Nearly twenty studies of whether intercessory prayer has a positive (or any) effect on seriously ill patients have been conducted by physicians and other medical researchers since 1965. Results are mixed, ranging from mild positive effects to an increase in adverse effects. The assumptions of the very idea have been challenged—is prayer something that can… Continue reading Peeranormal 22: Intercessory Prayer

Live from Branson, Missouri.

Photographs of “orbs” – small circular or globular lights – that are invisible to the naked eye at the time of the photography are ubiquitous on the internet. Very little scientific research has been conducted to explain the photographic phenomenon. Most of the discussion online asserts that orbs are spirits or some other energy life… Continue reading Peeranormal 20: Orb Photographs

Many people have experienced déjà vu, the feeling that a situation or event is familiar, though there is no evidence that the situation has been experienced before. Recent studies have shown that roughly two-thirds of people have experienced déjà vu at least once. This episode explores three research articles chronicling the phenomenon and its elements… Continue reading Peeranormal 19: Déjà Vu

Many people have experienced déjà vu, the feeling that a situation or event is familiar, though there is no evidence that the situation has been experienced before. Recent studies have shown that roughly two-thirds of people have experienced déjà vu at least once. This episode explores three research articles chronicling the phenomenon and its elements… Continue reading Peeranormal 19: Déjà Vu

“Samhain” (pronounced “sow-in,” with the “ow” like in “cow,” or “sow-een,” with “ow” as in “glow”) is an Irish Gaelic term for the time of “summer’s end,” as well as a festival to mark the end of the harvest season and the onset of winter which, in the Gaelic / Celtic calendar, marked the beginning of… Continue reading Peeranormal 18: Samhain and Halloween

This episode is the final in our series on quantum mechanics and its presumed relationship to metaphysical ideas, religion, theology, and the paranormal. As in Part 1 and Part 2, our panel welcomes Dr. Rob (“Putty”) Putman, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, but who is presently pastoring a church in Illinois. In… Continue reading Peeranormal 17: Quantum Physics and Metaphysics Part 3

This episode continues our series on quantum mechanics and its presumed relationship to metaphysical ideas, religion, theology, and the paranormal. As in Part 1, our panel welcomes Dr. Rob (“Putty”) Putman, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, but who is presently pastoring a church in Illinois. In this second episode, we focus on… Continue reading Peeranormal 16: Quantum Physics and Metaphysics Part 2

This episode launches a series on quantum mechanics and its presumed relationship to metaphysical ideas, religion, theology, and the paranormal. During the series we’ll be joined by Dr. Rob (“Putty”) Putman, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics, but now pastors a church in Illinois. In this first episode, we survey the history of… Continue reading Peeranormal 15: Quantum Physics and Metaphysics Part 1

Discovered in 1929, the Piri Reis map, dated to 1513, was virtually unknown except by those who may have seen it displayed in its current home, the Topkapi Palace Museum in Instanbul. That all changed when Erich von Däniken made it part of his ancient astronaut theory in the 1960s. Other ancient aliens theorists have… Continue reading Peeranormal 14: The Piri Reis Map

Back in mid-nineties a peer-reviewed article was published that sought to legitimize the idea that the Hebrew text of Genesis encrypted meaningful information about modern persons and events. Their method for detecting the presumed encrypted knowledge was known as equidistant letter sequencing (ELS).This article (Witztum, Rips, and Rosenberg) became a reference point for journalist Michael… Continue reading Peeranormal 13: Bible Codes

Are zombies real or just something Hollywood is into nowadays? If you’ve ever seen the movie The Serpent and the Rainbow, you know the question is legitimate. That movie was based on a book by Wade Davis, who earned his PhD in part on the basis of his research into “zombification” in Haiti. Davis and… Continue reading Peeranormal 12: Zombies

Back in 2012 the world heard that Bigfoot DNA had been isolated and genetically tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Those involved claimed that the testing had proven the existence of Bigfoot (aka, Sasquatch), and that the creature was a hybrid between modern homo sapiens and an unknown primate species.In a short time, the story unraveled… Continue reading Peeranormal 11: Bigfoot DNA

Jack Brewer is the force behind the excellent blog, The UFO Trail. Since 2009 Jack has devoted considerable time to researching the connections between elements of the alien abduction narrative, hypnosis techniques used to “recover” memories of the alleged abduction experience, and research programs and personnel associated with documented government mind control programs such as… Continue reading Peeranormal 10: Interview with Jack Brewer

Is Rh-Negative Blood Evidence of Alien / Nephilim Hybridization? The idea that people with Rh-Negative blood indicates alien or nephilim ancestry is on the rise in fringe internet communities and websites. In this episode our panel is joined by someone with medical training (MD) who is familiar with blood typing and the genetics behind Rh-negative… Continue reading Peeranormal 09: Rh-Negative Factor

There have been dozens of documented cases where the recipient of a transplant, often involving the heart, apparently take on the personalities of the organ donor. Recipients also report memories of the donor, and memories that belong to the donor, despite never having met the donor. These cases range from very young children to adults.… Continue reading Peeranormal 08: Do Transplant Recipients Take on the Personalities of Their Donors?

This episode focuses on entheogens—psychedelic drugs that are known to cause “mystical states” of consciousness. Our hosts discuss Rick Strassman’s work on DMT, but that is merely a subset of entheogen study. Current research in the fields of brain science, psychology, and religion are struggling to explain how entheogens and the experiences they cause should… Continue reading Peeranormal 07: DMT, Psychedelics, Religious Mysticism, and Paranormal Experiences

Sleep paralysis can be defined in several ways. In terms of the experiencer, it can be described as “a visitation by a malevolent creature which attacked its victims as they slept” (Cox). More clinically, sleep paralysis is understood as “a transient,conscious state of involuntary immobility occurring when falling asleep or upon wakening” (Cheyne, 2002). Research… Continue reading Peeranormal 06: Sleep Paralysis

Peeranormal’s inaugural Halloween episode focuses on academic research into vampires and ghosts with special guest Dr. Judd Burton from burtonbeyond.com. Our hosts take a look at vampirism as centuries-old myth and modern phenomenon. Where did the vampire legend come from? What were the historical circumstances since the late 18th century that contributed to belief in… Continue reading Peeranormal 05: Vampires and Ghosts

Crop circles are well known — patterns that appear in fields of crops when certain areas of the field are compressed. Investigators have long noted how the stalks are bent uniformly, without visible damage. This episode of Peeranormal takes a look at some of the sparse academic peer-reviewed research on crop circles to discuss if… Continue reading Peeranormal 04: Crop Circles