PsychCrunch

Ep 33: Have you experienced the unseen other?


Listen Later

Have you ever had the feeling that there was someone – or something – nearby? Perhaps you were in bed falling asleep when you suddenly became convinced that a person was standing next to you, even though you couldn’t actually ‘see’ or ‘hear’ anyone at all. Or maybe you were out in the wilderness, with no-one for miles around, and couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following you.

In this episode, Dr Jon Sutton, editor of The Psychologist magazine, talks to Dr Ben Alderson-Day, Associate Professor at Durham University, about the phenomenon of the 'felt presence' – that often eerie sensation that someone is near us. Jon and Ben’s wide-ranging discussion touches on everything from Shackleton’s unusual experiences in Antarctica, to the frightening yet common phenomenon of sleep paralysis and the modern practice of ‘tulpamancy’.

Read a transcript of the interview at The Psychologist

Ben’s book will be released in March and is available to pre-order here

Episode credits:

Presented and produced by Jon Sutton, with additional content from Matthew Warren.

Mixing and editing by Jeff Knowler.

PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge Psychology

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

PsychCrunchBy The British Psychological Society Research Digest

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

11 ratings


More shows like PsychCrunch

View all
Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

392 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,025 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

80 Listeners

The Psychology Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

The Psychology Podcast

1,831 Listeners

Therapy Chat by Laura Reagan, LCSW-C

Therapy Chat

684 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

7,165 Listeners

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee by Dr Rangan Chatterjee: GP & Author

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

4,084 Listeners

Happy Place by Fearne Cotton

Happy Place

1,168 Listeners

Today in Focus by The Guardian

Today in Focus

998 Listeners

The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan by Spiritland Creative

The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan

328 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

2,026 Listeners

The Louis Theroux Podcast by Spotify Studios

The Louis Theroux Podcast

584 Listeners

Strangers on a Bench by Tom Rosenthal

Strangers on a Bench

605 Listeners

Begin Again with Davina McCall by Begin Again

Begin Again with Davina McCall

541 Listeners

What's Up Docs? by BBC Radio 4

What's Up Docs?

116 Listeners