Celia Green

Celia Green, born in 1935, is a British writer and researcher in the field of parapsychology. Her parents were educators who authored a notable series of geography textbooks. Green pursued higher education at Oxford University, earning multiple degrees, and subsequently studied psychical research at Cambridge. She held a significant role as Research Secretary at the Society for Psychical Research before establishing the Institute of Psychophysical Research in 1961. This institute initially explored philosophy, psychology, theoretical physics, and ESP, but later focused primarily on hallucinations and quasi-perceptual experiences, including psychokinetic phenomena.

Green's extensive writing career includes seminal works on altered states of consciousness. Her 1968 book, "Lucid Dreams," investigated the phenomenon of conscious dream control and proposed a link between lucid dreaming and REM sleep, challenging existing skepticism. She also compiled extensive first-hand accounts of out-of-body experiences. Collaborating with Charles McCreery, she co-authored "Apparitions" (1975) and "Lucid Dreaming: The Paradox of Consciousness During Sleep" (1994). "Apparitions" cataloged various hallucinatory experiences, though a contemporary review noted limited verification and objective classification efforts. Green's aphorisms have also been recognized and included in several published collections.

Celia Green's academic background includes degrees from Oxford University and specialized study in psychical research at Trinity College, Cambridge. From 1958 to 1960, she was involved in psychical research. A pivotal moment in her career was the founding of the Institute of Psychophysical Research in 1961, where she served as Director. Initially, the Institute's research scope was broad, encompassing philosophy, psychology, theoretical physics, and extrasensory perception (ESP). However, during the 1960s and 1970s, the primary focus shifted to the study of hallucinations and other experiences that resemble perception. By 1982, under Green's direction, the Institute also began investigating psychokinetic phenomena, expanding its inquiries into the nature of mind-body interactions and unusual mental states.

Green is particularly recognized for her pioneering work on lucid dreaming, a state where the dreamer is aware they are dreaming and can potentially influence the dream's content. Her 1968 book, "Lucid Dreams," presented a comprehensive study of this phenomenon, drawing on both historical accounts and her own research. She proposed a connection between lucid dreams and the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, an idea that met with both interest and skepticism from the scientific community. In the same year, she published "Out-of-the-body Experiences," a collection of 400 firsthand accounts intended to aid scientific investigation into these subjective experiences. Her later collaborations, such as "Apparitions" and "Lucid Dreaming: The Paradox of Consciousness During Sleep," continued to explore the boundaries of conscious experience during altered states.

Beyond her research into parapsychology, Celia Green has authored works that delve into broader philosophical and societal critiques. Books like "The Human Evasion" and "The Decline and Fall of Science" offer her perspectives on human behavior and the limitations of contemporary scientific paradigms. Her aphorisms, characterized by sharp wit and insightful observations, have been published in collections such as "Advice to Clever Children" and have been included in notable epigram dictionaries. These concise statements often reflect her critical stance on societal norms and intellectual trends. Green's written output also includes more recent works like "The Lost Cause: Causation and the Mind-Body Problem" and "Letters from Exile: Observations on a Culture in Decline," indicating a continued engagement with philosophical inquiry and cultural commentary.