In this episode we welcome Dr. Donna Thomas, co-director of ICreates@UCLan and Perrott-Warrick Senior Researcher administered through Trinity College Cambridge. Donna investigates children’s and adults’ extrasensory experiences within human development, bringing together psychological, social-scientific, and parapsychological perspectives. As she puts it: “Having a wider understanding of what it means to be human will inform how we develop services for people.” We talk with Donna about the kinds of unusual experiences children report, how creative and participatory methods allow them to express what lies beyond language, and why taking these experiences seriously matters for wellbeing. She also shares insights from her research on children’s near-death experiences in paediatric intensive care, and invites us to rethink dominant assumptions about consciousness, reality, and what it means to be human.

00:01:01 – Origins of Donna’s Research Interest

00:05:29 – Personal Extraordinary Experiences

00:11:04 – Children’s Unusual Experiences

00:16:35 – From Research to Services

00:22:59 – Post-Materialist Worldview

00:26:24 – Extrasensory Experiences and Development

00:29:59 – Children’s Epistemic Authority

00:34:01 – Creative Research Methods

00:39:06 – Philosophical Dialogue with Children

00:42:07 – Children’s Intuitive Wisdom

Between Theory and Practice – Questions for Reflection:

How might the insights from this dialogue inspire your own practice? The following questions are intended to inspire further inquiry, whether explored individually or in conversation with colleagues, students, or peers.

1. Donna Thomas argues that many unusual experiences are dismissed or pathologized because they do not fit dominant assumptions about consciousness and human nature. In your own professional context, how do you respond when people share experiences, perspectives, or forms of knowing that challenge established frameworks? What might become possible if you approached such experiences with greater curiosity before judging or explaining them?
2. Throughout the conversation, Donna emphasizes the importance of listening carefully to children and recognizing them as credible knowers of their own experience. How might your own practice change if you more consciously attended to the voices, experiences, and forms of expression that are often overlooked, marginalized, or difficult to articulate? What would it mean to create spaces in which these voices can be heard and taken seriously?

Literature:

• Thomas, D. M. (2025): Towards a natural semiotics for centralizing ‘out of this world’ images in research with children. In: Qualitative Research. Vol. 25(I). DOI: 10.1177/14687941241234284
• Thomas, D. M. & O’Riordan, Z. (2025): “My mind is not my brain”: exploring consciousness with children using creative research methods. In: Qualitative Research in Pychology. 22:2. DOI: 10.1080/14780887.2024.2354338
• Thomas, D. (2023) Children's Unexplained Experiences in a Post Materialist World. Collective Ink Publications.
• Thomas, D. M. (2022): Rethinking Methodologies in Parapsychology Research with Children. In: Journal of Anomalistics, Vol. 22.