What if some cases of mental illness aren’t purely psychological… but paranormal?

In this episode of Cocktails & Conspiracies, Shane Skwarek and Tim Philipps sit down with parapsychologist and medium Jock Brocas to explore the unsettling intersection between mental health and the supernatural. 

Throughout history, experiences like hearing voices, seeing visions, sensing presences, or feeling unseen energies were often interpreted as spiritual encounters. Today, many of those same symptoms are classified as psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, psychosis, or dissociative illness.

So the question becomes:

Are we diagnosing illness…or misunderstanding experience?

Jock Brocas shares decades of research and firsthand work with individuals experiencing spiritual crises, paranormal encounters, and psychological breakdowns. The conversation dives into topics like:

• The thin line between psychic sensitivity and psychosis
• How trauma or grief can “fracture” the mind and open paranormal experiences
• The connection between spirituality, meditation, and mental health
• Whether negative spiritual influences could contribute to mental distress
• Why science often dismisses paranormal experiences
• And how people might protect themselves spiritually

This episode pushes the boundaries between psychology, consciousness, and the unknown.

Because if even a small number of mental health cases are being misdiagnosed…

The implications are staggering.

Watch the full conversation and decide for yourself.

Guest: Jock BrocasWebsite: https://jockbrocas.comBook: Deadly Departed: The Do’s, Don'ts and Dangers of Afterlife Communication

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Paranormal and Mental Health

02:39 Exploring Jock's Background and Experiences

05:32 The Intersection of Psychology and Paranormal Experiences

08:24 Historical Perspectives on Mental Illness and Spirituality

11:16 The Role of Academia in Understanding Paranormal Phenomena

13:47 Misdiagnosis of Mental Illness and Spiritual Crises

16:47 The Impact of Trauma and Spiritual Experiences

19:29 Psychedelics and Their Role in Mental Health

22:20 The Future of Research in Parapsychology

27:51 The Transformative Power of Psychedelics

30:48 Expectations and Experiences in Meditation

36:36 Finding Meditation in Everyday Life

43:00 Nature as a Spiritual Connector

44:51 Mental Illness and Spiritual Sensitivity

52:06 Navigating Spiritual Experiences

54:46 Understanding Spiritual Influences and Mental Health

56:43 The Intersection of Interest and Spiritual Vulnerability

01:00:07 Protecting Yourself from Spiritual Influences

01:02:15 The Role of Science in Paranormal Experiences

01:05:23 Exploring Mental Health and Spirituality

01:07:50 Introducing 'Deadly Departed' and Its Insights

Resources

Jock Brocas Website - https://jockbrocas.com

Deadly Departed Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XYZ1234

Paranormal Daily News - https://paranormaldailynews.com

Richard Gallagher, MD - https://linkedin.com/in/richardgallagher

Bruce Grayson, PhD - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Gray

The Monroe Institute - https://monroeinstitute.org

keywords:

paranormal, mental health, spirituality, misdiagnosis, trauma, consciousness, psychic phenomena, parapsychology, afterlife, spiritual crisis