NG: Welcome, Christian. I’m thrilled you agreed to talk to us today about your new memoir, The Scientist and the Psychic. I learned about it from a Canadian friend, Irene, who sent me a newspaper article. The article notes that not only are you a scientist who specializes in researching brain tumors in children, but you also grew up with a famous psychic mother, the subject of your book.

CS: Hi Nancy, thank you for reaching out to talk! One of the best things to come from writing “The Scientist and the Psychic” is communicating with people who have either read the book, the newspaper article or heard about it on the radio. People have been so generous to share their paranormal experiences, and it’s fascinating to see how universal some of these psychic experiences are, whether you believe in psychics or not. I think my memoir appeals to skeptics and true believers because it explores these phenomena in a rational yet personal way.

NG: What was the best part of growing up with a psychic mother?

CS: When I was young, roughly from ages six to twelve, I got to go everywhere with my mother. I saw, heard, and experienced many things that would scare many adults, let alone a child. For better or worse, I think I grew up fast and learned so much about the world at such a young age. On the fun side, I also got to be behind the scenes and watch my mother do radio and TV shows. When she moved to California for a couple of years, I even got to meet celebrities. One of my favorite memories was visiting 20^th Century Fox Studios when I was eleven, where I saw the filming of “The Love Boat” and “Trapper John MD” and met some of the cast.

NG: I loved the story you tell about yourself as a young boy, filling notebooks with adventure stories about a very special doctor. You titled your story, The Galactic Adventures of Doctor Friendship. To quote from your book, “In the story, Dr. Friendship roams the universe in a giant hospital spacecraft responding to galactic conflicts and providing emergency treatment to diverse alien species.” Do you ever think of writing a novel?

CS: Great question… you must be psychic yourself! Last November, I started a new novel, which I classify as a paranormal thriller. Shifting from nonfiction to fiction was a bit daunting, so I cheated a bit. The novel centers around a real-life murder case my mother and I were pulled into in 2018, but I have let my imagination run wild by fictionalizing it. In the story, a troubled psychic reluctantly agrees to help a friend who claims her brother has been wrongly accused of murdering an indigenous girl. With the trial approaching fast, the psychic must confront her own demons and a racist criminal justice system while trying to find the real killer before they strike again. Since my main character has psychic abilities, it’s important to me to represent her abilities realistically, in much the same way my mother experienced her visions and premonitions throughout her life. I already have two books in mind for this series, but I will definitely return to my Dr. Friendship science fiction tale one day.

NG: On the not-so-fun side, you write about the neighborhood kids taunting you by calling your mother a witch. How did you handle the bullying?

CS: Back when I was nine or ten, my mother was in the newspaper and on radio and TV frequently, so she became somewhat of a celebrity. Unlike today though, psychics were more likely to be targets of ridicule, and today I assume that the parents of my classmates must have talked about her in that negative light. Kids tend to repeat what they hear at home, and so I was taunted and chased at school. Luckily, I was a fast runner and escaped quickly.

NG: Your grandmother also played a big role in your life. Tell us a bit about her.

CS: When my mother’s career took off, she started traveling more and more. My grandmother looked after me when my mother was out of town – sometimes for months on end. We became very close, and in many ways, Nanny became a second mother. She was also a huge part of writing the book. For two years, my mother, Nanny, and I met almost every week to talk about my mother’s childhood and early psychic experiences. Nanny’s memory was razor-sharp, and I even got to hear about her fascinating experiences in London during WWII, meeting my grandfather and moving to Canada. As we grow up, we only get a little glimpse of our parents’ and grandparents’ lives. Only when we take the time to sit down and ask questions do we learn about their fascinating life experiences.

NG: What do you say to skeptics, especially other scientists, who deny the paranormal?

CS: I think a healthy skepticism is important — especially today when it’s so easy for scammers to fool the public using information they can find on the internet. I take issue, though, when that skepticism crosses over to close-mindedness. Many skeptical scientists reject studies on the paranormal because they are anecdotal and lack data reproducible in a laboratory setting. We have to remember that many scientific concepts we now regard as proven started as anecdotes. In time, I suspect tools to measure psychic abilities will become available, which will shift our understanding of this phenomena.

NG: Recently, you were interviewed by a reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. I really liked your answer about how to avoid scammers claiming psychic power.

CS: People need to be careful these days. My mother was unique in that she gave her clients an audio recording of each session and offered a money-back guarantee. She also started by telling clients about their past and present before they gave her any information. That way, they knew she was the real deal. Part of the research for my book involved seeing several professional psychics for readings. I quickly found out how easy it is to dig up information about my life just from using basic information such as my name, email and phone number. Theoretically, the “scammer types” could use that information to make their clients think they are genuine psychics, so it’s essential to give as little information as possible upfront. The bottom line, though, is my mother believed everyone had the potential to develop psychic abilities. Her dream was to quit readings altogether and teach others to develop intuitive skills to use in their own life so they would never need to see a psychic.

NG: You are a researcher at an important children’s hospital. Do you ever use your intuition to solve work problems? Tell us about your take on intuition and problem-solving.

CS: I have had many intuitive flashes throughout my life, including one that helped me in my graduate work. The flashes feel like an instantaneous knowing — as if I’m recalling something from memory rather than seeing a future event. I think this is what my mother meant when she said, “everyone is psychic.” I won’t be setting up a fortune-telling booth anytime soon, but I will make sure I listen to that intuitive voice in navigating my own future.

NG: Is there anything you wish I’d asked but didn’t that you’d like to share?

CS: As you know from my book, my mother and I didn’t always have a great relationship, beginning when I was a teenager. For many years she used her psychic abilities on gruesome criminal investigations, and it took a toll on her, including fueling addictions that she struggled with for years. Working on this book allowed us to face those difficult times in our relationship, and I was able to see the impact her teachings had on thousands of people. I’ve had so many former clients contact me over the past year, praising my mother’s talents and for changing their lives so dramatically. It’s heartwarming that her legacy lives on.

Thank you, Nancy, for the opportunity to talk about my family’s story!

To find out more, visit https://www.scientistandthepsychic.com/