Parapsychology & Psychical Research Psychology and Psychotherapy

Investigating Psychic SurgerywithJames McClenon

Books Mentioned In This Interview

James McClenon, PhD has been a sociology professor and licensed clinical social worker. He is author of Deviant Science: The Case of Parapsychology, Wondrous Events: Foundations of Religious Belief, Wondrous Healing: Shamanism, Human Evolution and the Origin of Relgion, and The Entity Letters: A Sociologist on the Trail of a Supernatural Mystery.

Here he explains that he has observed more than 1,000 instances of psychic surgery in the Philippines. He has also collected stories from the healers, themselves, regarding the conditions that led them to pursue a calling as a healer. He noted that many people believe themselves to have been healed through psychic surgery. Ultimately, however, he has seen no evidence that these ostensible surgeries are evidential of psychokinesis. Toward the end, he and Jeff engage in a conversation about replicability in parapsychology.

(Recorded on November 7, 2018)

To support the New Thinking Allowed video channel — please visit the New Thinking Allowed Foundation at https://www.newthinkingallowed.org.

Published on November 8, 2018

Transcripts

We do not yet have transcripts available for this interview.

If you are be interested in helping us transcribe into any language, including English, please email friends@newthinkingallowed.org.

The Practice of FirewalkingwithJames McClenon

November 1, 2018

Here he describes how he first became interested in firewalking by participating in a Buddhist ceremony in Japan. Subsequently, in Sri Lanka, he became severely burned during a similar ceremony. This prompted him to make a study of the physical parameters associated with successful firewalking. Eventually, he became an instructor and made many temperature measurements [...]

The Sociology of SORRATwithJames McClenon

October 15, 2018

Here he describes the history of the Society for Research on Rapport and Telekinesis (SORRAT). The group was founded by the well-known poet and author, John G. Neihardt. Between 1961 and 2017, group members were actively engaged in a variety of spiritualistic practices involving a wide range of apparent paranormal, physical phenomena. Parapsychologist W. Edward [...]

Parapsychology as a Deviant SciencewithJames McClenon

December 15, 2018

Here he describes how, by engaging in a sociological examination of parapsychology as a deviant science, he came to be labelled something of a deviant himself. He has travelled the world surveying people about their extraordinary experiences. He also surveyed various academics and elite scientists about their attitudes toward the paranormal. He suggests that an [...]

Maurice Nicoll: The Psychology of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky’s Fourth WaywithGary Lachman

June 21, 2024

Here he weaves a fascinating tapistry involving the ferment in the early twentieth century, including the emergence of depth psychology and a burgeoning esoteric culture including theosophy, anthroposophy, ritual magick, and – particularly – the Fourth Way movement of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. Maurice Nicoll was in the center of this world.

Waking UpwithCharley Tart

April 13, 2024

Our normal waking state of consciousness can be likened to being “asleep” in comparison to other states of awareness we might attain. In this intriguing discussion, psychologist Charles Tart, PhD, author of Altered States of Consciousness and Waking Up, suggests that we can begin to “wake up” by allowing our awareness to become conscious of itself. This [...]

The Professor of UFOlogy: Confessions of a Catholic ProfwithJames Madden

May 8, 2024

Dr. James Madden, author of “Unidentified Flying Hyperobject: UFOs, Philosophy, and the End of the World” is a professor of philosophy at Benedictine College in Kansas, discusses “re-thinking UFO/UAP phenomenon” with guest host Christopher Naughton. Madden’s central claim is that understanding the UFO will require a re-thinking of ourselves and our standing in what is [...]

Neurodiversity, Part 1: Two Souls in One BodywithAnnika and Tristan

May 6, 2024

Here they describe how, after years of struggle, they have learned how to coordinate their activities and live in harmony in the body they share. The interview concludes with a duet in which they play guitar and sing together.

Shamanism in MongoliawithGail Hayssen

November 3, 2021

Here she tells how she developed a close connection with shamans from Mongolia who visited the United States in 2004. As a result of this connection, she was invited to present at a conference on shamanism in Mongolia. She describes a variety of adventures with shamans in Mongolia, including some in which it appeared to [...]

The Artist Francis BaconwithJames Tunney

November 12, 2021

Here he explores the artistic and intellectual complexities of Francis Bacon (1909 – 1992), one of the most successful artists of the twentieth centuries who paintings have sold for more than $100 million. He points out that Bacon found inspiration in the spiritualist literature and possibly functioned mediumistically himself. Tunney also focuses on Bacon’s artwork [...]