Science of the SpiritS


Cross

Demons really are possessing people, warns psychiatrist

Ethan Huff
Natural News
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 00:01 UTC
exorcist
An Ivy League-educated psychiatrist is convinced that there's a growing epidemic of demonic possession in the world today, and that most everyday people now recognize the dark reality of this scary situation.

Dr. Richard Gallagher, who boasts degrees from both Princeton University and Yale University, says that, despite conflicting opinions within mainstream medical science, demonic possession is both real and rampant.

With 25 years of experience under his belt as a private psychiatrist that compliments his two teaching positions at both New York Medical College and Columbia University, Dr. Gallagher believes he holds a unique vantage point in discerning between human and non-human, or satanic, behavior.

Comment: While the idea of demonic possession remains rather fringe, relegated to the corners of superstition and religious delusion, the work of Dr. Richard Gallagher, among others, shines an important light on the phenomenon. There is little doubt that something is going on here, but separating the myths from the truths, the legitimate cases from the counterfeits, is difficult.

See also:

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Heart - Black

The dark side to emotional intelligence - and how to protect yourself

Justin Bariso
Time
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
mechanical heart
When Daniel Goleman published the book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, few had heard of the term. In academic circles, it was a new concept - a theory formed by two psychologists, John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, that posited that just as people have a wide range of intellectual abilities, they also have a wide range of emotional skills that profoundly affect their thinking and actions.

Fast forward to today. You'll find references to emotional intelligence just about everywhere, most of them positive: how emotional intelligence can make you a better leader, a better employee or even a better spouse or parent.

What you don't see very often are references to the negative aspects of emotional intelligence. But it's important to remember that emotional intelligence, much like "traditional" intelligence, is not inherently virtuous. It's a tool.

Comment: For an excellent expansion on the above article, read:

The numerous tactics that narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths use to manipulate and silence you

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2 + 2 = 4

SOTT Focus: 3 Things I Learned From Attending Jordan Peterson's Sold-out Show In DC

Juliana Knot
The Federalist
Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:24 UTC
Peterson book
Renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson took the stage at the sold-out Warner Theater in Washington DC Friday night. The crowd got on its feet and started cheering, ecstatic to hear him speak.
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Brain

Major academic journal publishes article admitting the evidence for psi is solid

Greg
Daily Grail
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 15:16 UTC
telepathy
Is controversial research into telepathy and other seeming 'super-powers' of the mind starting to be more accepted by orthodox science? In its latest issue, American Psychologist - the official peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Psychological Association - has published a paper that reviews the research so far into parapsychological ('psi') abilities, and concludes that the "evidence provides cumulative support for the reality of psi, which cannot be readily explained away by the quality of the studies, fraud, selective reporting, experimental or analytical incompetence, or other frequent criticisms."

The new paper - "The experimental evidence for parapsychological phenomena: a review", by Etzel Cardeña of Lund University - also discusses recent theories from physics and psychology "that present psi phenomena as at least plausible", and concludes with recommendations for further progress in the field.

The paper begins by noting the reason for presenting an overview and discussion of the topic: "Most psychologists could reasonably be described as uninformed skeptics - a minority could reasonably be described as prejudiced bigots - where the paranormal is concerned". Indeed, it quotes one cognitive scientist as stating that the acceptance of psi phenomena would "send all of science as we know it crashing to the ground".

To address this, the paper quickly outlines some current theories in physics and psychology that might help to explain psi effects without smashing the pillars supporting the scientific establishment: quantum physics, ideas on the nature of consciousness, theories of time, and psychological and evolutionary theories of psi.
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Wine n Glass

Intelligent people drink more and are more likely to use drugs

Dr. Jeremy Dean
PsyBlog
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 15:11 UTC
reading and drinking tea
© Eric Vanden
People with high IQs drink more alcohol, although they are unlikely to be heavy drinkers, new research finds.

In other words, they drink more, on average, but spread it out, and are unlikely to be alcoholics.

The results fit with the fact that highly intelligent people are also more likely to use drugs.

It could be because the intelligent tend to be easily bored.

The conclusions come from a large study of the links between IQ and health habits.

Higher IQs are generally linked to healthier habits.
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Extinguisher

How the mind operates under high stress

Tali Sharoti
Aeon
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 17:25 UTC
firefighters
© Randy Robertson
Some of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime will occur while you feel stressed and anxious. From medical decisions to financial and professional ones, we are often required to weigh up information under stressful conditions. Take for example expectant parents who need to make a series of important choices during pregnancy and labour - when many feel stressed. Do we become better or worse at processing and using information under such circumstances?

My colleague Neil Garrett, now at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute in New Jersey, and I ventured from the safety of our lab to fire stations in the state of Colorado to investigate how the mind operates under high stress. Firefighters' workdays vary quite a bit. Some days are pretty relaxed; they'll spend part of their time washing the truck, cleaning equipment, cooking meals and reading. Other days can be hectic, with numerous life-threatening incidents to attend to; they'll enter burning homes to rescue trapped residents, and assist with medical emergencies. These ups and downs presented the perfect setting for an experiment on how people's ability to use information changes when they feel under pressure.

We found that perceived threat triggered a stress reaction that made the firefighters better at processing information - but only as long as it conveyed bad news.
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Bulb

Embracing an Ennobling Vision by Rejecting Cynicism and Nihilism


Querticus
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 21:05 UTC
man in river
It is the responsibility of every man to keep himself out of the abyss. Yet he cannot do this job alone; a set of guiding principles must light the way along the dark and confusing pathways of the forest. In some cases, he must be hectored, badgered, cajoled, and-in the end-forced to keep along the path; in other cases, he need only be guided by gentle instruction in the illuminating lights of philosophical inquiry. Every situation is different, and calls for different remedies.

And yet man is a slippery animal. Often he does not say what he means; he likes to cloak his true desires and motivations in garments of varying shape and color. Rare is the man who is honest with others; even rarer is he who is honest with himself. As Leonardo Bruni reminds us,
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Book 2

Author Michael Pollan wants to change your mind with psychedelic drugs

Kevin Franciotti
The Fix
Mon, 21 May 2018 13:21 UTC
TED Talks
© TED Talks
Thousands of patients were treated for addiction and alcoholism with LSD and other psychedelics in the '50s and '60s, which proved so successful that the Canadian government for a time made it a standard option for treatment.

Future generations may look back at last week as the defining period when the conversation around modern psychedelic research entered mainstream society. With appearances everywhere from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to an extensive interview broadcast on NPR's Fresh Air (and dozens of other news programs), perhaps one of the more unlikely figures to emerge as a spokesperson for psychedelics, renowned science journalist and author, Michael Pollan, has been discussing his new book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.

At the book's launch event in New York City, Pollan admitted, "I was a reluctant psychonaut," referring to a phrase embraced by psychedelic users as so-called astronauts of the psyche. "But I'm an immersion journalist, it's what I do," he boasted with a grin on his face. Pollan made a name for himself as a food writer, with five New York Times best sellers, but nearly missed out on what would become a life - and career changing - discovery. Writing for the New Yorker magazine in 2015, Pollan took an extensive look at a small clinical trial at NYU involving patients with life-threatening cancer diagnoses whose existential distress around dying left them with crippling anxiety and depression.
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SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: The Truth Perspective: Atheism vs. Religion: Is God a Cosmic King, Or Criminal? - Part 2


Sott.net
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 16:00 UTC
religiones
© Desconocido
In Part 2 of our discussion on religion, God and atheism, we dive deeper in why belief in God might be rational - contrary to what atheists believe. But there are many conceptions of God, some more rational than others. Traditional monotheism - taken literally - can't withstand the assault of its critics. The atheists have that going for them. But a naturalistic theism arguably can. And the atheists don't have anything to say about that. In fact, there are some things that probably cannot be accounted for without some sort of divinity: truth, values, even math.

Tune in Saturday, 12:00 pm EDT, as we begin to flesh out what a naturalistic God might be like.

Running Time: 01:26:46

Download: MP3

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Snowflake

Psychoanalyzing the mania over 'microaggressions'

Howard S. Schwartz
Legal Insurrection
Thu, 03 May 2018 19:22 UTC
preferred pronouns
© Kiyun Kim
Radical narcissism.

Political correctness gets crazier and crazier, but it does so in a way that seems to represent the development of something that was there right at the beginning.

I've been trying to make sense of it, from a psychoanalytic point of view, and the theory has, gratifyingly, developed apace with what it is trying to explain.

The current edge of the theory is what I call the "pristine self," which is a self touched by nothing but love, and I am pleased to suggest that it gives us some insight into the current edge of political correctness, which is built around the concept of "microaggression.' In this post, I'd like to lay out that connection.
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