Dr Elizabeth Roxburgh

Elizabeth is a BPS Chartered Psychologist who joined the University of Northampton as a Lecturer in Psychology after completing her PhD at the Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes (CSAPP). She completed a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at Staffordshire University in 1997 and then worked for the NHS in a variety of clinical settings, including mental health, forensic, and learning disability services.

Professional Memberships

• Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
• Member of the Society for Psychical Research
• Member of the Parapsychological Association

Elizabeth teaches on the MSc in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the BSc (Hons) in Psychology:

• Module coordinator for PSYM002: Psychological Problems of Children and Adolescents
• Module coordinator for PSYM014: Professional Issues
• PSYM010: Qualitative Methods: Talk & Text
• PSY3004: Psychology of Mental Health
• PSY3026: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• PSY3007: Parapsychology and Anomalous Experiences
• PSY1006: Becoming a Psychologist

Elizabeth received a scholarship in 2003 to attend the Summer Study Program at the Rhine Research Center in North Carolina, USA. Between 2006 and 2010 she investigated the phenomenology and psychology of spiritualist mental mediumship at the Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes (CSAPP) for her doctoral research at the University of Northampton. She has been awarded grants by the Parapsychological Association, the Society for Psychical Research, and the Parapsychology Foundation.

She also recently worked for the NHS, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, on a project using Experience-Based Co-Design; a new methodology being developed by the National Institute for Innovation and Improvement.

Elizabeth is a member of the following research groups at the university:

CSAPP - Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes

SCRIP - Social and Cultural Research in Psychology Group

Research Interests

• Spirituality and mental health
• Anomalistic psychology and parapsychology (e.g., phenomenology of exceptional human experiences, synchronicity, mediumship, non-traditional healing)
• Service evaluation and improvement
• Accessibility of mental health services (e.g., service user experiences of seeking support, labelling, stigma)
• Effects of the environment on wellbeing

Other publications

Roxburgh, E. C., & Roe, C. A. (2009). Thematic analysis of mediums' experiences [Letter to Editor]. Journal of Scientific Exploration. 23, 348-351.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2007). Book review [Familiar voices: Corroborative evidence of life after death by Tom Cross]. Paranormal Review, 42, 33-34.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2006a). Mediumship, spirit awareness and developing your potential: A personal view of Course 20 at the Arthur Findlay College. Paranormal Review, 40, 18-23.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2006b). Gwen Tate Lecture: Mediumship and how it works. Paranormal Review, 3, 24-26.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2006c). The 49th SPR Study Day: 1905-2005: 100 years of progress? Paranormal Review, 38, 21-25.

Publications in Process

Roxburgh, E. C., & Roe, C. A. (Manuscript in preparation). A search for meaning in anomalous experiences: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the pathways to mediumship and the spiritualist validation of voices and visions.

Roxburgh, E. C., & Roe, C. A. (Manuscript in preparation). "Say from whence you owe this strange intelligence": Investigating explanatory systems of mediumship using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Roxburgh, E. C., & Roe, C. A. (Manuscript under review). Dissociation in Spiritualist Mental Mediumship: A survey of psychological wellbeing.

Roxburgh, E. C. [Book chapter submitted for publication]. Mixed methods: Taking a pragmatic approach to the study of mediumship. In J. Hunter & D. Luke (Eds.), Talking with the spirits: Ethnographies from between the worlds.

Conference Publications

Roxburgh, E. C. (2010). "It's like a recording on a wonky tape": Understanding mediumship experiences using interpretative phenomenological analysis. In the Society for Psychical Research 34th Conference, Sheffield University, 10-12 Sept.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2008). The psychology of spiritualist mental mediumship. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The Parapsychological Association 51st Annual Convention and The Incorporated Society for Psychical Research 32nd Annual Convention, 204-215.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2007). The psychology and phenomenology of spiritualist mental mediums: An exploratory survey. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The Parapsychological Association 50th Annual Convention, 202-205.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2007). The psychology and phenomenology of spiritualist mental mediums: An Exploratory Survey. In the Society for Psychical Research 31st International Conference, Cardiff University, 31 Aug-2 Sept.

Conference Presentations

Roxburgh, E. C., & Larkin, M. (2010). Outpatients department Experience-Based Design research project. Poster presented at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Celebration of Excellence Conference, Birmingham, 19 March.

Roxburgh, E. C. (2008). The personality correlates and wellbeing of spiritualist mental mediums. Paper presented at the University of Northampton Annual Postgraduate Research Degree Student and Contract Researcher Conference, 1 July.