OUR STORY: Why study psychic phenomena?

A word from our founder: Dr. Jeff Tarrant

As a psychologist, I am trained to examine human consciousness. In fact, I have made a career out of studying the brain’s electrical activity as it relates to different meditative approaches. Not surprisingly, this work has led to the study of various non-ordinary states of consciousness that can be achieved through use of psychedelics, breathwork, and virtual reality. In these explorations I have also bumped into various states of consciousness that challenge what we think we know about how the mind works.

Nearly 10 years ago, I conducted an experimental observation of one such form of unusual experience—a woman who demonstrated channeling abilities. She could spontaneously speak two different South American tribal languages although she had no idea what she was saying, had never studied a language besides English, and had never been out of the United States. She eventually found an anthropologist that was able to translate what she was saying, providing a significant third-party corroboration of her abilities. I was left with more questions than answers. How could this be possible? What does it mean? And what are the implications regarding consciousness?

Over the course of several years, I measured her brainwave activity and observed unusual patterns that occurred in specific regions of the brain during these channeling sessions. This led to similar experiments with several evidential mediums. Evidential is a term used to indicate rigorous and lengthy testing procedures used to determine if the information a medium brings forward is accurate and specific to the person they are reading for.

Again, I found interesting brainwave patterns that started to tell a story. Specific regions and specific brainwave patterns began to consistently emerge among different individuals. More recently, I have worked with a Harvard trained psychiatrist who has been studying persons on the autism spectrum that demonstrate telepathic abilities with their caregivers.

These experiences, and the corresponding brainwave data, have convinced me that continued exploration and study are warranted. In fact, isn’t that the point of science - to explore the unknown, to attempt to understand things that are beyond our current comprehension? While I maintain a healthy dose of skepticism, I can’t ignore what I have seen.

After dozens of case studies, scouring the research, and comparing findings to those of other states of human consciousness, I am now able to use these brainwave findings to suggest some common patterns that may be correlated with the emergence or cultivation of these abilities. The next step in this journey is to explore the possibility that various neuromodulation technologies could be used to enhance or develop these seemingly superhuman abilities.

-Dr. Jeff Tarrant