---
category: Private Organization
created: 2025-07-22
description: The American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) is the oldest psychical
  research organization in the United States, dedicated to the scientific study of
  psychic phenomena.
location: New York City
start: 1885
summary: The American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) is the oldest psychical
  research organization in the United States, founded in 1885 by the philosopher and
  physician William James.
tags:
- Organization
- Private
- Research
- Parapsychology
- USA
title: American Society for Psychical Research
updated: 2025-07-23
---

The [American Society for Psychical Research](/organizations/american-society-for-psychical-research/) (ASPR) is the oldest psychical research organization in the [United States](/places/united-states/), founded in 1885 by the philosopher and physician [William James](/people/william-james/). It is dedicated to the scientific study of [psychic](/concepts/psi/) phenomena, including [Telepathy](/concepts/telepathy/), [Clairvoyance](/concepts/clairvoyance/), [Precognition](/concepts/precognition/), and [Psychokinesis](/concepts/psychokinesis/).[^1]

In the early 1970s, the ASPR was one of the institutions where [Ingo Swann](/people/ingo-swann/) participated in psychic experiments before his involvement with [SRI](/organizations/stanford-research-institute/). [Karlis Osis](/people/karlis-osis/), a parapsychologist at the ASPR, conducted experiments on [out-of-body experiences](/concepts/out-of-body-experience/) (OBEs) with Swann, where Swann claimed to be able to "float up" and perceive hidden objects. Osis also conducted a [psychokinesis](/concepts/psychokinesis/) experiment with [Pat Price](/people/pat-price/), where Price, from a distance, appeared to affect an infrared sensor in a sealed copper box.[^1]

[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.
[^2]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.