A Spiritual Hypothesis: An Inquiry into Abnormal and Paranormal Behavior

By Daniel Punzak

Traditional Western religion explains that each human has a spiritual aspect called a soul. However, several passages in the Bible allude to humans having a soul and a spirit. Dan has explored this idea and found numerous modern psychological findings that support this notion. Shamanism and some Eastern religious concepts also support this idea. Diverse concepts such as creativity and mental illness can be explained by the idea that two spiritual forms are in each human.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524652364

Daniel Punzak

Dan has a chemical engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He worked in the environmental field for over thirty years. He has been reading about near-death experiences and other topics in the book for over forty years. He resides in Springfield, Illinois.

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© 2017 DANIEL PUNZAK, P.E. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/05/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-5237-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-5238-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-5236-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016919646

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Contents

Chapter 1 Spiritual Analysis In The Age Of Materialism

A. Introduction

B. Spiritual, Spirit, And Soul

C. Materialism

D. Mind, Brain, And Psi Phenomena

E. An Interesting View On The Paranormal

F. Psychology And Spiritual Factors

G. Metaphors And Spiritual/Physical Interactions

H. Sources And Validity Of Data

I. Hypothesis

J. Goals And Perspective

K. Outline Of The Book

Chapter 2 Multiple Spirits Working Together

A. Introduction

B. Kahuna Concepts Of Human Nature

C. The High Self

D. Abilities Of The Kahunas And Application Of Their Concepts

E. Others Who Found The High-Self Concept

F. Criticism And Support For Long’s Concepts

Chapter 3 Support For The Concept Of Spirit

A. Introduction

B. Other Names For The High Self

C. Spirit And Creativity

D. Spirituality And Mental Disorders

Chapter 4 Historical Perspective

A. Introduction

B. Psychic Research And Types Of Psychology

C. Clinical Findings And Automatisms

D. Creativity And Newer Theories Of Mind

E. Mind As Separate From The Brain

Chapter 5 Near-Death Experiences

A. Introduction

B. Overview, Including Ring’s Prototypical Summary Of An Nde

C. Research Methodologies

D. Historical Perspective

E. Peace And A Sense Of Death

F. The Autoscopic Nde

1. Separation And A Second Body

2. Location And Movement

3. Perception And Thought

4. Accuracy Of Autoscopic Sight/Veridical Perception

G. Transition—The Tunnel

H. The Transcendental Nde

1. Seeing The Light

2. Entering The Light Or Encountering A Being Of Light

3. Scenic Beauty And Harmonious Music

4. Life Review

5. Meeting Others

6. Borders And The Decision To Return

7. Visions Of Knowledge And Flash-Forwards

8. Supernatural Rescues

I. Rapid Healings Following Ndes

J. Important Lessons About Life Learned During An Nde

K. Ndes In Children

1. The Light

2. Transformation Study And Transformations

3. Very Early Childhood Ndes Or Dreams Of Them

4. Cultural Similarities Of Ndes

L. Empathic, Shared, Or Simultaneous Near-Death Or Death Experiences

M. Distressing Ndes

1. Early Cases

2. A Systematic Study

3. Rommer’s Study

4. Other Findings

N. Aftereffects Of An Nde

1. Introduction

2. Early Findings

3. Unusual Aftereffects

4. Other Findings

5. Continuation Of Meetings With Others

6. Other Features

O. Discussing The Nde

P. Demographic And Frequency Findings

Q. A Unique Journey

R. Could Have Died

S. Suicide Attempts And Ndes

T. Alternate Explanations

1. Physiological Explanations

a. Pharmacology

b. Endorphin Release And Other Neurochemical Explanations

c. Other Chemical Explanations

d. Other Physiological Explanations

2. Psychological Explanations

a. Semiconscious State

b. Conscious Or Subconscious Fabrication

c. Prior Or Psychological Expectations And Wishful Thinking

d. Depersonalization

e. Dreams

f. Hallucinations

3. Other Explanations

4. My Explanation

5. Conclusions On Alternate Explanations

U. Some Good Quotes And Other Tidbits Of Information

V. Music And Ndes

W. Uncategorizable Incidents

X. Conclusions

Y. Addendum: The Third Man Factor

1. Introduction

2. How The Term Third Man Factor Originated

3. An Initial Incident, And Departure Of The Presence

4. The Pathology Of Boredom

5. The Principle Of Multiple Triggers

6. The Widow Effect

7. Consciousness Theories

8. The Muse Factor

9. Geiger’s Own Experience

10. Other Theories And The Switch

Chapter 6 Dissociative Identity Disorder

A. Introduction

B. History

C. Description And Diagnosis

D. Hypnosis

E. The Inner Self-Helper

1. Introduction

2. History

3. Therapy Functions

4. Psychological Nature Of The Ish

5. Parapsychological And Religious Phenomena

6. One Specific Ish

7. Alternative Explanations

8. Beyond The Ish

9. Ish Summary

F. Findings About And Phenomena Of Did

1. A Healthy Disease?

2. Gender Differences

3. Frequency

4. Family Patterns

5. Amnesia

6. Typical Alternate Personalities, And Their Names And Numbers

7. The Birth Personality

8. Other Illnesses

9. Lowered Sensory Awareness

10. Esp Experiences

11. Demographics

12. Substance Abuse

13. Fusion

14. Childhood Did

15. Splitting And Switching

G. Psychophysiology

1. Introduction

2. Research Involving Instrument Measures

3. Visual Changes And Response To Medication

4. Psychological And Other Test Differences

5. Handedness And Other Differences

H. Etiology

I. Treatment

J. Case Histories

K. Other Theories

1. The Sociological Model

2. A Therapist’s Alternate Model

L. Addressing The Skeptics

M. Conclusions

Chapter 7 After-Death Communication And End-Of-Life Experiences

A. Introduction

B. After-Death Communication

C. The Guggenheim Study

1. Types Of After-Death Communication

2. Most-Convincing Types Of Adcs

3. Specific Cases

a. Years Later, Unknown Information

b. Unexpected Death

c. Confirmed Time Of Death

d. Appearing Much Younger And Healthier

e. Resolving Animosity; Delays In Appearance

f. Protection Cases

g. Validation Cases

h. Identity Confirmed Later

i. Visits To A Child

j. Witnesses

k. Letting Go

l. Messages For A Third Person

m. Murder Victims

n. Assistance In Healing

o. Physical Phenomena

4. Reports From Outside Sources

a. Dreams For Safety Or Recovery

b. Dancing For The Dead

c. Medical Advice

d. Asking Favors From God

e. Years Later

D. End-Of-Life Experiences

1. The Osis And Haraldsson Study

a. Visions Of Deceased People Versus Religious Figures

b. Takeaway Purposes

c. Willing Versus Called

d. View Of The Afterlife

e. Mood Changes

f. Wrong Person

g. Omens And Other Unusual Incidents

h. Family Knowledge

i. Near Death But Recovered

j. Conclusions Of The Osis And Haraldsson Study

2. The Fenwicks’ Study

a. Sources Of Information

b. Spirit Visitors

c. Empathic And Shared Experiences

d. Ghosts

e. Dream Encounters

f. Belief In The Afterlife

g. Premonitions In The Seemingly Healthy

h. Sensitivities

i. Synchronicities

j. Childhood Ele

k. A Historical Case

l. Conclusions Of The Fenwick Study

3. The Lerma Study

a. Matthew

b. Susan

c. Leon

d. Katarina

e. William

f. Mildred

g. Father Mike

h. Joanna

i. George

j. Dr. Johnson

k. Rachel

l. Jean Pierre

4. Lerma Sequel

a. Lerma’s Father

b. Mary

c. Sarah

d. John Masters

e. Synchronicity

f. Dying Children

g. Misty

h. Maggie

i. Grace

j. Lerma’s Conclusions

k. My Conclusions Of The Lerma Studies

5. Trudy Harris’s Hospice Findings

E. Chapter Conclusions

Chapter 8 Eastern Concepts Of Human Spirituality

A. Introduction

B. Human Spiritual Nature And Energy Fields

C. Other Unusual Abilities

D. Experimental Methodology

E. Sensitives And Their Abilities

F. Oceans Of Energy, And Negative Aspects

G. The Etheric Body And The Chakras

H. The Astral Or Emotional Body

I. The Mental Body

J. The Self Or Causal Body

K. Illnesses Related To The Brain

L. Healers And Healing

M. An Unusual Healer

N. Accuracy Of Kunz’s Medical Observations

O. Spiritual Techniques

P. My Suggestions For Confirming If Spiritual Body Diagnosis Is Medically Accurate

Q. Conclusions

Chapter 9 Shamanism

A. Introduction

B. Native Healer

1. A Calling And The Training

2. Dreams And Visions

3. Healings

4. Conclusions On Lake

C. A Different Perspective

1. States Of Consciousness

2. Guardian Spirits And Power Animals

3. Healing

D. A Scholarly Survey Of Shamanism

1. The Calling To Be A Shaman

2. Training And Initiation

3. Various Spirits

4. Mythology

5. Common Themes

6. Healing Function Of The Shaman

7. Relationships To The Dead

8. Trips To The Underworld

E. Conclusions On Shamanism

Chapter 10 Spirit Intrusion And Release

A. Spiritual Influences On Behavior

1. Introduction

2. Completing The Death Experience

3. An Analogy For Spirit Bodies Sharing A Physical Body

4. Mental Disorders

5. Chapter Outline

6. Therapy For Disorders Arising From Spirit Intrusion

B. The Magus

1. Introduction

2. The Magus’s Spiritual Concepts

3. Using The Concepts Only Beneficially

4. The First Healing Observed

5. Other Healings

6. Elementals

7. Mental Illnesses

8. Physical Healings

9. Other Spiritual Abilities

10. Relating These Concepts To Other Therapists

C. The Possession Historian

1. Introduction

2. Classification System

3. Early Christian Era

4. Oesterreich’s Interpretation

5. Features Of A Possessed Person

6. Occult Practices, And Possession By The Living

7. Spirit Carryover And In Between

8. Possession/Obsession In Modern Times

9. Spirit Entrance

10. Exorcisms And The Placebo Effect

11. Gender Issues

12. Indigenous Societies

13. Earlier Civilizations

14. Middle Ages

15. Modern Church Views (To 1920)

16. The Middle East And Asia

17. Conclusions Of Oesterreich’s Study

D. New Age Healer

1. Introduction

2. The Reason Why Spirits Remain Earthbound

3. Reasons Why People Are Susceptible To Intrusion

4. Therapy Method And Symptoms Of Intrusion

5. Specific And General Cases

6. Preventing Intrusion

E. Spiritualism

1. Introduction

2. Healing Method

3. Reasons For Remaining Earthbound

4. Nde Phenomena In Wickland’s Therapy

5. Reasons Why People Are Susceptible To Intrusion

6. Confusion In A Different Body

7. Protecting Oneself From Obsession

8. A Word Of Caution

F. The Hypnosis Expert

1. Introduction

2. Intrusion By Discarnate Family Members

3. Intrusion By Living Family Members

G. Christian Deliverance

1. A Christian Psychiatrist

a. Introduction

b. Intrusion By The Living

c. Bondage And Healing Methodology

d. Examples Of Reported Healings

i. Hearing Voices

ii. Anorexia Nervosa

iii. Phobias And Homosexuality

iv. The Unborn

v. Ghosts And Occult Practices

e. Conclusions

2. Out Of Africa

a. Introduction

b. Group And Individual Healing Sessions

c. Communicating With The Deceased

d. Dark Spirits And Multiple Spirits

e. Difficulties With Missionaries

f. Conclusions

3. Charismatic Deliverance

a. Introduction

b. Piquing His Interest

c. Symptoms Of Release

d. Types Of Malevolent Spirits

e. Reasons For Failure To Achieve Release

f. Self-Deliverance

g. Conclusions

4. Catholic Exorcisms

a. Introduction

b. General Description Of An Exorcism

c. Zio’s Friend And The Smiler

d. Other Cases

e. Conclusions

H. The Possession Psychiatrist

1. Introduction

2. Spiritual Terms

3. Benign And Malign Possession

4. Various Illnesses

5. Evil

6. Mental Illnesses

I. Therapists Dealing With Additional Factors

1. Introduction

2. Reincarnation

J. The Therapy Method Of Sagan

1. Entities And Therapy Method

2. Human Spiritual Components

3. Death

4. Pregnancy

5. Catching An Entity

6. Past Lives

7. Cords And Bits

8. Beyond Fragments To Extraordinary Fragments

K. East Meets West: The Therapy Method Of Modi

1. Introduction

2. Causes Of Mental Disorders

3. Prenatal, Birth, And Past-Life Traumas

4. Earthbound Entities

5. Demons

6. Soul Fragmentation / Soul Loss

7. Summary Of This Section

L. A Dentist-Cum-Spiritual Therapist: William Baldwin

1. Introduction

2. Discarnate Entities And Soul Fragments

3. Dark-Force Entities

4. Extraterrestrials

5. Other Concepts Of Baldwin

M. Late Start: The Therapy Method Of Louise Ireland-Frey, Md

1. Introduction

2. Types Of Intrusion

3. Employing Higher Levels Of Spirits

N. Another Modern Greek Therapist

O. A Jewish Concept Of Spirit Attachment

P. Confirmation Of A Meditator

1. Introduction

2. Method For Obtaining Information

3. Higher-Order Hallucinations Or Spirits

4. Lower-Order Hallucinations

5. Confirmation By Another Therapist

Q. Intrusion Cases From Did Literature

1. Introduction

2. Intrusion By Deceased Family Members

3. Occult Practices As A Factor

4. Abuse As A Cause

5. Epilepsy Or Abnormal Temporal Lobe Eeg

6. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

7. Transgendered

8. Other Cases

9. Preventing Intrusion

10. Reclassification Of Some Mental Illnesses

R. Modern Society: Specific Cases

1. Introduction

2. Notable People

3. Criminal Behavior

4. Parental And Caretaker Difficulties

5. Hidden Child

6. Other Cases

S. A Discussion Of Applicable Bible Quotations

T. The Nonsolutions Of Materialistic Psychiatry

1. Introduction

2. Trauma, Not Neurotransmitters

3. Genetics

4. Compatibility With Spirit Intrusion

5. Reductionist Fallacies

6. Why Reductionism Survives

7. Trauma-Related Syndromes

8. Implications Of The Trauma Model

Chapter 11 Mystical Experiences

A. Introduction

B. Psychiatry And Mysticism

1. The Mystic Way

C. A Study Of Human Spiritual Nature

D. The Physical Phenomena Of Mysticism

1. Introduction

2. Treece’s Study

3. Levitation

4. Stigmata

5. Tokens Of Espousal

6. Luminous Phenomena

7. Immunity To Fire/Heat

8. Incendium Amoris

9. The Odor Of Sanctity

10. Incorruption Of Physical Body After Death

11. Absence Of Rigor Mortis

12. Blood Prodigies

13. Inedia

14. Multiplication Of Food

15. Supernatural Energy

16. Bilocation

17. Observation

18. Speculative Explanation

E. Spiritually Transformative Experiences

1. Introduction

2. Kason’s Nde

3. Psychic Abilities

4. Creativity And Spiritual Transformation

5. Characteristics Of Stes

6. Further Description Of Kundalini

7. Difficulties In Kundalini Awakening

8. Some Explanations Of And Conclusions About Stes

F. Classical Mysticism

1. Introduction

2. The Mystic Fact

3. Psychology Of Mysticism

4. Mysticism And Theology

5. Mysticism And Symbolism

6. Mysticism And Magic

7. The Mystic Way

a. The Awakening Of The Self

b. The Purification Of The Self

c. Illumination

d. Voices And Visions

e. Introversion

f. Ecstasy And Rapture

g. The Dark Night Of The Soul

h. The Unitive Life

G. Mystical Experiences And Spirit

H. Other Comparisons And Contrasts Among Stes

I. Paradoxes

J. Paranormal Phenomena

K. A Modern Mystic

L. Parables

M. Siddhis

N. Conclusions

Chapter 12 Discussion

A. Introduction

B. Spirit And Protection

C. Ish Therapy As Protection And Healer

D. Spirit And Creativity

E. Spirit As Compensation

1. Musical Savants

2. Calendar And Lightning Calculators

3. Mnemonists (Unusual Memories)

4. Artistic Abilities

5. Other Abilities

6. Attempted Explanations

F. The Soul Aspect Of Humanity

G. Memory

H. Trauma And Soul Loss

I. Soul Fragmentation And Creativity

J. The Etheric Body

K. A Two-Way Street

L. A Neglected Topic

M. Characteristics Exhibited By People Who Have Had Spiritually Transformative Experiences

N. Soul Loss, Spirit Intrusion, And Mental Health

O. Schizophrenia

P. Gender Identity

Q. Organ Transplants

R. Brain Imaging

S. From General To Specific

1. Ndes

2. Dissociative Identity Disorder

3. Eastern Concepts Of Spirituality

4. Shamanism

5. Spirit Intrusion

a. Atteshlis And Oesterreich

b. Fiore, Wickland, Crabtree, And Van Dusen

c. Christian Therapists (Mcall, Basham, Milingo, And Martin)

d. Guirdham And Jewish Concepts Of Spirits

e. Additional Factors Therapists (Sagan, Modi, Baldwin, Ireland-Frey, And Komianos)

f. Final Comments On Spirit Intrusion

T. The Aftermath Of Biological Psychiatry

1. Neurotransmitter Functioning

2. Depression And Bipolar Disorder

3. Schizophrenia And Anxiety Disorders

4. Medicated Children

5. Reductionist Ideology In Conjunction With Money

6. Alternatives, Trauma, And A Word Of Caution

6. A Medical View On Pharma Practices

8. Conclusions Of This Section

U. Alternative Theories—Secular

1. Human Differences

2. Tallis’s Theory

3. Brain Scans

4. Darwinitis

5. Neurotheology

6. My Theory Of Human Development

7. Conclusions Of This Section

V. Alternate Theories—Secular Ii

W. Alternative Theories—Spiritual, The Binary Soul Doctrine

1. Religious And Psychological Support For Two Souls

2. Functions Of Each Soul

3. Separation Of The Two Souls At Death

4. Explaining Paranormal Phenomena

5. Problems In This Life As A Result Of Soul Division

6. Critique Of Bsd

7. Final Remarks On Bsd

X. A History Of Genius, And Its Connection To Spirit

1. Derivation Of The Word

2. Two Transformations

3. The Greeks And The Romans

4. Genius From Early Christianity To The Renaissance

5. Modern Era

6. Geniology

7. Post–World War Ii

8. Conclusions Of This Section

Y. Consciousness

Z. Conclusions Of This Chapter

Chapter 13 Conclusions

A. Introduction

B. The Spirit Form

C. The Soul Form

D. Interactions Of Spirit Forms

E. Concerns And Historical Context

Appendix A Abbreviations And Acronyms

Appendix B Specific Incidents Of Children’s Ndes

Appendix C Lindbergh’s Ghostly Presences In His Own Words

Appendix D Native American Spiritual Violations

Appendix E A Discussion Of Applicable Bible Quotes

Appendix F Select Previously Published Articles And Letters Of The Author

Sources

Chapter 1

SPIRITUAL ANALYSIS IN THE AGE OF MATERIALISM

A. Introduction

That humanity is the product of multiple evolutionary steps—beginning with nonliving molecules conjured into living matter—has been a pervasive mode of thought for over 150 years. This mode of thought is known as physicalism, materialism, or the mechanistic view of life. In this book I will demonstrate that a spiritual perspective of human consciousness and behavior has more evidence to substantiate it than does the mechanistic paradigm.

B. Spiritual, Spirit, and Soul

The word spiritual is evocative. It is frequently used in religious contexts, bringing to mind the thought of someone praying or meditating. The phrase spiritual values is often used to describe intangibles such as honesty, truth, justice, and compassion for others. Another form of the word is spirited, as in a spirited person or animal. The term human spirit implies a sense of hope or determination for achieving an objective or overcoming a challenge. The above perspectives are universal, even to those with no hope that a human being can survive after death.

I use the word spirit as the name for an immaterial duplicate human being that resides (overlaps and penetrates) inside an individual’s physical body during life and continues to exist after the body dies. I will often use the term spirit body to indicate that this spirit has a form. This spirit body may also appear to briefly leave the physical body prior to death. By death, I do not mean the total cessation of life, as would a materialist. I mean, more properly, the shedding of the physical body, since the spirit or spirits of a person live on. One of the key chapters of this book will examine near-death experiences (NDEs). One phase of an NDE is frequently called an out-of-body experience (OBE), in which the person believes that his or her spirit body has left his or her physical body.

The word spirit is a translation of the Greek word pneuma, for breath. Another Greek word related to the nonphysical part of humans is psyche, for soul. Thus, the word psychology means study of the soul, and psychiatrist means doctor of the soul, although many such doctors do not believe in a nonphysical soul.

Much of the Western view of nonphysical life comes from the Bible, especially from the New Testament. Primarily written in Greek, it uses distinct terms for denote spirit and soul. One of the basic premises of this book is that humans consist of more than one spiritual component. Consider the following verses from the New Testament:

• May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved without blemish to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23, LT).

• For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the point of division between soul and spirit, and between the joints and marrow and bones, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12, LT).

• And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:46–47, LT).

The Old Testament usually uses the word spirit in reference to the Spirit of God, but there is one verse that clearly states that humans have a spirit: Truly, there is a spirit in men; and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding (Job 32:8, LT). Some translations indicate that the spirit in men referenced above is the spirit of the Almighty and not the individual’s own spirit, as I would interpret it. But here, Isaiah 26:9 clearly distinguishes between the two: My soul has desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. The Hebrew language differentiates between the two incontrovertibly. The word for soul is nephesh, and the word for spirit is ruah, although the latter sometimes refers to the Spirit of God. In the above verse, Isaiah specifies both my soul and my spirit, terms distinct from the Spirit of God. These Hebrew terms will be discussed in a later chapter.

In addition, the word spirit is frequently used in reference to other nonmaterial beings, such as angels and ghosts, which may or may not be friendly to humans. Although I may use spirit in this manner, it is not my primary focus. Only when these other spirits relate to the spirit body of humans will they be relevant to this discussion (e.g., beings of light observed by a person having an NDE). Likewise, the term ghost will not be used except in the sense of a person in a spirit-body form being observed by another person, as in an apparition.

Of particular interest in this book is the relationship between concepts of spirit or soul and behavior. Psychologists may say that you have the right to believe in a soul or spirit and its survival after death, but they may interject that such a belief does not conform to reality. This book will provide evidence that spirit and soul are better explanations than the purely neurochemical ones for explaining much about abnormal behavior as well as creative inspiration. Citing some experienced therapists, I will identify the root of abnormal behaviors and show how these behaviors can be remedied without psychoactive medications. Awareness of the causes of abnormal behavior may enable people to avoid these causes in the future or to correct a current situation before the complications become severe. I maintain that the principal cause of abnormal behaviors is trauma in its many forms, with its consequent effect on the connection of the soul to the physical body.

C. Materialism

Many people who believe only in the biological basis of sensing and thinking are vocal atheists or agnostics. Some may have religious beliefs that they hold apart from their materialistic view of consciousness. Although I do not know if he has any religious views, one of the chief proponents of the mechanistic viewpoint is the late Sherwin B. Nuland (1930–2014), an American medical doctor and author of the books How We Die (1992) and The Wisdom of the Body (1997). On the topic of spirit in the latter book, Nuland states, Organic structure and function are the essential starting points for any exploration of humanity and spirit (p. 69). Earlier in the book, Nuland explains that until the middle of the nineteenth century, many authorities believed that living things possessed a vital force or energy; these believers were called vitalists. Such belief was not necessarily connected to religion or the supernatural.

Nuland’s vivid explanation of human nature is as follows:

Nevertheless, I do not hesitate to propose that man is in some as-yet-undiscovered way more than the sum of his biological parts, that a thing greater than the innate has somehow been crafted from the innate—that we have taken nature’s endowment and made with it the stuff of spirit and all that implied by my use of the word. How indeed, it might justifiably be asked, can such a formulation escape the charge of being another form of vitalism?

Actually, vitalism has nothing to do with the case. My formulation does not require the existence of any energy—nor any substance, either—beyond what is already well known from the study of physics or chemistry. I propose a human body each of whose constituents follows, as do all living things, the well-researched principles of biophysical systems that are amenable to study by standard scientific methods. I am not postulating a uniqueness within human tissue that presupposes the need to discover new natural laws to understand it. The human spirit of which I speak depends for its elucidation on principles already explicated. In the battle of vitalists versus mechanists, I stand squarely in the center of mechanist camp. My concept does not involve a nonmaterial source.

The quality I call spirit is in its very essence the product of the organization and integration of the multiplicity of physical and chemical phenomena that is us. It has to do with the way the various parts of the human body communicate and are coordinated with one another under the control of the evolved masterwork that is the human brain. That such a complex multicellular organism functions with a unity of purpose is the result of a myriad of messages of various sorts and of integrative capacities that in themselves originate in nature’s purpose, which is merely to keep the organism from dying, at least until its reproductive capacity is spent. (pp. 68–69; original italics)

What Nuland has called a mechanistic concept has also been called materialistic—the idea that each person has only a physical body. In the context of this book, the word materialism will refer only to this philosophical premise. People who accumulate wealth, cultivate impressive lifestyles, or are hedonists are often called materialistic, but not in the sense here discussed. Another term for a materialistic or mechanistic view of humans is physicalism. In general, I will use the terms physicalism, materialism, and mechanistic concept interchangeably. A term that writer Raymond Tallis, whom I will cite extensively, uses is biologism. Biologism may imply, among other things, that the laws of physics and chemistry are somewhat altered in all living things—that the laws of biochemistry could be different from those of inorganic chemistry.

Previously, I discussed various meanings of spirit. Sometimes languages other than English elegantly encapsulate a complex term in a single word. One such word is the German zeitgeist. The English translation I prefer is spirit of the times. I would call the last one and a half centuries the age of materialism, in the sense that Will and Ariel Durant refer to certain historical periods as the age of faith and "the age of reason. Even some philosophers during the axial age, including the ancient Greeks, would be considered materialist thinkers. Today’s materialists often claim that all phenomena of the mind will eventually be shown to be brain-based. Those opposed deride this philosophy as promissory materialism."

Mechanists normally view the human body and brain as the apex of the evolutionary scale. Thus, they believe that any spiritual concepts of God arose through an evolutionary process because ancient people who had those views were more likely to survive. A recent book took the dualist approach, gathering data on brain function and human behavior that do not appear to be explainable through materialism. This included original research by the lead author, who views the mind as separate from the brain. This book, The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Case for the Existence of the Soul (2007), by Mario Beauregard, PhD, and Denyse O’Leary, has two interesting, and related, glossary terms.

Evolutionary psychology: The branch of psychology that maintains that human brains, including any component that involves religion or spirituality, comprise adaptations or psychological mechanisms that have evolved by natural selection to benefit the survival and reproduction of the human organism. (p. 345)

Neurotheology: An approach to religious, spiritual and mystical experiences that seeks a neurological and evolutionary basis for spiritual experiences. (p. 346)

It should be noted that although they disagree with evolutionists on these particular points, Beauregard and O’Leary do not deny that evolution applies to plant and animals. I agree with them on this point and also on their point that spirituality is not a product of evolution; rather, we have spirit components in addition to our physical bodies.

One question frequently raised by evolutionists is when to properly differentiate between two species, either as a matter of degree or of kind. Obviously, major differences such as invertebrate versus vertebrate, cold-blooded versus warm-blooded, and nonmammal versus mammal indicate a difference of kind. Less significant differences between mammals, for example, between canines and felines, would be a difference of kind. However, differences between breeds of canine would be a difference of degree. Even evolutionists debate whether humans are different by degree or in kind from great apes. The spiritual concept I posit makes humans different in kind from the great apes.

Although many other researchers in the field of consciousness examine the relation between brain function and the physical body, researchers who study NDEs pose a fundamental question: If a human being can perceive and think when the brain is not functioning (i.e., when there are no brain waves on an electroencephalograph [EEG]), then what is the nature of consciousness? A few years ago, the prestigious magazine Science published a list of the 125 most important questions for which science was seeking answers, including What is the biological basis of consciousness? In other words, how do biochemical reactions in the brain result in sensing and thinking, memory, and a sense of self? For the physically nonfunctioning brain, spiritual realities are the only explanation for individuals’ ability to record visions and spoken words as well as to think rationally.

It should be noted that when an EEG reports no brain waves, the EEG is generally measuring higher-level brain functions. The lower-level brain activities, such as those in the brain stem or amygdala, could still be functioning. However, these parts of the brain are not responsible for color vision or rational thought, the latter being exclusive to humans.

A problem with a discussion of a spirit or a soul within humans is that we consider these things to be associated exclusively with humanity. If each human has a soul and a spirit, and possibly other spirit forms, then could not one of these be in plants or animals? Could not these forms be a functioning part of the plant’s or animal’s biophysical system? Although Nuland’s explanation of a vital force or energy unique to living organisms will only be briefly mentioned in this text, the concept of nonphysical forms and their functions will be the primary issue presented in this book. Animals may have some nonphysical forms, but they do not have a form that is unique to humans.

D. Mind, Brain, and Psi Phenomena

If use of the words spirit and soul appears to reflect a religious view, despite the fact that Nuland, a mechanist, uses the word spirit, some nonreligious people present an alternative. These philosophers and scientists study the issue as a mind/brain problem. The issue is similar to that previously discussed, of a person’s being able to perceive and think when the brain is not functioning. In this case, the mind is separate from the brain, although the two normally function concurrently. People who believe that the mind and brain are separate are called dualists. A recent book entitled Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century (2007), written by multiple authors, addresses many of the phenomena that I will discuss. With the term irreducible mind, the authors connote that the mind cannot be reduced to the biophysical activities of the brain.

Earlier, I mentioned a mechanistic view of humans and an Out-of-body experience (OBE) that can occur during an NDE. I believe that NDEs are spiritual experiences, although those who uphold the mechanistic view have been very outspoken in trying to present mechanistic explanations. In the previously cited book The Spiritual Brain, the authors note how quickly the news media present speculative research that explains NDEs as physical, brain-based phenomena. The general news media tend to demonstrate a friendlier attitude toward NDEs, as they know it often brings higher viewer ratings. The scientific press, after presenting its physical explanation of NDEs, is then reluctant to present evidence that refutes the original research when newer evidence shows that the original research was poorly done or that the conclusions of the research went beyond the scope of the observed phenomena. Irreducible Mind notes that many scientific explanations are not true explanations, but rather a restating of a phenomenon in scientific linguistics. Irreducible Mind calls upon scientists to explain the explanation.

Scientists or well-educated laypeople interested in parapsychology, or psi phenomena, often refer to scientists who immediately reject these psi phenomena as fundamental scientists or as those practicing scientism, defined by Tallis in his book Aping Mankind (2011) as the mistaken belief that the natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology and their derivatives) can or will give a complete description and even explanation of everything, including human life (p. 15). These are scientists who uphold the unproven assumption that only information that comes from the senses or from scientific instruments (devices that magnify or extend sense impressions) is valid.

Another explanation for scientism is that it happens when scientific opinion becomes rigid dogma. One example is a short question-and-answer section in the Newsmakers section of Science (vol. 315, February 23, 2007, 1061) about the closing down of the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory. Its director had been Robert Jahn, an aerospace scientist and the former dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University. Among the lab’s controversial claims was that human thought can influence physical reality. Here are two questions posed to Dr. Jahn, along with his replies.

Q: Do you think these phenomena will ever be proved in a way that will satisfy these skeptics?

A: That raises the whole question of where the skepticism comes from. I have to tell you that I was not totally prepared for the intensity of recalcitrance we have encountered. … For skepticism to be useful, it has to be informed. It doesn’t help if the people haven’t read your papers or visited your laboratory or talked with you personally.

Q: What’s the worst snub you ever received from a scientist?

A: [One wrote,] It’s not worth my time to inform myself [about your research] because it is so obviously impossible. This is not a scientific attitude.

Apparently, the writer of that snub and most other materialists are unfamiliar with a comment by John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) in his book On Liberty (1859). In it, he states that a person who knows only his own side of a case (or issue), knows little of that.

By claiming that they are doing true science, fundamental scientists claim that they hold or have seized the high moral ground. I believe my writings will show that many scientists are actually holding the opposite position. Many scientists in recent years have engaged in outright fraud in their investigations. The public may sometimes hear about it when the perpetrators are exposed, but this practice could be much more prevalent than reported. Advocates of scientism employ a logical fallacy when they cite frivolous examples of anomalous data to debunk an entire phenomenon.

Often, when a scientific person uses the term faith, he or she is using it in a derogatory manner about people following a previously written book, like the Bible, that conflicts with other, hard evidence gathered by scientists. I posit that people who believe only in sense-based input to the brain hold this opinion on faith, as the same cannot be validated by the viewpoint itself. To some extent, everyone, including scientists, uses faith every day, although not necessarily in a religious sense. The writer of the book of Hebrews includes the following in his definition of faith: Faith is … the evidence for things not seen (Hebrews 11:1, LT). Much of this book will be such evidence that a spirit-body-based concept of behavior and brain function is a better model for explaining behavior than is the standard medical model or the mechanistic approach currently employed in psychological research. Davis (2010) attributes the following quote to R. Buckminster Fuller, but provides no reference to Fuller: You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. Whenever I use the phrase I believe, I mean that evidence, not any one authority, person, or book, has led me to the stated conclusion.

E. An Interesting View on the Paranormal

I will be using the word paranormal regularly in this book. My interpretation of paranormal has little to do with the Hollywood version but instead draws from the work of psychologist Lawrence LeShan (1920–), a popular writer on the subject of psi phenomena and their relationship to standard science. LeShan is the author of How to Meditate and numerous other books on alternate realities, and more recently on a book about how to deal with cancer. The parapsychology he writes about that is most relevant to this discussion is presented in The World of the Paranormal: The Next Frontier ([1984] 2000). Although the term paranormal is used in the title of his book, he maintains that it is a perfectly normal part of human potential (p. 11). He refers to communication using the senses as Type A perception. Type B perception is that not involving the senses but instead paranormal/extrasensory perception (ESP).

LeShan frequently discusses different metaphysical systems, or realms. Type A events are in the Realm of Sensory Experience, while type B events are in the Realm of Consciousness and the Realm of Meaningful Behavior. Modern science, especially physics, has little to do with human experience, meaningful events, or consciousness. Scientific methodology is only applicable in the Realm of Sensory Experience, based on ceteris paribus (other things being equal). Furthermore, the scientific method is based on 19th-century theories of physics (a mechanical model) and not today’s quantum mechanical (QM) model. Indeed, the most influential 19th and early 20th-century academic precepts, by Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Charles Darwin, were all mechanistic.

To state that type B perception is impossible is to base one’s view on 19th-century physics. LeShan notes that when theory and facts disagree, it is the theory that needs to be discarded, not the facts. He quotes St. Augustine: There is no such thing as a miracle which violates natural law. There are only events which violate our limited knowledge of natural law (p. 47). LeShan maintains that consciousness has no material qualities; it is not located and has no bounds. As an example, mystic Jacob Boehme, when asked where the soul went at death, replied that it was not necessary for it to go anywhere. Heaven is not a place that occupies physical space. However, when a soul is in a physical body, it roughly corresponds to the shape of the physical body.

Different types of experiences require different metaphysical systems. Faith and reason can disagree but still remain valid within their own metaphysical systems. These differences in metaphysical systems are also noted by Michael Harner, an author to be discussed later, in his discussion of shamanic states of consciousness.

Closely related to these realms of experience are two terms infrequently employed in the social sciences and psychology: nomothetic science, which deals with objective phenomena (the natural sciences), and idiographic (or ideographic) science, which deals with individuals and subjective phenomena. In essence, the same laws that govern inanimate matter do not explain human behavior. Each of these areas of study uses different metaphysical systems (models or reality), and the experimental methodology of one science cannot be used to prove or disprove claims made in another realm.

To further delineate these concepts, I have developed the following table from LeShan’s explanations of the differences between the two types of perception and two sciences.

TABLE 1.1. Differences Between Two Types of Perceptions

LeShan also discusses three types of truth: empirical, analytic, and scientific. He argues that there can be no scientific truth concerning annihilation of consciousness at the death of the physical body because the annihilation of consciousness cannot be observed. Additionally, LeShan provides interesting insights and questions regarding assumptions made by parapsychologists in their study of paranormal events such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. For instance, a number of parapsychologists have performed rigorous studies demonstrating that the accuracy of telepathy (communication between two people’s minds) is not affected by distance and that the experimental subjects can be inside cages that prevent communication via electromagnetic radiation. Early parapsychological research used card-reading experiments to provide evidence that some people could tell which card another person was viewing (telepathy), or to demonstrate clairvoyance (no other viewer) or precognition (which card will be selected before the selection is made).

LeShan maintains that it does not make sense to perform such experiments, because they are in different realms of experience. A purely statistical analysis of this research can be misleading. The difficulty is that coin tosses or card guesses are not really relevant to most humans, especially when done multiple times. Some studies have shown that accuracy decreases the longer an experiment of this type lasts, as it has no meaning to the test subject. Hearing messages from an injured or deceased person at the moment of injury or death has human meaning but is not repeatable for a statistical analysis. The same is true for greeting deceased relatives during an NDE. A complex sensory definition for type B perception cannot be developed, as there is no known physical explanation.

Eastern religions often speak of the material world as the illusory maya. LeShan would probably prefer to explain that the material world is not an illusion in the sensory realm but is an illusion in the Realm of Consciousness. This is similar to Michael Harner’s noting the difference between an ordinary state of consciousness and a shamanic state of consciousness.

LeShan discusses several types of consciousness, referred to here as altered states of consciousness (ASCs). I will not go over his four types here (sensory reality, clairvoyant/unity reality, transpsychic reality, and mythic reality), for the sake of brevity. Normally, when the word consciousness is used, it implies waking consciousness, but sleep is an ASC as are hypnagogic and trance states. Mystical consciousness is very rare, and the paranormal phenomena that occur during it or during NDEs are much deeper—and different from telepathic communication. A reader should see close parallels between the realms of consciousness that LeShan discusses and spiritually transformative experiences (STEs). STEs are similar to NDEs, except that the person is not near death. Still, LeShan classifies STEs as ineffable experiences, indescribable with sense-based language.

LeShan surmises that there should be a sign above the doorway of the cathedral of science that states that it is a dangerous and unstable structure that is undergoing major renovation and may be torn down at any moment for complete rebuilding. He maintains that when scientists are asking questions about consciousness and cannot find an answer, they are asking the wrong questions and making incorrect assumptions, such as doubting the existence of telepathy. Type B perception is the study of how individuals cannot be fully separated from each other. My book is about how behavior can be better explained if a proper understanding is reached regarding plural spiritual entities within humans.

F. Psychology and Spiritual Factors

When I use the term psychology, I use it in a broad sense, to include perception and other concepts not limited to sense-based perception. Within the parameters of paranormal behavior, I include a variety of items such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition (seeing the future), retrocognition (seeing the past), communication with a deceased person, time distortion, unusual healing abilities, bilocation (physically appearing in two locations at the same time), and other anomalous phenomena.

Society often thinks of the role of psychology as developing motivation for desired behavior. While psychology is not the primary focus of this book, I will delve into changing abnormal behavior into socially acceptable behavior. By abnormal behavior, I mean mental illnesses as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. My primary focus will be auditory and visual hallucinations, especially pathological ones that are threatening or undesirable. People who heard voices encouraging them to go on shooting sprees have committed numerous public shootings. I will explain spiritual factors of this phenomenon, although many of these hallucinations may be a combination of physical and spiritual forces. I will often mention posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and explain how trauma can activate abnormal behavior by way of the manner in which it affects a person’s spirit body.

By spiritual factor, I do not necessarily imply that abnormal behavior is the result of sin. For example, substance abuse and addiction are defined mental disorders, which, many religions would assert, are the result of moral error. My preferred definition of sin is to miss the mark. In other words, the behavior in question is a waste of time and energy but is not necessarily offensive to a deity. Such unacceptable behavior can often appear in various victims, for instance, those who were abused as children. Even some problems that seem to be purely physical may have a spiritual influence. For instance, epilepsy was once called the sacred disease. Needless to say, some of the concepts discussed here are more speculative than other areas of study.

Many scientists engage in speculative theoretical science, but their results are implied to be absolute. Most common scientists so engaged are astronomers or physicists. For instance, there is no way on earth to replicate the nuclear reactions occurring at the center of stars, what happens in a supernova, or a gamma-ray burst, so astronomers or physicists speculate on what is happening to explain the observed phenomena. To a great extent, I have speculated similarly, but I believe that my speculations are able to reduce some seemingly disparate observations of behavior to a common cause, for example, the effects of trauma through abuse or injury.

Another important area of my inquiry is the spiritual origins of creativity. As with pathological hallucinations, people’s creative aspects can come by way of voices, music, visions, or guidance. But these, unlike pathological hallucinations, are considered to be appreciated communication.

G. Metaphors and Spiritual/Physical Interactions

Although this book seeks to relate consciousness and behavior to a spirit body, there have been attempts by physicists to explain such brain function using discoveries of modern physics. For instance, some have adopted quantum theory to explain the brain, especially its role in memory. According to quantum theory, memory could use the brain but not necessarily be stored there, being active when the brain is not. Another common explanation is that the brain can behave like a hologram. Although I consider these to be valid discussions, I regard them as metaphors for explaining spiritual realities, as there is no holographic device in a person’s brain.

One of the terms used by NDErs (near-death experiencers) is ineffability. This term refers to their difficulty in conveying their feelings in words. Quantum and holographic terms help us to relate these spiritual phenomena to a physical explanation. Some physicists have gone beyond simply using them as metaphors. Physicist Itzhak Bentov (1923–1979) developed the following concepts: (1) The universe and all matter is a mode of consciousness in the process of developing to higher levels; (2) Our brains are thought receivers, not the source of thought; and (3) According to Bentov, the universe is a hologram and the brain is a hologram interpreting a holographic universe. These concepts could be compatible with my concept of the spirit body, but they could also be materialist thinking if taken beyond analogy.

One of the vital issues raised by the concept of a spirit body is its relation to a physical body. If the two never interact, then the spirit body is not the mind. However, I maintain that they do interact and that spirit is the basis for mind, as separate from the brain. NDErs often state that when their spirit body is out of their physical body, it can pass unimpeded through doors, walls, and other people. Although many NDErs report that despite their having spoken when out of their body, no one could hear them, although many NDErs could hear what a person in a physical body was saying.

The film Ghost (1990) depicted much of the phenomenon that occurs during an NDE. In the film, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) dies and attempts to communicate with his grieving girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore). He initially fails but then discovers that he can contact her through Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a usually fraudulent medium. In a later scene, Sam needs to type on a computer, but his spirit body’s fingers keep passing through the keyboard. The spirit of another deceased person explains to Sam that to interact with the physical world, he must have a strong emotional desire to do so. This interaction between spirit and matter is very important, perhaps explaining why materialists have difficulty understanding how spirits, if they even exist, could be important if they simply pass through physical matter.

Metaphors or analogies from the physical world further help to explain my point about spirit bodies. Biologists and physiologists have made great strides recently toward understanding infectious diseases and pharmaceutical drugs (hereafter just drugs) and the latters’ interaction with the human body. Infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses (hereafter just agents) have proteins on their surface. Unless these proteins match up with receptors on an animal’s cells, they cannot enter, or interact with, the animal cells to infect or destroy them.

There is a similar mechanism for drugs. An effective antibiotic must have the ability to enter the agent. Agents can develop resistance to antibiotics by changing their receptors. The same is true of an individual’s immune system. It must recognize the foreign agent and develop a countermeasure that recognizes and neutralizes the intruder.

I think that the spirit body may have nonphysical receptors so that, in general, only the spirit body that belongs with that physical body can interpenetrate and interact with it. Each person’s nonphysical receptors may have a different vibration frequency. Another spirit body can pass through the normal spirit body. For example, when an NDEr in its spirit body passes through a physical body, it also passes through the normal spirit body. Generally, the spirit body prefers to remain in its designated physical body, but trauma can cause it to depart. This trauma can be physical pain associated with a heart attack, childbirth, injury, anesthesia, or shock (e.g., the result of an allergic reaction or loss of blood). Emotional trauma (e.g., child abuse) or depletion of energy can also cause the spirit body to depart the physical body. Under any of these circumstances, the spirit body may become fragmented and may not completely return. The spirit body does not normally depart, and it can return after an NDE. However, if the physical body is beyond repair, the spirit cannot return and the physical body dies. It is possible that the spirit body temporarily leaves the physical body during sleep (especially when the person is dreaming) but then returns without the person’s having a memory of where the spirit body went.

H. Sources and Validity of Data

Regarding research of spiritual phenomena, it is important to note a few words of caution. Some of my information comes from fields of inquiry that in the past were called the occult or spiritualism. The word occult simply means hidden. Spiritualism usually refers to contacting the dead through a medium. Most religious texts warn against such exploration. In Leviticus and elsewhere in the Bible, one finds warnings against diviners, soothsayers, and various means of contacting the dead through witchcraft. Perhaps because of the association of the word occult with problem areas of human nature, the term New Age has come into vogue. This term is so broad that it is largely useless for purposes of this book.

While I agree that precautions must be taken when researching spiritual phenomena, this does not mean that all investigation is dangerous or that valid data cannot be obtained. Perhaps some of the people who became involved in this area of study fell under the influence of dark spirits, but that does not necessarily mean that everyone does, or that the concepts of the spiritual nature of humanity are incorrect.

I do believe that there can be a dark side to the occult. In the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, the character Indiana Jones stated that the National Socialists (Nazis) studied the occult extensively. In reality, the practice had been going on in Germany (as well as in other parts of Europe and in the United States) years before the Nazis came to power. Some of their racially based theories came from the occult, but I believe this dark side of human nature was more closely related to social Darwinism, the overapplication of evolution to humanity.

In addition to the occult and spiritualism, I will discuss some concepts from Eastern thought. Just as the spirit and the soul are mentioned in the Bible, Eastern religions have a concept of human nature. I will be emphasizing this nature of humanity, rather than the nature of divinity, in those religions.

I will usually describe a concept presented by an author without comment about the author or publisher’s viewpoint, with some exceptions. For instance, I may say that this particular publisher has primarily published books from a religious, New Age, or skeptic’s viewpoint. Skeptics are so called because they question nonphysical explanations of behavior.

Throughout this book I will be citing findings or research by other people. If the person has a special degree or an academic credential, I will list it. However, I may not cite any academic degree if the information is from a research publication, as it is understood that the writer in all likelihood has an advanced degree. The research in the area of study with which this book is concerned is often a collection of gathered anecdotal information. Many people would say this type of data is not valid, but in some cases it is difficult to obtain the real thing. For instance, no research committee would approve deliberately bringing people close to death in order to study NDEs. It is up to you to decide if the findings I present are appropriate. In some cases I may give my opinion, such as stating that a finding is unique and unconfirmed but consistent with my hypothesis. Much of my information is anecdotal, not the results of experiments.

I. Hypothesis

I am presenting the hypothesis that spirituality is a better explanation than physicalism to explain consciousness and behavior, but a definitive conclusion about spirituality is not yet available. As the invention of the telescope helped verify that the earth circles the sun, it also raised more questions about the solar system. More powerful telescopes answered those questions but then raised even more profound questions. Likewise, my hypothesis for a spiritual explanation of behavior may raise other questions about spirituality. An inquisitive person (or an inquisitive society) may never reach a final conclusion, as each answer raises greater questions.

In the title of this book, I have used the word hypothesis, defined by the Encarta Dictionary as a tentative explanation for phenomena. Paranormal phenomena have been around for a long time, and some may conjecture that they indicate God’s intercession in the physical realm or that the person around whom one of these phenomena occurs is spiritually gifted. Some skeptical scientists may contend that a certain spiritual phenomenon does not even exist and is an impossibility according to physical laws. Others may maintain that the phenomenon is so unique or infrequent that nothing can be learned from it since it is not repeatable. In writing this book, I am suggesting a tentative explanation of abnormal and creative behavior. If other researchers further study the concepts presented, then human behavior can be better understood and modified to improve life for all.

J. Goals and Perspective

There are two specific goals of my research, the first being to achieve a better understanding of abnormal behavior and to attempt to correct serious cases of abnormal behavior without the use of expensive, ineffective, or harmful medications. When I discuss correcting abnormal behavior, I mean the possibility of preventing and curing various mental illnesses and criminal behavior, not just the continuous use of pharmaceuticals to combat the symptoms. People with mental illnesses often commit crimes and are also victims of crime. If my hypothesis provides improved methods for curing mental illness, perhaps our society can reduce the economic and social cost of crime and incarceration and the security apparatus to prevent crime. The second goal of my research is to better understand the spiritual origins of creativity so that it may be more readily accessed for the benefit of all. Although not the primary or secondary focus of this book, the importance of maintaining healthy family relationships will also receive significant attention.

I have included information that I have discovered over the last 45 years or so, although some of the references were written well before this period. Overall, I have an eclectic approach. In discussing behavior, sometimes psychological concept A may be best, while in seemingly similar circumstances psychological concept B may be more appropriate.

Finally, I would like to make a statement about my own perspective. I have had virtually no psychic experiences in my life. In one sense, I think it is good that I am simply evaluating data. This enables me to provide an objective third person view of others’ concepts. However, some may ask that if these experiences have not happened to me, how do I know they exist?

Since my background is in the technical field of science and engineering, so are my concepts of creativity. I also have an interest in literature and music. I enjoy reading about how various composers wrote their musical works. Although I do not know if the creative ideas for a symphony or a novel spring from the same creative impetus as scientists’ works, I do know that writers often have a special ability to explain human nature. For example, the 20th-century American writer Thornton Wilder (1897–1975) offers a fantastic description of humanity in the words of the narrator in the third act of Our Town (1938):

Now there are some things we all know, but we don’t take’m and look at’m very often. We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t earth, and ain’t even the stars … everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings. All the greatest people ever lived have been telling us that for five thousand years and yet you’d be surprised how many people are always losing hold of it. There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.

Unfortunately, and tragically, the views of scientism have preempted this once universally accepted concept.

I believe it was Carl Sagan who first asserted, Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. While I agree that some skepticism is necessary, perhaps the preeminent physicalism or evolution is the true extraordinary claim. Many types of parapsychological phenomena have been shown in laboratory experiments. Scientism refuses to accept the data since they do not fit into its paradigm. However, stories about many parapsychological phenomena come from anecdotal sources. How does one perform an experiment verifying that the instructions from a deceased relative’s voice saved one’s life?

One of the consequences of a mechanistic/evolutionary concept of humanity is that those who adopt it believe that life is the survival of the fittest. There is no purpose in life other than to keep an organism from dying (at least until after reproduction). One of the primary messages I hope to convey with this book is that there is a purpose for each person’s life. Some people may have a seemingly grander purpose, but each life has a purpose, even if it is only to help one other person. However, this does not imply that each person actually fulfills his or her purpose.

K. Outline of the Book

The following is an outline of concepts I will be discussing in this book to support my spiritual basis for explaining consciousness and human behavior. In chapter 2, I will introduce the concept that humans have multiple spirit bodies, a concept that was developed from shamanic peoples. In chapter 3, I