An accessible and gratifying introduction to the world of paranormal beliefs and bizarre experiences. Ghostly encounters, alien abduction, reincarnation, talking to the dead, UFO sightings, inexplicable coincidences, out-of-body and near-death experiences. Are these legitimate phenomena? If not, then how should we go about understanding them? In this fascinating book, Chris French investigates paranormal claims to discover what lurks behind this “weird shit.” French provides authoritative evidence-based explanations for a wide range of superficially mysterious phenomena, and then goes further to draw out lessons with wider applications to many other aspects of modern society where critical thinking is urgently needed. Using academic, comprehensive, logical, and, at times, mathematical approaches, The Science of Weird Shit convincingly debunks ESP, communicating with the dead, and alien abduction claims, among other phenomena. All the while, however, French maintains that our belief in such phenomena is neither ridiculous nor trivial; if anything, such claims can tell us a great deal about the human mind if we pay them the attention they are due. Filled with light-bulb moments and a healthy dose of levity, The Science of Weird Shit is a clever, memorable, and gratifying read you won’t soon forget.

From a Coast to Coast AM insider, a mind-expanding exploration of sleep disorders and unusual dream states--the scientific explanations and the paranormal possibilities. The sleeping mind is a mysterious backdrop that science is just beginning to shed light on. It was only some sixty years ago that researchers discovered REM, the rapid-eye-movement cycle that's associated with dreams. In Nightmareland, Lex "Lonehood" Nover travels into the eerie borderlands where the unconscious, dreams, and strange entities intermingle under the cover of night, revealing wider and hidden aspects of ourselves, from the savage and frightening to the astounding and sublime. Encompassing accepted medical phenomena such as sleep paralysis, parasomnias, and Ambien "zombies," and the true-crime casebook of those who kill while sleepwalking, to supernatural elements such as the incubus, alien abduction, and psychic attacks, Nover brings readers on an extraordinary journey through history, folklore, and science, to help us understand what happens when we sleep.

New Hampshire couple Betty and Barney Hill provided Americans with what is essentially the original alien abduction story. Since their story became public in the early 1960s, many thousands of Americans have likewise come forward with similar stories of traumatic experiences. Sometimes the abductee has little conscious recollection of these events, but through nightmares, dreams, flashbacks and hypnosis they eventually learn more. Sometimes the participants are bewildered. To get a better understanding of the opposing viewpoints of skeptic and believer, the Betty and Barney Hill case is used to examine the wider context of such encounters, their historical origins, media influences and the latest extraterrestrial, psychological, paranormal, conspiracy and sociological theories that surround them.

In recent years, alternative historians have gained remarkable insight into the mysteries of ancient Egypt—but according to Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, their discoveries tie into a dangerous conspiracy nearly fifty years in the making. At the center of this conspiracy is a group of respected, powerful individuals who believe that the ancient Egyptian gods are really extraterrestrials who will soon return to earth. The conspirators have intimate and exclusive knowledge of this momentous second coming—but they insist on keeping it to themselves. What could be the purpose of such a conspiracy? Why are the conspirators so desperate to keep their information a secret? And what does it mean for mankind? In this riveting, well-researched book, Picknett and Price offer compelling evidence that the conspiracy exists—and expose the insidious motivations of the individuals and organizations behind it....

Trevor J. Hawkeswood is a scientist who has experienced hundreds of paranormal events in his lifetime. In Light and Dark, he recounts some of these incredible interactions. He believes that reality occurs on two separate but interwoven planes of existencethe Earth plane and the multiple levels of the spiritual planes, including the lower levels, from where the dark souls of humans who have died reach out to us. He has experienced more than one hundred sightings of the shadow people, or black ghosts. He credits guardian angels with saving him from harm or certain death on a number of occasions. Hawkeswood also shares accounts of his numerous sightings of strange aerial phenomena he believes were caused by UFOs. He has personally experienced clairaudiencevoices from beyondand precognition, or the ability to see the future. His detailed account of a unique out-of-body experience (OOBE) challenges what is known about this remarkable ability. His OOBE was unlike anything that has ever been described by others who have experienced itand he shares it all in Light and Dark. But it hasnt all been safe or pleasant. At eighteen, he survived a terrifying encounter with a demon gargoyle who tried to steal his soul energy after paralysing him. A comprehensive handbook for the paranormal enthusiast, Hawkeswoods work also provides a glossary and reference list of English-language UFO books. In Light and Dark, he shares a lifetime of experiences, ideas, and theories about this fascinating field of study.

This title was first published in 2000: A manifestation of mass hysteria, a compensation for physical or emotional deprivation, or an alternative to religion? What is the function of the paranormal in society? This question and its many possible answers are the subject of this scholarly study of our enduring fascination with experiences for which science provides no ready explanations. From the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt to the present day, Eric Carlton surveys the development of ideas and research associated with the paranormal, culminating as it does today in the recognized academic status accorded to parapsychology. With a critical yet open mind, Carlton explores issues associated with the study of the paranormal, such as witchcraft beliefs, near-death experiences and the UFO phenomenon. Case studies are employed to illustrate and illuminate certain examples and theories. This thought-provoking book concludes that the paranormal and our study of it provides a multi-faceted vehicle for humanity's quest to find meaning in life.