From the desk of Lisettte Coly:
Following PF’s long standing tradition of awarding grants, scholarships and awards I am proud to announce two new additions to the PF “family” of award winners.
2018 Frances P. Bolton Fellowship winner, Dr. Stephani Stephens
Stephani earned her PhD from the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK in 2012. Between 2004 and 2013 she served on the Executive Committee of the International Association of Jungian Studies. She is the author of the journal article “Active Imagination and the Dead”. In August 2017, she attended the IAJS conference in Cape Town, South Africa where she delivered a paper titled “The Dynamic of Transgenerational Influence or Why Don’t My Thoughts Feel Like My Own?” Her current research explores how unresolved issues, secrets and grief from previous generations lodge in the psyche and influence the agency of succeeding generations. She resides in Canberra, Australia and teaches Psychology in the International Baccalaureate program at Canberra Grammar School.
She submitted her doctoral thesis in consideration of the Bolton Fellowship “CG Jung and the Dead: The Red Book and Memories, Dreams, Reflections 1896-1916’’ and we proudly added it to the shelves of the Eileen J. Garrett Library. Her research is based on Carl Jung’s experiences with the dead and specifically how these particular encounters assisted him in defining a nuanced consideration of the interaction between the unconscious and conscious. Taken from her submission, Stephani writes that “My findings suggest that certain types of visionary encounters are in fact not simply projections of unconscious content, but rather can be treated as objective material. Thus when Jung discusses having encounters with the dead, he is referring to visionary experiences divorced from physical bodies, i.e. the dead in se, and that these encounters have a specific psychological effect than other types of sightings.
Stephani is expanding her doctoral thesis into book form titled Ways of Seeing: CG Jung and the Dead to be published by Routledge.
PF’s founder, Eileen J. Garrett, was very interested in the writings of Jung. During one of their visits Garrett discussed her intent to cease her mediumship. Jung disagreed and encouraged her to continue her mediumship. Stephani writes “Both Garrett and Jung shed a necessary and significant light on transrational experiences specifically because their honest and introspective approach left succeeding generations a method of inquiry to speculate on those same experiences. Garrett’s many writings are validated precisely due to her own skepticism as to exactly what was occurring during her experiences. Although such visionary experiences are often dismissed even today, it is further academic effort that will encourage openness for the discussion of the role of the dead in the psychological dynamic.”
We believe Dr. Stephens to be very deserving of the Bolton Fellowship and not in the least because of her brief mention of Eileen J. Garrett. She will utilize the award to finish up her manuscript and continue her in-depth research.
2018 Rogo Award for Parapsychological Media winner, Greg Mallozzi
Greg is a filmmaker from Rhode Island now living in Los Angeles, California. He studied film and writing at Brooklyn College and Rhode Island College working on several film and television projects in New York City over the years, including HBO’s Emmy-winning documentary series, The Jinx. He also works closely with Norwegian production company, Spaett Films, on commercials and documentaries. Through Spaett, Greg is also co-directing a documentary on 1970s police corruption which has attracted interest from Amazon and Netflix. Greg currently develops his own narrative and documentary content and works on and off as a producer for Gimlet Medias #1 Podcast, Crimetown, from the same creators as The Jinx. He has had a lifelong interest in scientifically investigating anomalous phenomena.
He has been following the story of Dr. Andrija Puharich for several years and has set a goal to make a documentary film about his life and work. As Greg states “Mind Over Matter: The Mysteries of Andrija Puharich is a documentary that will aim to change the way our culture views people who dare to ‘think outside the box” and explore the realms of ‘the unknown’ using Puharich as a vehicle to tell the story. The film does not intend to prove or disprove anything, nor will it take sides between skeptics and believers. The documentary will illuminate Puharich’s complex world which included prominent academics, Aldous Huxley and yes, Eileen J. Garrett also, who were intrigued by him and his work. Why were some of the wealthiest at one point funding he who many deemed ‘out there’? The film will also explore not only Puharich’s work but on a larger scale delve into the Cold War and the US and Russia’s obsession with alleged psychic power and ESP.”
Puharich was in the 1970s coined as “The Godfather of the New Age Movement” holding over fifty patents, once a notable medical doctor and researcher in the 1950’s and 1960’s deciding to alter the course of his prestigious career to begin studying “the unknown” such as psychic abilities, telepathy, alternative healing and the deep mysteries of consciousness and the universe. Greg has gained access to his family who begin along with Greg to unravel the mysteries of their father.
I myself have always remained curious about the work of Puharich within his private laboratory in rural Maine, The Round Table Foundation. He carried out experiments in ESP locking Garrett up in a Faraday cage enlisting her controls, Uvani and Dr. Abdul Latif to participate in his ESP experiments .He also presented at an early PF International Conference. As is the case with our 2018 Bolton Fellow, Dr. Stephens, in no way was Greg awarded the Rogo because of the Garrett connection. Garrett and PF played a very small part within Puharich’s turbulent career which overall should be revisited. The funds from the award will go directly towards production of the documentary which is still in the research/production phase with interviews to be completed such as the one with Dr. Charles T. Tart who was a research assistant to Puharich back in the early Round Table Foundation days. To view firsthand Greg’s vision and see a teaser of the documentary click here.
PF is very proud to add Dr. Stephani Stephens and Greg Mallozzi to our roster of grant, Scholarship and Award winners. We will be waiting impatiently for the fruit of their labor to become available.
Congratulations!