American Society for Psychical Research

[Laird]

What’s next for the American Society for Psychical Research?

By Tom Ruffles and James A. Conrad on 22 February, 2025.

For the moment it looks like the ASPR has been saved from total collapse, but whether it can be restored as a viable concern that will once more make important contributions to psychical research is another matter.  Currently using a rented mailbox, it is difficult to see how it can operate without a proper office, despite Keane still claiming to work an average 60 hour week according to the 2023 Form 990.  No public communications have been made by the president, executive director or the trustees.  The ASPR currently has no active social media accounts.

There are two separate issues to consider, now that the nonprofit’s headquarters building has been sold.  Firstly, can any illegal actions be laid at the door of ASPR officers, with guilty parties brought to account?  Related to this point, if any money has been extracted illicitly from the Society can it be recovered, and, if it is, how can it be safeguarded and used for the purpose for which the organisation was founded?

Secondly, the whereabouts of the archive and library should be established, its integrity as a collection respected, and if the ASPR is unable to manage it, a suitable home found so that once again it is made available to researchers.  Eyes are watching to see if items turn up for sale on the open market in case there is an attempt to dispose of its contents.  A further worry is the possibility that if rental fees go unpaid for a commercial storage space the contents may be auctioned off to the highest bidder.  This situation should be a concern of anyone who has a regard for the subject.