<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Paranormal terminology encompasses many acronyms.

A

Abductee

An abductee is someone taken, generally against his or her will, by nonhuman beings. See also Experiencer.

ABSM

An ABSM could be any of a variety of reported hairy bipeds from around the world. Although the term is derived from Abominable Snowman, it is considered a less sensational alternative. (Ivan T. Sanderson).

Agriglyph

An agriglyph is a large design created in a field of vegetation by pressing down parts of the growth. The term is an alternative to Crop Circles. It was introduced to reflect the higher complexity of many such anomalies.

Ararat Anomaly

The Ararat Anomaly is a large object (over 100 meters in length) photographed on Mount Ararat in Turkey. Some people believe it is Noah's Ark.

Arkeology

Arkeology is the search for the physical remains of Noah's Ark.

B

Blobster

A blobster is a large, mostly shapeless mass of flesh washed up on a beach.

C

Car Stop

A "car stop" is when a car ceases to run during a UFO sighting. Radios and lights may die as well. The vehicle typically is restored to normal operation when the UFO leaves.

Cattle Mutilation

Cattle mutilation is the unexplained alteration of a cow carcass. Such carcasses typically exhibit the removal of organs, a lack of blood, unusual precision of the cuts, and no evidence of the mutilator. Some believe they are the work of aliens.

CEI

A Close Encounter of the First Kind (CEI or CE-1) is a UFO sighting in which the object appears to be within 500 feet of the observer (J. Allen Hynek).

CEII

A Close Encounter of the Second Kind (CEII or CE-2) is a UFO sighting in which the object has a physical effect on the environment. These effects include landing marks, injuries, "car stops," and animal responses (such as dogs barking). (J. Allen Hynek).

CEIII

A Close Encounter of the Third Kind (CEIII or CE-3) is a UFO sighting in which occupants of the UFO are seen. (J. Allen Hynek)

Channel

A channel is someone who allows his or her body to be controlled by another entity so the entity can communicate with other people. The entity might be a dead person, but could be an alien or other intelligence.

Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance is the ability to psychically see things at a distance, or to perceive objects or events in a manner usually beyond the ability of normal senses (for example, seeing auras or reading an object's history simply by touching it).

Cold Reading

Cold reading is a technique used to appear to know information about someone with no prior knowledge, by asking indirect questions, assessing a person's physical appearance, and so on. It is used by salespeople and hucksters, and psychics have been accused of using it.

Contactee

A contactee is someone claiming friendly and extensive contact with aliens from other planets. It is generally associated with the 1950s.

D

DD

A Daylight Disc (DD) is a flying saucer seen during the day, although it is not necessarily disc-shaped (J. Allen Hynek).

Dero

A dero (short for "detrimental robot") is one of a race of evil underground dwellers who use mood-influencing ray machines on humans. They are part of The Shaver Mystery.

Dowsing

Dowsing is the use of simple instrumentation (such as a rod or a pendulum) to detect hidden items (most commonly, underground water).

E

EBE

An Extraterestrial Biological Entity (EBE) is an alien. The term is reportedly of military derivation.

ESP

Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP), also known as psi powers, runs the gamut of paranormal abilities from mind-reading to teleportation.

ETH

The ETH (Extra-Terrestrial Hypothesis) states that a flying saucer is a craft from another planet.

EVP

Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) refers to voices that appear on recording devices (such as tape recorders) with no apparent source. The voices are often not understandable or audible without changing the speed of the playback.

Experiencer

An experiencer is someone who has been taken by nonhuman beings. The term is considered an alternative to "abductee," and less pejorative of the experience.

F

Flap

A flap is a sudden intense period of time with many sightings (typically of UFOs, but it could be a monster flap). It is often accompanied by news coverage.

FOAF tale

A FOAF tale is a "friend of a friend" tale. It refers to a story where the facts can not be pinned down, but which may be commonly believed.

Foo Fighter

Foo fighter was the World War II term for UFOs. The "foo" is believed to be derived from the comic strip Smokey Stover, and may come from the French word for fire.

Fortean

A Fortean (or fortean) is a follower of Charles Fort, a chronicler of strange events. Fort himself disliked the idea that he would have followers.

Future Life Progression

Future Life Progression is a hypnotic technique used to mentally project a person into a future life they will have.

G

Gray

A Gray (or Grey) is an alien type that first became famous in the 1980s. Typically shorter than humans, hairless, with large black eyes

H

High Strangeness

High strangeness is a term for paranormal experiences which seem illogical beyond the paranormal nature of the event, such as aliens wearing cowboy hats.

HPAC or H-PAC

A Human-Piloted Alien Craft (HPAC) is an alien craft (flying saucer) being flown by a human. Reports of sightings of HPACs have been made in the vicinity of Area 51 in Nevada, where it is assumed that the military is test-flying recovered or reverse-engineered alien technology.

I

IFO

An Identified Flying Object (IFO) is a strange object seen in the sky that is later identified as having a mundane explanation.

J

Jersey Devil

The Jersey Devil is a monster rumored to occupy the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. Although the creature is traditionally depicted with wings, some believe it to be a hairy biped.

L

LGM

LGM ("Little Green Men") is a disparaging term for reported aliens. It implies disbelief on the part of the user.

Lost Time

Lost time occurs when a person becomes aware that it is later than his or her memory of events indicates "it should be". For example, a person taking a drive that normally takes one hour, and seemingly did, arrives at the destination three hours after starting. It is often reported in alien abduction cases.

Lycanthrope

A lycanthrope is a person who believes he or she can transform into a wolf. Also see werewolves

M

Majestic-12

Majestic-12 (aka MJ-12) is a secret US government group formed following The Roswell Incident to consider issues involving UFOs and ETs.

Medium

A medium is someone who communicates with the dead and communicates the information received to the living.

MIB

The Men in Black (MIB) are mysterious figures who order people who have seen UFOs or who investigate UFOs to remain silent. Their strange characteristics lead some to believe that the MIB come from the UFOs themselves.

MJ-12

See Majestic-12.

Momo

Momo (a contraction of "Missouri Monster") is a hairy biped that came to prominence in 1972.

Mother Ship

A Mother Ship is a craft (typically a UFO) that carries smaller craft that can work independently. Mother Ships may be cigar-shaped. The non-gender specific "Parent Craft" has also been used.

Mute

See Cattle Mutilation.

N

Nandi Bear

The Nandi Bear is a rumored African predatory cryptid. It is roughly lion-sized and particularly ferocious.

Nordic

Nordics are a reported alien type that resemble tall, blond, caucasian humans.

O

Ogopogo

Ogopogo is a lake monster in Canada.

OINT

Other intelligence (OINT) stands for nonhuman intelligence, without indication of origin (for example, not defined as alien, demonic, fairy, and so forth) (Ivan T. Sanderson).

OOBE

In an out-of-body experience (OOBE event), the personality of a living person is believed to exit the material body and then to return to it, with memory of what was observed.

OOPARTS

Out-of-place artifacts (OOPARTS) are manufactured items that are found outside their expected context, for example, modern technology found in an archeological dig.

Oz Factor

The Oz Factor is the sense that some witnesses have before or during a UFO sighting that reality has slightly shifted. For example, a normally busy road might have no traffic, or the area may become strangely silent. Jenny Randles

P

Past Life Regression

Past Life Regression is a hypnotic technique used to help a person recover memories from a previous life.

Poltergeist

Poltergeist (German for "noisy ghost") activity typically involves objects flying across a room, lights flickering on and off, and so on. An entity is generally not seen (see also RSPK).

Precog

A precog is someone who uses Precognition

Prophet

A prophet is someone who tells other people about their predictions for the future

Precognition

Precognition is paranormally-derived knowledge of future events.

Psychokinesis

Psychokinesis (PK) is the ability to move physical objects through an act of will.

Psychometry

Psychometry is the ability to receive psychic impressions from an object by touching it.

R

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the process of a person being reborn as another entity.

Remote Viewing

Remote viewing (RV) is the trained ability to perceive things at a distance.

Reptilian

A reptilian is a type of entity reported in UFO reports and alien abductions. Although reptile-like, they are bipedal and somewhat humanoid

Retrocognition

Retrocognition is paranormally derived knowledge of past events.

RSPK

Recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK) is a theory that explains poltergeist activity as the unintentional movement of objects by the subconscious of a person, usually someone under stress and typically an adolescent.

S

Sea Monsters

A sea monster is any large unidentified animal seen in the ocean. Sea serpents are a particular type of sea monster.

Seed Catalog

A seed catalog is slang for a book or section of a book that lists a large number of things (such as UFO sightings) with brief descriptions. The listings may incorporate abbreviations and require a key to explain them. Prior to the common availability of linkable computer databases, this was a way to share data with others.

SHC

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the mysterious ignition of a person's body without any apparent external source of flame.

T

Telekinesis

Telekinesis (TK) is the ability to move objects with the mind.

Telempathy

Telempathy is the ability to directly feel what another entity is feeling, such as emotions or pain. A person who can do this is called an empath.

Telepathy

Telepathy is the mental communication of thoughts from one entity to another. A person who can use telepathy is a telepath.

Teleportation

Teleportation is the ability to move from one place to another instantaneously without traveling through the intervening space (Charles Fort).

Thoughtography

Thoughtography is the ability to make pictures appear on photographic film at will.

TTH

The Time Travel Hypothesis (TTH) states that a flying saucer is a craft from Earth's future.

Time Slip

A Time Slip is a temporary, spontaneous trip to another time period.

Trace Case

Trace Cases are UFO cases that leave physical evidence.

U

UFO

UFO is an acronym for Unidentified Flying Object, designating any airborne object that does not fit known descriptions of existing aircraft.

Ufonaut

A ufonaut (or UFOnaut) is the entity that operates or travels in a UFO.

USO

Unidentified Submarine Object or Unidentified Swimming Object (USO) is used to designate an apparently technological craft of unknown origin seen underwater (or entering or leaving the water), but the term can also refer to a possible sea monster.

W

White Crow

This refers to the principle that to prove White Crows exist, you only have to have one. Therefore, it justifies spending considerable resources on a single case, if the investigator believes that case can be definitive.

Window

A window area is a region with an unusually high number of paranormal/UFO reports over a significant period of time.

Y

Yeti

A Yeti is a hairy biped in the Himalayas. The term is the most popular alternative to the mistranslated name Abominable Snowman.

Z

Zener Cards

Zener Cards are a special set of five symbols (star, cross, square, circle, wavy lines) used in parapsychology experiments.

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