Parapsychology & Scepticism

All my books and articles are listed in Publications.

People often ask me what to read on a particular subject. Here are some suggestions.


Watch

The Enfield Poltergeist (Apple TV 2023) I was interviewed for this Apple TV series, streamed on Apple TV+ from 27.10.2023

Positive scepticism: The new science of out-of-body experiences‘ (2017) at European Skeptics Conference, 23 September 2017, Wroclaw, Poland

Closer to Truth: Does ESP Reveal the Nonphysical?

Closer to Truth: What do near death experiences mean?

Closer to Truth: Why is ESP so intriguing? 

Closer to Truth: What could ESP mean?

MOOC interviews – for Think101
Interview 1 – extraordinary claims, OBE
Interview 2 – psychics, NDEs, science

Listen

TheESP – The European Skeptics’ Podcast, interview about my lecture at the forthcoming conference in Poland, 27.08.2017

Susan Blackmore taks to Cara Santa Maria at the QED Conference in Manchester, for Talk Nerdy, October 2016 (Episode 135) Listen

The Humanist Hour #122  29 October 2014 (starts discussion on NDEs, paranormal and consciousness at minute 10)

Teenskepchick interview on my life as a parapsychologist 24 June 2011  Part 1, Part 2.

I had tea with Richard Wiseman. August 2009 podcast

The Reasoning Show, discussion with David Quinn and Dan Rowden, on parapsychology, consciousness, OBEs and more. May 2007

Skeptico Interview on consciousness and the paranormal. 5 March 2007  audio

Point of Inquiry discussion with D.J. Grothe on science, belief and naturalism, 15 December 2006

Castaway on Desert Island Discs BBC Radio 4, 3.5.98 and 8.5.98. I talk to Sue Lawley about parapsychology and why I gave it up, and play some of my favourite music.

Read

Books

Blackmore, S. 1996 In Search of the Light: The Adventures of a Parapsychologist, Amherst, New York, Prometheus Books, ISBN1-57392-061-4. (This excerpt from the book covers my visit to Carl Sargent’s laboratory and the problems I found with his research on ESP in the ganzfeld.)

Blackmore, S. and Hart-Davis, A. 1995 Test Your Psychic Powers London, Thorsons

Articles

Blackmore, S. 2019 Another scandal for psychology: Daryl Bem’s data massage, Skeptical Inquirer, 43:6. 5

Blackmore, S. 2018, Daryl Bem and psi in the ganzfeld, Skeptical Inquirer,  42:1, 44-45

Blackmore, S. (2010) Why I had to change my mind. In Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, Sixth Edition, by Richard Gross, London, Hodder Education, pp 86-7

Blackmore, S. (2009) What have you changed your mind about? Today’s leading minds rethink everything, Ed. John Brockman, Harper Perenniel  pp 18-20 my response to the Edge Question 2008

Blackmore,S.J. (2001)  Why I have given up.
In P. Kurtz (Ed) Skeptical Odysseys: Personal Accounts by the World’s Leading Paranormal Inquirers, Amherst, New York, Prometheus Books, 85-94

Read about why I gave up parapsychology in New Scientist 2000

Blackmore,S.J. 1992 Psychic Experiences: Psychic Illusions Skeptical Inquirer 16 367-376

Blackmore,S.J. 1987 The elusive open mind: Ten years of negative research in parapsychology The Skeptical Inquirer 11 244-255

Blackmore,S.J. 1987 A report of a visit to Carl Sargent’s laboratory Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 54 186-198. A note on the Sargent affair.

Blackmore,S.J. and Troscianko,T.S. 1985 Belief in the Paranormal: Probability judgements, illusory control and the “chance baseline shift” British Journal of Psychology 76 459-468

Contributions to books

Giving up ghosts and gods”, In Voices of Disbelief, Ed. Russell Blackford and Udo Schuklenk 2009

Interviews

2018 Interview with El Mercurio (www.elmercurio.cl), one of the most important newspapers in Chile. They asked me to discuss the rise of astrology in the internet era and why do we tend to read horoscopes even if we know they’re not true. Download PDF (in Spanish)