I am currently a professor of Spanish literature and language. I received my Ph.D. from Yale University; however, I am not an unapproachable academic; far from it. I valued my experience there, but my real passions are teaching, writing, photography, my family, my Paranormal Housewife sisters (see paranormalhousewives.com for a real treat) and of course, all aspects of the paranormal and survival of consciousness.
I started this site as a way for a community of people from all professions, backgrounds, and ages to share their ‘paranormal’ stories and as a resource for all those interested in learning more about the paranormal field in general. It’s an enormously complicated topic, covering the areas of psychology, sociology, literature, popular culture and philosophy. I may have missed a few fields, but I don’t want to discuss yet the complicated relationship between the paranormal and science . . . quantum physics, for example.
The Soul Bank is a place for everyone who has ever had a bizarre experience that seems to point to the survival of the soul. This is also a place to learn about the history and the current debates in the general field of “consciousness research”. I hope we can learn from and enlighten each other.
The Soul Bank: Stories, Research, Essays, (B)Logs 
I am really enjoying this website. It scares the sh@t out of me and causes me to frequently peer over my shoulder to check and make sure I’m not been watched, so I can only check in the bright light of morning*, but I love it anyway. Thank you.
*for some reason, I feel most protected in the morning when the sun is brightest.
I’m very glad you are enjoying it! I just need more submissions. Would you consider sending me a story? I’m sure you have more than a couple, considering your interesting family history.
Your site is amazing! Have you read The Afterlife Experiments? Have you read “The Hidden Domain?” These are two of many books that provide concrete evidence for survival of consciousness after death. I feel that you are part of the movement that is on the brink of something huge. Imagine the repercussions! What a world we would have if science and spirituality bridged in a way that the world understood the bigger picture, the immortality of the soul, the importance of love and compassion, etc. Thank you for soldiering on along the bleeding edge.
Elisa,
Thank you! I hope you’ll consider contributing a post to soulbank at some point. I’m also happy to put up a link to your blog, if you would like!
I have read “The Afterlife Experiments” and was amazed by it. I have not, however, read “The Hidden Domain”. I’m ordering it on Amazon right now! Thank you for reading and for your interest in this topic–for me, there’s hardly anything more important. It is “the bleeding edge,” since even though there is a preponderance of evidence pointing to the survival of the soul and/or spirit, most people–especially in academia–look askance at such investigations. Some of my friends are openly embarrassed that I pursue such matters . . . ah, if they only knew. I am hoping to form a support group of sorts for all of us who intuit, or know, that life continues even if we can’t prove it in a laboratory. Knowing this doesn’t take away the immediate pain of our personal loss, but it gives us new purpose and direction in life, knowing that separation is temporary and there is so much more awaiting us. For now, we see through a glass darkly.
“The Blue Bell”
I along with most people have had many strange dreams but in my entire life, I had only one very strange experience while I was awake and walking during lunch in Boston. It is a very short story and goes like this:
The year was sometime between 1980-1984 (I should of marked the date but did not). At the time, I was married with one son and had moved on a job promotion to Boston – we were previously living in New Jersey before moving to a nice new 4 bedroom colonial style home that was located in a town called Marlboro. I would commute to my office in Boston and primarily used public transportation.
It was around noon as I remember. I usually went to filenene’s basement (department store) to look for bargains and then to the business library to read about stocks, etc. I was on my way to library and the traffic light was red. I waited for the light to turn green and proceeded to walk to the other side. When I got to about the middle of the street, everything disappeared and I found myself “somewhere” – it was a place that had a big blue bell to my upper far left view, lots of light, almost like diamonds and there was some kind of sound – it was generally a pleasant feeling but as soon as I got scared, I found myself back in the middle of the street crossing to the other side.
I have no explanation but have never forgotten it. I am currently 60 years old and retired from a relatively high level federal government position, do live in California but am a very practical and steady person – I was born in New York city and have an undergraduate degree in economics and would say that I am reasonably conservative.
Please note – The only thing somewhat out of the ordinary during that time was that I had been practicing for several months a meditation type exercise that I learned years earlier while attending martial arts training. This was to count and focus on your breathing – so I was counting 1-4 on the inhale and 1-4 on the exhale – did it while sitting and walking.
Thanks for the opportunity to put this down in writing – I always wanted to – Bob
Dear Bob,
Thank you so much for writing this. I appreciate that you chose my site to share it. Although I have not had such an experience myself, I know people who have–people, like yourself, not prone to fantasy or wild imaginings. I think it’s significant that you were practicing meditation at the time. That practice opens you up to alternate dimensions and realities. We only see a small portion of space and time; sometimes there is “slippage”, and we are able to briefly glimpse a reality entwined with, but hidden from, our own. Much of the “multiverse” theory in quantum physics has to do with the possibility that there are, perhaps, an infinite number of alternate universes entangled with our own. Whether or not the theories are true, what IS true is that you were privileged to cross into another zone. Who is to say it wasn’t a peek at the afterlife?
I thank you again for reading, and hope you will visit here often. If you would like me to publish your story, just let me know–I would be happy to!
Hugs, u! what a fabulous mind you have, I so very much enjoy your writing.
I can send you family stories, I believe you’ve heard them all and you should check with the sources, but I’ll forward one onto you today =)
Got to your website through Yahoo. You know I will be subscribing to your feed.
TheReview…
Hi!, I have gone ahead and bookmarked your page on Stumble so my friends can see it too. I just used your blog title as the title in my bookmark, as I figured if it’s good enough for you to title your blog post that, then you probably would like to se…
Thank You!
You are most welcome!
Your site has been brought to my attention through the SPR of which I too am a member. This is a very well structured and pleasing site, and I am pleased to have been guided to it. We share similar interests, and in my retirement I am still active in research into spiritual healing. My PhD was on the work of Frederic Myers and I am therefore very familiar with Irreducible Mind.
Dear Dr. Palmer,
I am so pleased that you found and enjoy my site. I would love to be active in the SPR and speak to more people of like minds. My dream is to travel to the New York and London sites and meet the current members or perhaps attend a conference. I am so happy to read your comment and shortly, I will visit your web page and spend some time there.
Sincerely,
Kirsten A. Thorne
Dear Kirsten,
I am so pleased to make contact with you. Please call me Terry. It would be wonderful if you could get to a conference. I enjoy them enormously. I have had many personal experiences of the paranormal, in fact I no longer consider them to be such. To me they are now ‘normal’, as Mr. Myers suggested. I have written about them in three unpublished manuscripts and some articles. If you should find yourself with not much to do, you may like to have a glance at them on my manuscript blog at: http://tjpalmer.blogspot.co.uk/
Blessings to you and your family.
Terry
Just heard your story on Snap Judgement. I also have had some supernatural experiences, although nothing as intense as you have described. Looking forward to browsing through your blog! Be well,
~~~S Wave~~~
Hi. This is probably off the subject but I’m hoping it will be directed to the right place. I have a question. A friend of mine, Rick, lives in an apartment. He’s been there a year. About 6 months ago things started happening. It started with his keys being pushed off a TV tray. His bedroom door will open then it will shut all the way. He’s always been receptive to supernatural things so he’s not too alarmed by this. He checked with the landlord and there’s been no deaths in the apartment. He has also been able to use his phone to video the moments when he knows they’re around and has captured comments and the bedroom door opening and closing. PER HIS REQUEST, even. He’s also captured orbs–like small balls of light flying around–several at a time. They don’t seem threatened by him and he doesn’t seem too concerned about their presence. They seem to enter through the attic which is in his closet. The attic is also confined to just his apartment. Sometimes there will be a hard pound on his closet door in the middle of the night which will wake him up. I’ve lived in this town since 1958 and I remember when those apartment buildings were built–mid 60’s or there abouts. Would there be anything he might be able to do or say that might help them be on their way? And why him? He said he checked with his neighbors and he seems to be the only one experiencing this. Should he be concerned? Thank you in advance for any thoughts or comments. I came to your website once before about shadow people and you were very helpful.
Sharon Masson
Hello Sharon, you may like to suggest to your friend that he contact us through our web site: http://www.terencepalmer.co.uk/fees-and-bookings/ where he can request an intervention. Best wishes. Dr T Palmer
Thank you. I will forward your message to him!
a group of us are heading up to ventura to stay at the Bella Maggorie Bed and Breakfast. We have read that room 17 is the most active.. However, there are 4 of us so I don’t think they will let us all stay in one room with one bed. Are there any other rooms that are active ? please email . tjklfort@aol.com