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A Life Devoted to Parapsychology | Jeffrey Mishlove
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A pioneering parapsychologist earned the first US PhD in the field, facing intense skepticism and a libel suit, but ultimately found that exploring interconnectedness was the most rewarding aspect of his work.
Key Insights
Mishlove's interest in parapsychology was sparked by encountering F.W.H. Myers' 'Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death' as an undergraduate, which contrasted with his initial materialistic upbringing.
Abraham Maslow's work on 'peak experiences' among self-actualizers, which he equated to mystical experiences, shifted Mishlove's view from mysticism as pathology to a potentially significant aspect of human experience.
Mishlove's PhD from UC Berkeley in parapsychology was an interdisciplinary program he created by finding three faculty sponsors, a unique path given the university's stance on the field.
Despite initial success with his dissertation hypothesis on training remote viewing, a statistical 'stacking effect' led him to rewrite it as a historical overview of psychic training methods.
Mishlove faced significant opposition, including an attempt by the university to withdraw his degree and a six-year libel suit stemming from a 'Psychology Today' article, which he ultimately settled favorably.
Over his career, Mishlove has interviewed approximately 300-400 individuals for 'Thinking Allowed' and over 1,000 for 'New Thinking Allowed,' finding that conversations revolving around interconnectedness were the most profound.
From materialism to mysticism: Early influences
Jeffrey Mishlove's journey into parapsychology began during his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, where he encountered F.W.H. Myers' 'Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death.' Initially a staunch materialist, Mishlove's perspective began to shift while working on his undergraduate thesis on the psychology of religious mysticism. He discovered the work of Abraham Maslow, who studied highly accomplished individuals and noted their frequent 'peak experiences,' which Maslow equated to mystical experiences. This revelation challenged Mishlove's view of mysticism as mere pathology, suggesting it was instead a significant aspect of human consciousness and achievement. He also learned that his own family, despite his upbringing, had a history of Jewish mysticism from the Russian Pale, hinting at a deeper, personal connection to these profound experiences.
Navigating the blurred lines between mental health and psychic phenomena
Mishlove's graduate studies at Berkeley initially led him into criminology and clinical work at San Quentin Prison, where he engaged in group therapy with incarcerated individuals. Through this work, he observed that many people suffering from mental aberrations also reported authentic paranormal experiences. He found that while these individuals might be incapable of balancing or interpreting their experiences, the experiences themselves could be genuine. Later, as a licensed therapist, Mishlove encountered patients who described paranormal events, sometimes with startling accuracy when tested, yet continued to suffer from their mental health issues. This led him to question the clear-cut distinction between mental illness and psychic functioning, noting that historically, any mention of paranormal experiences was often deemed a sign of psychosis, though he suggests they can become confused or overlap.
Transformative dreams guiding a career shift
Two pivotal dreams significantly altered Mishlove's career trajectory. The first, in March 1972, involved a profound appearance of his deceased great-uncle Harry, occurring almost simultaneously with his passing. Waking from this dream in tears of joy and singing a sacred Jewish song, Mishlove felt compelled to re-evaluate his focus on human deviance. He wanted to explore the 'positive side' of human experience: the paranormal, psychic functioning, creativity, and intuition. Struggling to find academic support for this new direction at UC Berkeley, he experienced a second, equally significant dream in September 1972. In this dream, he found a magazine called 'Focus' which provided the answer he sought. Acting on instinct, he visited friends whose apartment matched the dream setting, found the magazine, and realized he could pursue his interests through non-profit media. This led him to volunteer at Pacifica Radio, quickly learning to produce and host an interview program, 'The Mind's Ear,' which gave him the confidence to pursue a unique doctoral path.
Forging an interdisciplinary PhD in parapsychology
To pursue his passion, Mishlove utilized an obscure university rule allowing the creation of unique interdisciplinary doctoral majors if at least three faculty members from different departments agreed to sponsor the work. He completed the necessary statistics and methodology coursework within the psychology department. To demonstrate his readiness for dissertation work, he first wrote and published 'The Roots of Consciousness' in 1975, an encyclopedic overview of the field that was adopted as an undergraduate text. This successful book convinced his committee that he was prepared to begin his dissertation, which he later published as 'Psi Developmental Systems,' exploring methods for training psychic ability.
Controversy and legal battles over his doctoral degree
Mishlove's doctoral work was fraught with challenges. His initial dissertation aimed to train remote viewing, hypothesizing a 'J curve' in performance with training. While he observed results consistent with his hypothesis, a statistical 'stacking effect' rendered the data problematic for independent analysis. Facing pressure from university skeptics, Mishlove eventually rewrote his dissertation as a historical examination of psychic training traditions. Despite his committee's approval and the awarding of his PhD in 1980, the organized skeptic community campaigned to have the degree rescinded. He successfully fought this attempt, with the provost overturning the dean's decision. However, a subsequent 'Psychology Today' article, based on a statistician's claims of his incompetence, led to a six-year libel suit which Mishlove eventually settled favorably, even using the settlement to invest in California real estate.
A prolific career in media and consciousness research
Following the resolution of his libel suit and the awarding of his PhD, Mishlove launched 'Thinking Allowed' in 1986, a public television series that ran until 2002, featuring approximately 300-400 interviews with experts in consciousness studies and parapsychology. In 2015, he began 'New Thinking Allowed' on YouTube, continuing his work digitally and interviewing over a thousand individuals. He notes that the most impactful interviews across both series were those that explored the concept of interconnectedness, the idea that despite our apparent separateness, we are fundamentally one.
The universe supports self-actualization
Reflecting on his life's work, Mishlove offers a guiding principle: if one resolves to become the best version of themselves, the universe supports this endeavor. He believes the universe actively reaches out in various ways to assist individuals in their journey towards self-actualization. This belief, stemming from his exploration of mysticism and consciousness, has been a continuous motivating force throughout his pioneering career in parapsychology and consciousness research.
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Common Questions
Jeffrey Mishlove first encountered parapsychology as an undergraduate through books like F.W.H. Myers' 'Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death'. Initially a materialist, his views shifted after studying Abraham Maslow's work on peak experiences and through profound personal dream experiences.
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Mentioned in this video
The original public television series hosted by Jeffrey Mishlove from 1987 to 2002, focusing on parapsychology and the paranormal.
The magazine found in a dream that helped Mishlove realize he could pursue his interests in parapsychology through non-profit media.
An interview program on Pacifica radio that Jeffrey Mishlove hosted, featuring conversations with experts in the paranormal field.
Publication that ran a story based on negative information fed by skeptics, contributing to the controversy surrounding Mishlove's PhD.
The show where this interview is taking place, which began in 2000 and overlapped with the original Thinking Allowed series.
One of Jeffrey Mishlove's books, described as an encyclopedic overview of parapsychology, and used as an introductory undergraduate text.
A significant book by F.W.H. Myers that influenced Jeffrey Mishlove's early interest in parapsychology.
A book by Sir John Woodroffe about Kundalini that Jeffrey Mishlove encountered as an undergraduate.
A book by Robert Monroe about out-of-body experiences, mentioned as an example of the type of expert interviewed by Mishlove.
Mishlove's second book, which was his doctoral dissertation, focusing on methods for training psychic abilities.
The university where Jeffrey Mishlove obtained his PhD in parapsychology, the first ever awarded by an accredited university in the US.
The organization that awarded Jeffrey Mishlove the grand prize for their 2021 essay competition on postmortem survival and human consciousness.
Listener-sponsored radio and television station in the San Francisco Bay Area where Mishlove began volunteering and producing radio programs.
Radio station in Berkeley where Mishlove volunteered after his dream experience led him to explore non-profit media.
Pacifica radio station in Berkeley where Mishlove volunteered.
Where Mishlove spent time with Russell Targ and Hal Puthoff in 1976, experiencing remote viewing.
Author of 'Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death', whose work influenced Mishlove's early interest in parapsychology.
Author of 'The Serpent Power', a book Mishlove encountered in the library that dealt with Kundalini.
Psychologist whose work on self-actualizers and peak experiences, which he equated to mystical experiences, significantly influenced Mishlove's views.
Mentioned as an example of a highly accomplished person studied by Abraham Maslow.
Author of 'Journeys Out of the Body', who was among the experts interviewed by Mishlove on The Mind's Ear.
Used as an analogy to describe the hit-and-miss nature of testing psychic abilities, similar to a great baseball player who strikes out often.
A researcher Mishlove met at SRI in 1976 who was involved in remote viewing experiments.
A researcher Mishlove met at SRI in 1976 who was involved in remote viewing experiments.
A skeptic who received information that led to a negative story in Psychology Today about Mishlove's PhD; Mishlove later felt he 'won his million' in a settled libel suit.
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