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Curated by: Astonishing Legends (223 videos)
Original Airdate 11.12.2021 (On Podcast Audio Platforms) Now that we've covered the story essentials of the strange case of Mary Lurancy Vennum, known as "The Watseka Wonder," it's time to take a look at the possible causes and mechanics of this apparent miracle. Suppose Lurancy's possession was merely the imaginative prank of an attention-seeking impressionable teenager. How then did she know intimate, inscrutable details of her possessor Mary Roff and that of her family, when Mary had died over ten years before she was born and the Roff family were vague acquaintances? It's perhaps possible that this naive fourteen-year-old had mastered the manipulation techniques employed by experienced Mentalists and charlatan psychic mediums to fool desperate parents, but how likely is that? In Part Two of our series, we consider the investigation of a noted psychical researcher at the time, Dr. Richard Hodgson, who interviewed witnesses and studied case notes about thirteen years after the significant events in light of contemporary hypotheses. In a historical line between 1877 and 1908, we then look at the analysis of a psychology journalist, H. Addington Bruce, through the lens of his evolved understanding of that field 30 years later. In the greater context surrounding this case are the history of psychical research and a brief overview of some of the prominent figures involved in the Spiritist movement. We then round out the series with a more modern-day interpretation and our own conclusions. Even saddled with an antiquated title like The Watseka Wonder and recognizing the significant advancements in the field of abnormal psychology, this case remains wonderous indeed. Visit our webpage at the link below for this episode and access a lot more information about it, including research links, articles, and images. https://www.astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2021/9/11/ep-216-the-watseka-wonder-part-2 And SUBSCRIBE on your favorite Podcast Platform and FIND US on Social at: https://linktr.ee/astonishinglegends Chapters: 00:00:00 - Disclaimer and Introduction 00:09:04 - Exploring the History of Spiritism 00:17:38 - A Polite and Civil Exchange 00:26:32 - Analyzing the credibility of witnesses 00:35:07 - The Watseka Case and the Founding of Parapsychology 00:44:17 - The Approach of Early Paranormal Investigators 00:53:23 - The Power of Suggestion and the Subliminal Self 01:02:22 - The Book "The Irreducible Mind" 01:11:32 - The Conflict between Science and Orthodoxy 01:20:50 - The Origin of Perceptions 01:29:47 - Exploring Different Explanations for Apparitions 01:38:34 - Myers and Irreducible Mind 01:47:23 - Debunking Mediums and Supernatural Claims 01:56:11 - Psychic Mediumship and Trickery 02:04:44 - William James' Belief in Leonora Piper's Abilities 02:13:49 - Richard Hodgson's Obsession with Leonora Piper 02:22:32 - Richard Hodgson Investigation Analysis 02:31:32 - Promotional Offer for One Dream 02:40:54 - The Case of Reverend Thomas Hannah 02:50:36 - The Characteristics of Secondary Personalities 02:59:50 - The Power of Auto Suggestion 03:09:17 - The Controversy of Dissociative Identity Disorder and Paranormal Phenomena 03:18:10 - Unraveling the Hoax 03:27:17 - Acknowledgments and Support