Presence : the strange science and true stories of the unseen other

Ben Alderson-Day is an Associate Professor in Psychology and a Fellow of the Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University. A specialist in atypical cognition and mental health, his work spans cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, philosophy, and child development.

Preface: what is there? -- Part I: Phantom others --1. A thickness in the air -- 2. 'Things which can never be sooken of' -- 3. The double -- 4. Luke -- 5. The presence robot -- 6. 'I’ll set the table for three people when it’s just me and my wife' -- Part II: Fellow travelers -- 7. The walnut of reality -- 8. The marathon monk of Billingham -- 9. Seeing darkness -- 10. Spirit -- 11. In two minds -- 12. You never asked -- Acknowledgements -- Notes -- Index.

Winner of the British Psychological Society 2023 Book Award for Popular Science. In this enthralling book, Ben Alderson-Day explores one of the most curious experiences known to humankind: the universal, disturbing sense that someone or something is there when we are alone – the feeling of an unseen presence. When and why do presences emerge? What does this feeling mean and where does it come from? And how can we even begin to understand a phenomenon that can be transformative for those who experience it and yet so hard to put into words? The answers to these questions lie in this fascinating exploration through cutting-edge research in contemporary psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and philosophy. Taking the reader on a riveting and emotional journey, Presence offers remarkable insights into the experience of felt presence and how it relates to a range of medical conditions, including sleep paralysis, dementia and Parkinson’s. This compelling story will stoke the fascination of sceptics and ardent believers alike who are drawn to the mystery of the unseen.