The Screaming Girls of Malaysia
Up until July of 2018, 17-year-old Siti Nurannisaa was like many other kids finishing up their last year of high school - she was stressed out by exams, not sleeping well, and looking forward to getting the school year over with. However, her life took a sudden, unexpected turn when a sharp tap on her shoulder sent her into a strange, nightmarish series of visions from which she could not escape. Her nearby classmates watched as she fell to the ground, screaming uncontrollably -- and, moments later, they heard other children screaming throughout the school. Whatever happened to Sita appeared to be contagious ... and this was not the first case of what some authorities would later describe as "mass possession." Join Ben, Matt and Noel as the explore the bizarre case of "The Screaming Girls of Malaysia." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11 Sep 202055min
Listener Mail: Dreams, the Bridgend Suicides, Deaths at Fort Hood, and a Ghost in Gibraltar
Do ghosts wander the tunnels of Gibraltar? Why are so many families (Ben's included) convinced they receive mysterious omens of the future in their dreams? Multiple listeners respond to the episode on the deaths at Deepcut, raising question about the deaths at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as the suicide epidemic in Bridgend, Wales. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10 Sep 202043min
The Mind vs. Matter: Feats of the Mystics
How much power does the mind wield over physical matter? Could certain human beings, through the force of focused thought alone, walk on fire, lay on nails, and survive being buried alive for days at a time? Listen in to learn more about the fact, fiction and controversy surrounding the famous feats of the mystics. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9 Sep 20201h 1min
CLASSIC: The Placebo Effect
The placebo effect is pretty freaky when you think about it: just believing that a harmless substance is a medicine can really produce measurable benefits. It sounds crazy, but the placebo effect is real, and its implications continue to fascinate scientists. So why does it appear to be getting stronger? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
8 Sep 202026min
Strange News: The COVID-19 Ghost Ship Tour, an X-files spinoff, and Georgia's Massive Human Trafficking Ring
An enterprising UK resident has found a new way to profit from the pandemic -- taking people on tours of the nearly-abandoned 'ghost ships' floating off the coast as the cruise industry struggles to survive the disastrous economic effects of COVID-19. The X-Files universe may soon have a new, animated spin-off. Investigations continue as US Marshals bust an enormous, insidious child trafficking ring in Georgia. Tune in for all this and more in this week's Strange News segment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
7 Sep 202056min
Poltergeists: Fact and Fiction
In the world of spirits and apparitions, the poltergeist is a unique type of ghost -- one known for its alleged ability to move physical objects (often in violent, unpredictable ways), to target and torment specific human beings and, perhaps strangest of all, to suddenly, one day, disappear. While not everyone uses the name 'poltergeist,' legends of these and similar creatures occur in numerous civilizations throughout history. Some stories are proven hoaxes. But others, the true believers argue, are more difficult to explain. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 Sep 202059min
Listener Mail: #freebritney, Surviving the Derecho, and Spontaneous Human Combustion
Is pop superstar Britney Spears really being held hostage? What is it like to witness a derecho firsthand, and live to tell the tale? Can human beings really, without warning, burst into a ball of mysterious, fatal flames? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this week's listener mail segment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3 Sep 20201h
What is "Laying On Hands"?
In the ancient days, when medicine and spirituality were inseparable, people often used rituals and invocations to elicit help from divine sources. This practice continues today, through a number of techniques collectively known as faith healing. But what is it, exactly? How does it work? Could mere physical touch from the right person heal otherwise incurable medical conditions? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into fact and fiction of faith healing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2 Sep 202058min
