Body Mind Spirit: Exploring the Parapsychology of Spirituality

by Charles T. Tart (editor)

With Body Mind Spirit the leading figures in parapsychology finally break the self-imposed silence that has sequestered the field behind a wall of methodology and laboratory data. Researchers, including William Roll, Michael Grosso, and Rhea White, reveal how their work and that of their peers is a prelude to a transformation in the relationship between science and spirituality. While Body Mind Spirit doesn't spend time arguing for the validity of paranormal phenomena, it is no less important than any experimental test data in its efforts to crack Western dogma that has relegated science to the material world and designated the church as sole proprietor of the spiritual realm. The paradigm presented by these authors opens the door to scientific exploration of a milieu that transcends the boundaries set by mainstream science.

Genres: Psychology

255 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

Charles T. Tart was an American psychologist and parapsychologist known for his psychological work on the nature of consciousness (particularly altered states of consciousness), as one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology, and for his research in parapsychology.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS ABOUT ‘NONMATERIAL’ TOPICS

Editor Charles Tart wrote in the Introduction to this 1997 book, “I am convinced, through both my professional work as a scientist and my personal attempts at personal, social, and spiritual growth, that this wholesale undermining of spirituality by orthodox science is not only unhealthy but scientifically, FACTUALLY wrong… our focus in this book, is very much a conflict between ‘scientism’---a dogmatic, psychological hardening of materialistic belief systems with emotional attachments, rather than authentic science.---and ‘religion’ in the worst sense of the word,, rigid and unhealthy belief systems that belie the spirituality they claim to be founded on. When relevant solid, scientific research is studied, rather than ‘scientistic’ dogma, we discover a solid, scientific base for viewing human beings as potentially far more than mere animals, and we find that humans can occasionally exercise various psychic abilities that give credence to a generally spiritual view of the world. To say that such a shift in view … is important for our times is a gross understatement.” (Pg. 22-23)

He continues, “This book presents a detailed exploration of the spiritual implications that can be drawn from modern scientific research in parapsychology… this book … [is] an exploration, not the final word, because the potential relationships between genuine science and genuine spirituality are so vast that we can only begin here, and because parapsychology is still a young, small field of science… we focus mainly on scientific parapsychology in this book.. [which is] a discipline over one hundred years old (counting its earlier form psychical research) that has been much more restricted in scope but very careful in using the best kind of scientific methodology to solidly establish the reality and nature of some basic psi phenomena… that are very relevant to questions about spirituality.” (Pg. 24)

Tart admits in the opening essay, “If telepathy were something which worked reliably all the time, we wouldn’t need formal experiments, or course. If there were no such thing as telepathy, on the other hand, all we would see in a ganzfeld experiment would be occasional, random correspondences between a receiver’s imagery and the correct target picture. But if telepathy occasionally manifests, even with just partial flashes of information transfer, the outside judge should find consistently higher correspondences between the transcripts of imagery intended for a particular target than between that target and imagery for other sessions. And that is exactly what has been found.” (Pg. 45)

K. Ramakrishna Rao states, “Parapsychology has substantial implications for religion, constituting a new area of study, the parapsychology of religion. The parapsychology of religion can (1) provide descriptive accounts of religious experience that would apply universally, independent of individual religions; (2) construct empirical tests for validating specific forms of religious experience; (3) discover significant correlations between religious beliefs and practices on the one hand and psychic abilities on the other; (4) formulate instructional aids for those desiring to have religious experience; (5) give training in therapeutic and counseling skills to clergy so that they can responsibly deal with those having religious or pseudo-religious experiences; and (6) help bridge the chasm between religion and science.” (Pg. 79-80)

Rhea A. White suggests, “Humans have been reporting exceptional human experiences [EHEs] since the beginnings of recorded history, and although many individuals have changed because of them, world conditions have worsened, until now we face planet-wide devastation from a variety of sources. My hypothesis is that EHEs have yet to come into their own. Their main application is in self-transformation… I suggest that it is EHEs themselves that allow us to view a spiritual paradigm as reality.., From a rational perspective, an exceptional human experience can be responded to in a neutral, positive, or negative way. Only the positive response will lead to transformation, first of the individual, and then of the society in which the individual lives.” (Pg. 87)

Michael Grosso asserts, “I suggest that we ignore the pseudo-skeptics, whose attitude toward the paranormal is as boring as it is biased. It’s time to move on to more interesting things… it is time to begin exploring the big implications of the data, and get on with the business of learning how to use what we have learned in a wise and humane way.” (Pg. 105)

Stephen E. Braude proposes, “the possibility of telepathic influence and PK might offer some insight into the apparent (if only occasional) efficacy of prayer. Obviously, psi-sympathetic secular humanists could maintain that it is through these forms of psychic influence that are prayers are sometimes answered… But if the efficacy of prayer results from psi rather than divine influence, the underlying causal story would seem to be anything but straightforward, and the prospects may not be quite as cheery as one might have thought.” (Pg. 125)

William Braud states, “The findings of experimental parapsychology suggest that the human mind can do things, can reach through space and time, in ways that human brains and bodies alone, conceived as purely physical organs, cannot do. We are our brains and bodies but are also something more. Under certain conditions, we may transcend limits, including the limits of individuality. The findings suggest the existence of natural phenomena and processes that cannot be adequately encompassed by our current scientific methodologies. Therefore, that framework and those methods need extension and expansion if they are to claim fulness of understanding of out universe.” (Pg. 139-140)

Karlis Osis said of life after death, “Apparently the evidence is not yet strong enough to sway scholars whose philosophy has no place for disembodied existence. It is my experience, however… that evidence here offered does bolster spiritual convictions of many, regardless of their religious background. It was most apparent in people who came to me n severe crises of their lives, where beautiful spiritual writings alone did not help.” (Pg. 170)

Charles Tart says in another essay, “it is clear to me that whatever that ‘something else’ is that I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter---call it ‘mind,’ ‘soul,’ ‘essence,’ whatever---it is not totally equivalent to the brain or the body. That does NOT mean to neglect the body!...I also think we are here, living this embodied life, for a purpose, a purpose that has something to do with learning.” (Pg. 195)

Although the book is rather ‘light’ in terms of actual ‘scientific evidence’ for parapsychology, it will still be of interest to many studying psychic research, life after death, etc.