Niki Morock, author and podcaster – host of The P.E.E.P. Podcast – bridges the gap between scientific study of psi phenomena and everyday paranormal experiences. With a passion for exploring the unexplained, Niki delves into intriguing topics that connect the worlds of researchers and regular people encountering the supernatural. MysticMag has the pleasure.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind The P.E.E.P. Podcast and what led you to explore the intersection of scientific research on PSI phenomena and everyday paranormal experiences?
Yes, I listen to podcasts about a wide range of subjects from marketing and business to all things paranormal. I noticed that many of the podcasters who cover paranormal topics spoke about research by academics and scientists as if it only happened in the distant past – if they mentioned it at all. For example, they would mention J.B. Rhine’s research when he was associated with Duke University in the early to mid-20th century, but they’d never explain that his legacy continues to this day at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, just an hour from my home. And the Rhine isn’t the only scientific organization that studies parapsychology and other subjects that fall under the broad category of the paranormal.
So, I knew there was a niche that could be filled, but I also know that most people who listen to paranormal podcasts do it for the dark fascination with spooky stories. I’m just as guilty as the next person for that. I’ve been interested in the unexplained my whole life, and even without broadcasting that interest when I was younger, strangers would just tell me their personal experiences. It’s like “Tell me your ghost story” is stamped on my forehead.
All that led me to create The P.E.E.P. Podcast. P.E.E.P. stands for “people experiencing everyday paranormal,” and the way I link the scientific study to the experiences of normal people is by talking to both. Many researchers start looking into the topic because some personal experience triggered a deep curiosity, and many people (like me) who have had a lifetime of experiences appreciate a judgement-free place to share their stories and would love to find explanations that make sense.
I’m a sensitive/intuitive with a science degree, so it just seems natural for me to want to understand how it works, and my podcast gives me the chance to talk to others who are working to figure that out.
In your book, “Please, don’t call me psychic,” you share stories and lessons learned from your experiences as a member of The National Society of Paranormal Investigation and Research, Inc. (NSPIR). Could you share one particularly memorable experience or lesson that has shaped your perspective on the paranormal?
I think Chapter 17, “Angels to the Rescue,” is the biggest one, and it’s probably the experience that more people would question in one way or another. A friend who worked as a crime scene investigator came to me with the question of whether she might have picked up a spirit attachment while working a case. She felt a darkness around her, and she wanted to know what to do.
Until that case, the idea of spirit attachment was something I kept at arm’s distance, even though looking back, I’d probably already investigated a form of it. Since I knew I was out of my league, I contacted an acquaintance that could do hypnosis, and he said he could help. My friend said she’d go see him but only if I went with her. So, I took an afternoon off work to do it.
I was allowed to be present for the session as long as I stayed still and quiet. What I witnessed confirmed to me that there really is a battle on a spiritual level for our souls, but not all the darkness comes from demons. A man’s spirit had latched on to her because she was the only person at the scene who thought nobody deserved a death like his no matter what kind of person he was. He liked her, and he wasn’t leaving.
When the hypnotist couldn’t convince him to go to the light, he called in Saint Michael the Archangel and his “merry band of angels” to assist, and they did! There are more details in my book that I won’t go into here, but I will say, my belief was leveled up big time that afternoon. The man’s spirit was forcibly removed by the angels, and my friend has been fine ever since.
Your podcast aims to bridge the gap between scientific study and personal experiences of the paranormal. How do you go about finding and selecting guests who can provide unique insights into this intersection?
I started the podcast with an interview with John Kruth, Executive Director of the Rhine Research Center. I’ve been a sustaining member of the Rhine for years, and even before joining, I attended in-person events there when I could. His interview gave me the credibility and the confidence I needed to reach out to other researchers who didn’t know me. I started with those who have connections to the Rhine and then looked for others who would be excited to talk about their research in a public forum.
I’ve spoken with parapsychologists who study ESP, telekinesis, energy healing, and ghostly experiences. I’ve also spoken with bigfoot researchers, including Darby Orcutt who is an academic librarian at North Carolina State University who teaches a course on how to investigate the paranormal from a scientific perspective. If they have professional credentials and a willingness to be interviewed, I’m happy to give them the microphone.
What are some of the most intriguing or unexpected findings or discussions you’ve come across while hosting The P.E.E.P. Podcast, and how have they contributed to a better understanding of paranormal phenomena?
On Episode 9, I spoke with Christine Simmonds-Moore about her research of the psychic personality in a laboratory setting and how some people seem to be more prone to having psychic experiences. I originally met Christine when I participated in a study at the Rhine, but we had never spoken beyond that, so being able to interview her was a treat!
One of the things she said in that interview was that there are certain personality types that seem more open to experiences that we’d refer to as paranormal, like seeing or hearing ghosts or other types of ESP. One type is people with synesthesia who experience the world differently. For example, they can hear colors or feel sounds or taste shapes. This all sounds weird until you realize that you may have that. Or at least, to some degree, I realized that I might. My brain assigns sex (male or female) to spirits in an odd way. If they’re male, I feel them as if they’re over my right shoulder and if they are female, I feel them over my left shoulder. I didn’t realize I even did this, until she pointed it out during the study, and even then, I didn’t realize it could be a form of synesthesia. That came out during the interview.
To learn that there are specific personality types that are more likely to experience paranormal phenomena is huge! It can explain why some people go their whole lives without ever having anything paranormal happen while others can’t seem to get away from it. We’re all wired differently, and that’s one of the many ways it plays out.
Your podcast encourages open communication of ideas to create better understanding of different perspectives. Can you share an example of a guest or episode where this open dialogue led to a particularly enlightening or thought-provoking conversation about the paranormal?
The interview with Christine was eye-opening, but there are others that come to mind. In Episode 10, I interviewed Chris Cogswell of The Mad Scientist Podcast. He’s a confirmed skeptic with a great mind, who was part of SkyHub, a now defunct group that was designing a way for citizen scientists to help with the study UAP/UFOs. I had initially joined SkyHub, but backed out when I started my podcast because there wasn’t enough time in my day to do it all.
Chris’s personality type is very different from mine, and it’s a beautiful thing. He needs data to back up claims, preferably lots of it. I’m more willing to go on feeling and intuition when I need to. He explained during the interview that when someone says, “think of a bouncing ball,” most of us can visualize it in some way, but he can’t. I never knew that there were people who weren’t visual like that. And after talking with Christine (the interview immediately prior to his), I was much more understanding of why his way of viewing the world is so different from mine. And both ways are valid!
That all leads to the idea that the study of the paranormal should be inclusive. People from different cultural and religious backgrounds, people who are wired differently, people who believe because of personal experience and without tons of data, and people who will only believe if there are mountains of data should all have a place at the table. Different perspectives bring better understanding, and often entertaining other philosophies leads to questions we didn’t even know we should be asking.
If you would like to find out more about Niki Morock, visit https://www.nicollemorock.com/
