The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist

by Lawrence LeShan

In this report on psychical research, the author describes his quest for a key to the meaning of impossible events

Genres: Paranormal, Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Science, Spirituality, Meditation

284 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 12, 1975

About the author

Also wrote as Edward Grendon.

Reviews

[Valerie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves a much longer review than I'm about to write, and a more polished one too, but I'm feeling tired, yet if I don't write anything I may never find the time, so here goes. The author has done an incredible job of bringing 'otherwordly' stuff to the High Street, so to speak, to the land of those dominated by fear and logic. I don't mean to be antagonistic, but if someone is unwilling to consider that the powers-that-be here on earth do not know it all, they remain stuck, and that's been the situation for eons. What I loved in particular is that Lawrence LeShan has succeeded in differentiating between states of reality, Sensory Reality, Clairvoyant Reality and Transpsychic Reality. He has done this through rigorous and scientifically authentic research. What he says is not new to me as such, but I have never seen other realms/states of existing captured in this way, presented so as to be understandable. The author has done humanity a great service, and on a slightly different note, I just checked out his life path number, and he has done the job he was here to do, with tremendous humility and gusto. I feel really lucky to have found this gem of a book.

[James Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book complements LeShan's Alternate Realities (q.v.) in discussing the nature of several possible definitions or states of reality. It's a great metaphysical ride and far less New Agey than subsequent books on the subject.

[Sophie Rittenberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

So let's get something straight: I adore this book.

The discussion of the similarities between psychics' ("mediums"), mystics', and physicists' worldviews is genuinely intriguing. LeShan himself describes his conclusions as "revolutionary," and all things being equal, I can't disagree with the description. The damning thing, 50 years later, is that... nothing's changed. It didn't spark the revolution in scientific thought that one might expect of such unprecedented observations and experiments. So, why?

Well, for one thing, it definitely panders more to the parapsychologist side of the comparison than to the physicist, which is understandable given that this is the field LeShan himself worked in, but possible a misstep given that the people reading parapsychological texts ALREADY believe in the crux of his conclusions. If he wanted to actually convince the world at large of something, he should have at the very least spent more time focusing on the physicist mindset--although this opens up another world of problems, since the physicist-focused parts of the book were definitely the weakest. There are times when it feels like his use of physicists' quotes requires deliberate misinterpretation or some degree of logical fallacy; like, in the context he gives, the reader can see how the quote supports LeShan's claim, but can also see that it was never meant to be read in the way that it is. I don't necessarily want to condemn him for this--it's certainly a point of the book that the incredible thing about the similarity of the findings was that the two (early on, LeShan shifts the major comparison from its tripartite form down into a simpler exploration of just the mystic and the physicist) groups had widely different methods and goals, and yet both came to nearly identical conclusions, and I don't disagree that the language describing relativity and the mystical worldview do have remarkable similarities. It's just a factor that decreased my enthusiasm about the ultimate point of the book.

(That being said, it's also necessary to acknowledge the fact that I'm reading this book 50 years after it was first published and as an ex-physics major; from this privileged position, I'm privy to knowledge that neither LeShan, nor the physicists he was quoting, could have known yet, although I did try not to let this color my analysis of his ultimate point.)

That's the physics side of things; what about the parapsychology? It's definitely LeShan's major area of interest, and it shows. The Medium, the Mystic, and the Physicist contains the kind of giddy anecdotal evidence that draws people into parapsychology in the first place, and that was certainly a joy to read about. Also, LeShan's own experiences in psychic healing were thrilling enough to make me want to start meditating, so kudos where kudos are due on that. Unfortunately, these things have to contend with LeShan's somewhat distracting insistence on repeating, time and again, how scientifically sound and absolutely unshakable the results of certain parapsychological experiments had been. At one point, he describes the evidence for clairvoyance and precognition "hard, scientific, and factual." (I like my men like I like my evidence...) It's clear that LeShan is trying to add an extra level of credibility to a field whose basis is notoriously flimsy, but without any actual facts and figures to back up these claims, it leaves one with an impression like "the parapsychologist doth protest too much, methinks." But maybe that's just my opinion.

For the record, I'm not a skeptic. I want to believe! I just think that the book itself would have been stronger had it been run by one before publishing. Ultimately, LeShan's exploration of his so-called "Clairvoyant Reality" was a well-articulated curiosity that didn't let me down, but didn't amaze me, either. It's food for thought; it's just not a feast.

[Miesh Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Medium, the mystic, and the physicist" was written in 1966, but I didn't find it until 2009. It has held up amazingly well. It was my favorite book this year.

This book is an investigation of similarities between quantum mechanics and mystical thought.

Dr. LeShan starts his exploration with a thorough approach. He states, "If we have learned one thing from science, it is that the atypical case, the unusual incident, is the one that teaches us about all the others."

LeShan writes about his investigations into reality and his healing experiments(and what works in various forms of healing). The information on healing gave me another perspective into what happens with traditional healers, shamans, Reiki practitioners, etc. do healings. How is that the variety of healers are all tapping into something? What is it that "works" when a healing works? An intelligent and though-provoking exploration, and practical to my understanding of healing.

The further into his investigations he goes, the more LeShan writes that quantum physicists and mediums and mystics sound so much alike that many people can't tell one from the other. It appears that science also is mystical if you take the journey far enough.

[Katja Vartiainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, even though it is quite old. Written by a psychologist who wanted to know what really happens with mediums and mystical experiences, and how do they correlate with quantum physics. There's quite a lot of repetition, and categorization, but the starting point is interesting and what so many dabbling with spirituality say these days: that the laws of contemporary physics can explain mystical experiences. But don't wait for clear explanations in this book- it's a work in progress! I've been reading this book for too long a time, in too short pieces,so I kind a lost the plot. Also there are many references which don't work that well in a e-book. It seemed also slightly skeltonesque, but then there are the appendixes, which have a lot of interesting stuff in them. The mediums he mentions, have been discredited according to Wikipedia, but isn't it always so?
I was watching with my man at the same time 'Dirk Gently - the holistic detective' on Netflix, and that went great with this book! There the main character of the series is put to do the classical psychic tests of intuiting the geometrical shapes and he yells: 'This is not the way it works!'. I think there is a lot to find out- it will be just called a scientific phenomenon in the future. The author mentions that he doesn't think this capability allows one to do bad - and I think that he is right, that premonitions, intuitions, connectedness are emotion related, based on something that we call love? The question is- how has it continued from here? Where are we in the research?

[Carole Brooks Platt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although originally published in 1966, Lawrence LeShan's very objective study of mediumistic and mystical experience, seen from the perspective of quantum physics, is very much up to date and well worth the read. He relies on the results of his own experimentation with psychic healing and in those whom he trained, with corroborating quotations from the greatest mystics and physicists. The study of the paranormal in a skeptical world has a heavy burden of proof and he sets himself indefatigably to the task. The secret to the efficacy of the healers is to enter an altered state of consciousness which allows their conscious mind to become one with the universal mind, the Cosmos, the All, or the mind of God, if you are of a religious persuasion. Within this altered state, biology can be altered and wisdom accrued. There may be too many quotes, but I understood his rationale in loading them on to prove his point. From my own psychobiographic and neurological study of the minds of poets of genius, I think he would have done well to add on the effect of trauma on the physical brain and the need for an atypical brain lateralization to become an effective "seer." All in all, his study is a classic in understanding how the microcosm meets the macrocosm and is very much up to date. See my http://rightmindmatters.blogspot.com/... as well as In Their Right Minds: The Lives and Shared Practices of Poetic Geniuses with its own paranormal bent.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

LeShan is doing what he can to bring together in a scientific manner the (quantum)physical, mystical and the "paranormal". He makes a case for on-going study and he shows how the three often describe the world in very similar ways.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read. Good book

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This copy was a gift from Sid to Russ; both Sid's and Russ' underlinings and markings appear throughout. Not the kind of book I would expect Russ to read, except that it came from with Sid's recommendation and markings. Reading it helped me understand a bit more of Sid's later life, as well as his lengthy exploration of alternate realities during his career. Fascinating. Might need to chase down another LeShan . . .

[Jim Mastro · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my perspective, this was a groundbreaking book. I have long been interested in altered states of consciousness and in clairvoyance, precognition, telepathy, and other phenomena generally grouped under the rubric of "ESP." It seems to me that there is more going on in this universe than we are generally aware - or willing to accept. Yet a tremendous amount of credible evidence exists to support this contention. What I liked about LeShan's approach is that he uses the scientific method. Since I am a trained scientist myself, I see the value of this approach. It lends credibility to his results and his conclusions. As scientists, we must be willing to go where the evidence leads, even if it goes against the prevailing wisdom. LeShan provides compelling evidence for the existence of at least two valid ways of perceiving reality, and the realm of what is possible is radically different in each.

I first read this book when it was released in 1974, and it forever altered my way of looking at the universe. I recommend it to anyone interested in the nature of reality, ESP, and the powers of the mind.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old one, but had some very good points.

[Dave Pruett]

Perhaps the most groundbreaking book I've ever read.