I had been hoping to hear about Dr. Julie Beischel’s reaction to the film. Something better happened today and I got to read a detailed reaction.

Many reviewers will relay a synopsis of the film. They will bestow a final “good or bad” judgment on the film.

However, I wanted to know if the film presents an accurate portrayal of someone who is called psychic. Who would have a better idea than a scientist who actually studies this phenomena?

Dr. Beischel served as the William James Post-doctoral Fellow in Mediumship and Survival Research and Co-Director of the VERITAS Research Program at the University of Arizona, until the program closed in 2007. Soon after, Beischel and her husband, Mark Boccuzzi, founded the Windbridge Institute. Beischel, Boccuzzi and their team, as stated on their website, perform important research on phenomena including the continuation of consciousness after death and the experiences of and information reported by psychic mediums.

Click through at the end to read Beischel’s entire post.

A Scientist’s Spoiler-free Review of Hereafter

Sunday, October 24, 2010
Julie Beishcel, PhD
Director of Research, The Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential

I saw Hereafter yesterday after not having been in a movie theater (yay, Netflix!) since Christmas Day, 2007. It was worth the trip.

Hereafter considered life after death through perspectives that were normal, ordinary, and, thus, realistic. One of the people I was with said, “I thought [a certain part] would be more spectacular.” I, on the other hand, thought that the normalcy of the after-death portions of the story were what made it extraordinary. It didn’t treat mediumship, near-death experiences, or after death communication as anything out of the ordinary. The same cannot be said about how some of the characters viewed these phenomena, though.  READ THE REST AT JULIE BEISCHEL’S BLOG SITE

The pair met in 2005 at the Summer Study Program in Parapsychology, presented by the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and the Rhine Research Center. They were paired together in a controlled experiment where Boccuzzi was assigned to send telepathic messages to Beischel. She picked up on those messages. They were married in 2008.

Due to their unusual meeting and their passion for the paranormal, they are often referred to as “soul mates”.

They both work in paranormal research, on both separate and common research projects. Boccuzzi’s research interests include survival of consciousness, intuition, applied psychokinesis, and distant mental interactions on living systems (DMILS). Dr. Beischel was the first recipient of the William James Post-doctoral Fellowship in Mediumship and Survival Research at the University of Arizona, where she served as Co-Director of the VERITAS Research Program.

When the VERITAS project closed in 2007, Boccuzzi and Beichel co-founded The Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential.

“The Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential is concerned with asking, “What can we do with the potential that exists within our bodies, minds, and spirits?” Can we heal each other? Ourselves? Can we affect events and physical reality with our thoughts? Can we know things before they happen? Are we connected to each other? To the planet? Can we communicate with our loved ones who have passed?”

The two will be separately featured on upcoming internet radio spots, with Beischel talking about mediums (today) and Boccuzzi will focus on ghosts (two weeks from today). Additionally, both will participate in a conference designed for the general public in Fort Myers, Florida.  If you can catch any or all, it will be well worth the time for paranormal investigators and enthusiasts alike.

Details below:

Julie Beischel, PhD, The Windbridge Institute

Dr. Julie Beischel

on Signs of Life Radio

Radio Show Topic – Mediums: “Many people do not realize the fact that well-credentialed scientists have been doing research with mediums for more than a century. After all, how does one study a medium in a laboratory? Dr. Julie Beischel, co-founder of The Windbridge Institute, will tell us the methods by which mediumship is investigated and what the results mean to the substantiation of an afterlife.”

When: 10/14.10 (Tonight), 4:00 pm PT/ 7:00 pm ET

Where: BBS Radio, Online

About Julie: Julie Beischel, PhD, Co-Founder and Director of Research at Windbridge, received her doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology with a minor in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Arizona in 2003. [Read more about Julie.]

Mark Boccuzzi, The Windbridge Institute

Mark Boccuzzi

on Signs of Life Radio

Radio Show Topic – Ghost Phenomena: “Mark Boccuzzi, co-founder of the Windbridge Institute, will discuss present day research of the paranormal. Also an expert in field investigations, Mark will take us through the process of identifying and recording ghost phenomena. He will also be talking about the mind’s affect on matter, a well as the power of intention.”

When: October 28, 2010,  4:00 pm PT/ 7:00 pm ET

Where: BBS Radio, Online

About Mark: Mark Boccuzzi, Co-Founder of Windbridge, holds a BS in computer science with a minor in broadcast communications. Mark spent six years in survival of consciousness research investigating spontaneous cases of apparitions and related haunting phenomena in the San Francisco Bay Area. [Read more about Mark.]

Upcoming Conference in Fort Meyers, FL:

Forever Family Foundation (FFF) Annual Conference

Is There An Afterlife?
An Exploration of The Unseen World
November 12-14, 2010
Fort Myers, Florida, USA
http://www.foreverfamilyfoundation.org

Windbridge researchers Julie Beischel and Mark Boccuzzi as well as Windbridge Certified Research mediums Joanne Gerber, Doreen Molloy, and Debra Martin will be participating in FFF’s fourth annual conference designed for the general public.

Other presenters include physicist Claude Swanson; Monroe Institute Director Paul Rademacher; and mediums Janet Mayer and Suzane Northrop.

Scientists and researchers will be joined by certified mediums who will give demonstrations of Spirit Communication and share their insights gleaned from another dimension. Attendees will have the opportunity to join in an interactive workshop that seeks to provide access to other realms of consciousness.

To register or for more information about conference schedules,presenters, pricing, hotel, etc., call (631)425-7707 (US) or click here.

The fair features respected psychics, healers and metaphysicians with a $5.00 admission to the fair. The low admission fee allows the fair organizers to off-set costs, in order to continue to bring the monthly event to Tucson. Psychic readings are offered at a separate cost, with prices set by individual readers. Credit cards ARE accepted.

Ghost Lecture

The fair also offers free lectures. A particularly interesting lecture is scheduled to take place at 2:00 pm on Sunday. The lecture, presented by Nancy Matz, is called “Are you living with a ghost?”. Matz will explain the differences between ghosts, spirits, poltergeists and elementals. The lecture will interest ghost enthusiasts, as well as those who are unsure if they are living with a ghost.

LIVE Radio Broadcast, The JOLT

A special treat at the fair will be a special remote radio broadcast by 1330 AM The JOLT, hosted by Tucson favorite Heather Woodward. Heather is the host of a weekly radio show called “The Psychic Connection” that explores psychic development, astrology, witchcraft and all things supernatural. Her radio show airs each Friday from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm (PST), which is also available as streaming live Internet radio, for listeners outside of Tucson.

Woodward is also a well-known clairvoyant, psychometrist, paranormal investigator, and author. Her book, “Ghosts of Central Arizona“, was released earlier this year. It is a book that not only details some of the most haunted locales of the region, but it also includes a couple of educational chapters for amateur ghost hunters.

Location

Four Points Sheraton University Plaza, 1900 East Speedway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719. The monthly event is held in the conference center behind the main hotel. There is plenty of free parking. Doors open at 10:00 am this Sunday, September 26, 2010.