A resident of an Eastbay community outside of San Francisco & Oakland , where he lives with his wife, Professor Auerbach has been teaching Parapsychology and related topics for several years in the Bay Area and, before that, in New York .
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northwestern University (1978) and a MS in Parapsychology from JFK University (1981). Loyd is a professor of parapsychology and a prominent field investigator in psychic phenomena. He is an accomplished professional mentalist and psychic entertainer, performing as Professor Paranormal before private and corporate groups. He served as President of the Psychic Entertainers Association for four terms from 2001-2005. He is the creator and principal instructor of the Parapsychological Studies Certification Program at HCH Institute in Lafayette, CA which was approved by the State of California.. It is available for on campus students and for distance learning.
For three decades, he has been investigating cases of reported paranormal phenomena, helping people understand what may (or may not) be going on in their lives. In 1989, he founded the Office of Paranormal Investigations, a group for people to call when they believe they have a psychic or paranormal experience or disturbance, and a resource center for Media, business people, scientists, law enforcement agencies, attorneys and other parapsychologists. While most of O.P.I.’s investigations are in Northern California, the group has investigators in many other areas of the country.
Loyd is very interested and concerned with media portrayals of the phenomena and the science of Parapsychology. He has been a consultant to various television producers and writers in the United States, Japan, and Great Britain, providing both scientific and creative input, as well as help in promotion. Most recently he has been involved with shows for the History Channel, the Travel Channel, KGO-TV, the U.K. ’s LivingTV and A&E. He keeps tabs on the media’s portrayal of Parapsychology through his constant contact with media people, watching too much TV and seeing too many movies, and various online tools. Most recently, he finished a long association with LexisNexis information services (as a very part-time Special Consultant to their San Francisco office).
He was the Public Information and Media Consultant to the American Society for Psychical Research in 1982-83 and on the Core Faculty of the Graduate Parapsychology Program at John F. Kennedy University. (Note: This academic program no longer exists). He was a columnist for Fate magazine from 1991 through 2004. He is currently on the Advisory Board of the Rhine Research Center.
Loyd is the author of several books on the paranormal. His first and best known book was ESP, Hauntings, and Poltergeists : A Parapsychologist’s Handbook. That book was named the “Sacred Text” on ghosts by Newsweek in August 1996. Loyd Auerbach’s most recent book is A Paranormal Casebook: Ghost Hunting in the New Millennium. Prior to that, his books are Hauntings & Poltergeists: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide, Ghost Hunting: How to Investigate the Paranormal, Mind Over Matter, Reincarnation, Channeling and Possession: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook and Psychic Dreaming: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook, in addition to his first book.
Loyd Auerbach’s media exposure includes many prominent appearances on paranormal-related programs for the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, The Learning Channel, A&E, the History Channel, the Sci Fi Channel and TechTV. In addition, he has appeared on hundreds of local and national radio programs, and television programs such as Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Criss Angel: Mindfreak, Late Night with David Letterman, Popular Mechanics for Kids and The View
Loyd is a professional speaker, working mainly on the college circuit. He frequently consults with journalists and TV production personnel regarding stories and programs on the paranormal.