Are We Entering a Psychic Future?
Podcast discussion with Jeffrey Kripal and Dean Radin
Are psychic phenomena real—and are science and the humanities finally ready to admit it? In this episode, I speak with Jeffrey Kripal, PhD and Dean Radin, PhD about consciousness, magic, telepathy, UFOs, and why a genuine paradigm shift is already underway.
Dean, one of the most prolific researchers in parapsychology, and chief scientist at the Institute for Noetic Sciences, describes how academic institutions—from Harvard on down—are suddenly opening their doors to rigorous studies of psychic phenomena. “The seesaw has turned… we are in the midst of the paradigm shift right now,” he tells me. Jeffrey, a leading scholar of religion, explores how UFOs, psychedelics, synchronicities, and anomalous experiences challenge both rigid materialism and religious fundamentalism. He argues that a deeper, more integrated model—dual-aspect monism—is needed to understand what’s emerging.
https://jeffreyjkripal.com
https://www.deanradin.com/
https://noetic.org/
⏱ CHAPTERS:
00:00 — Dean on academia’s shifting attitude toward psi phenomena
01:10 — Intro: Why Kripal & Radin are finally talking together
02:25 — Are psychedelics & UFOs forcing a paradigm shift?
03:27 — The Telepathy Tapes & public hunger for psychic reality
04:00 — Dean: “We are in the midst of the paradigm shift right now.”
05:53 — Audience experiences, empirical testing & quantum brain questions
08:06 — Dual-aspect monism explained
09:27 — Synchronicity & the limits of materialism
10:59 — Scientific concerns about cueing in telepathy research
13:44 — Humanities perspective: belief, culture & enabling psychic phenomena
16:06 — Can psi ever be double-blind? The problem of belief
17:16 — First-timer effect & declining psi effects over time
18:42 — Defining consciousness from both science & humanities
21:48 — Non-local awareness & “big C” consciousness
24:32 — Magic, shamanism, and why psi researchers stopped hiding it
27:15 — Magic, divination & psychokinesis across traditions
28:58 — Magicians vs meditators: which affects matter more?
30:01 — Magic as the history of religion—and science
32:23 — Platonism, mathematics & the metaphysics of number
33:37 — Social engineering, occult operations & the fear of psi
36:05 — Power, ethics & why traditions warn about psychic abilities
38:58 — Why suppression makes things worse
42:20 — Why psi threatens the foundations of Western civilization
45:01 — Religion, UFOs & what disclosure might actually reveal
48:25 — Imagining a positive future: can superhuman abilities uplift society?
50:17 — Hive minds, world peace & global consciousness
52:04 — Dean explains the Global Consciousness Project
54:49 — Language sentiment as precognition
55:55 — AI, Neuralink & the tech revolution’s impact on psi
58:16 — UFOs: material vs paranormal aspects
01:00:59 — Why experiencers know more than officials
01:02:15 — Suppression by fundamentalists & materialists
01:03:11 — What science should study next (Dean)
01:04:48 — What humanities should study next (Jeffrey)
01:06:22 — Advice for newcomers: how to explore your own experiences
01:09:23 — Even elite academics experience psi—but won’t admit it
01:11:04 — Psychedelics, boundaries, and destabilization
01:12:33 — Are we eroding the psychic–physical barrier?
01:13:52 — Genetic engineering, superhumans & ethics
01:15:03 — Religion as ancient sci-fi
01:16:01 — Closing thoughts: optimism in the unknown
It seems to me The transformation humanity is currently undergoing is about truth. We are beginning to see/acknowledge that what you believe is true can’t be true because it’s an abstraction of an element of the incomprehensible whole. And what tests as true, like, say, gravity, is simply a reduction to arbitrary measurement.
The problem with this is that humans need to believe that truth both exists and is accessible and comprehensible. And when we’re reminded that in an ever changing universe there may be no fixed laws, we fear for our sanity.
“Sanity”? Dictionary definition:
* Mental health: The quality of being rational and having a healthy mind, as opposed to insanity.
* Sound judgment: Having good sense and making reasonable decisions.
* Emotional state: Maintaining emotional balance and not being overwhelmed by one's feelings.
Jesus, the definition of sanity is actually insane! “Rational”? “Healthy mind”? “Good sense”? “Reasonable decisions”? “Emotional balance”? “Not overwhelmed by feelings”? Who defines these terms?!?! The ruling elite!!!
Look at the aberrative thinking that gets passed off as sane! Unnecessary suffering! Genocide! Ecocide!
It turns out that to be sane is to withdraw from the conventional, aberrative world. Do less, and do it only after fully assessing its implications. But still we feel compelled to define our terms and measure the “quality” of our conduct/lives.
Our “logic” is so limited! And we’re not allowed to concede it! We’re not allowed to bear in mind that what we say a thing is, it isn’t, nor that our definitions serve those doing the defining. Hmm.
Thanks for the interesting, important conversation. As a person who has experienced a fair number of miraculous events in the form of astonishing synchronicities, spiritual healings, and other inexplicable phenomenon, at this point I have come to accept the reality of the idealist world view without question.
I have assumed that everyone has these kinds of experiences from time to time, but still, I meet people who deny ever having them. I don't know whether these people are simply not paying attention, or are suppressing any thoughts about realities that the materialistic world view would consider impossible, or perhaps they really don't have these experiences? (Wow - I feel sorry for them if this is the case - they are missing out on a lot of magic!) I realized listening to Jeffrey and Dean that what they were saying about the power of belief is probably at work here. Not believing that something is possible makes it a lot less likely to manifest, and believing makes it much more likely. This is the secret behind magic, behind effective prayer, behind subtle activism, and behind all manifestation. To quote Matthew 17:20 (I looked it up) “For if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move!' and it would go far away. Nothing would be impossible."
I have to admit that I really don't like the idea of "hive mind", no matter how happy, harmonious, and peaceful it might render us. I don't believe we are here for that, to evolve into ants or bees, with all due respect for ants and bees. We are humans, and that means we are going through a process of individual development that may be extremely messy and painful, but ultimately can lead us to create something entirely new and beautiful. Peace and harmony can then be attained at a whole new level of being. Anyway, this is what I believe. (But I wrote this when there was still 25 minutes left to watch. Maybe by the end my discomfort with "hive mind" might have been adequately addressed and resolved.