The timeslip phenomenon

Ann R. Winsper

School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University

Since the famously debated Moberly-Jourdain time slip in the gardens at Versailles, there have been many reported cases of apparent time slips. The cause of these apparent slips in time has been discussed at length, but as yet no one definitive theory has emerged.

Retrocognition is a term used by some researchers to describe the time slip phenomenon, however I prefer to use the term 'Time Slip', as retrocognition implies a form of extrasensory perception whereby knowledge of a past event is obtained, and some cases cannot strictly meet this definition, either because the events perceived cannot be verified or because they do not appear to be accurate depictions of past events. There are also recorded experiences, one of which I have investigated, where there has been no apparent shift in the scene perceived by any of the participants, however one participant was apparently observed to move behind a building, and almost simultaneously reappear at the opposite corner of the building, a feat which it has since proved impossible to replicate.

Time slips and apparitional experiences seem to lie on a continuum, with the difference between a time slip and apparitional experience appearing to be that in the time slip the whole surroundings appear to shift, whereas in an apparitional experience only one element appears to be anomalous (whether this is human, animal or object).

People can have these time slip experiences whilst the people alongside them report nothing unusual at all, which initially would suggest that the phenomenon is simply hallucinatory. However, on investigation there does seem to be some level of anomalous information transfer, with people reporting details that they would not otherwise have known.

In a small number of cases the witnesses have purchased or been given objects during their time slip - in some cases the objects have proven to be physical objects that persist after the time slip has finished, at least one such object has been seen by the author. However in other cases the object cannot be found when the witness searches for it subsequent to the time slip episode.

Whilst time slips seem to occur anywhere at random, there is a particular street near to where the author lives where there have been multiple reports of time slips over the years.

I will present some of the many cases that have been reported to myself and discuss the similarities and differences between these cases. I will also discuss the theories that have been proposed to account for these experiences, and whether they can account for all apparent time slip experiences.

References

Iremonger, L. (1957). The Ghosts of Versailles. London: Faber and Faber.
MacKenzie, A. (1997). Adventures in Time . London: Athlone Press.
MacKenzie, A. (1974). Riddle of the Future. London: Arthur Barker Ltd.
Moberly, C. A. E.& Jourdain, E.F. (1911). An Adventure. London: Faber & Faber.
Randles, J. (2001). Time Storms. London: Piatkus.