Extraordinary Knowing
I've finally finished Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer's Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind.
If I were putting together a short introductory reading list about the state of scientific ESP / psi / anomalous cognition research in the 21st century (leaving the deeper spiritual implications for the moment in the too-socially-awkward basket), I would include at least Irreducible Mind, Entangled Minds, Mind-Reach, and this book. But if I only had one book with which to capture the attention of an interested layperson, it would be this one. Mayer writes lucidly, engagingly and in the first person, but she also writes from the viewpoint of a staunch scientist who has had to come to terms with the reality of anomalous human knowledge and is willing to confront wherever this strange journey takes her.
This includes a journalist-like roundup of the current leading researchers (Puthoff, Radin, Jahn et al) and methodologies (Zener cards, Remote Viewing, DMILS, SPECT, ganzfeld and the PEAR/Noetic Science autonomic entrainment setups), plus an outline of the major skeptics and historical controversies. Most of these I've encountered previously, such as in Radin's work, but Mayer brings a few new angles and a new perception, as a psychologist and a human being with a passionate interest in both the reality of psi and why the subject still remains so taboo in mainstream science.
Of all the books on the subject of psi or spirituality I've read so far, Mayer's comes across as one of the freshest and most exciting. Her comments about psi-knowing being like gestalt visual perception ('daytime eyes and nighttime eyes') are intriguing and something I had not heard previously, and the four-quadrant matrix comparing psychology to physics (conscious vs unconscious / tangible vs intangible) looks like an interesting way of approaching the similarities and differences between the two worlds. Her remarks about Freud's personal belief in telepathy sit nicely alongside the Irreducible Mind focus on Myers' broader treatment of the 'subliminal' as opposed to the 'unconscious'. I especially like her interest on 'what does psi feel like' (and her conclusion that it's a very similar state to 'flow experiences') - as it's a long-neglected but vital element of the puzzle. But it's her stories about the suppression (self-suppression, often) of discussion of anomalous cognition in the scientific and medical world that seem the most human and compassionate, and give me the greatest hope for the future.
It is a sad footnote to this wonderful book that Mayer died (of complications from a long-term illness) shortly after the manuscript was completed. I would have loved to have read what else she might have written on the subject.
A Youtube video of Mayer talking about the book before her death.
August 12th, 2007 - 01:51
For your consideration: Derek Prince: How to Pass from Curse to Blessing
August 13th, 2007 - 22:07
Yep, I’ve read Derek Prince, including that one. His Foundations course was influential in my baptism in the spirit experience. I’ve got a pretty high opinion of him, especially his view of what constitutes ‘witchcraft’ (the attempt to coerce or control others).
August 13th, 2007 - 22:33
I also think that there is a lot of good common sense in being cautious about artifacts, symbols, and practices with unknown associations. I believe that there certainly are ‘dark’ forces or personalities, which can influence groups and individuals to varying degrees. Or at least, ‘areas of shadow’, since I don’t believe ’spiritual darkness’ is so much a power in itself as an absence, and I don’t think we need to be frightened of it. The concept that we have the authority in ourselves (as we express Christ in us) to dismiss the darkness, and that the darkness is somehow created in a ‘legal’ sense by our actions or choices is I think very important.