24th October 2022 8 p.m. BST - via ZOOM - Mike Daw - Might psychic abilities be enhanced by fasting, vegetarianism, and other dietary practices?

Many spiritual traditions include accounts of supernormal psi-like powers that are sometimes associated with fasting and vegetarianism. For example, shamans may use fasting to support apparent abilities such as controlling the weather, and many yogis who are strict vegetarians are said to exhibit powers such as psychokinesis and telepathy. In more modern times, a number of figures such as Hereward Carrington, Edgar Cayce, and Rudolf Steiner have related fasting and vegetarianism to both spiritual and psychic development. Many of those who work to support spiritual development, such as psychiatrist Stanislav Grof and psychologist Christina Grof, recommend that those undergoing traumatic ‘spiritual emergencies’ should eat meat as a way of ‘grounding’ themselves to help manage an accelerated awakening process. However, there has so far been little empirical research into this potential relationship between psi, spirituality, and diet. I will present an overview of this area, including my own doctoral research consisting of interviews with ‘professional psychics’ and how they use fasting and vegetarianism in their work, and the results of a survey suggesting an association between diet, and paranormal experiences and abilities among more general populations. If such a relationship between spirituality, psi and diet exists, then this may lead to recommendations to improve performance in psi tasks, support those seeking spiritual development, and potentially provide insights into theories of psi.