This week I'm talking to Jesses Bering about his book 'The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson: One Scientist's Epic Quest for Evidence of Reincarnation, Apparitions, Poltergeists, and Other Matters of the Soul'

The untold story of an iconoclastic scientist: a psychiatrist who dedicated his career to documenting consciousness after death.

While Ian Stevenson (1918–2007) was an academic psychiatrist with a serious demeanor, right down to his three-piece suits and wingtip shoes, he made his name researching an unusual topic for a behavioral scientist: the afterlife. For over four decades, Stevenson traveled the globe investigating cases of reincarnation, apparitions, possessions, and near-death experiences. At the time of his death, Stevenson was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in parapsychology, a field devoted to psychic phenomena and paranormal experiences.

Set against the colorful backdrop of parapsychology’s rise and fall, from Victorian séances to modern media spectacles, The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson captures Stevenson’s relentless quest for evidence of consciousness beyond the grave. Jesse Bering, himself a psychologist, interweaves Stevenson’s research with vivid stories of the larger-than-life characters who shaped his path—from Eileen Garrett, the fearless medium, to Chester Carlson, the inventor of Xerox photocopying and Stevenson’s unlikely patron. Through never-before-seen letters and candid interviews with Stevenson’s surviving family members, readers glimpse the inner turmoil of a scientist struggling to balance his revolutionary ideas with the skepticism of his academic peers as well as those closest to him. Along the way, Bering, a researcher whose own trailblazing work on the psychology of afterlife beliefs had led him to believe it was all just an illusion, is forced to rethink his own worldview. Are psychic phenomena examples of our living brains giving credence to the absurd? Or tantalizing glimmers of life after death?

Equal parts scientific detective story and intimate biography, The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson shines a light on a significant figure whose life and work have not yet been fully explored. Bering boldly confronts readers with the complicated legacy of a man who many see as a Galileo-like rebel with groundbreaking ideas, ones that still have the power to upend everything we know about what it means to be human.

Bio

Jesse Bering is an experimental psychologist and a leading scholar in the cognitive science of religion. He is also an essayist and science writer specializing in evolution and human behavior. His first book, The Belief Instinct (W. W. Norton, 2011), was included in the American Library Association’s Top 25 Books of the Year and voted one of the “11 Best Psychology Books of 2011” by The Atlantic. This was followed by a collection of his Webby-award nominated essays, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?, and Perv, a taboo-breaking work that received widespread critical acclaim and was named as a New York Times Editor’s Choice. His most recent book was A Very Human Ending.

Bering’s writings have been translated into many different languages and reviewed in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and many other outlets. He has also been featured in numerous documentaries and radio programs, including Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, Conan, Chelsea Lately, Q&A (Australia), and NPR’s All Things Considered.

Bering is Director of the Centre for Science Communication at the University of Otago. He lives in Dunedin, New Zealand with his partner, Juan, and their two cheeky border terriers, Hanno and Kora.

https://www.jessebering.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incredible-Afterlives-Dr-Stevenson-Reincarnation-ebook/dp/B0GK2W68Z7

Zen AI bit.ly/zenAI_bpp_paranormal

https://simonbown.com/

https://www.patreon.com/ourparanormalafterlife

My book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

My book 'Aspects of Alien Abduction' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRRPCT9Y

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In this episode, I talk about the remarkable reincarnation case of William George Sr, one of the best-known cases from the Tlingit people of south-eastern Alaska.

William George Sr was a fisherman who, before his death, reportedly told his son and daughter-in-law that if reincarnation was real, he would return as their child. He also gave them signs by which he could be recognised. He pointed to distinctive marks on his left shoulder and left forearm and said that if he came back, the child would have similar marks in the same places. He also left behind a gold watch, asking that it be kept for him.

A few weeks later, William George Sr disappeared from his fishing boat. Soon afterwards, his daughter-in-law became pregnant and later gave birth to a boy, William George Jr. The child was found to have marks on his left shoulder and left forearm, in the places his grandfather had indicated. Around the time of the birth, the mother also reported a vivid dream or vision of William George Sr, an experience that fits the pattern of what are often called announcing dreams.

As William George Jr grew, relatives noticed further details that seemed to connect him with his grandfather. He showed an early familiarity with boats and fishing nets, yet also had a fear of water. He reportedly used family terms as if he were speaking from the position of William George Sr, and he later claimed the old man’s gold watch as his own.

This episode tells the story of the case. It considers the prediction, the birthmarks, the dream, the behaviour and the family context, asking whether the case points toward reincarnation, cultural expectation, inherited memory, or something that remains difficult to explain.

Zen AI bit.ly/zenAI_bpp_paranormal

https://simonbown.com/

https://www.patreon.com/ourparanormalafterlife

My book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

My book 'Aspects of Alien Abduction' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRRPCT9Y

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week I'm talking to Tricia Barker about her book 'Angels in the OR: What Dying Taught Me About Healing, Survival, and Transformation'

Tricia Barker was a depressed, agnostic college student at The University of Texas in Austin...until a profound near-death experience (NDE) during surgery revolutionizes her entire world. As she learns to walk again, Tricia lets go of painful wounds from childhood and integrates some of the aftereffects of her spiritual journey into her daily life. She returns to college with renewed vigor, intending to embark on a new path by becoming an English teacher.

But after a year of teaching in the US, Tricia travels to South Korea, where she is the victim of a sexual assault. Now, she must use the wisdom she gained on the Other Side to heal herself; and later, guide countless junior high, high school, and college students to greater peace. Through teaching and mentoring others--many of whom are struggling with traumas of their own--Tricia decides to devote her life to bringing the "light" she experienced during her NDE to individuals who are seeking solace, inspiration, and overall well-being.

Bio

Tricia Barker experienced a profound near-death experience during her senior year of college, and this experience guided her to teach overseas, in public schools, and at the college level. Her near-death experience story has been featured on I Survived: Beyond and Back, Season 1, Life to Afterlife: Death and Back, National Geographic Magazine, Simple Grace Magazine, Women’s World Magazine, Coast to Coast AM, GAIA, WFAA, and The Doctor Oz Show.

Tricia’s memoir, Angels in the OR: What Dying Taught Me About Healing, Survival, and Transformation, is available as an e-book, paperback, and through Audible.

Tricia is a graduate of The University of Texas. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She is a professor, author, medium, and theta healer. Tricia also interviews other near-death experiencers, researchers, healers, spiritual teachers, and mediums on her YouTube Channel.

https://triciabarkernde.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angels-Taught-Healing-Survival-Transformation-ebook/dp/B07NGQZSHL

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyIstVbBhilo1gdUmazkReQ?view_as=subscriber

Zen AI bit.ly/zenAI_bpp_paranormal

https://simonbown.com/

https://www.patreon.com/ourparanormalafterlife

My book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

My book 'Aspects of Alien Abduction' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRRPCT9Y

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.