim to know most from personal experience, the study of spontaneous cases. Other authors have already said so much 1 Presidential Address, Eleventh Annual Convention of the Para­ psychological Association, Freiburg/Breisgau, West Germany, September 5-7, 1968. Thanks are due to the Parapsychology Foundation, Eileen J. Garrett, President, for grants in support of my investigations in parapsychology. I am also grateful to Dr. J. G. Pratt, Dr. Rex Stanford, and Mrs. Laura A. Dale for their careful reading of this article and helpful suggestions for its improvement. The Substantiality ef Spontaneous Cases 93 92 Proceedings-Parapsychological Association e a a he e a s a s on this subject (3, 5, 9,. 26, 35, 38, 40, 49, 52, 64, 65) that I xpl nation. In m ny of t more evid nti l3 pont neou es a he a ch ce a r as a am not confident of bemg able to say anything new. I may, cas nd ot r qu litative material an is not e on ble _ h s a a h e e a h e e e however, agree with the statement that although everythin hypot e is t ll. We s ould ev n tak w rning t at wh n v r e ee s a ca e h a se s e a r a has been said be�ore, it is sometimes necessary to say it again1 w n d t tisti l m t ods of s s m nt we re p ob bly e h ea a e ec a ce My theme is that we need to continue and enlarge the d aling wit w k p ranormal ff ts nd rtainly with 2 a a a c s s ea r ha h s s study of spontaneous cases if we are to advance the whole p r norm l effe t u ually w ke t n t o e found in mo t a e cases 4 rre a e e e e field of pa ap ychology and not just parts of it. I believe this spont n ous . Ty ll m de th se points v ry w ll tw nty : � a a a h e r h a statement JUstrfied now _for three reasons. First, in my opinion, ye rs go nd I cannot op to imp ove on w at he s id (59, spontaneous cases provide some of the best evidence we have 60,61). ere a a e a s for paranorm l pr�cesses. Secondly, most spontaneous cases H I feel th t I m y be misund rstood nd wi h to � e a a sc a r a e are so much ncher m apparently communicated content than includ n import nt di l ime . I m not belittling exp ri­ a r h a r a r e s ce a a e h are the products of our l bo atory experiments that as t ings ment l wo k. L borato y experim nt rt inly h v ot er r a a s r e re e eas e stand now we can surely learn as much from them about impo t nt v lue apa t fromp rmitting mo refin d m ur s a h r h a a e paranormal processes as we can from our present experimental of prob bility; t ey pe mit a control over ot er v ri bl s a e e e s o a e s ca s a he methods and available subjects. We can never learn much r r ly achi v d in tudying sp nt n ou se ; nd t y allow es a e s c cha e about the processes of paranormal communication from the inv tig tions of som que tions, e.g., the effe ts of ng s e e s e c ess ha a e results of conventional statistical experiments because we have in th subj ct's mood or tat of cons iousn , t t spont n ous ca a a e h no way of knowing when an instance of ESP has occurred and cases nnot illumin te at ll or only v ry roug ly. When all e c rs are a a o r r hen a correct result is due to chance. We can learn very oth r fa to held uniform, a v ri ti n in one facto du ing ': a e er e a a ea a s er es little about pr�cess unless we know what is being communicated n xp im nt m y permit cl r-cut n w to some qu tion. _ e a e r e e a e s ee and what omitted, distorted or added. Qualitative material Spontan ous c s s ra ely give d finit nsw r . We n d both e e r e s a often ena?les us to know_ th:se things and therefore to study xperim nt and a renewed and imp ov d study of pont neous a e proce�ses m a m nner q1;ut impossible with most quantitative experiments. Interpretations and theories based exclusively on 3 It will be helpful if I here define two adjectives commonly applied c r to spontaneous case�. By "authentic" I. me_an a hig1?, reliability of !he the data fro� �ast �nd 1:1 rent quantitative experiments are e witnessing and reporting so that one can Justifiably believe the percept10n boun? to be hi:111ted _in th ir scope and value since they do not and other related events to have happened as reported. By "evidential" take mto cons1derat10n the much richer qualitative material I mean authenticity plus a justified interpretation that the case has para­ a lable. We can too easily fo e a s that we only need normal features. A case may be authentic and yet if the percipi�nt might av � rg t l o have gained information normally about the event related to his percep­ _ o assess e ha e s statistical methods f m nt in situations where c nc is tions the case would not be evidential. But an evidential case must be a likely alternative explanation and when we wish a method authentic to be so considered. identifying the probabilities tha c a is not the correct ' Parapsychological experiments that are loosely <_:alled "quantitative" of t h nce have somewhat unfairly picked up some of the prestige attached to mea­ surement in 19th century science which emphasized quantification. Some 2 r To avoid surp ising the reader r of its exponents even asserted: "No counting, no science." Quantitative . later, I hs all say· h e e th at ·1n d'1scuss 1· ng amount spontaneous cases I propose to consider ( not nece an·1 yalways at t e s�me methods applied to parapsychology do not measure .il:ny of extra­ 8? h se time) all the naturally occurring.. Ph enomena studied by parapsychologists. nsory perception. They simply assess the probability that the results Thus I s ha ll cons1·d er the tra d 1tiona 1 might have come about by chance. (As I shall show later, such assess ent r . spontaneous cases such as telepathic r y 1;1 and p ecogm·t ·1ve dreams, v1s10ns and �es,· is not necessa y in the better spontaneous cases.) To an one who considers y impress1�ns;· · apl?ant10n· · il;l ca y and out of the bod cases. I shall als. 0 , however, mclude m my discussion the question deepl it must be obvious that a lar_ger "all;?unt" .of �S� some o ther types of cases sue has rein . is communicated in many spontaneous cases than m most quantitative carnat10n cases and poltergeist cases, y a !thou g h these t ypes o f cases h ave not usually been grouped among spon· experiments, although I would not sa the same thing of the results shown t aneous cases. by certain rare "high scoring" subjects. i 94 Proceedings-ParapsychologicalAssociation The Substantiality of Spontaneous Cases 95 cases. Proper procedure in science requires adapting the method It seems to me also that spontaneous cases have a profound to the problem, and I do not mean to exalt the study of spon� influence on the beliefs of the persons who come in contact with taneous cases to the neglect of experimental work. I merely them. (I do not think this point will be grasped by investigators wish to correct what has seemed to me a tendency towards the who do not conduct personal interviews with informants.) reverse situation, namely derogating of spontaneous cases with This is particularly true of cases which bear on the possibility exclusive fixation on laboratory investigations. One can see of survival, such as out-of-the-body experiences, apparitions also that laboratory methods in parapsychology are improving.