Overview
At the Parapsychological Association’s 2024 convention, researcher Eric Dullin announced the launch of a new digital repository that aggregates more than 1,300 documented poltergeist (macro‑psychokinesis) cases from around the world. The platform, slated for public release on macropk.org in September 2024, seeks to replace the fragmented, print‑based records that have long limited statistical analysis in the field. By standardising data entry and providing multilingual access, the project aims to enable scholars to examine patterns across centuries and cultures with a rigor comparable to mainstream scientific databases.
Project Scope and Methodology
The database catalogues 1,302 cases spanning over 50 countries, with a concentration in Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom. Each entry is coded against 93 phenomenological parameters—ranging from object displacement and spontaneous fires to electrical anomalies—and is assigned both a “testimonial level” and a “detail level” on a 1‑to‑9 scale. This dual rating system allows researchers to filter for high‑quality, well‑documented incidents while preserving less detailed historical reports for broader contextual studies. Dullin emphasized that “the lack of a unified, digital archive has hampered rigorous statistical work for decades,” underscoring the repository’s role in facilitating complex segmentation and pattern‑matching analyses.
The AECKO Model and Shifting Interpretations
Alongside the database, Dullin introduced the AECKO model (Aggregated Emotional‑Kinetic Collective Output), which reframes poltergeist activity as a communal kinetic event driven by collective emotional energy rather than the traditional focus on a single adolescent female as the primary source. This theoretical shift is reflected in the repository’s categorisation, which records the social and emotional context of each case—family dynamics, community stressors, and shared belief systems—allowing investigators to test hypotheses about group‑level psychogenic mechanisms. The model has already sparked discussion among attendees, who see it as a move toward a more nuanced, systems‑based understanding of macro‑PK phenomena.
Notable Cases and Collaborative Framework
During the presentation, Dullin highlighted several well‑documented incidents to demonstrate the database’s utility. The 1987 Veracruz “stone shower” case, the 1982 Compton, Scotland three‑week fire outbreak, and the classic Gauld and Cornell 500‑case study were all searchable with full parameter breakdowns. The project is a collaborative effort involving the Institut Métapsychique International (IMI), the Rhine Research Center, and the Society for Psychical Research (SPR). To safeguard data integrity, contributions from outside the academic community undergo a vetting process that screens out non‑scholarly “ghost‑hunter” entries, a point Dullin stressed: “We welcome broader participation, but every new record is rigorously reviewed before it becomes part of the analytical pool.”
Future Directions and Scholarly Impact
The repository is designed to expand beyond poltergeist reports, with planned modules for physical mediumship (approximately 80 cases) and a researcher directory covering 150 investigators. Links to complementary resources such as the Psi Encyclopedia will further situate the data within the larger landscape of anomalous research. Dullin noted that a detailed paper on poltergeist phenomenology, drawing on the new database, is currently in press with the Journal of Scientific Exploration (JSE). By embracing open‑science principles, the project promises to provide a centralized, reproducible tool for both seasoned scholars and graduate students, potentially resh
