I knew that was going to happen… The Truth About Premonitions
Around seven years ago, Garrett, was in a local Pizza Hut with his friends, having a day so ordinary that it is cumbersome to describe. He was 16 – or thereabouts – and had been told by teachers to go around nearby businesses and ask for gift vouchers that the school could use as prizes in a raffle. There were five other teenagers with Garrett, and they’d just finished speaking to the restaurant manager when suddenly, out of nowhere, Garrett’s body was flooded with shock. He felt cold and clammy and had an “overwhelming sense that something had happened”. He desperately tried to stop himself crying in front of his peers.
“It was like I’d just been told something terrible,” the now 23-year-old from the southwest of England says (his name has been changed on his request). “I couldn’t tell you exactly what it was, but I just knew something had happened.” Garrett returned home and tried to distract himself from a feeling he describes as grief. The phone rang. His mum answered it. A few hours earlier – around the time Garrett was in the restaurant – his grandfather had died from a sudden heart attack while on a cruise.
Although there’s no way of knowing how many people worldwide feel that they “sensed” a loved one’s death before being told, it’s a phenomenon that’s been explored in everything from Star Wars to Downtown Abbey to Kung Fu Panda 2. Perhaps one of your own relatives has a story similar to Garrett’s – perhaps you dismissed it, perhaps you treat it as family lore. Is there any evidence to suggest this phenomenon is real – that humans can sense one another’s passing from a distance, that Garrett’s emotional afternoon was anything more than a coincidence? In a word, no. Meanwhile, it is well documented that the human mind is a bundle of bias: false memories, grief hallucinations and confirmation bias can easily explain these experiences. Besides which, for every person who feels a shiver when their loved one dies, there are hundreds more who were quietly eating pizza or happily riding a roller-coaster or bored doing Maths homework completely unaware of their loss.
It felt like something rocked me, physically. Grandad had died
But are these dismissals too quick? Too easy? Some scientists claim that the complex world of quantum physics could be used to explain the paranormal (other scientists say they’re unbelievably wrong.) What can stories like Garrett’s tell us about what we do and don’t know? What we are and aren’t willing to believe? About the disconnect between what some claim to experience and others claim is impossible?
Brian Josephson is your prototypical professor. With tufts of white hair atop his head, a knitted vest and a glasses chain keeping his specs safe, he says via Zoom that, “The academic community is a kind of club. You’re supposed to believe certain things and you run into problems you disagree with.” In 1973, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on superconductivity. Later, during his time as a professor at the University of Cambridge, he began using quantum mechanics to explore consciousness and the paranormal.
Quantum entanglement – nicknamed “spooky action at a distance” by Albert Einstein – describes the (proven) phenomenon of two spatially separated particles influencing each other, even over large distances. While the phenomenon is subatomic, academics such as Josephson have theorised that quantum entanglement could explain phenomena like telepathy and psychokinesis.
“There are many accounts of crisis telepathy,” says Dean Radin, a parapsychologist and author of Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality. “Does entanglement explain these effects? No, in the sense that entanglement as observed today in the physics lab, between pairs of photons, is extremely fragile and typically lasts only minuscule fractions of a second. But also, yes, in that we are at the earliest stages of understanding entanglement.”
Radin says studies in quantum biology show that entanglement-type effects are present in living systems (academics from Oxford have successfully entangled bacteria) and he believes the human brain could in turn have quantum properties. “If that is subsequently demonstrated – I think it’s just a matter of time – then that would go a long way towards providing a physical mechanism for telepathy,” he says.
Put down your pen, scrunch up your letter to the editor. You only need an explanation for telepathy if you believe in telepathy in the first place, and experiments purporting its existence have been widely debunked. Josephson and Radin are regularly criticised by peers. In 2001, when Royal Mail released a set of stamps to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, there was outrage when Josephson wrote in an accompanying booklet that quantum physics may lead to an explanation for telepathy. In this very newspaper, academics branded the claim “utter rubbish” and “complete nonsense”.
When reviewing Entangled Minds for The Skeptic’s Dictionary, philosophy professor and professional sceptic Robert Carroll wrote that Radin’s book was “aimed at non-scientists who are likely to be impressed by references to quantum physics”.
Garrett has no idea what happened to him on the day his grandad died, but he is certain that it happened. He believes in some kind of “interconnectedness” between people. “I think if it’s happened to you, then there’s an underlying accepting of it,” he says.
This is a sentiment shared by the self-described “naturally sceptical” Cassius Griesbach, a 24-year-old from Wisconsin who lost his grandfather in 2012. Griesbach says that he “shot awake” on the night his grandad passed and began to sob uncontrollably. “It felt like something just rocked me, physically,” he says. When his dad called moments later to say his grandad had died, a teenaged Griesbach replied: “I know.”
Griesbach doesn’t blame anyone for being sceptical of his story. “The further you get away from it, the more I would like to write it off as a coincidence,” he says, “But every time I sit down and think about it, it feels like it’s something else.” Griesbach is “not super religious” and doesn’t believe in ghosts. “ If it is something to do with actual science, I would think that would be science that we are nowhere near yet, you know?”
Many would disagree, arguing that the answer lies in the social sciences. In 2014, Michael Shermer married Jennifer, who had moved from Köln to California and brought with her a 1978 radio belonging to her late grandfather. Shermer tried in vain to fix it before tossing it in a drawer, where it lay silent until the couple said their wedding vows at home months later. Just as Jennifer was keenly feeling the absence of her grandfather, the radio began to play a romantic song. It continued all night before it stopped working for good the next day.
“It’s just one of those anomalous experiences,” says Shermer, a science historian, professional sceptic and author of The Believing Brain: from Spiritual Faiths to Political Convictions. How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths. “Randomness and chance play a big role in life and in the world, and our brains are designed to see patterns not randomness.” Shermer argues that experiences like Garrett’s and Griesbach’s are statistically more likely than we think.
“You have billions of people worldwide having dozens of dreams [each] at night,” he says. “The odds are pretty good that on any given night, somebody’s going to have a dream about somebody dying who actually dies. That’s inevitable.” At the same time, he argues, we ignore all the times we suddenly sob or shudder and it turns out that no one’s died – or the times when someone does die and we don’t feel anything at all.
There are other prosaic explanations. While Garrett’s grandfather’s death was sudden and unexpected, Griesbach’s grandfather was hospitalised the week before he died, when he shot awake in the middle of the night, Griesbach’s first thought was, “It happened” – he knew his grandfather had passed. But is that surprising when he’d spent a week by his bedside?
John Bedard, a 36-year-old in Los Angeles, woke suddenly on the night his parents died. He was 10 and sleeping at a friend’s house when he awoke, “just knowing something was wrong”. He called his brother, sobbing. When his brother picked him up, he told Bedard their parents had died in a motorcycle accident.
And yet, there were clues that “something was wrong” much earlier. The sleepover wasn’t planned – Bedard had gone to friends to play when “it started getting later and later” and nobody came to pick him up. It was a Sunday night – an unusual night to have a sleepover. Bedard was uneasy when he went to bed.
Despite these answers, explanations continue to be toyed with. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and parapsychologist who conceived of “morphic resonance”, the idea that interconnections exist between organisms. He believes the human mind has fields that stretch beyond the brain, much like electromagnetic fields. This, he says, explains why we can seemingly tell when someone behind us is staring at us, or why we sometimes think of someone right before they call. (Sheldrake’s work has been called “heresy” in the journal Nature.)
“I’m not talking about the supernatural; I think these things are totally natural. I think they’re normal, not paranormal,” he says. When it comes to experiences like Garrett’s, he says empirical studies are impossible. “You can’t ask somebody to die at a randomly selected time to see if their nearest and dearest respond… So unfortunately, the evidence for cases to do with death has to be circumstantial.”
Shermer is not a Sheldrake fan. “The idea that a biologist like Rupert Sheldrake is going to uncover some new force of nature that somehow Einstein and everybody else has missed… is just so unlikely to have happened, that almost any explanation like the ones I’ve been giving you are way more likely.” Josephson’s rebuke of such criticisms: “People say that [science is] always subject to revision and yet they’re secretly convinced that certain things can’t happen.”
What can and can’t happen doesn’t change what many feel has happened – Garrett, Griesbach and Bedard all believe something strange and unexplainable occurred when they lost their loved ones. At the very least, these stories undeniably offer comfort.
“As far as looking into it, I don’t even know what there is to look into,” Griesbach says – after all, the phenomenon doesn’t even have a name. “I think the best thing that we could do for people is validate how they feel and let them grieve. Because whenever people have that happen, they’re also grieving. That is one of the most important times to just be a kind human to somebody.”
THING THAT I FELT IN MY LIFE
In 1995, Sep. 12, I was in Chennai, a city in the south of India taking care of my mother who was suffering my kidney failure. Seeing my maternal uncle suffer and die after dialysis, I refused dialysis for my mother, that was also her wish. On Sep. 12th morning, I called my husband in Delhi, that today is my mother's last day. He said, how can you say that? I said, I know. My mother had not eaten or drank anything since the previous afternoon. She was given Lasix injection every 3 hours to pass urine, still it didn't happen. I was up whole night, she asked me to help her get up to pass urine. But it didn't come. Next morning, she was given oxygen, she threw it away, refused to get admitted to the hospital. Was showing everything through sign, as fluid had collected around her lungs and heart. That evening, after giving dinner to my dad, I gave her a sponge, so she'ld feel better, she had bleeding piles, I cleaned it all. Then my sister turned her side as she was lying down for long on the same side. I went to clean the things and wash my hands after cleaning my mom. The moment she turned, she breathed her last ! There my premonition was true.
I became a Reiki master in 1997. Then, I was called to give treatment to a blind- diabetic-cancer lady, who had undergone surgery for some abdominal problem, where the bleeding didn't stop. For the first 2 days, she wanted the healing, though I was healing her from my house about 10 km away. On the 3rd day, I felt her telling me she didn't want healing and wants to die, while I started the healing, so I stopped. Then around 9 pm, I felt she wanted the healing, I gave her. It was Saturday night, but felt she was dead. But next morning, called the hospital to find out about her condition, I was told she is no more, I asked the time of her death, it was exactly the time, when her soul was leaving the body, she wanted help to pass of peacefully !
Since, I was listed in the Reiki site, seeing that, a young man in late 20s called me to heal his dad. I said, that I've not seen him, then asked him to describe his dad. Then thinking of his dad, as by then I was also a qualified Magnified healing teacher, scanned his dad and said that he has got problems in such and such places, am I right? He said, he'll ask the doctor. Then he called me to inform that I was right, his father was in a hospital about 30 km away from my home ! He pestered me to come to see his dad, got a cab all the way, I healed him in ICU, then I told him to learn Reiki, as if both give healing, it would help better. I did heal him for 4 days, then stopped, as I felt him saying , he wants to die not to prolong his life. It was Saturday afternoon, I called his son around 4, said hello, how are things and kept the phone down, as I didn't have the courage to say that his father was going to die. He called me after about 30 minutes to inform of his dad's demise !
In 2000, our daughter's engagement was fixed, I was going in the taxi with her to shop. On the way, felt that I was heading for cancer. I'ld not tell her, as she was studying Radiotherapy and after marriage was to leave for US. I was just praying to GOD to give me the strength to do all the necessary preparations for her wedding. By God's grace everything went off well. On the 4th day after her wedding, I was packing things to leave back home ( from Chennai to Delhi). As I was bending down and packing, I got choked, I'ld not talk, was literally gasping. Was wondering what to do, as I was alone in my sister's house, where they had all gone to work and my hubby was visiting his brother ! After 30 minutes, luckily hubby came, saw me gasping, said what are you pretending? I showed that I can't talk, something pressing in my neck. After an hour or so felt better. During that time, he tried to contact daughter, who was busy running around for her visa. She came at night, said to take ECG. I said no need for it, as my heart is fine, shall go to Delhi and see my physician. When I told my physician, that the problem is in my neck, he'ld not believe, as I used to keep burping forcing air out. He told our son who had come with me, that since I'm obese, it is only acidity ! Then GOD made it such that I fell in bathroom while washing my hair and fell on a tap, hurt the back of my head. I was alone at home. Was blacked out for a short time, managed to get up and finish my bath, then had bad headache. Hubby said sleep, while my physician wanted MRI. Next day, my neck started swelling, went to a physician closer home and told him there must be some connection between the fall and the swelling, he didn't think so. After 2 days, when the swelling had increased and I had difficulty talking, my 1st physician said consult a surgeon, by then the swelling and pain was more. By then, daughter had left for US, I sent her email, describing all my symptoms, but said it is for my friend. She at once, ma, it is a clear case of thyroid cancer, read these sites, you'll understand. Yes, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I knew there was every chance of me losing my voice, as vocal cord goes around the thyroid gland and due to cancer, it can get cut ! GOD was with me, luckily though I'ld not talk properly for 3 months, I didn't lose my voice, though mentally I was wondering how to manage if I lose my voice.
So, wasn't all these premonitions, I also get simple ones, like if I'm cutting vegetables, I come to know that I'm going to cut my finger, how much ever I try, I still cut my finger, it has happened many times. I told my physician, who didn't believe first about my problem in neck, that he has problem in his liver, when he was suspecting somewhere else. He stays 15 km away from my house !
My eldest brother was in US, during our visit, I told our daughter that we'ld see him, as later on, he won't be there. We visited him, then returned to India, a month later he died!
During my cancer surgery, we stayed with my husband boss' family in Mumbai. They all wanted me to scan and tell them about their health. I told his boss' wife to take care of her heart, her daughters started shouting at me, there is nothing wrong, she is fine. Within a month she had massive attack, luckily survived.
In the same way, the no. 1 diagnostic center in India, which is Delhi, Agarwals. I used to go there for x-rays, mammogram, ultrasound. I knew the radiologist well. One fine morning, don't ask me why, I just felt that Dr. Agarwal needs to take care of his heart. I called my radiologist friend to tell the Dr. He asked me how to do you know, I said, I can feel it in my hand. He kept asking, am I sure, I said yes, then asked him if I was right, he said yes, next day the Dr. was going for Angioplasty ! this diagnostic center is 20 km away from my home and I hadn't met the Dr. for some months ! How did it happen? Can anyone solve all these riddles?