This is an interview with lawyer and afterlife researcher Victor Zammit. I thank Victor for kindly accepting the interview. Enjoy.
1) Victor, tell us a little bit about your background?
In my younger years I was in jazz music until I met my university trained psychologist wife in my mid twenties.
I then went to university to do psychology and law. For a number of years from the time I went to university, I began attending meetings organized by the skeptics – primarily the Humanists who were rather hard-core skeptics. I worked as an attorney for a number of years and gained valuable experience in understanding what the highest courts will accept as admissible evidence.
2) Do you think the training as a professional lawyer is useful to weigh and evaluate scientific evidence outside of a courtroom?
Absolutely! I did litigation work in the courts where I learned what technically constitutes admissible evidence. I also worked at the Workers’ Compensation Commission where the issue of admissible evidence was critical to damages. The big lesson for me was that is a definitive distinction between objective and subjective evidence. The insurance company would not contest anything when I had objective evidence to support my clients’ cases. They always settled the matter out of court. But with subjective evidence, the insurance companies would fight the matter viciously. So I learned to apply the same principles in other areas. I fully understood that anything subjective is itself subject to fundamental error - to complete invalidation. So when I began to investigate the afterlife and came across evidence which was objective and repeatable, I knew I was on a sure thing. Of course, my major in Psychology and Scientific Method was also very helpful in evaluating what variables had and had not been controlled.
3) You’re the author of the book “A lawyer presents the case for the Afterlife”. In balance, the feedback you have received regarding your book has been positive or negative?
Primarily, the feedback has been extremely positive. It has been accessed by more than a million readers online and I am constantly receiving emails from people who say it has been a huge help to them. It has been and appears to be a big help especially to those who want to find empirical – non-religious – evidence for the existence of the afterlife. As a matter of fact, I have been surprised by the lack of criticism- over the last nine years since I first wrote the first version of the book, there were very few who criticized my evidence and not one informed critic. I sent copies of my book to the hard-line skeptics at the time. Whenever someone emailed me about it, I always asked them what aspect of the evidence they did not accept. No skeptic has ever answered those questions. The classic invalid objection is, “Your evidence can’t be right because there is no afterlife”!
4) As part of a cumulative case, you have presented several lines of evidence supporting the afterlife. In your opinion, what is the best or most convincing or more hard to refute single piece of evidence supporting the afterlife?
Without doubt, my investigation of David Thompson’s materializations were the most impressive – because we had the time to investigate. Time is critical to come to valid conclusions – and David Thompson’s mediumship passed all tests. My wife and I sat with David Thompson every Sunday night for fifteen months. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that whenever we communicated with intelligences from the afterlife during David Thompson’s materializations, we were in direct contact with beings who are residing in the afterlife dimension. We travelled with David, the medium, and saw him before during and after séances. We helped prepare the room and tape recorded the sittings. On more than seventy occasions we were present when people were reunited with their loved ones and talked with those people after the sessions. They confirmed that they recognized specific mannerisms of their loved ones and spoke of intimate things that no-body in the séance room could have known. My wife’s father came through as did my sister. They confirmed their identity in several ways.
My wife is a professional psychologist with expertise in Scientific Method and with my expertise in the admissibility of objective evidence we came to the inevitable conclusion that the evidence qualified as objective and repeatable. This made the evidence empirical and scientific. Of course closed minded skeptics would not accept our evidence. But again, they did not raise critical issues such as what intervening variables we did not control in our experiments. No hard core skeptic took up my challenge to claim half a million dollars if they could show that there was fraud or negligence taking place in these critical afterlife experiments. Of course one condition was that if the skeptic failed, then the skeptic had to hand over half a million dollars to us. In other words, the challenge was to put up or shut up. Recent experience has shown that they shut up.
5) Do you consider the afterlife as an hypothesis or, instead, as a proven fact?
Undoubtedly, absolutely and without any qualification, the afterlife is a proven fact.
6) You have published a public challenge to close minded skeptics to rebut the evidence presented in your book. Has any skeptic attempted to take it?
I had low level skeptics making enquiries about my challenge. They made absurd statements and said “I”ll get back to you” but we never heard from them again. So no academic, no intellectual, no expert in scientific method expert, no materialist has ever tried to rebut the evidence in my book.
7) Some people, even inside of the spiritualistic camp, have accused you of having a very one-sided and biased approach in favor of the afterlife. What would you say to such criticisms?
My particular one-sided bias is the test of objectivity/repeatability. Once the test is passed, and I have had personal experience that it was administered properly, I will rigidly adhere to my decision about my conclusion. I have had a great deal of support from a number of leading spiritualists- but you have to understand that there is a lot of petty jealousy among some of them. Some showed that they were negatively prejudiced against materialization. They would not accept that there can be such thing as materialization or ectoplasm or making contact in materialization mediumship. But these were not professional scientists or lawyers or psychologists – they were in fact amateurs who would not accept evidence which was fundamentally inconsistent with their own subjective beliefs.
8)What do you think of the super-ESP hypothesis? Do you think it is a serious alternative explanation for the evidence for an afterlife?
My materialization investigation completely kills the notion of super ESP. Why? Because we – those who were with me in the experiments – repeatedly on more than sixty different occasions, had intelligent conversations with living, responsive afterlife intelligences who moved around the room, clapped their hands, stamped their feet and behaved in every way like normal fully formed people. We witnessed over seventy verified reunions that could not possibly have been faked.
It may be, according to those who accept the super ESP hypothesis, that we all have access to each others minds and records of events. Of course, we would need repeatable/objective evidence to accept that. But it’s a big stretch to think that our minds can totally reconstitute the personalities, voices and mannerisms of seventy different dead relatives. If some people want to believe that without the slightest shred of experimental evidence it is their prerogative. But I am inductively stating that my hands-on repeated evidence can be best explained by the existence of an afterlife for which there is extensive repeatable objective corroborative evidence.
9)Do you think the existence of paranormal phenomena (like telepathy or remote viewing) provides evidence for an afterlife?
Paranormal phenomena can’t on their own be taken as evidence for the afterlife but in conjunction with primary evidence from mediumship, apparitions, near death experiences, evp, itc, they provide powerful supportive evidence. This is because it is claimed that telepathy is the normal means of communication in the afterlife and skilled mediums can demonstrate ability to receive information telepathically and via remote viewing. I myself have experienced telepathy and remote viewing. My spectacular experiences absolutely convince me that they are valid paranormal phenomena. I presented many different areas of afterlife evidence – inevitably, telepathy and remote viewing must be seen as part of the overall evidence.
10) Do you see any conflict or tension between evolutionary biology and reincarnation? The existence of the latter seem to suggest a spiritual line parallel to the evolutionary line, and this seems to be implausible because the evolutionary process is considered purposeless and blind.
My view is that evolution is not purposeless and blind but it is totally independent from the issue of reincarnation. Highly credible transmitted information about reincarnation tells us that the purpose of reincarnation is purely for spiritual evolution not contingent upon anything else.
11) Materialists claim that neuroscience has proved the strong dependence of mind on the brain (e.g. as seen in cases of drugs, or brain diseases like Alzheimer). Do you think this kind of neuroscientific evidence and its implications undermine the case for an afterlife?
I am of the view that there is also a huge amount of evidence from a large number of different fields that the brain cannot possibly contain all the information that is contained in the mind. Rupert Sheldrake’s work, the work of Dean Radin, the work on remote viewing and on out of body experiences all the work on near death experiences clearly support the view of an extended mind- a field that is different to the physical brain. And when your examine the evidence of afterlife entities who come through with their mind clearly in tact with all their memories of their time on earth you have to realize that the mind persists after death.
12) You have had first hand experience researching medium David Thompson. However, in the spiritualistic circles, there is a lot of controversy about Thompson’s real mediiumship skills. What do you think is the origin of this controversy? Is there any reasonable way to settle it?
One of the problems with materialization mediumship is that it is so fantastically improbable that it shatters the foundations of our world view- even for some spiritualists. Those who actually experience David’s mediumship usually go into shock for a while- trying to reconcile the experience of what they have heard and sensed with their conditioning. If you look at the history of mediumship research you find that this has always been the case- especially with the great Helen Duncan. When she was put on trial for fraudulent mediumship there were forty witnesses who came from all over the world to testify in court that they had been reunited with their loved ones. All of this evidence was disregarded by the jury. And when she offered to prove that she was not a fraud by demonstrating they refused to allow her- again on the grounds that it is not possible. And so it is with David’s mediumship. No matter how many witnesses are produced, no matter how many scientific reports are done, there will always be people who say it’s just not possible. No evidence will be enough to convince the closed minded skeptics who have not experienced for themselves a reunion with a loved one. For those who have had this incredible experience there is no controversy. Constantly testing and re-testing David (or any physical medium) would only impede the conditions under which their mediumship can grow and develop and become even more convincing. The attitude of William, David’s control, has always been to focus on developing the mediumship to the point where video can be taken and put out to the world. So far one video has been taken in ultraviolet light which is displayed on the Circle of the Silver Cord website. This is only a beginning and there has to be a start somewhere.
13)What’s the most important lesson to be learned about the spiritual world from the afterlife communications?
That the afterlife has huge consequences relatively few people really know about or understand. For example, we are informed that if someone crosses over with a closed mind, that someone could have very serious problems in the Astral level (the relatively dark realm closest to earth). Confusion sets in for ‘hundreds even thousands of years’ for someone who stubbornly refuses to accept that he/she is in the afterlife dimension. The closed minded in the afterlife under these conditions know that a change has taken place and get confused when those on physical earth do not respond to them when they try to make contact. This would be a very serious problem. The second most important lesson in my twenty one years of afterlife research is that there is such a thing as the Law of Cause and Effect which no one on earth has the power to modify in any way whatsoever. This has to do with justice – and guaranteed, ‘no one gets away with it.’
14) In your experience, are there any reliable ways or criteria to discern between fake mediums and real ones?
Yes of course. The Windbridge Institute is conducting systematic testing of mediums and accrediting those who pass the tests. Have a look at Dr Julie Beishel’s paper Contemporary Methods used in Laboratory-Based Mediumship Research and some of the other excellent peer-reviewed publications of the Institute.
The Forever Family Foundation also conducts systematic tests of mediums. The following is taken from their website:
“ It is unfortunate that large numbers of people who claim to be mediums have no such ability. Some have psychic abilitIes and gifted ESP talents, but cannot connect to those on the "other side." Others are simply charlatans or magicians that prey on those in grief. The Forever Family Foundation recognizes the extreme importance of safeguarding the public and identifying those who truly have mediumship ability. To that end, we currently run a medium certification program.
After submitting a questionnaire on basic ethics and practices, mediums are invited to participate in a program that seeks to verify their ability in spirit communication. During these sessions, mediums seeking certification are required to provide a series of readings to different sitters. The information provided by the mediums is scored by the sitters utilizing a method devised by the foundation. In order to pass this certification, a medium must demonstrate composite scores that indicate significant proficiency, providing percentages of accuracy that are way beyond the statistical probability of chance.”
15) In your opinion, what is the best way to convince academics, intellectuals and professional scientists that the evidence for psi and afterlife is worth studying seriously? Or at least, to get them interested in it?
Dean Radin claims that he has been approached by large numbers of academics, intellectuals and professional scientists who are already interested in studying psi and the afterlife but are reluctant to get involved in it because there is no prospect of funding and jobs in the field. I guarantee if there was funding the “woo woo taboo” would disappear overnight. The problem is that the only ones willing to pay for university research are those who want to promote materialism, drug manufacturing and other things that are antithetical to spiritual and paranormal pursuits.
16)What books or literature would you recommend to the readers of this interview?
For those who are seriously interested in the paranormal I strongly suggest to them to study books by those scientists and other academics and intellectuals who afterlife they investigated the evidence, accepted the paranormal evidence. As a starter I would strongly suggest that they go to my website www.victorzammit.com and download my book which is free and also sign up for my weekly newsletter which contains links to news, videos, interviews and reviews of books which will lead them to a huge number of resources.
Links of interest:
-Victor's website
-Download Victor's book on afterlife here
1) Victor, tell us a little bit about your background?
In my younger years I was in jazz music until I met my university trained psychologist wife in my mid twenties.
I then went to university to do psychology and law. For a number of years from the time I went to university, I began attending meetings organized by the skeptics – primarily the Humanists who were rather hard-core skeptics. I worked as an attorney for a number of years and gained valuable experience in understanding what the highest courts will accept as admissible evidence.
2) Do you think the training as a professional lawyer is useful to weigh and evaluate scientific evidence outside of a courtroom?
Absolutely! I did litigation work in the courts where I learned what technically constitutes admissible evidence. I also worked at the Workers’ Compensation Commission where the issue of admissible evidence was critical to damages. The big lesson for me was that is a definitive distinction between objective and subjective evidence. The insurance company would not contest anything when I had objective evidence to support my clients’ cases. They always settled the matter out of court. But with subjective evidence, the insurance companies would fight the matter viciously. So I learned to apply the same principles in other areas. I fully understood that anything subjective is itself subject to fundamental error - to complete invalidation. So when I began to investigate the afterlife and came across evidence which was objective and repeatable, I knew I was on a sure thing. Of course, my major in Psychology and Scientific Method was also very helpful in evaluating what variables had and had not been controlled.
3) You’re the author of the book “A lawyer presents the case for the Afterlife”. In balance, the feedback you have received regarding your book has been positive or negative?
Primarily, the feedback has been extremely positive. It has been accessed by more than a million readers online and I am constantly receiving emails from people who say it has been a huge help to them. It has been and appears to be a big help especially to those who want to find empirical – non-religious – evidence for the existence of the afterlife. As a matter of fact, I have been surprised by the lack of criticism- over the last nine years since I first wrote the first version of the book, there were very few who criticized my evidence and not one informed critic. I sent copies of my book to the hard-line skeptics at the time. Whenever someone emailed me about it, I always asked them what aspect of the evidence they did not accept. No skeptic has ever answered those questions. The classic invalid objection is, “Your evidence can’t be right because there is no afterlife”!
4) As part of a cumulative case, you have presented several lines of evidence supporting the afterlife. In your opinion, what is the best or most convincing or more hard to refute single piece of evidence supporting the afterlife?
Without doubt, my investigation of David Thompson’s materializations were the most impressive – because we had the time to investigate. Time is critical to come to valid conclusions – and David Thompson’s mediumship passed all tests. My wife and I sat with David Thompson every Sunday night for fifteen months. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that whenever we communicated with intelligences from the afterlife during David Thompson’s materializations, we were in direct contact with beings who are residing in the afterlife dimension. We travelled with David, the medium, and saw him before during and after séances. We helped prepare the room and tape recorded the sittings. On more than seventy occasions we were present when people were reunited with their loved ones and talked with those people after the sessions. They confirmed that they recognized specific mannerisms of their loved ones and spoke of intimate things that no-body in the séance room could have known. My wife’s father came through as did my sister. They confirmed their identity in several ways.
My wife is a professional psychologist with expertise in Scientific Method and with my expertise in the admissibility of objective evidence we came to the inevitable conclusion that the evidence qualified as objective and repeatable. This made the evidence empirical and scientific. Of course closed minded skeptics would not accept our evidence. But again, they did not raise critical issues such as what intervening variables we did not control in our experiments. No hard core skeptic took up my challenge to claim half a million dollars if they could show that there was fraud or negligence taking place in these critical afterlife experiments. Of course one condition was that if the skeptic failed, then the skeptic had to hand over half a million dollars to us. In other words, the challenge was to put up or shut up. Recent experience has shown that they shut up.
5) Do you consider the afterlife as an hypothesis or, instead, as a proven fact?
Undoubtedly, absolutely and without any qualification, the afterlife is a proven fact.
6) You have published a public challenge to close minded skeptics to rebut the evidence presented in your book. Has any skeptic attempted to take it?
I had low level skeptics making enquiries about my challenge. They made absurd statements and said “I”ll get back to you” but we never heard from them again. So no academic, no intellectual, no expert in scientific method expert, no materialist has ever tried to rebut the evidence in my book.
7) Some people, even inside of the spiritualistic camp, have accused you of having a very one-sided and biased approach in favor of the afterlife. What would you say to such criticisms?
My particular one-sided bias is the test of objectivity/repeatability. Once the test is passed, and I have had personal experience that it was administered properly, I will rigidly adhere to my decision about my conclusion. I have had a great deal of support from a number of leading spiritualists- but you have to understand that there is a lot of petty jealousy among some of them. Some showed that they were negatively prejudiced against materialization. They would not accept that there can be such thing as materialization or ectoplasm or making contact in materialization mediumship. But these were not professional scientists or lawyers or psychologists – they were in fact amateurs who would not accept evidence which was fundamentally inconsistent with their own subjective beliefs.
8)What do you think of the super-ESP hypothesis? Do you think it is a serious alternative explanation for the evidence for an afterlife?
My materialization investigation completely kills the notion of super ESP. Why? Because we – those who were with me in the experiments – repeatedly on more than sixty different occasions, had intelligent conversations with living, responsive afterlife intelligences who moved around the room, clapped their hands, stamped their feet and behaved in every way like normal fully formed people. We witnessed over seventy verified reunions that could not possibly have been faked.
It may be, according to those who accept the super ESP hypothesis, that we all have access to each others minds and records of events. Of course, we would need repeatable/objective evidence to accept that. But it’s a big stretch to think that our minds can totally reconstitute the personalities, voices and mannerisms of seventy different dead relatives. If some people want to believe that without the slightest shred of experimental evidence it is their prerogative. But I am inductively stating that my hands-on repeated evidence can be best explained by the existence of an afterlife for which there is extensive repeatable objective corroborative evidence.
9)Do you think the existence of paranormal phenomena (like telepathy or remote viewing) provides evidence for an afterlife?
Paranormal phenomena can’t on their own be taken as evidence for the afterlife but in conjunction with primary evidence from mediumship, apparitions, near death experiences, evp, itc, they provide powerful supportive evidence. This is because it is claimed that telepathy is the normal means of communication in the afterlife and skilled mediums can demonstrate ability to receive information telepathically and via remote viewing. I myself have experienced telepathy and remote viewing. My spectacular experiences absolutely convince me that they are valid paranormal phenomena. I presented many different areas of afterlife evidence – inevitably, telepathy and remote viewing must be seen as part of the overall evidence.
10) Do you see any conflict or tension between evolutionary biology and reincarnation? The existence of the latter seem to suggest a spiritual line parallel to the evolutionary line, and this seems to be implausible because the evolutionary process is considered purposeless and blind.
My view is that evolution is not purposeless and blind but it is totally independent from the issue of reincarnation. Highly credible transmitted information about reincarnation tells us that the purpose of reincarnation is purely for spiritual evolution not contingent upon anything else.
11) Materialists claim that neuroscience has proved the strong dependence of mind on the brain (e.g. as seen in cases of drugs, or brain diseases like Alzheimer). Do you think this kind of neuroscientific evidence and its implications undermine the case for an afterlife?
I am of the view that there is also a huge amount of evidence from a large number of different fields that the brain cannot possibly contain all the information that is contained in the mind. Rupert Sheldrake’s work, the work of Dean Radin, the work on remote viewing and on out of body experiences all the work on near death experiences clearly support the view of an extended mind- a field that is different to the physical brain. And when your examine the evidence of afterlife entities who come through with their mind clearly in tact with all their memories of their time on earth you have to realize that the mind persists after death.
12) You have had first hand experience researching medium David Thompson. However, in the spiritualistic circles, there is a lot of controversy about Thompson’s real mediiumship skills. What do you think is the origin of this controversy? Is there any reasonable way to settle it?
One of the problems with materialization mediumship is that it is so fantastically improbable that it shatters the foundations of our world view- even for some spiritualists. Those who actually experience David’s mediumship usually go into shock for a while- trying to reconcile the experience of what they have heard and sensed with their conditioning. If you look at the history of mediumship research you find that this has always been the case- especially with the great Helen Duncan. When she was put on trial for fraudulent mediumship there were forty witnesses who came from all over the world to testify in court that they had been reunited with their loved ones. All of this evidence was disregarded by the jury. And when she offered to prove that she was not a fraud by demonstrating they refused to allow her- again on the grounds that it is not possible. And so it is with David’s mediumship. No matter how many witnesses are produced, no matter how many scientific reports are done, there will always be people who say it’s just not possible. No evidence will be enough to convince the closed minded skeptics who have not experienced for themselves a reunion with a loved one. For those who have had this incredible experience there is no controversy. Constantly testing and re-testing David (or any physical medium) would only impede the conditions under which their mediumship can grow and develop and become even more convincing. The attitude of William, David’s control, has always been to focus on developing the mediumship to the point where video can be taken and put out to the world. So far one video has been taken in ultraviolet light which is displayed on the Circle of the Silver Cord website. This is only a beginning and there has to be a start somewhere.
13)What’s the most important lesson to be learned about the spiritual world from the afterlife communications?
That the afterlife has huge consequences relatively few people really know about or understand. For example, we are informed that if someone crosses over with a closed mind, that someone could have very serious problems in the Astral level (the relatively dark realm closest to earth). Confusion sets in for ‘hundreds even thousands of years’ for someone who stubbornly refuses to accept that he/she is in the afterlife dimension. The closed minded in the afterlife under these conditions know that a change has taken place and get confused when those on physical earth do not respond to them when they try to make contact. This would be a very serious problem. The second most important lesson in my twenty one years of afterlife research is that there is such a thing as the Law of Cause and Effect which no one on earth has the power to modify in any way whatsoever. This has to do with justice – and guaranteed, ‘no one gets away with it.’
14) In your experience, are there any reliable ways or criteria to discern between fake mediums and real ones?
Yes of course. The Windbridge Institute is conducting systematic testing of mediums and accrediting those who pass the tests. Have a look at Dr Julie Beishel’s paper Contemporary Methods used in Laboratory-Based Mediumship Research and some of the other excellent peer-reviewed publications of the Institute.
The Forever Family Foundation also conducts systematic tests of mediums. The following is taken from their website:
“ It is unfortunate that large numbers of people who claim to be mediums have no such ability. Some have psychic abilitIes and gifted ESP talents, but cannot connect to those on the "other side." Others are simply charlatans or magicians that prey on those in grief. The Forever Family Foundation recognizes the extreme importance of safeguarding the public and identifying those who truly have mediumship ability. To that end, we currently run a medium certification program.
After submitting a questionnaire on basic ethics and practices, mediums are invited to participate in a program that seeks to verify their ability in spirit communication. During these sessions, mediums seeking certification are required to provide a series of readings to different sitters. The information provided by the mediums is scored by the sitters utilizing a method devised by the foundation. In order to pass this certification, a medium must demonstrate composite scores that indicate significant proficiency, providing percentages of accuracy that are way beyond the statistical probability of chance.”
15) In your opinion, what is the best way to convince academics, intellectuals and professional scientists that the evidence for psi and afterlife is worth studying seriously? Or at least, to get them interested in it?
Dean Radin claims that he has been approached by large numbers of academics, intellectuals and professional scientists who are already interested in studying psi and the afterlife but are reluctant to get involved in it because there is no prospect of funding and jobs in the field. I guarantee if there was funding the “woo woo taboo” would disappear overnight. The problem is that the only ones willing to pay for university research are those who want to promote materialism, drug manufacturing and other things that are antithetical to spiritual and paranormal pursuits.
16)What books or literature would you recommend to the readers of this interview?
For those who are seriously interested in the paranormal I strongly suggest to them to study books by those scientists and other academics and intellectuals who afterlife they investigated the evidence, accepted the paranormal evidence. As a starter I would strongly suggest that they go to my website www.victorzammit.com and download my book which is free and also sign up for my weekly newsletter which contains links to news, videos, interviews and reviews of books which will lead them to a huge number of resources.
Links of interest:
-Victor's website
-Download Victor's book on afterlife here
