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Dr. Dean Radin 

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biographical information from deanradin.com

Dean Radin, PhD, is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and since 2001 has periodically lectured at Sonoma State University and served on doctoral dissertation committees at Saybrook University and the California Institute for Integral Studies. His original career track as a concert violinist shifted into science after earning a BSEE degree in electrical engineering, magna cum laude with honors in physics, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and then an MS in electrical engineering and a PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For a decade he worked on advanced telecommunications R&D at AT&T Bell Laboratories and GTE Laboratories. For three decades he has been engaged in frontiers research on the nature of consciousness. Before joining the research staff at IONS in 2001, he held appointments at Princeton University, University of Edinburgh, University of Nevada, Interval Research Corporation, and SRI International.

He is author or coauthor of over 250 scientific and popular articles (some 80+ in peer-reviewed journals), three dozen book chapters, and three popular books including the award-winning and bestselling The Conscious Universe (HarperOne, 1997), Entangled Minds (Simon & Schuster, 2006), and a 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award, Supernormal (Random House, 2013). These books have been translated into 14 foreign languages, so far. His technical articles have appeared in journals ranging from Foundations of Physics and Physics Essays to Psychological Bulletin and Journal of Consciousness Studies; he was featured in a New York Times Magazine article; and he has appeared on dozens of television shows ranging from the BBC’s Horizon and PBS's Closer to Truth to Oprah and Larry King Live. He has given over 375 interviews and talks, including presentations at Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, Princeton, Virginia Tech, the Sorbonne, the University of British Columbia, for industries including Google, Johnson & Johnson, Rabobank, and for various government organizations including the US Navy, DARPA, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Editor's comments:

Dean Radin's scientific research is required reading for anyone desiring substantiated evidential fact regarding the existence of psychic phenomena and post-mortem survival of human consciousness. On his website you'll find his books featured, but I would draw particular attention to...

Notable book reviewers provide a worthy introduction to Dean's achievements:

Cutting perceptively through the spurious arguments frequently made by skeptics, Radin shows that the evidence in favor of (paranormal) existence is overwhelming. Brian Josephson, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate and Professor of Physics, Cambridge University. In January, 1998, Prof. Josephson wrote in the (British newspaper), the Guardian: "If asked to nominate the most significant scientific event of 1997, I would cite the publication of this book."

This is the best survey of real evidence for the existence of psychic phenomena ever compiled. Clear, comprehensive, engaging, and convincing, it provides hard facts, not hazy opinions. It is a bastion of substance in a sea of credulous psi publications that separates the real science of parapsychology from the morass of channelers, telephone hot-line psychics, side-show telepathics and metaphysical healers that most of the population associates with psychic phenomena, and who have unfairly caused parapsychologists to become pariahs to their colleagues in the more conventional sciences. Michael Epstein, Ph.D., Research Chemist, National Institute for Standards and Technologies, and former President, National Capitol Area Skeptics, reviewed in Journal of Scientific Exploration, 12 (3), 1998.

In recent years, the two strongest arguments for the reality of ESP and PK have been put forth by Jessica Utts and Dean Radin. Ray Hyman, Ph.D., Prof. of Psychology, University of Oregon and Chair, Parapsychology Committee, CSICOP

Recently I was being interviewed by a young doctoral student working on a thesis dealing with "frontier science." After a year of interviewing most of the better-known parapsychologists and skeptics in this country this informed, outside observer remained perplexed. His first question for me was, "I have read Dr. Radin's book and I just can't see why there is still any argument about your field. Why do the skeptics keep it up?" That same question is likely to spring to mind for any objective reader on finishing this book, or, more likely, on getting about halfway through it, since Radin provides his own answer to that question in the latter half. Unquestionably, The Conscious Universe is the most forceful presentation of the scientific evidence for psi phenomena to be seen in perhaps the last half century and there is very little "wiggle room" left for the skeptics. Richard Broughton, Ph.D, psychologist, in his book review for the Scientific and Medical Network, which awarded The Conscious Universe its 1997 Book Award.

The materialist worldview predicts that telepathy, psychokinesis and clairvoyance are impossible. Using modern statistical methods Dean Radin examines half a century of mind-matter research and concludes that these 'impossible' phenomena certainly exist--on the basis of robust, reliable, and repeatable evidence. More than just another science book, The Conscious Universe is a revolutionary act! Nick Herbert, Ph.D., physicist, author of Elemental Mind, Quantum Reality, and Faster Than Light.

I loved it. It made my head spin for days. Scott Adams, cartoonist and author of The Dilbert Future, The Dilbert Principles, and many other books.

Radin makes the most powerful case for the reality of parapsychological phenomena that I have yet encountered. He shows how recent research gives overwhelming evidence for the existence of forms of influence and communication at present unexplained. He writes clearly, powerfully and persuasively, and this book shows that we are at a turning point in our scientific understanding of our minds and of nature. Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., biologist, author of A New Science of Life, Seven Experiments That Could Change the World, and many other books.

[The Conscious Universe] is among the top ten most important books I have read in my life. Gary E. R. Schwartz, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Neurology, and Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tuscon.

The Conscious Universe will become the book to read for anyone, layperson or scientist, who wants to know the truth about the scientific case for psychic phenomena - and the strange reasons why otherwise intelligent scientists resist the facts with such prejudice! I shall use it as a text as well as recommending it to friends and colleagues. Radin has a wealth of knowledge about parapsychology and modern science, as well as a talent for clear writing, that makes even complex experimental results quite accessible. Charles Tart, Ph.D., psychologist, author of Altered States of Consciousness, Open Mind, Discriminating Mind: Reflections on Human Possibilities, and Living the Mindful Life.

[The Conscious Universe] is well and away the best presentation of the case for the reality of psi that I have yet come across. No one has ever before put the case for parapsychology so convincingly or made better use of the various meta-analyses that have been carried out. John Beloff, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, author of The Relentless Question, The Existence of Mind, Psychological Sciences, and many other books.

Not only the best book on psychic phenomena I've read, but also the best primer on the scientific method. Douglas R. Keene, Ph.D., psychologist.

It is a rare event when one book can move from "Well, I know what the deal is, but I will never be able to convince the dubious" to "OK, now that part is settled, and I can move on and let those with eyes for conclusive meta-analysis see for themselves." Thanks for your splendid effort. Richard Mann, Ph.D., psychologist, University of Michigan, editor of the SUNY Press series on Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology.

I would like to express praise for your methodical and comprehensive summary of the field of parapsychology. Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase, Ph.D., astrophysicist, University of California, Riverside

Dean Radin quotes: 

The idea of the universe as an interconnected whole is not new; for millennia it's been one of the core assumptions of Eastern philosophies. What is new is that Western science is slowly beginning to realize that some elements of that ancient lore might be correct.

Maintaining an open mind is essential when exploring the unknown, but allowing one's brains to fall out in the process is inadvisable.

The universe looks less like a big machine than a big thought.

The act of observing a quantum event probabalistically influences its outcome.

What Warcollier demonstrated is compatible with what modern cognitive neuroscience has learned about how visual images are constructed by the brain. It implies that telepathic perceptions bubble up into awareness from the unconscious and are probably processed in the brain in the same way that we generate images in dreams. And thus telepathic “images” are far less certain than sensory-driven images and subject to distortion.

We compel the electron to assume a definite position. We ourselves produce the results of the measurement.

And this is why studying the history of psi is important. People have been reporting these phenomena for millennia and studying them for centuries. Human experiences that continue to be repeated throughout history and across cultures, are not due to ignorance or lack of critical thinking, and demand a serious explanation.

• Victor Zammit comments on Dr. Radin's research: "Dr. Edwin May and his associates combined the results of all 26,000 trials on 154 experiments with psychic phenomena done at Stanford Research Institute from 1973 to 1988. They found that psychic phenomena had been shown to exist with odds against chance of more than a billion billion to one (Radin 1997:101)."

• Editor's note: The following will be found on Dr. Radin's website - a treasure-house of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles featuring various aspects of evidence for the afterlife.

Selected Psi Research Publications

This is a selected list of peer-reviewed journal articles about psi (psychic) phenomena, most published in the 21^st century. There are also some papers of historical interest and other resources. A comprehensive list of important articles and books would run into the thousands. Click on the title of an article to download it.

The Parapsychological Association – an international professional organization for scientists and scholars interested in psi phenomena – is an elected affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest scientific organization in the world and the publisher of the journal Science, one of the most prominent scientific journals.

I mention this because some individuals who call themselves “parapsychologists” are not scientists. They are better described as paranormal enthusiasts, ghost hunters, exorcists, or other practitioners of occult or esoteric arts. While such activities are interesting to many in the general population, the people engaged in them are not practicing science as defined by the AAAS, and as such their use of the term parapsychologist is inappropriate.

This page is maintained by Dean Radin. Last updated May 3, 2016.

Healing at a Distance

Astin et al (2000). The Efficacy of “Distant Healing”: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials

Leibovici (2001). Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial

Krucoff et al (2001).Integrative noetic therapies as adjuncts to percutaneous intervention during unstable coronary syndromes: Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic Training (MANTRA) feasibility pilot

Radin et al (2004). Possible effects of healing intention on cell cultures and truly random events.

Krucoff et al (2005). Music, imagery, touch, and prayer as adjuncts to interventional cardiac care: the Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomised study

Benson et al (2006).  Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients

Masters & Spielmans (2007). Prayer and health: Review, meta-analysis, and research agenda

Radin et al (2008).  Compassionate intention as a therapeutic intervention by partners of  cancer patients: Effects of distant intention on the patients’ autonomic nervous system.

Schlitz et al (2012). Distant healing of surgical wounds: An exploratory study.

Radin et al (2015). Distant healing intention therapies: An overview of the scientific evidence

Physiological correlations at a distance

Duane & Behrendt (1965). Extrasensory electroencephalographic induction between identical twins.

Grinberg-Zylberbaum et al (1994). The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox in the Brain: The transferred potential

Wiseman & Schlitz (1997). Experimenter effects and the remote detection of staring.

Standish et al (2003). Evidence of correlated functional magnetic resonance imaging signals between distant human brains.

Wackermann et al (2003). Correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated human subjects

Schmidt et al (2004). Distant intentionality and the feeling of being stared at: Two meta-analyses

Radin (2004).  Event related EEG correlations between isolated human subjects.

Standish et al (2004). Electroencephalographic evidence of correlated event-related signals between the brains of spatially and sensory isolated human subjects

Richards et al (2005). Replicable functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence of correlated brain signals between physically and sensory isolated subjects.

Achterberg et al (2005). Evidence for correlations between distant intentionality and brain function in recipients: A functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis

Radin (2005). The sense of being stared at: A preliminary meta-analysis.

Radin & Schlitz (2005). Gut feelings, intuition, and emotions: An exploratory study.

Schlitz et al (2006). Of two minds: Skeptic-proponent collaboration within parapsychology.

Moulton & Kosslyn (2008). Using neuroimaging to resolve the psi debate.

Ambach (2008). Correlations between the EEGs of two spatially separated subjects − a replication study.

Hinterberger (2010). Searching for neuronal markers of psi: A summary of three studies measuring electrophysiology in distant participants.

Schmidt (2012). Can we help just by good intentions? A meta-analysis of experiments on distant intention effects

Jensen & Parker (2012). Entangled in the womb? A pilot study on the possible physiological connectedness between identical twins with different embryonic backgrounds.

Parker & Jensen (2013). Further possible physiological connectedness between identical twins: The London study.

 

Telepathy & ESP

Targ & Puthoff (1974). Information transmission under conditions of sensory shielding.

Puthoff & Targ (1976). A perceptual channel for information transfer over kilometer distance: Historical perspective and recent research

Eisenberg & Donderi (1979). Telepathic transfer of emotional information in humans.

Bem & Honorton (1994). Does psi exist?

Hyman (1994). Anomaly or artifact? Comments on Bem and Honorton

Bem (1994). Response to Hyman

Milton & Wiseman (1999). Does Psi Exist? Lack of Replication of an Anomalous Process of Information Transfer

Sheldrake & Smart (2000). Testing a return-anticipating dog, Kane.

Sheldrake & Smart (2000). A dog that seems to know when his owner to coming home: Videotaped experiments and observations.

Storm & Ertel (2001). Does Psi Exist? Comments on Milton and Wiseman's (1999) Meta-Analysis of Ganzfeld Research

Milton & Wiseman (2001). Does Psi Exist? Reply to Storm and Ertel (2001)

Sheldrake & Morgana (2003). Testing a language-using parrot for telepathy.

Sheldrake & Smart (2003). Videotaped experiments on telephone telepathy.

Sherwood & Roe (2003). A Review of Dream ESP Studies Conducted Since the Maimonides Dream ESP Programme

Delgado-Romero & Howard (2005). Finding and Correcting Flawed Research Literatures

Hastings (2007). Comment on Delgado-Romero and Howard

Radin (2007). Finding Or Imagining Flawed Research?

Storm et al (2010).  Meta-Analysis of Free-Response Studies, 1992–2008: Assessing the Noise Reduction Model in Parapsychology

Storm et al (2010). A Meta-Analysis With Nothing to Hide: Reply to Hyman (2010)

Tressoldi (2011). Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence: the case of non-local perception, a classical and Bayesian review of evidences

Tressoldi et al (2011). Mental Connection at Distance: Useful for Solving Difficult Tasks?

Williams (2011). Revisiting the Ganzfeld ESP Debate: A Basic Review and Assessment

Rouder et al (2013). A Bayes Factor Meta-Analysis of Recent Extrasensory Perception Experiments: Comment on Storm, Tressoldi, and Di Risio (2010)

Storm et al (2013).  Testing the Storm et al. (2010) Meta-Analysis Using Bayesian and Frequentist Approaches: Reply to Rouder et al. (2013)

 

General Overviews & Critiques

Utts (1996). An assessment of the evidence for psychic functioning

Alcock (2003). Give the null hypothesis a chance

Parker & Brusewitz (2003). A compendium of the evidence for psi

Carter (2010). Heads I lose, tails you win.

McLuhan (no date). Fraud in psi research.

 

Survival of Consciousness

van Lommel et al (2001). Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands

van Lommel (2006). Near-death experience, consciousness, and the brain

Beischel & Schwartz (2007). Anomalous information reception by research mediums demonstrated using a novel triple-blind protocol

Greyson (2010). Seeing dead people not known to have died: “Peak in Darien” experiences

Kelly (2010). Some directions for mediumship research

Kelly & Arcangel (2011). An investigation of mediums who claim to give information about deceased persons

Nahm et al (2011). Terminal lucidity: A review and a case collection.

Facco & Agrillo (2012).   Near-death experiences between science and prejudice

Matlock (2012). Bibliography of reincarnation resources online (articles and books, all downloadable)

Beischel, J., Boccuzzi, M., Biuso, M., & Rock, A. J. (2015). Anomalous information reception by research mediums under blinded conditions II: Replication and extension. EXPLORE: The Journal of Science & Healing, 11(2), 136-142. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2015.01.001

 

Precognition & Presentiment

Honorton & Ferrari (1989). “Future telling”: A meta-analysis of forced-choice precognition experiments, 1935-1987

Spottiswoode & May (2003). Skin Conductance Prestimulus Response: Analyses, Artifacts and a Pilot Study

Radin (2004).  Electrodermal presentiments of future emotions. 

McCraty et al (2004). Electrophysiological Evidence of Intuition: Part 1. The Surprising Role of the Heart

McCraty et al (2004). Electrophysiological Evidence of Intuition: Part 2. A System-Wide Process?

Radin & Lobach (2007). Toward understanding the placebo effect: Investigating a possible retrocausal factor.

Radin & Borges (2009). Intuition through time: What does the seer see?

Bem (2011). Feeling the future: Experimental evidence for anomalous retroactive influences on cognition and affect

Bem et al (2011). Must psychologists change the way they analyze their data?

Bierman (2011). Anomalous switching of the bi-stable percept of a Necker Cube

Radin et al (2011). Electrocortical activity prior to unpredictable stimuli in meditators and non-meditators.

Radin (2011). Predicting the unpredictable: 75 years of experimental evidence

Tressoldi et al (2011). Let your eyes predict : Prediction accuracy of pupillary responses to random alerting and neutral sounds

Galek et al (2012).  Correcting the past: Failures to replicate psi

Mossbridge et al (2012). Predictive physiological anticipation preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli: a meta-analysis

Bem et al (2015). Feeling the future: A meta-analysis of 90 experiments on the anomalous anticipation of random future events

Theory

Josephson & Pallikari-Viras (1991). Biological utilisation of quantum nonlocality

May et al (1995). Decision augmentation theory: Towards a model of anomalous mental phenomena

Houtkooper (2002). Arguing for an observational theory of paranormal phenomena

Bierman (2003). Does consciousness collapse the wave-packet?

Dunne & Jahn (2005). Consciousness, information, and living systems

Henry (2005). The mental universe

Hiley & Pylkkanen (2005). Can mind affect matter via active information?

Lucadou et al (2007). Synchronistic phenomena as entanglement correlations in generalized quantum theory

Rietdijk (2007). Four-dimensional physics, nonlocal coherence, and paranormal phenomena

Bierman (2010). Consciousness induced restoration of time symmetry (CIRTS ): A psychophysical theoretical perspective

Tressoldi et al (2010). Extrasensory perception and quantum models of cognition.

Tressoldi (2012). Replication unreliability in psychology: elusive phenomena or “elusive” statistical power?

 

Mind-Matter Interaction

Crookes (1874). Researches in the phenomena of spiritualism

Crookes (1874). Notes of séances with DDH

Medhurst & Goldney (1964). William Crookes and the physical phenomena of mediumship.

Merrifield (1885/1971). Merrifield’s report (on D. D. Home)

Braude (1985). The enigma of Daniel Home.

Zorab (1971).  Were D. D. Home’s ‘spirit hands” ever fraudulently produced?

Jahn (1982). The persistent paradox of psychic phenomena: An engineering perspective.

Inglis (1983). Review of “The spiritualists. The passion for the occult in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Ruth Brandon.”

Schmidt (1987). The strange properties of psychokinesis.

Schmidt (1990). Correlation between mental processes and external random events

Radin & Nelson (1989). Evidence for consciousness-related anomalies in random physical systems

Radin & Ferrari (1991). Effects of consciousness on the fall of dice: A meta-analysis

Jahn et al (1997). Correlations of random binary sequences with pre-stated operator intention: A review of a 12-year program.

Nelson et al (2002). Correlations of continuous random data with major world events.

Crawford et al (2003). Alterations in random event measures associated with a healing practice

Freedman et al (2003). Effects of frontal lobe lesions on intentionality and random physical phenomena

Bierman (2004). Does consciousness collapse the wave function?

Jahn & Dunne (2005). The PEAR Proposition.

Bosch et al (2006).  Examining psychokinesis: The interaction of human intention with random number generators

Radin et al (2006). Reexamining psychokinesis.

Radin et al (2006). Assessing the evidence for mind-matter interaction effects.

Radin (2006). Experiments testing models of mind-matter interaction.

Radin. (2008). Testing nonlocal observation as a source of intuitive knowledge.  

Nelson & Bancel (2011). Effects of mass consciousness: Changes in random data during global events.

Radin et al (2012). Consciousness and the double-slit interference pattern: Six experiments

Radin et al (2013). Psychophysical interactions with a double-slit interference pattern

Shiah & Radin (2013). A randomized trial investigating the roles of intention and belief on mood while drinking tea.

Radin et al (2015). Psychophysical interactions with a single-photon double-slit optical system.

Radin et al (2016). Psychophysical modulation of fringe visibility in a distant double-slit optical system.

 

Potential Applications

Carpenter (2011). Laboratory psi effects may be put to practical use: Two pilot studies

Schwartz (1980/2000).   Location and reconstruction of a Byzantine structure … [by remote viewing]

Beischel, J., Mosher, C. & Boccuzzi, M. (2014-2015). The possible effects on bereavement of assisted after-death communication during readings with psychic mediums: A continuing bonds perspective. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 70(2), 169-194. doi: 10.2190/OM.70.2.b

Some recommended books (click to see book details at Amazon.com)

Radin (1997, 2009). The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomena

Radin (2006). Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality

Irwin & Watt (2007). An Introduction to Parapsychology

Mayer (2008). Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind

Kelly et al (2009). Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century

Tart (2009). The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together

Carter (2010). Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death

Van Lommel (2011). Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience

Sheldrake (1999; new edition 2011) Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home

Alexander (2012). Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

Carpenter (2012). First Sight: ESP and Parapsychology in Everyday Life

Carter (2012). Science and Psychic Phenomena: The Fall of the House of Skeptics

Targ (2012). The Reality of ESP: A Physicist's Proof of Psychic Abilities

Beischel (2013). Among Mediums: A Scientist's Quest for Answers

Sheldrake (2003; new edition 2013) The Sense of Being Stared At, And Other Aspects of the Extended Mind

Radin (2013). Supernormal: Science, Yoga, and the Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities

Dossey (2014). One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters

Broderick & Goertzel (2014). Evidence for Psi: Thirteen Empirical Research Reports

May et al (2014). ESP WARS: East and West: An Account of the Military Use of Psychic Espionage As Narrated by the Key Russian and American Players

May and Marwaha (2014). Anomalous Cognition: Remote Viewing Research and Theory

Kelly (2014). Beyond Physicalism: Toward Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality

Cardeña (2015). Parapsychology: A Handbook for the 21st Century.

May & Marwaha (2015). Extrasensory Perception: Support, Skepticism, and Science 

Websites with access to more articles

Daryl Bem: Click here  

Brian Josephson: Click here

Edwin May: Click here   

Stephan Schwartz, Click here

Rupert Sheldrake: Click here

James Spottiswoode: Click here

Charles Tart: Click here    

Russell Targ: Click here  

Patrizio Tressoldi: Click here

Jessica Utts: Click here

Richard Wiseman: Click here

Journal of Scientific Exploration: Click here

Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory: Click here or here.

Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia: Click  here

Esalen Center for Theory and Research: Click here

Windbridge Institute: Click here.

Koestler Unit of the University of Edinburgh: Click here.

 

Videos

Greyson (2008). Consciousness without brain activity: Near Death Experiences (United Nations talk)

Radin (2008), Science and the taboo of psi (Google TechTalk)

Sheldrake (2008) The extended mind (Google Tech Talk)