The Truth about Medium

review from The Scottish Society for Psychical Research

Review from The Scottish Society for Psychical Research

     Professor Gary Schwartz, who is interested in survival research, teaches at and directs the Human Energy Systems Laboratories at the University of Arizona. He is interested in and has been for some time in establishing research experiments, which test for evidence of information transfer from discarnate personalities.

     One of his research mediums was Alison DuBois whose life experiences are the inspiration for the popular T V series Medium.  This is a fictionalised, made for television, series loosely based on elements of Alison’s mediumistic talents of clairvoyance, clairaudience and precognition.
     Other mediums that he has used in his research work over the last 10 years are Susy Smith, Laurie Campbell, John Edward, Suzanne Northrop, George Anderson, Anne Gehman, Catherine Yunt, Mary Ann Morgan, Janet Mayer, Christopher Robinson, Traci Bray, Sally Owen, Mary Occhino, Debbie Martin, Doreen Molloy, Sally Morgan, Robert Hansen, and Angelina Diana.
     Some of his experiments include a double deceased paradigm, which assumes, for the sake of the experiments, that the discarnate can communicate with each other and exchange information. The protocol of some experiments is described in detail in this book. 
     This book has an enjoyable, understandable and easily read style regarding all matters of mediumship along with some easily understood details of some results from his experimentation.
     He refers to the mediumistic experimental work of the U K based Robertson and Roy, but this work is another completely different, and more pragmatic, way of tackling information transfer from allegedly deceased personalities through mediums.
     Gary accepts that his experiments do not prove survival of human personality without a shadow of doubt but go someway towards this idea, as it is the most parsimonious theory that fits all of the facts.
There is an excellent account of his run –in with avid sceptics and the ends that they are prepared to go to, to dismiss the idea of survival. Gary wins the bout about 40/love. 
     I particularly like the chapter headed  the meaning for all of us which derives arguments about the nature of man and the need for mankind to change it’s ideals and behaviour if we can accept, even for a moment, that survival of consciousness may be even a possibility. If this is the case then we have responsibilities to each other as we are all, as it were, in the same boat. I could recommend this book for this chapter alone as the valuable ideas expressed are relevant to each one of us.

I could recommend this book as definitely worth a read.

Tricia J Robertson