The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter

by Jeffrey Mishlove, John E. Mack (introduction)

So begins Jeffrey Mishlove's The PK Man, the true and strange story of Ted Owens, whose claims of powerful psychokinetic abilities given to him by "Space Intelligences" were too bizarre and extreme for many to believe. When these claims were ignored or challenged, he purportedly used his powers to produce earthquakes, civil unrest, UFO sightings, strange weather events, and other powerful phenomena. Owens even threatened to down aircraft to garner attention.

Was there any truth to Owens' abilities, or was he a fraud with a knack for picking the times and places of catastrophes? Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, a respected parapsychologist and host of the popular public television program Thinking Allowed, analyzes correspondence, interviews, newspaper reports, and remarkable life of "the world's greatest psychic," as Owens claimed to be. Whether Owens was a prodigious liar and dangerous con-man, or a true but unbalanced master who used his incredible powers primarily for petty acts of revenge, many questions remain, and the implications for the rest of us are staggering.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Psychology

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Jeffrey Mishlove was the first student at the University of California, Berkeley, (or at any accredited university in the U.S.) to create an interdisciplinary, doctoral major in parapsychology. His best known work, The Roots of Consciousness, served as partial fulfillment of his examination requirements.

Reviews

[Dan S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable. Really. I especially liked the section on Ted Owens ability to jinx a sports game. He needed to be alone to shout at his tv. Haha. Sad that many didn't take him seriously especially with all of the calls that he made previous to accomplishing feats. With so many people who fake their powers it seems he was genuine although I think he approached things in the wrong way. He should have used his powers for good and not always as a reaction to anger.

[Kirby Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading this thought-provoking book after watching several new shows on you tube with Dr. Mishlove called "New Thinking Allowed" -- it will make you think. Good sometimes to let the mind wander into the field of uncertainty where we don't have all the answers instead of stagnating in the hubris of Know-it-All restrictive paradigm Land.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rehashed religious madness. The god was in the sky, these gods come from the sky. The old gods used magic, these gods use magic with a tech resemblance.

[Mike S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a courageous effort to talk about Ted Owens, who could do some unusual things, and tackle the whole subject of psychokinesis, a very difficult undertaking. It could not be better written, Mishlove is honest and clear and works very hard to present a well balanced view, that honors both unusual abilities and the scientific method used to try to understand them. I found Dr. Mishlove to be believable and I have a lot of respect for him, for the courage it took to publish this work, and for working so hard to examine Ted Owens' capabilities from every angle in an effort to be fair and completely open-minded.

I love his Youtube series Thinking Aloud and have watched many of his shows.

I also found the Andy Eastman material quoted in the book very interesting, while the sumeria.net website referred to in the book is parked (and has been for several years), the Eastman content can be found in the wayback machine *internet archive, or **on a blogger page.

If you like metaphysical subjects this book won't disappoint.
-------------------------------------

*Internet Archive Wayback Machine : The Space Intelligence Master Interface by Andy Eastman
https://web.archive.org/web/200009140...

** Blogger : The Space Intelligence Master Interface by Andy Eastman
http://spaceintelligencemasterinterfa...

[Eugene Pustoshkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely expanded my assumptions about the limits of what could be possible with such psi phenomenon as psychokinesis.

[James Lowery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had to give this review considerable thought because I doubt I will ever read a book quite like this one again. For anyone who wants a quick overview of the case, Jeffrey Mishlove, the author, gives two interviews on his YouTube channel "Thinking Allowed". I do not know, much like the author admits, whether Ted Owens' abilities were due to psychokinesis, precognition, or what he terms the "Space Intelligences". Without looking at the data the case presents as a whole one could easily dismiss it all as the egotistical ramblings and behavior of a schizophrenic. However, if one simply examines the case as a whole what really are the chances that one can summon lightning on demand, as well as unidentified aerial phenomena? What are the chances one can claim to cause or prevent drastic meteorological events in sequential fashion; events that were so drastic they often broke records that had existed for 40 years to a century? Jeffrey let the original manuscript sit in his basement for 20 years because he did not feel society was ready to fully investigate this case, and unfortunately it is still as much of a conundrum to all who study the case.

[Declan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a great film script here of a a bitter psychic Ted Owen’s who was believed by no one and spent his life attempting to wreak havoc on society with his “powers” from UFOs to prove them all wrong.

It sounds really out there but some of his predictions are super chilling (either real or by chance - although many of them surpass chance statistically, so it’s one of those like read it and make up your own mind). And it’s filled with super credible / notable folks vouching that *something* is going on with this guy-

The author is Jeffery Mishlove PhD (UC Berkeley) and the foreword is from John Mack PhD (Harvard) ~

[Peter A. Lio · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid book

Very interesting story and well-written. A bit longer than it needed to be but I am grateful for it. I wish we had more rigorous studies on Owens… many mysteries remain.