I began my PhD at the University of Northampton in March 2020. My research examines the potential link between psi, spiritual experiences, and dietary practices – especially veganism and vegetarianism, but also fasting. (Psi is an academic term referring to apparent psychic phenomena, experiences, or events such as telepathy, energy healing, and survival after death.)
My thesis focuses on these studies:
- Interviews of professional practitioners of psi who use veganism and/or fasting to support their work in order to understand the phenomenology and mechanisms for why these dietary practices might be conducive to psi.
- A survey tool to understand this potential relationship in more general populations.
- Laboratory experiments testing psi between people with different diets to examine the effect eating meat and dairy and fasting have on psi abilities.
I have been vegan since 2016. Outside of my PhD, I am interested in the environmental and ethical aspects of veganism, and am a trustee of Climate Action Ilkley, a charity that aims to help tackle the climate and ecological crises through projects and awareness-raising local to the town.
I have a background in software engineering and in professional and managerial roles to support scientific research at the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, and Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2021 I retired from paid work to focus on parapsychology research and environmental activism.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljdaw/
