Bill Kousoulas and his wife Jaci are the founders of Phenomenology Research Professionals (PRP), a research team dedicated to exploring the intersections of psychology, spirituality, and the paranormal through rigorous qualitative methods. They are the authors of Bridging the Tragedy, a psychological study examining the 1967 Silver Bridge Disaster in Point Pleasant, WV, the Mothman narrative, and the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth (PTG). Their work highlights how individuals transform trauma into meaning, resilience, and personal evolution.
Bill's interest in the paranormal began in the late 1970s with the television series Project UFO. His lifelong love of science fiction, fantasy, and horror deepened his curiosity, but everything changed in 2003 when he watched The Mothman Prophecies. The film profoundly shifted his worldview and ultimately set him on a path toward academic research and field investigation.
Jaci is a retired USPS Postmaster and current business owner/operator. She specializes in research, data analytics, and identifying patterns that connect intuition, perception, and lived experience. Unlike Bill, her introduction to the paranormal came through direct encounters: a childhood vision of Jesus Christ, apparitions, UFO sightings, disembodied voices, psychic phenomena, and a visitation from her father after his passing. Her firsthand experiences bring a grounded, experiential dimension to PRP’s work.
On March 1, 2024, they launched their next major study, Transcending the Darkness, which investigates the relationship between trauma and paranormal experiences. As with Bridging the Tragedy, the project focuses on the positive outcomes participants report after these events. Interviewees include Gary Osborn (The Rendlesham Enigma), Rev. Michael Carter (Ancient Aliens), Dr. Dean Bertram (director of The Man Who Invented Flying Saucers), and additional experiencers and researchers. Bill and Jaci live in Sycamore, Illinois—sixty miles northwest of Chicago but surrounded more by cornfields than skyscrapers.