Ectoplasm (parapsychology)
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In parapsychology, ectoplasm is the name given to a hypothetical form of dense spiritual energy liberated by living things which is claimed to make possible the materialisation of ghosts and psychokinesis.
In the early twentieth century, photographs claiming to show ectoplasm were occasionally published; these were largely shown to be fraudulent. Often the medium would have concealed cheesecloth or a similar substance about their person to produce at an appropriate moment. [citation needed] Numerous studies were carried out in the 1950s and 60s to attempt to prove the existence of ectoplasm, including experiments by spiritualists who have attempted to show that ectoplasm projects itself from people during meditation. [citation needed]
The term ectoplasm was used in a similar sense in the 1984 film Ghostbusters and its sequel, and in the 2002 British television series Look Around You
