The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations

by Stephen E. Braude

For over thirty years, Stephen Braude has studied the paranormal in everyday life, from extrasensory perception and psychokinesis to mediumship and materialization. The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations is a highly readable and often amusing account of his most memorable encounters with such phenomena. Here Braude recounts in fascinating detail five particular cases—some that challenge our most fundamental scientific beliefs and others that expose our own credulousness.

 

Braude begins with a south Florida woman who can make thin gold-colored foil appear spontaneously on her skin. He then travels to New York and California to test psychokinetic superstars—and frauds—like Joe Nuzum, who claim to move objects using only their minds. Along the way, Braude also investigates the startling allegations of K.R., a policeman in Annapolis who believes he can transfer images from photographs onto other objects—including his own body—and Ted Serios, a deceased Chicago elevator operator who could make a variety of different images appear on Polaroid film. Ultimately, Braude considers his wife’s surprisingly fruitful experiments with astrology, which she has used to guide professional soccer teams to the top of their leagues, as well as his own personal experiences with synchronicity—a phenomenon, he argues, that may need to be explained in terms of a refined, extensive, and dramatic form of psychokinesis.

 

Heady, provocative, and brimming with eye-opening details and suggestions, The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations will intrigue both adherents and detractors of its controversial subject matter alike.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ebooks

232 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Stephen E. Braude is an American philosopher and parapsychologist. He is a past president of the Parapsychological Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Scientific Exploration, and a professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist and composer.

Braude received his Phd. in philosophy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1971. After working as a lecturer in the philosophy department at UMass Amherst, he found a permanent home at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, working successively as an assistant, associate, and full professor. He served as the Chair of the Philosophy department between 1998 and 2005. He has received numerous fellowships, awards, and grants including but not limited to the National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship, numerous grants from the Parapsychology Foundation, and the Distinguished Achievement Award of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation. He has also received several Faculty Research Grants from UMBC.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intro

Stephen Braude here presents accounts of some of his personal investigations into the paranormal world of parapsychology. The result, therefore, is a more hands-on look at parapsychology than his previous books of a more theoretical nature. His retelling of the investigations also make for a more accessible look at parapsychology and thus the book is fit for a beginner, both to philosophy and the world of parapsychology (both of which, and especially the latter, are filled with unfamiliar specialized terms that can make for rough reading). However, the book does have its forays into the theoretical and also offers a crash course in the history of parapsychology by giving an overview of what Braude takes to be some of the best cases calling for explanation. Braude also exposes the weakness of the arguments most frequently employed on behalf of psi skeptics when trying to debunk psi phenomena generally, or Braude's "best cases" in particular. Along with this Braude also exposes some of the close-mindedness and dogmatism among those who are supposed to be defenders of reason and followers of arguments wherever they lead. His treatment is not unlike those scientists who might dare mention any kind of design in our world. So much for the objective, neutral, dispassionate character of the philosopher or scientist.

In presenting some of his investigations into claims of psi abilities Braude brings out just how difficult it is to obtain what many take to be the gold-standard for accepting a putative case of a psi ability --- the pure, controlled, laboratory test. The salient features of a well-worked out theory of parapsychology demonstrate just how many factors can cause experiments of these kind to go wrong. Indeed, these kinds of experiments may be generally unhelpful in obtaining evidence of psi ability. The conditions may be poor. If so, the lack of evidence obtained in this way may be about as helpful as determining the ability of a pitcher to throw a no-hitter in a real, game-time scenario by trying it out in a non-game-time scenario. The elucidation of the difficulties involved in obtaining good, skeptic-appeasing evidence of the paranormal is probably the most helpful part of this book, and probably its main aim too.

Review

In chapter 1 Braude discusses Katie, a woman who apparently can make brass foil appear on her body (it wasn't gold after all). She has other abilities too that suggest psi abilities. Braude takes the case to be a pretty good case, one which skeptics have a hard time accounting for. I'm not sure I am convinced, though (most of) the evidence presented escapes easy brush-offs.

Chapter 2 is a brief presentation of two of the most evidentiary cases that skeptics have not been able to reenact under similar controls and conditions. Braude discusses the cases of D.D. Home and Eusapia Palladino. These cases are admittedly hard to answer without appeal to weak and notoriously fallacious arguments. Braude also discusses and defends the evidentiary value of testimony in this chapter. The points he raises are of value to the Christian apologist.

Chapter 3 discusses how some subjects can pull the wool over the eyes of those who want to believe. Joey Nuzum is probably a fake but apparently has some dedicated followers. Nuzum's case demonstrates the need for controls and a healthy skepticism when approaching claims to psi abilities.

Chapter 4 discusses how some subjects can be thrown off their game by testers being too skeptical, or by treating the subject disrespectfully. The case of Dennis Lee shows how the psychology of the putative agent with psi abilities can be messed with and how what might have been a solid case of psi abilities can be thwarted not by a faulty subject, but by faulty testers.

Chapter 5 discusses a case of a man who was absolutely convinced of his abilities but whose mind was playing tricks on him. What he saw just wasn't there; though he was honest and not trying to trick anyone via magician's tricks.

Chapter 6 discusses the case of Ted Serios and the psi ability of thoughtography (producing images on camera film (Polaroid) by one's thoughts). Braude debunks some of the typical skeptical explanations of the Serios case and presents the evidence that has not been able to be replicated to this day. This case brings out some fascinating features in those with psi abilities, such as the fact that the abilities seem to leave the agent after "their prime" (much like a sports star). Also Serios liked to use a "gismo" that he held up to the camera. Braude gives reasons for why this can't have been used to forge the effects. But most interesting is that many with psi abilities apparently have some similar prop or method that they feel they always need to work their abilities. One might think this odd, but if one reflects on the idea it shouldn't be that strange. After all, many sports stars have "lucky" trinkets or strange pre-game preparations that, if they didn't do, they wouldn't be able to perform as well. Similarly, students might go through certain rituals before they take a test. If one forgets, and then realizes before the test, he may well bomb the test. So, the use of these props shouldn't be cause for easy dismissal of the evidence, especially if the props are well inspected.

In chapter 7 Braude discusses "synchronicity"---those weird "coincidences" in life that are just too meaningful to be ascribed to chance. Here Braude discusses and dismisses the explanations of synchronicity proffered by those like Jung and offers his own explanation of these events---they are caused by humans with psi abilities.

Chapter 8 provides a postscript on Braude's current thoughts regarding astrology and uses the apparent successes of his well-educated wife as his launching pad. Braude isn't totally convinced but is very open to the idea that there is something to it (but it could be an agents psi abilities (telepathy, clairvoyance, etc) that explain astrological success and not necessarily the position of the stars and planets at one's birth).

Braude also supplies a handy glossary of terms to familiarize you with the terminology of parapsychology so your study may be more profitable and your discussions with other more intelligible, and he also includes the chemists' results from studying the brass that appears on Katie's skin.

Thoughts

There's probably something to reports of psi occurrences. At the very least, most dismissals of its occurrence are weak, shoddy, and intellectually unvirtuous. Reports of those being able to reproduce the effects in similar circumstances are highly overrated. Certainly, the world we live in houses many "strange" things that cannot fully be explained. Braude also provides good arguments for the reliability of testimony and against the dogma of naturalists that Christian apologists can apply to the defense of Christianity (especially historical arguments). So his work has this as a benefit at least. However, as a secularist I don't think Braude goes far enough or offers theories that can account for all the data. Not only do I wonder how he cannot believe in, say, the resurrection of Jesus Christ given that that evidence far surpasses that of the evidence for, say, D.D. Home's feats, I have other questions. For example, it's not obvious to me that the source of all psi phenomena have to be human agents (living or dead). But Braude discounts the role a malevolent demon might play in all of this. I also question his account of synchronicity in light of God's providence. He dismisses the idea that God gives the events meaning (which is ironic given that he complains about the easy dismissal he has received by others) without so much as an argument. As a Christian, it seems clear to me that God's providential plan provides the meaning to these events, especially paradigmatic ones. It also seems too "lucky" that all the right things had to happen for life to exist on this planet (the fine-tuning argument), happened. If this argument (the fine-tuning argument) is good, then Braude's theory that it is humans that provide the meaning to the events is false since the life-friendly conditions happened before the existence of any human. We can't be the cause of this "highly fortuitous" event. Now, Braude's theory may indeed by true but at the level of secondary causation. That is, God may indeed use the causative psi abilities of his creatures as means to bring about certain events. However, given Christian presuppositions, we can't say Braude's theory goes far enough. Take salvation. The longer one is a Christian the more one will see synchronicities in people's salvation stories. Given my presuppositions about the nature of the world, this cannot be totally caused by other humans namely because the story and meaning of the redemption of God's people is part of the theo-dramma of God's eternal plan of redemption. So, those are just some rough thoughts I have on Braude's theory, admittedly they are not worked-out and rigorous, but I trust the kernels are there.

[P. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me just say that I could have easily given this book three stars, because even though it was very poorly written and unprofessional in tone, it was sort of hilarious to learn about the extent of the author's defensiveness of parapsychology. Because that's really the subject of this book. If he's not interrupting nearly every paragraph to mention that he'll discuss its topic later on, he's maligning nearly every person who has criticized him in his quest to learn more about psychokinetics. Nearly half the preface is taken up with this subject, in fact, and it comes out into his descriptions of the cases that he has investigated. For example, he muses that the woman who spontaneously produces brass leaf on her skin could be unconsciously motivated to do so because it gets her respectful attention from "scientists and acadmenics. And it's likely that [she] holds the somewhat naive view that these people are distinguised and deserving of admiration, simply because they're members of the scholarly community. (Those who are actually member of that community seldom make this mistake)" (p. 15). And so on...

I have to admit that I could only get through the first chapter, because as funny as the author's asides were, they were equally as infuriating. Moreover, it's difficult to read something that has the narrative tone of something that's been dictated into a tape recorder. Hopefully the author will not read this review and dedicate some part of his next book to characters such as me. But I highly recommend The Gold Leaf Lady to anyone who would find unintentional psychological profiles entertaining.

[A.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter was intriguing, but the tone of the book was highly defensive. I got the impression that the author has had to spend a lot of his professional life justifying his interest in psychic phenomena to his academic colleagues, often without success.

The book was a strange mixture of things: case studies, both contemporary and historical; a philosophical discursion on the nature of synchronicity; and a rather odd chapter promoting the author's wife's skills in astrological predictions.

It had me scratching my head at times, but overall it was interesting enough to keep me reading and it raised some questions in my (admittedly highly cynical) mind about my previous assumptions in relation to paranormal affairs.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended to those interested in parapsychology. The case with the gold leaf lady is mindboggling to say the least. Braude is a good writer, and this book takes you through some of the ups and downs of being a parapsychological investigator. Some hoaxes, some disturbed persons and a few genuinely intriguing cases. The book is well worth the price for the parts on The Ridiculous James Randi, who is shown to be a complete fraud, liar and hoaxer in his own right. How Randi can be seen as some kind of beacon of rationalism is to me beyond understanding. Anyhow, look forward to reading Braudes other works.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stephen Braude is a very meticulous investigator of psychic kinesis--always in search of that case that will definitely prove its very existence. And for this, I applaud him. However, the bulk of this book is about other investigators who are not as careful as he is and with whom he disagrees. He explains their faults in some detail. It is therefore mostly a book about I'm right, they're wrong.

The one chapter in which he "proves" ability is his wife's amazing results with astrology. Since there is no one checking him and, given his relationship with the subject, this is a bit sketchy.

[Jeannie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are intrigued by the field of Parapsychology, "The Gold Leaf Lady" is a solid start for beginning your exploration of the parapsychological. Please understand, however, that this is really and truly just the author's commentary on his personal experiences and theories, with little to no solid evidence offered as proof. You are not going to suddenly become a believer just by gazing at a copy of this book! However, some of the author's ideas and ponderances are intriguing and worth a second thought; though most are useless, unsubstantiated opinions written out to fill pages. There is no true "meat" on these bones: rather this is a lengthy diatribe from an author who clearly loves to hear the sound of his own voice (or in this case, see his own words in print). Short of using this book as a launching pad for further exploration of the parapsychological, there is little offered herein. I would highly suggest you borrow this from a library, skim is casually and do not take the material to heart but instead use it as a beginning point for your studies.

[Mischke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with Tim Craighead as we were reading about mysticism and the paranormal in 07-08. Braude is a former professor of mine and gets more autobiographical in this text as he reveals how he goes about his "parapsychological investigations"...think Agent Fox Mulder. There's drama in this book mixed with philosophico-scientific rigor. Note: he does some intersting work reinterpreting Jung's concept of "synchronicity". Oh, and he ends the book with a brief discussion about his wife's work with astrology, European soccer teams, and the Russian Mafia. And, no, it's not a novel.

[Gundopush · Rating 1 out of 5]

FULL DISCLOSURE. I was only able to make it through half of this book before I had to throw in the towel.

1. This book is so littered with logical fallacies that it is at times near impossible to read.
2. The author cherry picks his evidence regarding historical spiritualists.
3. Had the author has been mindful of causation vs. causality, Occam's razor, and that the philosophical burden of proof lies on the side of those making parapsychological claims; this book would have been 15 pages long.

[Ivan Voras · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very informative and also not very well written. It's not atrocious but it's borderline waste of time.

[Carolyne Borel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and brilliantly documented, albeit a tad academic at times.