Brian Laythe

Dr Brian Laythe is a social psychologist, forensic psychologist and researcher whose work explores the fascinating intersections between psychology, religion, belief and paranormal experience. He is the founder and director of the Institute for the Study of Religious and Anomalous Experience in Indiana and a partner at Iudicium, a forensic psychology consultancy. Holding a Master's degree and PhD in Social Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, Brian has held various academic teaching positions and served as managing editor of the Journal of Scientific Exploration from 2023 to 2025.

His research spans social and forensic psychology, the psychology of religion and ideology, and anomalistic psychology, with a particular interest in hauntings and extraordinary human experiences. Alongside his colleagues, Brian helped develop the influential Haunted People Syndrome model, which examines how environmental conditions, personality traits, belief systems and social interactions may combine to shape reported paranormal phenomena. His investigations have explored electromagnetic fluctuations, transliminality, paranormal perception and the psychological and environmental factors associated with haunting experiences. In 2022, he co-authored Ghosted! Exploring the Haunted Reality of Paranormal Encounters.

Brian's wider research includes studies of magical practitioners, the relationship between belief and anomalous experiences, and investigations into reported poltergeist activity, including the South Shields Poltergeist case. His work challenges simplistic divisions between belief and scepticism, advocating a thoughtful, evidence-led approach that recognises both the complexities of human perception and the limitations of scientific explanation. By bringing together psychological research, environmental investigation and the study of extraordinary experiences, Brian offers a distinctive perspective on what hauntings might reveal about the relationship between people, places and the unexplained.