Leading parapsychological organization in the Netherlands. The Nederlandse Vereniging Voor Parapsychologie (Dutch Society for Parapyschology NWP) was formed in 1960 as a result of an internal controversy in the studievereniging voor psychical research (SVPR).
In the early decades of the 20th century, the Netherlands had been the single most-receptive country in continental Europe to the investigation of paranormal phenomena. Parapsychological work made a relatively rapid recovery in the late 1940s, following its suppression by the Nazis. The revived parapsychological community was led by Wilhelm Heinrich Carl TENHAELF, who headed the SVPR. Tenhaelf had founded the Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, the primary Dutch parapsychological journal, and was gaining additional prestige with his successful research using psychic Gerard Croiset. However, Tenhaelf had a dictatorial leadership style that was not appreciated by many of his colleagues. In 1960, led by George Zorah, who was second in stature only to Tenhaelf himself, they withdrew to form the NWP. Shortly thereafter, Tenhaelf’s work was discredited.