Haraldsson, Erlendur (1931-)

Icelandic psychologist and parapsychologist, born in 1931 near Reykjavik, Iceland. Haraldsson graduated from Reykjavik Gymnasium in 1954, studied languages and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (1955-56), and completed his studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany (1957-58). He was a journalist for a few years in Reykjavik, then worked as a freelance writer in Berlin, the Middle East, and India.

After being away from school for a number of years, he returned to college to study psychology at the University of Freiburg (1964-66) and then at the University of Munich (1966-69), where he graduated with an advanced degree in psychology. While completing a doctorate, he spent two years in the United States as first a research fellow at the Institute for Parapsychology in Durham, North Carolina (1969-70), and then as an intern in clinical psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia Medical School (1970-71). He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg (under parapsychologist Hans Bender ) in February 1972. His dissertation dealt with vasomotor reactions as indicators of extrasensory perception.

Haraldsson returned to the United States for two years (1972-74) as a research associate at the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) before assuming a position in psychology at the University of Iceland. Over the years he contributed many papers to Journal of the ASPR, the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), London, and other publications. His interests ranged from the phenomena of Sri Sathya Sai Baba to ESP scores to psychic healing in Iceland and the investigation of mediums. He is best known for his work with Karlis Osis of the ASPR on deathbed observations.

Sources:

Berger, Arthur S., and Joyce Berger. The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research. New York: Paragon House, 1991.

Haraldsson, Erlendur. Miracles Are My Visiting Cards: An Investigative Report on Psychic Phenomena Associated with Sri Sathya Sai Baba. 1978. Reprinted as Modern Miracles. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1988.

——. "Representative National Surveys of Psychic Phenomena: Iceland, Great Britain, Sweden, USA and Gallup's Multinational Survey." Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 53, no. 801.

——. "The Sai Baba Enigma." In Miracles, edited by Martin Ebon. New York: New American Library, 1981.

Haraldsson, Erlendur, and L. R. Gissurarson. "The Icelandic Medium Indridi Indridason." Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 57 (1989).

Osis, Karlis, and Erlendur Haraldsson. At the Hour of Death. New York: Avon, 1977. Rev. ed. New York: Hastings House, 1980.

——. "Deathbed Observations by Physicians and Nurses: A Cross-cultural Survey." In Signet Handbook of Parapsychology, edited by Martin Ebon. New York: New American Library, 1978.