Gary Schwartz

Gary E. Schwartz is an American psychologist, author, parapsychologist, and professor whose interdisciplinary career bridges conventional science and the study of consciousness. Born on June 14, 1944 in Mineola, New York, Schwartz earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University before joining Yale University, where he served as professor of psychiatry and psychology, director of the Yale Psychophysiology Center, and co‑director of the Yale Behavioral Medicine Clinic from 1976 to 1988. In the late 1990s he moved to the University of Arizona, where he currently holds professorships in psychology, medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and surgery, and directs the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health. His early work focused on biofeedback and health psychology, but a dramatic car accident on the FDR highway—where he reports hearing a mysterious voice urging him to wear his seat belt—sparked a lifelong fascination with psychic phenomena and the possibility of consciousness persisting after death. This personal experience motivated his controversial VERITAS research program, which sought empirical evidence that the identities of deceased individuals survive physical demise. Schwartz’s experiments have involved high‑profile mediums such as John Edward and Allison DuBois, even conducting a reading for Deepak Chopra that Chopra later described as 77% accurate. Although he has authored dozens of academic papers and several popular books—including The Sacred Promise and The Energy Healing Experiments—his methodology has drawn sharp criticism from skeptics who allege statistical flaws, lack of blind controls, and potential researcher bias. Public disputes, such as the 2007 Geraldo Rivera interview and James Randi’s request for independent data review, have further polarized opinions about his work. Despite ongoing controversy, Schwartz remains a prominent figure at the intersection of science, spirituality, and the paranormal, continuing to advocate for research that explores the boundaries of consciousness.