jamais vu - jamais vu is the contrary of déjà vu. in jamais vu, an experience feels like it's the first time, even though the experience is a familiar one. jamais vu occurs in certain types of amnesia and epilepsy.

anoxia - cerebral anoxia is the lack of oxygen to the brain. if severe, it can cause irreversible brain damage. less severe cases can cause sensory distortions and hallucinations. cerebral anoxia has been cited by some researchers as the cause of near-death experiences.

blue sense - the blue sense is a cop's intuition about impending danger, about whether a suspect is guilty, about whether someone's lying, about hunches regarding cases or people. the term is used by lyons and truzzi to refer to something akin to psychic power possessed by good cops. "It is that unknown quantity in the policeman's decision-making process that goes beyond what he can see and hear and smell." (lyons and truzzi, p. 11)

studies have not validated the "blue sense," but there is good evidence that some people, including some cops, reliably infer others' emotions, intentions, and thoughts by their demeanor and facial expressions.

empiricism - empiricism is a theory which holds that the origin of all knowledge is sense experience. the term also refers to the method of observation and experiment used in the natural sciences. often, empiricism is contrasted with rationalism, a theory which holds that the mind may apprehend some truths directly, without requiring the medium of the senses.

graphology- graphology is the study of handwriting, especially when employed as a means of analyzing character. real handwriting experts are known as forensic document examiners, not as graphologists. forensic (or questioned) d ocument examiners consider loops, dotted "i's" and crossed "t's," letter spacing, slants, heights, ending strokes, etc. they examine handwriting to detect authenticity or forgery.

graphologists examine loops, dotted "i's" and crossed "t's," letter spacing, slants, heights, ending strokes, etc., but they believe that such handwriting minutiae are physical manifestations of unconscious mental functions. graphologists believe such details can reveal as much about a person as astrology , palm reading, psychometry, or the myers-briggs personality type indicator. however, there is no evidence that the unconscious mind is a reservoir of truth about a person, much less that graphology provides a gateway to that reservoir.

lycanthropy - the delusional belief that one has turned into an animal, especially a werewolf. in Europe during the middle ages, lycanthropy was commonly believed to occur due to witchcraft or magic. one modern theory is that the rye bread of the poor was often contaminated with the fungus ergot, which caused hallucinations and delusions about werewolves.

stories of humans turning into animals such as tigers, swans, monkeys, etc., are widespread and seem to occur in all cultures, indicating shared human fears (e.g., fear of the wildest local beast) or desires (e.g., wishing for powers such as great strength or the power of flight), or common brain disorders.

physiognomy - the interpretation of outward appearance, especially the features of the face, to discover a person's predominant temper and character. physiognomy has also been used as a kind of divination and is often associated with astrology.

trepanation - trepanation is the process of cutting a hole in the skull. according to john verano, a professor of anthropology at tulane university, trepanation is the oldest surgical practice and is still performed ceremonially by some african tribes. a trepanned skull found in france was dated at about 5,000 b.c.. about 1,000 trepanned skulls from peru and bolivia date from 500 b.c. to the 16th century.

apophenia - apophenia is the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness of unrelated phenomena. the term was coined by k. conrad in 1958. research indicates that high levels of dopamine affect the propensity to find meaning, patterns, and significance where there is none, and that this propensity is related to a tendency to believe in the paranormal.

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