Conspiracy Theoryology

Episode 14 - Psychic Detectives The use of psychic abilities to find answers, uncover clues, find victims and even uncover identities of criminal perpetrators goes way back. In ancient times, those who sought missing persons could consult an oracle or divine with activities such as astrology. By the sixteenth century, dowsing became a practiced means of tracking culprits with the use of divining rods. In the nineteenth century, sensitives claimed to receive information for a crime in their dreams, and at the height of Spiritualism, some mediums claimed to solve crimes through the help of their spirit guides. Modern psychic approaches utilized pretty much all of these old arts, along with many others. A psychic superstar, Noreen Renier, employs still another old divination technique called psychometry, by which she purportedly gets psychic impressions from objects connected with a particular person. Many psychics claim to use clairvoyance ("clear-seeing”) whereby they supposedly “see” remote images and scenes as if they were viewed on a movie screen. Some psychics even study people’s “auras” or read the lines in their palms. Psychic detective work has been credited for providing valuable information, if not outright solving,  many missing persons and murder cases over the years. Of course, some claims are made only from the psychics themselves, and critics are quick to site the lack of any scientific backing and the failure of many purported psychics when their skills are tested and held up to scrutiny. Regardless, we are fascinated by the idea of psychic abilities providing investigative support, especially in the most unnerving, unsettling, and unsolved cases. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Patreon - www.patreon.com/conspiracytheoryology Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-27/local/me-381_1_murder-victim https://news.gallup.com/poll/4483/americans-belief-psychic-paranormal-phenomena-over-last-decade.aspx http://www.skeptically.org/spiritualism/id10.html https://www.lifedeathprizes.com/real-life-crime/psychic-detectives-that-have-helped-to-solve-crimes-43235 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychic_detective https://swallowingthecamel.me/2009/04/21/psychic-detectives-part-ii-dorothy-allison-and-noreen-renier/ https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/police_psychics_do_they_really_solve_crimes https://news.gallup.com/poll/4483/americans-belief-psychic-paranormal-phenomena-over-last-decade.aspx https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/professionals/complicated-grief-professionals/overview/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/because-im-the-mom/201602/the-myth-complicated-grief https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-grief/201709/ambiguous-loss https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201806/unsolved-murder-and-the-seductions-focalism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-and-praxis/201804/the-uncanny-fear-loss-part-1 http://www.globalnetresearch.com/statements.html

Episode 13 - Exorcism Exorcism, as a practice in some form or another has been around about as long as human beings have been asking themselves why things happen, and it’s never been completely abandoned. Yet, by the mid 20th century, the practices has waned considerably as had public interest. That all changed in 1973 with the cinematic release of “The Exorcist”. This horrific, and terrifying tale, based on a book, which claimed to be based on actual events, scared the pants off of us, and got everyone filling up their bottles of holy water again. The art of exorcism and demonic possessions are very real for a large percentage of the population. Statistic show that over 50% of Americans believe in the possibility of demonic possession, and current demand for exorcisms have skyrocketed in Europe and Mexico. Clearly there is something happening and people are looking for answers. Of course, there are criticisms of the practice. While some hold a secular dismissal of the practice as an archaic, medieval throwback, others take a more sympathetic perspective. Those in the mental health fields, psychologists, psychiatrists and fields of neuroscience offer explanation through greater understanding of psychological and physiological disorders that often mimic, symptomatically, conditions of possession. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Patreon - www.patreon.com/conspiracytheoryology Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism http://historyhole.com/the-history-of-exorcisms/?con=&loc=&utm_source= https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744643/ http://orderofexorcists.com/ https://www.vox.com/2016/10/30/13413864/satanic-panic-ritual-abuse-history-explained https://www.madinamerica.com/2016/08/not-so-rare-but-rarely-diagnosed-from-demonic-possession-to-anti-nmda-receptor-encephalitis/ https://thefearandanxietysolution.com/portfolio-items/the-fear-of-losing-control/

Episode 12 - Alien Abductions The phenomenon, as documented by researchers, journalists, and skeptics alike, over the years, has become pretty well defined in terms of key aspects, and has led to an array of collected testimonies, assertions to either the validity or the incredulity of the phenomenon, and even the occasional conspiracy theory or two. The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one's will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures". Most discussion of the phenomenon focuses on trying to explain the experiences either through proof of the extraterrestial or through mundane terrestial influences and psychological basis. But what about the rest of us? What explains our fascination with alien abduction stories? Why do we want it to be the subject of our movies, tv shows and books? Perhaps it is because it speaks to a root fear. A fear of the unknown. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Patreon - www.patreon.com/conspiracytheoryology Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_abduction https://www.mufon.com/travis-walton-abduction---1975.html https://www.mufon.com/betty--barney-hill-abduction---1961.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B4nio_Vilas_Boas http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-abduction-and-kidnapping https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618516300469 https://www.somewhereintheskies.com/ https://audioboom.com/channels/4938828 https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Alien_abduction https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201611/study-fear-the-unknown-compounds-many-anxiety-disorders http://www.look4ward.co.uk/weird/tales-of-fairies-modern-concept-of-alien-abduction-experience/

Episode 11 - Workers Buried in Hoover Dam A worker falls into a pool of wet concrete that’s being poured as part of a major construction project. Before he can be saved, his body slips beneath the surface and he drowns in the thick soup of the concrete.Pouring concrete is a slow and tedious job, and once “the pour” is started, it can’t be stopped without ruining the whole block, and that section of the project has to completely re-done. So, rather than dig the dead workman out of the concrete pool, construction supervisors and bosses let the body sink further into the concrete, and the poor workman gets entombed forever in the structure he was helping to build. That's the legend anyway, and it gets told generation after generation when people discover this mega-structure. Is it really just that good of a legend that it keeps going on it's own merits, or is there something else about the Hoover Dam itself that resonates within the public mind? www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Patreon - www.patreon.com/conspiracytheoryology Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortality_salience https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_management_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/hoover-dam https://www.sarahwolfe.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RossWolfe_2015.pdf https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tomb-of-the-dammed/ http://professorbuzzkill.com/construction-workers-entombed-concrete-myth/

Episode 10 - Q Clearance The term "Q Clearance" has been in the news because of the QAnon claims that originated out of 4chan and have since gone mainstream. The claim of a Q level clearance, gave "Q" the nickname and is the basis for supposed insider above-top-secret access within the current US Administration. In this episode, we delve into the claim of Q Clearance, and explore the history of security clearance, some of the misunderstanding about holding a security clearance, and the mystery and public concern of those holding high security access. Join me as we explore this highly touted and misunderstood security clearance, known as Q Clearance. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: https://fas.org/sgp/othergov/gss98.html https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/07/taming_swamp_critters_with_security_clearances.html https://www.ndtv.com/topic/nuclear-secrets https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/02/03/19243/workers-threw-out-us-nuclear-secrets-common-rubbish-20-years http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3077346/Ex-CIA-officer-NY-Times-leak-case-gets-42-months-prison.html https://www.sandia.gov/fso/fso_conferences/2011_FSO_Conference/2011_FSO_OriginQandL.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_White https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/06/09/government-security-clearance/2406243/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/06/06/who-has-security-clearance/102549298/ https://fas.org/sgp/classdoe.htm https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/FY16-Report-Security-Clearance-Determinations-PubRelease-20171017.pdf

Episode 9 - Crop Circles The name conjures the image in the mind. A crop circle means a golden geometric pattern has been shaped into a field somewhere, and eventually turned into a poster on someone's cubicle wall. Some believe that they are made by extra-terrestrial visitors, or perhaps by magnetic fields flowing from deep within the earth along leylines. Others simply chalk them up to the result of weather phenomena or the artful endeavor of hoaxers known as "cereal artists". Crop circles, whatever the cause, capture our imagination, but why? The answer may lie with an ancient symbol known as the mandala. Thanks to analytical psychologist Carl Jung, we can explore the deep psychological value of both mandala and crop circles as reflections and representation of self and our understanding of our identities, and maybe discover why we find these fanciful field formations so fascinating! www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: https://m.theepochtimes.com/historical-crop-circles-before-people-knew-what-crop-circles-were_1752290.html https://artifactsjournal.missouri.edu/2015/08/crop-circles-explained/ https://www.livescience.com/26540-crop-circles.html https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Crop-Circle https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10217151/Crop-circles-demystified-how-the-patterns-are-created.html http://www.world-mysteries.com/science-mysteries/strange-phenomena/crop-circles/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/crop-circles-the-art-of-the-hoax-2524283/ https://temporarytemples.co.uk/visiting-the-circles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala https://nexusnewsfeed.com/article/spiritual-psychic/psychology-of-the-mandala/ https://fractalenlightenment.com/14683/life/carl-jungs-psychological-diagnosis-using-mandalas https://www.carl-jung.net/mandala.html http://www.cropcirclesecrets.org/crop_circles_sacredgeo2.html

Episode 8 - Ghost Photography You've seen them on the internet. You may even have some within your own collection. Ghost photos. Also known as paranormal or spirit photography, the practice of capturing ghostly apparitions on camera is as old as the field of photography itself. Thought to be caused by the environmental affect by the apparition, either through radiation, ionization, or some impact to non-visible light spectrums, the camera captures images that are not seen by the naked eye. Well, it may be a ghost, or it might just be that you are hard wired to make sense of randomness of all that background noise in the photograph. In this episode we explore the history of spirit photography, and discuss the psychological phenomenon of pareidolia that might help explain at least some of those spooky ghost photos that we all love to stare at, looking for something otherworldly. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140730-why-do-we-see-faces-in-objects http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3280816/What-photos-s-faces-suffer-facial-pareidolia.html http://mentalfloss.com/article/87784/13-historys-most-famous-ghost-photos http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150629-the-intriguing-history-of-ghost-photography https://psmag.com/social-justice/believe-ghosts-youll-see-ghost-69599 https://futurism.com/pareidolia-why-we-see-what-isnt-there/ https://www.popphoto.com/parapsychologist-steve-parsons-discusses-fallacy-ghost-photography#page-14 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201310/how-fake-ghost-photo https://psmag.com/environment/bloody-mary-bloody-mary https://neurosciencenews.com/face-pareidolia-frontal-cortex-1019/ https://www.prairieghosts.com/ph_history.html http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/echoes-from-beyond-the-strange-history-of-spirit-photography/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-sensed-presence-effect/

Episode 7 - The Question of Shakespeare Authorship We've all studied Shakespeare. You read him in school. You performed a soliloquy in drama class. You've watched all the bad coming of age teen remakes. Did you know, though, that Shakespeare didn't actually write any of his works? At least, that's the theory, and we discuss the historical thought of the day that inspired this hotly debated and contemptuous accusation. We also explore an area of pursuasive argument known as the Argument of Authority, that just might explain why people today continue to jump on the band wagon of Shakespeare "doubters" whether they have a literary background or not. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_authorship_question http://realunexplainedmysteries.com/the-william-shakespeare-conspiracy-theory https://www.doubtaboutwill.org/declaration http://ourfakehistory.com/index.php/season-1/episode-5-did-shakespeare-write-the-plays/#more-131 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/playwrights/shakespeare-the-conspiracy-theories/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority#Fallacious_appeal_to_authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Reasonable_Doubt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delia_Bacon

Episode 6 - The New Coke Conspiracy Are you old enough to remember the introduction of New Coke? Afterward, when Coca-Cola Classic was re-introduced, did you hear all the stories about how the whole thing was a big marketing conspiracy, and New Coke was always meant to fail? Well, join me as we discuss the story behind the well intentioned but ill conceived business decision that lead to one of the biggest consumer backlash events in soda history. Also, find out how a better understanding of how and why rumors spread can help improve discussions of actual conspiracy theory. www.conspiracytheoryology.com email - contact@conspiracytheoryology.com Twitter - @TheoryologyPod Facebook - @TheoryologyPodcast Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com Links: http://socialpsychonline.com/2015/09/psychology-why-rumors-spread/ https://www.conspiracies.net/coke-conspiracies-capitalism-finest/ http://www.obscure.org/~bob/stuff/coke.html https://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-new-coke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke  

Episode 5 - Area 51 - Part 2 The conclusion of our discussion about of one of the most secure, highly restricted military installations in the United States, Area 51. This time we dive into an understanding of narrative psychology and how the concept of narrative identity can be used to explain the public appeal of Area 51. Doesn't the whole thing sometimes feel like a great story? Almost a movie plot, that starts with a crashed UFO, leads into a secret base the is so secure it's own existence isn't acknowledged, and onto the accelerated advancement of our military technology through the reverse engineering of the crash debris. Well, if you think it reads too well to be coincidence, or, you think it's too good to be true because it isn't, this episode is for you. No matter what you think of Area 51, you think of it. And...you like it. It captures the imagination and sparks a fascination like few other places. www.conspiracytheoryology.com Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com

Episode 4 - Area 51 - Part 1 The first part in the discussion of one of the most secure, highly restricted military installations in the United States, Area 51. Ask yourself, what is the first thought that comes to mind when you hear "Area 51?" Did you say flying saucers, alien bodies and Roswell? Well, if you did, you share that opinion with a majority of the population. It may surprise you to know that those associations were not made of Area 51 until the 1990's, and that memory you have of Area 51 being in all the UFO stories since the early days of alien conspiracy is false. On this first part, we talk about the history and origin of the conspiracy and Area 51, and discuss the standard argument given for why it holds such popular interest in the public consciousness. An argument that doesn't actually explain the fascination and longevity of Area 51 appeal in pop culture and public imagination. www.conspiracytheoryology.com Music is by adamhenrygarcia.bandcamp.com  

Episode 3 - Paul McCartney is dead, and the world hears about it after some astute college journalists follow the trail of clues left within song lyrics and album art. The world of Beatlemania is turned upside down and a new conspiracy is born that has endured for over half a century as a text book example of "confirmation bias."  On this episode we discuss the possible motivations that lead to the unplausible acceptance of this theory, and the real power of secrets and super-fandom. For further information regarding areas of discussion, please visit the links below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles http://turnmeondeadman.com/the-paul-is-dead-rumor/ https://www.dawn.com/news/1307942 https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-made-the-beatles-so-big-diagnosing-beatlemania https://psmag.com/social-justice/rihanna-doesnt-give-a-crap-about-you http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-fam-0923-keeping-secrets-20140923-story.html https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-science-behind-secrets http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/ptn/2016/05/teaching-the-beatles.aspx Connect with me at Facebook.com/TheoryologyPodcast  and on Twitter @TheoryologyPod. Leave comments on the website, at Apple Podcast, Podbean, Google Play Music, or wherever fine podcasts are sold... And as always, this podcast would not sound cool at all without the help of awesome music by AdamHenryGarcia.Bandcamp.com 

Episode 2 - Bigfoot steps on the scene and into our hearts. This is a fun episode as we figure out how a 1950's television western, a fish, and a trip to the zoo all helped to make Bigfoot the top tier celebrity that he is today.  Below is a list of links for source information covered in this episode: http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/true1959.htm https://www.outsideonline.com/2095096/man-who-created-bigfoot http://cliffbarackman.com/pre-1958-bigfoot-reference/ https://storify.com/SpencerAhles/the-psychology-behind-cryptozoology https://owlcation.com/stem/Coelacanth-Fish-Tops-List-Prehistoric-Animals-Found-Alive https://lflank.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/21st-century-arks-the-history-and-future-of-zoos/ https://storify.com/SpencerAhles/the-psychology-behind-cryptozoology Connect with me at Facebook.com/TheoryologyPodcast . Leave comments on the website, Apple Podcast, or whenever fine podcasts are sold... And as always, this podcast would not sound cool at all without the help of awesome music by AdamHenryGarcia.Bandcamp.com 

Episode 001 - A quick welcome episode in which I explain the origin and structure of the show, and hopefully set the stage for a lot of great episodes and topics in the future. As we begin this show series, please connect with me at Facebook.com/TheoryologyPodcast  There's not a lot of content this week, but continue to check show notes in future episodes for links to research documents and informative podcasts, videos and books that I use in preparation for the shows. Music for this episode is by Adam Henry Garcia AdamHenryGarcia.Bandcamp.com