Summary
In this expansive conversation, Dr. Marilyn Schlitz shares her lifelong journey into consciousness, healing, and human potential. She recounts pivotal early-life events—from accidentally ingesting lighter fluid as a toddler to a profound out-of-body experience after a motorcycle accident at 16—that shaped her understanding of the mind-body connection. Marilyn explains how paradigm-shifting books and early mentors led her into formal research on remote viewing, intentional healing, and altered states of consciousness.
The discussion covers her work with astronaut Edgar Mitchell, her groundbreaking experiments measuring the physiological impact of intention, and her current teaching in transpersonal psychology. Matt and Tom explore topics like imagination vs. true experience, interconnectedness, dreamwork, the modern crisis of information overload, and why many scientists fear exploring anomalous experiences publicly. Marilyn emphasizes humility, awe, and the practice of making meaning as tools for healing in an increasingly chaotic world.
Takeaways
- Early childhood and adolescent experiences sparked Marilyn’s lifelong interest in healing and consciousness.
- An out-of-body experience at 16 deeply influenced her understanding of human perception.
- Visualizing her body healing introduced her to the power of imagination in recovery.
- Books by Thomas Kuhn and Edgar Mitchell catalyzed her journey into consciousness research.
- Marilyn conducted rigorous remote-viewing and intentional-healing experiments with statistically significant results.
- Many scientists have anomalous or mystical experiences but fear public ridicule.
- Transpersonal psychology examines experiences beyond the ego, including spirituality and interconnectedness.
- Dreamwork can reveal shared symbolic meaning and deepen self-understanding.
- Overexposure to global crises overwhelms our cognitive limits and increases anxiety.
- Awe, humility, and connection can counterbalance social fragmentation and stress.
- Social media often acts as a “weapon of mass distraction,” disrupting our sense of meaning.
- Healing may come from accepting mystery, embracing mortality, and recognizing interconnectedness.
- Marilyn’s career reflects a continuous thread: exploring consciousness through science, spirituality, and lived experience.
Chapters
00:00 Introductions & Thursday Night Energy 01:06 “How Did You Get Here?” — Opening the Story 01:47 Childhood Accident & First Seeds of Healing 03:14 Motorcycle Crash & Out-of-Body Experience 04:42 Discovering Imagination as a Healing Tool 05:33 Growing Up in Detroit & Wanting to Help Society 06:09 Paradigm Shifts: Thomas Kuhn & New Worldviews 07:04 Edgar Mitchell’s Psychic Exploration 08:01 Timing, Synchronicity & Personal Awakening Moments 09:43 Navigating a Chaotic Time 10:08 Imagination vs. True Experience 12:00 Meaning-Making & The Limits of Certainty 12:54 N of One but Universal Phenomena 13:58 Consciousness, Connection & Social Healing 14:36 Near-Death Experiences & Shared Patterns 16:13 Dreamwork, Creativity & Symbolic Interpretation 18:36 Emerging Patterns Across Podcast Guests 20:28 Information Overload & Finding Human Intersections 23:11 What Is Transpersonal Psychology? 24:43 Skepticism, Stigma & Scientists’ Hidden Experiences 26:36 Michael Shermer’s “Impossible Radio” Story 29:35 Mortality, Anxiety & Tribalism 31:06 Experiments on Intention Affecting Physiology 33:41 Why Experimenters Performed the Best 35:10 The Small, Interconnected World of Consciousness Research 36:45 Guest Selection, Synchronicity & Growing Momentum 38:41 Learning from Every Perspective 39:57 Remote Viewing & Ancient Traditions 41:06 Impossible Languages & Mystical Phenomena 43:11 Marilyn’s Career Path & Caribbean Fieldwork 45:33 Working with Astronaut Edgar Mitchell 47:00 Dreams as Guidance for Life’s Next Steps 48:50 How to Improve Dream Recall 50:04 Telescopes, Microscopes & Exploring Awareness 51:00 Aurora Borealis & Evidence of Mystery 52:05 Awe, Humility & Staying Grounded 53:24 Social Media, Politics & Dunbar’s Number 55:31 Choosing Attention & Protecting Mental Health 56:22 Marilyn’s Work, Books & Upcoming Projects 57:22 Closing Reflections & Inviting Marilyn Back
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