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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