April 4, 2024 • 25 mins
Do you ever wonder what happens when we transcend mortal existence? What if there's a realm beyond our knowing that ties to the very essence of our existence? Join us on a fascinating journey with Liz Entin, a scientist turned afterlife investigator, who explores these very questions, inviting us to consider the possibility of an afterlife beyond our physical world.
Listen as Liz shares the transformative moment that led her into an intriguing journey through the world of afterlife science, her discoveries about reincarnation, and her enthralling experiences from the other side. She also gives us a peek into her podcast, 'WTF Just Happened? All About the Afterlife, No Woo', which takes a skeptical but open-minded viewpoint on the mysteries of the afterlife.
Get firsthand insights into Liz's encounters with unexplainable phenomena such as table tipping, spiritual shops, and seances. Learn how she balances her cultural Judaism with her exploration of the spiritual world and how the two can harmoniously coexist.
Hear how Liz's mentor made an uncanny appearance during her research and the overwhelming response her book 'WTF Just Happened' has garnered. With her upcoming third book on the horizon, Liz expresses her excitement about the ongoing journey of discovery and exploration.
Tune in for this enlightening conversation, where Liz provides a unique perspective on afterlife and mediumship, challenging our worldviews and opening us to new possibilities.
To learn more about Liz:
https://www.wtfjusthappened.net/book-afterlife-evidence-grief
Podcast: https://www.wtfjusthappened.net/podcast
We hope you found the episode to be enlightening and insightful. Our goal is to create content that not only entertains but also helps you grow spiritually and connect with your inner self.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to like, subscribe, and write a review. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us and helps us to improve the quality of our content and reach a wider audience.
We believe that by sharing knowledge and insights about spirituality, we can help to inspire positive change and personal growth. So, if you find our podcast to be meaningful and informative, we encourage you to share it with your friends and family.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello everyone, welcome to our Spiritual
Spotlight series.
Today I am joined by ElizabethInton.
Liz is a sciency skeptic whobegan investigating if there was
evidence of an afterlife afterthe passing of her father in
2015.
She's an author and she's alsoa podcast host.
Liz, thank you so much forcoming on Spiritual Spotlight
series.
I'm so happy you're here.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Thanks so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
So let's just jump right in.
Your journey soundsextraordinary.
Can maybe you share the momentyou went to skeptic, to someone
who was willing to explore theconcept of an afterlife?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, I can't say there's exactly one moment.
It's definitely been astep-by-step progression, but I
think the first moment I thoughtan afterlife was possible was I
had a thought that this was.
I think my dad just recentlymoved to hospice and knew there
(01:02):
wasn't much hope.
I had a thought okay, this iswhy I thought the time I don't
think this now, but that ourconsciousness is created by
neurons firing in our brain.
If that happens once, why would, in, say, 300 years, another
set of neurons firing in a braincreate me getting to experience
(01:23):
another consciousness not, liz,not karma-based, just getting
to at least experience beingsomebody.
I wouldn't get to be with my dadagain.
He wouldn't get to be with me.
But it's certainly better whenyou think the alternative is
complete obliteration.
I Googled that and I found theresearch of doctors Jim Tucker
(01:45):
and the late Ian Stevenson, whoare professors at the University
of Virginia, childpsychiatrists, that they are
setting cases of kids with pastlife memories in a very
data-based, scientific approach.
That was absolutely the mostlife-changing first moment I
(02:05):
thought oh my God, wait, am Iallowed to swear in your podcast
?
Of course I mean your title iswhat's?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, of course you're loud, thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
That's where I had my first major.
What the fuck like?
What the fuck is this?
Oh my God, there is an actual,tangible possibility that we
could survive bodily death insome way.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Yeah, I find it fascinating when you do look at
research of people who have likepast life recall, like that
have come, like ring I don'tknow if you believe in
reincarnation that are on thisearthly plane and then they're
like I remember when I was this.
Like I don't, I don't have anylike connection to that, but
when I see that I'm like what,like it's, it's fascinating and
(02:51):
it's also delusional to me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
That was the first thing I found and that was being
studied by child psychiatristswho have private practices and
teach at the University ofVirginia.
Yeah, I teach psychiatry and soI'm just like these are not we
people.
And no, if you look at Dr JimTucker, he goes and verifies
these kids' memories and in someof the strongest cases there's
(03:15):
just, I mean, what can you say?
There's no normal explanation.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
That is so so true.
So you described yourself asscience skeptic, which is quite
intriguing.
Yes, how does the scientificskepticism guide your
exploration into topics likeafterlife and also into
mediumship?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I think there's a big misconception and I have this
too that afterlife was primarilybased on religion and faith.
I grew up in a very secularculture as well as a secular
family, so it just you know,that wasn't even part of my life
.
I just had heard vague ideas ofGod and heaven and never sound
possible, and that was the onlyvision I'd heard of or
(03:58):
explanation.
I've heard of an afterlife, I'dheard of reincarnation, but
from a very spiritual karma base, and I've heard of mediumship
and I pictured it again, verysort of spiritual base and I
pictured it either completefrauds or very honest people who
believed it but I couldn't,weren't actually doing
mediumship.
And a scientific skepticapproach is learning that it's
(04:23):
twofold when it comes tomediumship, since you asked
about that one specifically,although there's many tenants of
afterlife and, yeah, afterlifeexploration, but in terms of
mediumship they're twofold.
First of all, learning aboutthe vast, vast body of data and
research being conducted onpsychic mediums, such as up to
(04:44):
quintuple-blinded studies beingconducted by the Windbridge
Institute, by Dr Julie Bysheleand Mark Bacuzzi, who are the
founders, and they do blindedstudies on mediums to confirm
they can get accurateinformation and specific
information, because I mean,anyone could give a fake
accurate medium reading.
(05:04):
You probably have a couple ofgreat grandparents on the other
side and they give a bunch of.
It's not that hard to get.
They loved their children.
They probably didn't know you,but it's not that hard.
So it's very specificinformation that these mediums
are required to get, such assomeone's hobbies, careers,
(05:28):
personality traits, and thencontrols would be hidden
identity of the people.
So, reading the numerousstudies, other studies are being
done, such as by Dr JeffreyTarn, who studies mediums brain
activity and sees differentbrainwave activity when they're
giving medium readings versuspsychic readings, which is
(05:49):
reading the energy of a livingperson versus not doing anything
above.
So that's where part of thescience he's kept.
That comes in because it'sexpected to be verified.
The other is getting my ownmedium readings and I hide my
identity completely and I scorethe medium readings for myself
and I want them to get alsoaccurate and specific data
(06:12):
beyond the odds of chance.
So that is how I would describeit.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I find that fascinating.
I mean someone in the spiritualrealm and then someone as
yourself, who I like the factthat you're testing it.
No, you want the science behindit, and it leads me to your
podcast, and then we'll go toyour book.
I love your podcast title.
Wtf just happened.
All about the afterlife.
No, woo.
Can maybe you share an episodeor an experience that made you
(06:41):
truly go at yourself?
What TF just happened?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Oh, my god OK.
Let me pull out of 10,000.
It's just constant.
So if we take away learningabout all the data I've been
reading or the first time when Iread about Dr Jim Tucker my
biggest first, what the fuck?
And I discovered he was beinginterviewed on NPR Like serious
places were taking his workseriously.
(07:06):
Some personal experiences I cangive a couple One my first
medium reading my heart was inmy throat.
I was expecting most likely toleave Heart sick and devastated
and she just got informationafter information.
Another huge one was one time Igot medium mystic information
(07:32):
myself and I actually titledthat chapter of my book like the
number one biggest what thefuck to ever happen or something
close to that.
Yeah, but I went sort of as ajoke.
I was at an event with, ifanyone doesn't know, the Forever
Family Foundation.
They use science-based testingto certify psychic mediums and
(07:53):
they have a team of scientificresearchers and they use these
mediums to host events and grapefor trades to help people with
their grief.
They have a bunch of otherresources.
But, I was at one of theirevents.
And Well, this was a conventionwhere people, as well as
dealing with grief, could alsohone in on their own medium as
(08:16):
stick abilities and mediumswould.
A panel of their mediums wouldoffer feedback on people's
readings and, as a joke, theydared me to go do one, just
knowing I had no abilities.
And it was so weird Like Istart getting all these
sensations and I went to thisone medium.
(08:36):
I don't know why I picked him,but I just walked over to him.
This was before.
This was my first ForeverFamily Foundation event.
Now it wouldn't be so remarkablebecause I'm friends with all of
them, so most likely Iunconsciously remembered stuff
about them.
But this was my first timemeeting these people.
I knew nothing about them.
And I went over to this one.
(08:57):
I just started getting like allthese waves moving through me.
It was so bizarre and all thewaves went congealed in my heart
and started bursting there andI was like did somebody die of a
heart attack?
He said yes.
Then they moved to my brain andin a specific spot like left
all my body and just startedlike bursting in my brain.
I was like did somebody die ofan aneurysm?
(09:18):
He said, yes, I mean, so I wasgetting it wasn't a good enough
reading that someone should hireme as their media or anything,
but I was getting the experienceof actual the sensations and
experience of mediumship.
And after that it just openedme up a lot more in my research
to believe mediums and be ableto hear them when they said,
(09:40):
well, I don't know exactly, butI'm kind of feeling this,
whereas before I was like, yeah,right, but so that was a huge,
what the fuck?
In a big transition for me toopen my mind to the research.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And you've actually you've investigated psychic
mediums, taking ghost huntingclasses and even in tendons
seances.
Maybe what is some compellingevidence that you've encountered
to maybe rethink yourskepticism.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Oh, my God, constant.
Okay, so from like well, interms of the ghost hunting class
, it was not in person so Ididn't actually attend, but it's
taught at the Ryan EducationCenter by Lloyd Arbach and just
learning about him and some ofthe research he's done because
he was he's a stage magician aswell as a parapsychologist so he
(10:29):
would be able to recognize alot of the phenomena if it's
being staged and he's had somany experiences.
He said where he assessed itwas genuine and that was one
aspect related to what I'd saywith ghost hunting.
My okay, the seance I cover inmy book was completely
(10:52):
fraudulent.
So, I did not get any goodevidence from that, but that
helped me assess that, yes, thatI am able, that I'm not lying
to myself because it was sodifferent than my experiences
where things were more genuineand I did.
It's not my books, I happenedvery recently, but I did attend
(11:14):
an event and there was tabletipping there, which is part of
Seance, and I'm pretty convincedit was real as convinced as I
get about things from myexperience, but that and they're
definitely real Like.
Oh, my God, oh my.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
God, definitely real.
And I will say that, as you'retalking about this, I just had a
book completely fall off mybookcase, like it's just like.
Oh my God, I love that.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
What's it called Native Street TV?
Wait, what's this thing on the?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
book what's?
This thing on the book.
It's actually my binder thathas all the interviews that I've
been doing for this series.
Oh, okay, I was like, I was likemaybe I'm like why it was a
fucking title, okay, but tabletipping, 100% I find it.
I actually go to a spiritualshop.
(12:03):
My friend owns a spiritual shopand she has a circular table
and we do table tipping and weactually have.
We set the table and it getsgoing and we actually have
clients, one at a time will comeup and they can experience it
and see Like, look, it's not usmanipulating and ask it a
question, let's go Like and it'sjust the fascinating, the
(12:23):
energy shift of it and it'speople love it.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh my God, it was really Like, not only was it fun
, like I was expecting it to bemore fun, it ended up being this
remarkably profound experiencewhere, like, my mentor had
passed away really sadly in themiddle of all my research and we
called her in and she came infor me.
It was really, it was reallymeaningful.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
So I love the fact that you're open to it, like
you're willing to experience it,and I do get your point about
the seans, because I myself haveattended.
I would say it's a physicalmediumship seans, where they
actually apport things out oftheir mouth, and it's very
interesting and I'm still not100% convinced.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
This one, I'm convinced, is fake, like this
one, without a doubt, was fake.
That doesn't all of them arefake 100% agree with you.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Yeah, it's like.
Yeah yeah, I don't know,they're kind of hokey yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, this one was hokey.
I did a little poking around.
I found like his prop kit, so Ido.
I mean, I was like no, you'refull of shit, I love you.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
I love the fact that you're like no, you're gonna
uncover it, whether or not it'strue, authentic or just full of
shit.
So let's talk about your book.
Wtf just happened, Thank you.
A science skeptic exploresgrief, healing and evidence of
an afterlife.
I know that it was yourfather's passing that motivated
you to kind of dig in andpossibly write this book.
(14:02):
What's the central messageyou're aiming to convey, or that
you do convey in your book?
And you can see in Back of Her.
The wonderful book is right inBack of Her.
I love it.
Yeah, I have to do the wholepromotion.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Of course.
Yeah, the main message reallyI'm hoping to convey is that
there really is valid reasons tothink that we could survive
bodily death.
I also have like underlyingmessages, like grief.
There isn't a right or wrongway to experience grief and
(14:37):
there's so much pressure in oursociety that tells you how
you're supposed to handle it andsupposed to feel.
But primarily it's that, yeah,like afterlife is not about
necessarily spirituality orfaith or belief or wishful
thinking.
There's tangible evidence andvery logical reasons that
(14:59):
someone like me I kind of try toshow how my mind works and that
if I can conclude there's mostlikely an afterlife.
The evidence is really strong.
I try to take people through itin a very fun, light voice, as
if you were my friend sittingmeeting and having a coffee.
It's very like, hopefullyapproachable and personal.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I love that and it was also a number one new
release on Amazoncom.
So I just want everyone to knowlike this book is amazing and
make sure to check it outbecause it is amazing.
It's our best selling new andfeatured.
I'm trying to read new andfeatured.
Rachel needs to get her glassesout, okay, guys.
(15:41):
So another thing you'vementioned that you're a cultural
Jew but also an atheist.
How do your cultural beliefsintertwine, or maybe conflict,
with your explorations intospirituality and the afterlife?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
They don't at all.
Like cultural Jew has nothingto do with God.
It's like we like bagels withlocks and cringes and have a
certain sense of humor.
It's very.
It's really a.
I mean.
Yes, to some people Judaism isa religion.
To me, and the way I was raised, it's a culture.
It's a bit of like a personalidentity and there's an aspect
(16:20):
approach to, like I'd say,secular Judaism really isn't
about religion or God.
It's like, you know, likedialect, like words, like oh,
hey, that you know it's verycultural, likes like yeah, like
inside jokes, humor, like likecertain foods which you know.
So to me it never was religionin terms of believing in God, so
(16:43):
it doesn't conflict at all.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I love that.
My sister is also an atheist.
I don't know, I'm not sure ifyou still resonate with being an
atheist and she's like I'll bepleasantly surprised if I, if
there's a heaven, I'll bepleasantly surprised.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
It's all good, like yeah, yeah, I mean I guess I
sort of resonate as an atheist.
I mean more.
I guess it's such a definitiveword and I try not to be a
definitive person Like I neverreally even considered myself
necessarily an atheist till Istarted like studying this and
I'm like, well, that reallydescribes I just never thought
there was a God.
I never really was aroundpeople who thought about it, it
(17:18):
was just very irrelevant.
So I guess I'm more of anevidentialist and I've never
seen evidence of like a God orheaven.
But that doesn't mean therearen't multiple states of
consciousness, some material,some non, and I think that's
much more explained by physicsthan religion.
We just haven't fully explainedit yet, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
So in your on your website, you have.
Can you please tell us thehilarious story behind peanut,
your Chihuahua and his encounterwith Harvey Weinstein?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Oh God okay.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Rachel did her research, okay.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
I never really it's gonna come up.
I usually assume it doesn't.
But what I do?
I just laugh so hard.
I mean dark humor.
I like dark humor so we'realready talking about like okay,
we're already talking aboutlike dead dads, so let's go with
.
Like others.
So like this part's not reallymy story to tell so I won't go
into it.
But like, my friend of mine wassexually assaulted by Harvey
Weinstein and at one point, yeah, horrible, horrible and thank
(18:23):
you, yeah, thanks from her.
But on the light side of that,like we, I'd been doing a summer
internship and my parents gotme this apartment in New York
and she was my roommate thatsummer and at one point I wasn't
there.
Okay, so I had my dog peanut.
She's a Chihuahua, mix, pugChihuahua and that's a little
(18:44):
awkward thing.
That's a mix, a chug.
I mean the process called herChihuahua was easier but it was
like a little complicated.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I like the chug.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
I was like that the chug, yeah, yeah, finding this
little sweetest dog.
She's since passed, but youknow she was like with our
family, like oh, my baby girl,and she loved everybody and
except Harvey Weinstein.
So apparently I wasn't therebut like horrible, like he broke
in like first into ourapartment and she chased him
(19:14):
around and he ran away and gotscared and I ended up being like
a secondary witness andtestifying in the trial on
behalf of my friend.
Oh yeah, crazy, crazy.
So part of it I will use thisone moment to brag.
I mean I like apparently likeripped his lawyer to shreds and
that went viral.
And then I also mentioned partof it, which was just true, that
(19:37):
she chased Harvey Weinsteinaround.
He was terrified, he was likerunning away from her and he's
like what is this thing?
Get it away from me.
Remember, she's a Chihuahua mix.
She's like 12 pounds and cuddlyand he's a big ass blob of a
man.
Huge and disgusting and likethis massive oh I don't even
(20:00):
know what and so he's likerunning away.
He's terrified of my littleChihuahua.
So that came up in thetestimony, of course, goes viral
.
Peanut gets like a segment on.
I think it was like court TV.
I love this.
It's just like thousands ofblogs and papers.
(20:22):
It was like I found one inChina.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
India, india.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
I'm like OK, chihuahua is now famous and
influence are social rights,human rights activists, I don't
know.
And she was like the mostawkward little dog too, which
makes it even funnier.
She was not the most confidentdog, just cuddly silly, wanted
(20:48):
attention all the time.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
I feel like your dog was intuitively connected and
knew not to have this personaround.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah, I think so.
Oh yeah, and probably also shefelt like Miriam's, like my
friend, I mean.
I use her name, it's justprotective.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Like I, you shouldn't obviously use someone's name in
this situation but, like it'sall over the it's the stories.
No, and in her names no, and soI didn't want to seem like this
respectful that I said her name,my friend's name, but yeah, but
yeah, she probably sensed herlike disgust and fear, but like
yeah, but it was like oh, andthen they asked Harvey as he
(21:32):
left the court case.
I didn't know this was going onthat.
But right after my testimony,like all the press was like
excuse me, Mr Weinstein, are youafraid of Chihuahua?
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I love that I love that.
I was.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Oh my God, I can't, yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Yeah, so if anyone is interested in finding your,
your podcast, what TF justhappened?
All about the afterlife?
No woo is it on all podcastchannels Spotify, apple,
everywhere.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
It's on all Spotify channels.
You can also go to my websiteand just click on the podcast
tabs and it will link to all theapps to amazing, and if anyone
is also interested in purchasingyour book, also go to your
website.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
and what is your website?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
My website is WTF just happened.
Dot net and then you can getthe book you get on Amazon.
It will just like link right toit.
You can get the Kindle orpaperback, and I'm in the middle
of recording an audio book andI'm close to finishing.
What the fuck to?
So my second book?
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Oh, I love that.
Okay, so what get us maybe aglimpse of your second book
about to come out?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Sure, it'll be out in a few months, self published,
so takes a little bit of time,but I'm getting to it.
It is primarily picks up wherewhat the fuck the first one left
off and it so much, so much hashappened since then that I
include all of that and I talk alittle bit about everything
(23:03):
with Harvey Weinstein to.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
I love that, because when this airs this book, your
book will already be out, soI'll have to make sure to link
WTF to to this as well.
Well, there'll be a third then.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Oh yes yes, I'm have notes on the third because stuff
just crazy shit like the tabletipping, keeps happening.
But that happened way after thetimeline WTF to.
I actually don't know what it'sgoing to be called yet.
It's either going to be WTF,just happened to with like a
tagline, or I might call itsomething different, like the,
like WTF, like what the actualfuck?
It's still happening.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I don't know.
I've got to make sure to linkthe fuck will be in the title
Elizabeth second and possiblythird book.
I love this.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
So and you're little.
Thanks, yeah, third's a littledown the line, but it's coming.
Oh what Okay yeah, I do.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I think it's fascinating like it's going to
keep going down the line.
So, elizabeth, thank you somuch for coming on spiritual
spotlight series.
I look forward to hearing aboutyour third, fourth, fifth, six
book and thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
I really appreciate it.
This was such a funconversation.
Hello everyone, welcome to our Spiritual
Spotlight series.
Today I am joined by ElizabethInton.
Liz is a sciency skeptic whobegan investigating if there was
evidence of an afterlife afterthe passing of her father in
2015.
She's an author and she's alsoa podcast host.
Liz, thank you so much forcoming on Spiritual Spotlight
series.
I'm so happy you're here.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Thanks so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
So let's just jump right in.
Your journey soundsextraordinary.
Can maybe you share the momentyou went to skeptic, to someone
who was willing to explore theconcept of an afterlife?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yeah, I can't say there's exactly one moment.
It's definitely been astep-by-step progression, but I
think the first moment I thoughtan afterlife was possible was I
had a thought that this was.
I think my dad just recentlymoved to hospice and knew there
(01:02):
wasn't much hope.
I had a thought okay, this iswhy I thought the time I don't
think this now, but that ourconsciousness is created by
neurons firing in our brain.
If that happens once, why would, in, say, 300 years, another
set of neurons firing in a braincreate me getting to experience
(01:23):
another consciousness not, liz,not karma-based, just getting
to at least experience beingsomebody.
I wouldn't get to be with my dadagain.
He wouldn't get to be with me.
But it's certainly better whenyou think the alternative is
complete obliteration.
I Googled that and I found theresearch of doctors Jim Tucker
(01:45):
and the late Ian Stevenson, whoare professors at the University
of Virginia, childpsychiatrists, that they are
setting cases of kids with pastlife memories in a very
data-based, scientific approach.
That was absolutely the mostlife-changing first moment I
(02:05):
thought oh my God, wait, am Iallowed to swear in your podcast
?
Of course I mean your title iswhat's?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, of course you're loud, thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
That's where I had my first major.
What the fuck like?
What the fuck is this?
Oh my God, there is an actual,tangible possibility that we
could survive bodily death insome way.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Yeah, I find it fascinating when you do look at
research of people who have likepast life recall, like that
have come, like ring I don'tknow if you believe in
reincarnation that are on thisearthly plane and then they're
like I remember when I was this.
Like I don't, I don't have anylike connection to that, but
when I see that I'm like what,like it's, it's fascinating and
(02:51):
it's also delusional to me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
That was the first thing I found and that was being
studied by child psychiatristswho have private practices and
teach at the University ofVirginia.
Yeah, I teach psychiatry and soI'm just like these are not we
people.
And no, if you look at Dr JimTucker, he goes and verifies
these kids' memories and in someof the strongest cases there's
(03:15):
just, I mean, what can you say?
There's no normal explanation.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
That is so so true.
So you described yourself asscience skeptic, which is quite
intriguing.
Yes, how does the scientificskepticism guide your
exploration into topics likeafterlife and also into
mediumship?
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I think there's a big misconception and I have this
too that afterlife was primarilybased on religion and faith.
I grew up in a very secularculture as well as a secular
family, so it just you know,that wasn't even part of my life
.
I just had heard vague ideas ofGod and heaven and never sound
possible, and that was the onlyvision I'd heard of or
(03:58):
explanation.
I've heard of an afterlife, I'dheard of reincarnation, but
from a very spiritual karma base, and I've heard of mediumship
and I pictured it again, verysort of spiritual base and I
pictured it either completefrauds or very honest people who
believed it but I couldn't,weren't actually doing
mediumship.
And a scientific skepticapproach is learning that it's
(04:23):
twofold when it comes tomediumship, since you asked
about that one specifically,although there's many tenants of
afterlife and, yeah, afterlifeexploration, but in terms of
mediumship they're twofold.
First of all, learning aboutthe vast, vast body of data and
research being conducted onpsychic mediums, such as up to
(04:44):
quintuple-blinded studies beingconducted by the Windbridge
Institute, by Dr Julie Bysheleand Mark Bacuzzi, who are the
founders, and they do blindedstudies on mediums to confirm
they can get accurateinformation and specific
information, because I mean,anyone could give a fake
accurate medium reading.
(05:04):
You probably have a couple ofgreat grandparents on the other
side and they give a bunch of.
It's not that hard to get.
They loved their children.
They probably didn't know you,but it's not that hard.
So it's very specificinformation that these mediums
are required to get, such assomeone's hobbies, careers,
(05:28):
personality traits, and thencontrols would be hidden
identity of the people.
So, reading the numerousstudies, other studies are being
done, such as by Dr JeffreyTarn, who studies mediums brain
activity and sees differentbrainwave activity when they're
giving medium readings versuspsychic readings, which is
(05:49):
reading the energy of a livingperson versus not doing anything
above.
So that's where part of thescience he's kept.
That comes in because it'sexpected to be verified.
The other is getting my ownmedium readings and I hide my
identity completely and I scorethe medium readings for myself
and I want them to get alsoaccurate and specific data
(06:12):
beyond the odds of chance.
So that is how I would describeit.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I find that fascinating.
I mean someone in the spiritualrealm and then someone as
yourself, who I like the factthat you're testing it.
No, you want the science behindit, and it leads me to your
podcast, and then we'll go toyour book.
I love your podcast title.
Wtf just happened.
All about the afterlife.
No, woo.
Can maybe you share an episodeor an experience that made you
(06:41):
truly go at yourself?
What TF just happened?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Oh, my god OK.
Let me pull out of 10,000.
It's just constant.
So if we take away learningabout all the data I've been
reading or the first time when Iread about Dr Jim Tucker my
biggest first, what the fuck?
And I discovered he was beinginterviewed on NPR Like serious
places were taking his workseriously.
(07:06):
Some personal experiences I cangive a couple One my first
medium reading my heart was inmy throat.
I was expecting most likely toleave Heart sick and devastated
and she just got informationafter information.
Another huge one was one time Igot medium mystic information
(07:32):
myself and I actually titledthat chapter of my book like the
number one biggest what thefuck to ever happen or something
close to that.
Yeah, but I went sort of as ajoke.
I was at an event with, ifanyone doesn't know, the Forever
Family Foundation.
They use science-based testingto certify psychic mediums and
(07:53):
they have a team of scientificresearchers and they use these
mediums to host events and grapefor trades to help people with
their grief.
They have a bunch of otherresources.
But, I was at one of theirevents.
And Well, this was a conventionwhere people, as well as
dealing with grief, could alsohone in on their own medium as
(08:16):
stick abilities and mediumswould.
A panel of their mediums wouldoffer feedback on people's
readings and, as a joke, theydared me to go do one, just
knowing I had no abilities.
And it was so weird Like Istart getting all these
sensations and I went to thisone medium.
(08:36):
I don't know why I picked him,but I just walked over to him.
This was before.
This was my first ForeverFamily Foundation event.
Now it wouldn't be so remarkablebecause I'm friends with all of
them, so most likely Iunconsciously remembered stuff
about them.
But this was my first timemeeting these people.
I knew nothing about them.
And I went over to this one.
(08:57):
I just started getting like allthese waves moving through me.
It was so bizarre and all thewaves went congealed in my heart
and started bursting there andI was like did somebody die of a
heart attack?
He said yes.
Then they moved to my brain andin a specific spot like left
all my body and just startedlike bursting in my brain.
I was like did somebody die ofan aneurysm?
(09:18):
He said, yes, I mean, so I wasgetting it wasn't a good enough
reading that someone should hireme as their media or anything,
but I was getting the experienceof actual the sensations and
experience of mediumship.
And after that it just openedme up a lot more in my research
to believe mediums and be ableto hear them when they said,
(09:40):
well, I don't know exactly, butI'm kind of feeling this,
whereas before I was like, yeah,right, but so that was a huge,
what the fuck?
In a big transition for me toopen my mind to the research.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And you've actually you've investigated psychic
mediums, taking ghost huntingclasses and even in tendons
seances.
Maybe what is some compellingevidence that you've encountered
to maybe rethink yourskepticism.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Oh, my God, constant.
Okay, so from like well, interms of the ghost hunting class
, it was not in person so Ididn't actually attend, but it's
taught at the Ryan EducationCenter by Lloyd Arbach and just
learning about him and some ofthe research he's done because
he was he's a stage magician aswell as a parapsychologist so he
(10:29):
would be able to recognize alot of the phenomena if it's
being staged and he's had somany experiences.
He said where he assessed itwas genuine and that was one
aspect related to what I'd saywith ghost hunting.
My okay, the seance I cover inmy book was completely
(10:52):
fraudulent.
So, I did not get any goodevidence from that, but that
helped me assess that, yes, thatI am able, that I'm not lying
to myself because it was sodifferent than my experiences
where things were more genuineand I did.
It's not my books, I happenedvery recently, but I did attend
(11:14):
an event and there was tabletipping there, which is part of
Seance, and I'm pretty convincedit was real as convinced as I
get about things from myexperience, but that and they're
definitely real Like.
Oh, my God, oh my.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
God, definitely real.
And I will say that, as you'retalking about this, I just had a
book completely fall off mybookcase, like it's just like.
Oh my God, I love that.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
What's it called Native Street TV?
Wait, what's this thing on the?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
book what's?
This thing on the book.
It's actually my binder thathas all the interviews that I've
been doing for this series.
Oh, okay, I was like, I was likemaybe I'm like why it was a
fucking title, okay, but tabletipping, 100% I find it.
I actually go to a spiritualshop.
(12:03):
My friend owns a spiritual shopand she has a circular table
and we do table tipping and weactually have.
We set the table and it getsgoing and we actually have
clients, one at a time will comeup and they can experience it
and see Like, look, it's not usmanipulating and ask it a
question, let's go Like and it'sjust the fascinating, the
(12:23):
energy shift of it and it'speople love it.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Oh my God, it was really Like, not only was it fun
, like I was expecting it to bemore fun, it ended up being this
remarkably profound experiencewhere, like, my mentor had
passed away really sadly in themiddle of all my research and we
called her in and she came infor me.
It was really, it was reallymeaningful.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
So I love the fact that you're open to it, like
you're willing to experience it,and I do get your point about
the seans, because I myself haveattended.
I would say it's a physicalmediumship seans, where they
actually apport things out oftheir mouth, and it's very
interesting and I'm still not100% convinced.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
This one, I'm convinced, is fake, like this
one, without a doubt, was fake.
That doesn't all of them arefake 100% agree with you.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Yeah, it's like.
Yeah yeah, I don't know,they're kind of hokey yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Yeah, this one was hokey.
I did a little poking around.
I found like his prop kit, so Ido.
I mean, I was like no, you'refull of shit, I love you.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
I love the fact that you're like no, you're gonna
uncover it, whether or not it'strue, authentic or just full of
shit.
So let's talk about your book.
Wtf just happened, Thank you.
A science skeptic exploresgrief, healing and evidence of
an afterlife.
I know that it was yourfather's passing that motivated
you to kind of dig in andpossibly write this book.
(14:02):
What's the central messageyou're aiming to convey, or that
you do convey in your book?
And you can see in Back of Her.
The wonderful book is right inBack of Her.
I love it.
Yeah, I have to do the wholepromotion.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Of course.
Yeah, the main message reallyI'm hoping to convey is that
there really is valid reasons tothink that we could survive
bodily death.
I also have like underlyingmessages, like grief.
There isn't a right or wrongway to experience grief and
(14:37):
there's so much pressure in oursociety that tells you how
you're supposed to handle it andsupposed to feel.
But primarily it's that, yeah,like afterlife is not about
necessarily spirituality orfaith or belief or wishful
thinking.
There's tangible evidence andvery logical reasons that
(14:59):
someone like me I kind of try toshow how my mind works and that
if I can conclude there's mostlikely an afterlife.
The evidence is really strong.
I try to take people through itin a very fun, light voice, as
if you were my friend sittingmeeting and having a coffee.
It's very like, hopefullyapproachable and personal.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I love that and it was also a number one new
release on Amazoncom.
So I just want everyone to knowlike this book is amazing and
make sure to check it outbecause it is amazing.
It's our best selling new andfeatured.
I'm trying to read new andfeatured.
Rachel needs to get her glassesout, okay, guys.
(15:41):
So another thing you'vementioned that you're a cultural
Jew but also an atheist.
How do your cultural beliefsintertwine, or maybe conflict,
with your explorations intospirituality and the afterlife?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
They don't at all.
Like cultural Jew has nothingto do with God.
It's like we like bagels withlocks and cringes and have a
certain sense of humor.
It's very.
It's really a.
I mean.
Yes, to some people Judaism isa religion.
To me, and the way I was raised, it's a culture.
It's a bit of like a personalidentity and there's an aspect
(16:20):
approach to, like I'd say,secular Judaism really isn't
about religion or God.
It's like, you know, likedialect, like words, like oh,
hey, that you know it's verycultural, likes like yeah, like
inside jokes, humor, like likecertain foods which you know.
So to me it never was religionin terms of believing in God, so
(16:43):
it doesn't conflict at all.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I love that.
My sister is also an atheist.
I don't know, I'm not sure ifyou still resonate with being an
atheist and she's like I'll bepleasantly surprised if I, if
there's a heaven, I'll bepleasantly surprised.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
It's all good, like yeah, yeah, I mean I guess I
sort of resonate as an atheist.
I mean more.
I guess it's such a definitiveword and I try not to be a
definitive person Like I neverreally even considered myself
necessarily an atheist till Istarted like studying this and
I'm like, well, that reallydescribes I just never thought
there was a God.
I never really was aroundpeople who thought about it, it
(17:18):
was just very irrelevant.
So I guess I'm more of anevidentialist and I've never
seen evidence of like a God orheaven.
But that doesn't mean therearen't multiple states of
consciousness, some material,some non, and I think that's
much more explained by physicsthan religion.
We just haven't fully explainedit yet, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
So in your on your website, you have.
Can you please tell us thehilarious story behind peanut,
your Chihuahua and his encounterwith Harvey Weinstein?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Oh God okay.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Rachel did her research, okay.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
I never really it's gonna come up.
I usually assume it doesn't.
But what I do?
I just laugh so hard.
I mean dark humor.
I like dark humor so we'realready talking about like okay,
we're already talking aboutlike dead dads, so let's go with
.
Like others.
So like this part's not reallymy story to tell so I won't go
into it.
But like, my friend of mine wassexually assaulted by Harvey
Weinstein and at one point, yeah, horrible, horrible and thank
(18:23):
you, yeah, thanks from her.
But on the light side of that,like we, I'd been doing a summer
internship and my parents gotme this apartment in New York
and she was my roommate thatsummer and at one point I wasn't
there.
Okay, so I had my dog peanut.
She's a Chihuahua, mix, pugChihuahua and that's a little
(18:44):
awkward thing.
That's a mix, a chug.
I mean the process called herChihuahua was easier but it was
like a little complicated.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I like the chug.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
I was like that the chug, yeah, yeah, finding this
little sweetest dog.
She's since passed, but youknow she was like with our
family, like oh, my baby girl,and she loved everybody and
except Harvey Weinstein.
So apparently I wasn't therebut like horrible, like he broke
in like first into ourapartment and she chased him
(19:14):
around and he ran away and gotscared and I ended up being like
a secondary witness andtestifying in the trial on
behalf of my friend.
Oh yeah, crazy, crazy.
So part of it I will use thisone moment to brag.
I mean I like apparently likeripped his lawyer to shreds and
that went viral.
And then I also mentioned partof it, which was just true, that
(19:37):
she chased Harvey Weinsteinaround.
He was terrified, he was likerunning away from her and he's
like what is this thing?
Get it away from me.
Remember, she's a Chihuahua mix.
She's like 12 pounds and cuddlyand he's a big ass blob of a
man.
Huge and disgusting and likethis massive oh I don't even
(20:00):
know what and so he's likerunning away.
He's terrified of my littleChihuahua.
So that came up in thetestimony, of course, goes viral
.
Peanut gets like a segment on.
I think it was like court TV.
I love this.
It's just like thousands ofblogs and papers.
(20:22):
It was like I found one inChina.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
India, india.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
I'm like OK, chihuahua is now famous and
influence are social rights,human rights activists, I don't
know.
And she was like the mostawkward little dog too, which
makes it even funnier.
She was not the most confidentdog, just cuddly silly, wanted
(20:48):
attention all the time.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
I feel like your dog was intuitively connected and
knew not to have this personaround.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Yeah, I think so.
Oh yeah, and probably also shefelt like Miriam's, like my
friend, I mean.
I use her name, it's justprotective.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Like I, you shouldn't obviously use someone's name in
this situation but, like it'sall over the it's the stories.
No, and in her names no, and soI didn't want to seem like this
respectful that I said her name,my friend's name, but yeah, but
yeah, she probably sensed herlike disgust and fear, but like
yeah, but it was like oh, andthen they asked Harvey as he
(21:32):
left the court case.
I didn't know this was going onthat.
But right after my testimony,like all the press was like
excuse me, Mr Weinstein, are youafraid of Chihuahua?
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I love that I love that.
I was.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Oh my God, I can't, yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Yeah, so if anyone is interested in finding your,
your podcast, what TF justhappened?
All about the afterlife?
No woo is it on all podcastchannels Spotify, apple,
everywhere.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
It's on all Spotify channels.
You can also go to my websiteand just click on the podcast
tabs and it will link to all theapps to amazing, and if anyone
is also interested in purchasingyour book, also go to your
website.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
and what is your website?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
My website is WTF just happened.
Dot net and then you can getthe book you get on Amazon.
It will just like link right toit.
You can get the Kindle orpaperback, and I'm in the middle
of recording an audio book andI'm close to finishing.
What the fuck to?
So my second book?
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Oh, I love that.
Okay, so what get us maybe aglimpse of your second book
about to come out?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Sure, it'll be out in a few months, self published,
so takes a little bit of time,but I'm getting to it.
It is primarily picks up wherewhat the fuck the first one left
off and it so much, so much hashappened since then that I
include all of that and I talk alittle bit about everything
(23:03):
with Harvey Weinstein to.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
I love that, because when this airs this book, your
book will already be out, soI'll have to make sure to link
WTF to to this as well.
Well, there'll be a third then.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Oh yes yes, I'm have notes on the third because stuff
just crazy shit like the tabletipping, keeps happening.
But that happened way after thetimeline WTF to.
I actually don't know what it'sgoing to be called yet.
It's either going to be WTF,just happened to with like a
tagline, or I might call itsomething different, like the,
like WTF, like what the actualfuck?
It's still happening.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I don't know.
I've got to make sure to linkthe fuck will be in the title
Elizabeth second and possiblythird book.
I love this.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
So and you're little.
Thanks, yeah, third's a littledown the line, but it's coming.
Oh what Okay yeah, I do.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
I think it's fascinating like it's going to
keep going down the line.
So, elizabeth, thank you somuch for coming on spiritual
spotlight series.
I look forward to hearing aboutyour third, fourth, fifth, six
book and thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
I really appreciate it.
This was such a funconversation.
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