The Parapsychological Association

Charles T. Tart, PhD, is emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, as well as the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is a past-president of the Parapsychological Association. He has published over 100 scientific papers in parapsychology. He is editor of several anthologies including Altered States of Consciousness, Transpersonal Psychologies, Mind at Large, and Body Mind Spirit: Exploring the Parapsychology of Spirituality. Books that he has authored include Psi: Scientific Studies in the Psychic Realm, States of Consciousness, The End of Materialism, Learning to Use Extrasensory Perception, On Being Stoned, Waking Up: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Potential, and Open Mind – Discriminating Mind.

Here he notes that academic positions in parapsychology are extremely rare; and young people hoping or planning for a career in parapsychology will face many obstacles. Essentially, he maintains that parapsychology is the study of our spiritual, or non-physical, nature. Not all parapsychologists accept this view, which is not in tune with the mainstream materialistic paradigm of contemporary science. His advice for people wishing to pursue a career in parapsychology is to make sure that they also cultivate some mainstream interests -- so that they will, ultimately, be able to support themselves (unless they are independently wealthy or have an entrepreneurial spirit).

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980).

(Recorded on November 10, 2016)