R. Leo Sprinkle is a psychologist, and was once a professor
at the University of Wyoming. In the 1960s, however, he became involved in the
field of supposed alien abduction.
Of course, that is a field that should
be of interest to a psychologist, but probably not in the way Sprinkle studied
it. To make a long story short, his magnum opus, his book Soul Samples: Personal Exploration in Reincarnation and UFO Experiences from 1999 was not
published by an academic publisher. Coast to Coast AM,
on the other hand, has been very interested in his “research”.
To get a feel for where Sprinkle is coming from, there is an
interview here.
Given the questionable level of coherence it is hard to get a good grasp of
what Sprinkle’s views actually are, but at least he tends “to think the Star
Visitors are engaged in some type of educational program for helping us to
evolve inwardly or spiritually.” He also thinks that “The Star Visitors are on
a different plane.” That is his explanation for why many people claim to see
UFOs when no one else in their immediate surroundings see anything – the
witnesses are located at a higher plane of consciousness. That is not, shall we
say, the explanation that cold science would assign the highest credence in
such cases. (The experiences also have symbolic meaning and help the
experiencer predict the future, it seems, which suggests that Sprinkle struggles
with avoiding some basic category mistakes.) The contactees also develop
psychic abilities: “Many people who have had UFO experiences have been able to
visualize weather changes and have them occur very quickly. They can create
rain merely by visualizing the rain.”
Sprinkle also worked closely with well-known alien abductee
Stan Romanek, whom he hypnotized to retrieve lost memories of the latter’s supposed abductions, which is not a very reliable method for investigating
these kinds of things, to put it very, very mildly.
Diagnosis: Ultracrackpot. The lesson is that if your
investigations point to conclusions that violate everything established by
other scientists, that is not evidence that you just possess more powerful
faculties of perception or intuition and that you are some kind of prophet. It
means that you are a crank.
Excellent work people. This is TRUE* Diagnosis: Ultracrackpot. The lesson is that if your investigations point to conclusions that violate everything established by other scientists, that is not evidence that you just possess more powerful faculties of perception or intuition and that you are some kind of prophet. It means that you are a crank.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, while subjectively analyzing under a limited scope of accepted variables, you're not only limiting your findings, but providing a false analysis based on limited examination techniques and tools. You cannot quantify quantum physics using a magnifying glass.
DeleteI'm a fan of this blog, and I feel I need to say a little something on Dr. Sprinkle's behalf. I knew his kids and went to school with them, and met Leo several times over the years. He was always kind, a good listener and a good speaker. Judging by how his kids turned out, I'd say he was a good father too.
ReplyDeleteYes he has some very odd beliefs, but compared to many of those profiled here, he is pretty harmless. I will continue to remember him fondly.
Dear EastwoodDC, and Readers,
DeleteI've known Leo for over forty years; I've visited in his home, had lunch with him, and exchanged scholarly papers with him. I can tell you that Leo is a consummate scientist, with his papers and talks being highly regarded for many years. He was one of the scientists that appeared before the U.S. Congress in 1968, advocating serious study of the UFO phenomenon; he was a member of the Air Force funded Condon Committee studying UFOs, a member who decried the method and apparent preconceived conclusions of the committee, a well deserved criticism according to many who analyzed the report.
Leo's conclusions deserve serious attention, because his experience and knowledge, together with his keen analytical ability and use of scientific methodology (very difficult to apply when investigating this subject) are matched by few researchers in this field.
Let me ask: how many readers at this site have actually done research on UFOs with an open mind? Do you know that Dr. Steven Grier gathered together over 400 experts: high ranking military officers, members of the intelligence community, airport flight controllers, and others, all who'd signed security agreements to remain silent about what they'd seen regarding UFOs in their work; yet they came forward in a press conference in 2001, breaking their security agreements, risking imprisonment, because they believed that what they knew about UFOs was too important to remain silent about, asking Congress to hear their reports and take action.
It's easy to sit in judgement of something you have no real knowledge about (as done here); not so easy when you take the time to actually study it. So, here's your chance to learn about the UFO phenomenon from reliable sources, if your minds are open, that is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkswXVmG4xM
You'll never gain the lifetime of knowledge and experience that Leo has, but after serious study of this ongoing, worldwide phenomenon you may decide to give him new respect, as you learn more about what may be the most important subject of our times. You may also learn something about yourselves in the process.
Respectfully,
RJC
One of the most decent men I have ever met.
DeleteSaying he is harmless is accurate. There are WAY worse people out there. Take Scam Romanek as an example.
ReplyDeleteOnly a spiritually stagnant individual would call Dr. Sprinkle a crackpot.
ReplyDeleteDr. Sprinkle taught me a self hypnosis deep relaxation technique while I was a postgraduate engineering student at the University of Wyo. in the 1970's. I still use it today - it has been very helpful.
ReplyDeleteIf Sprinkle saw the Romanek videos leading up to his segment in the movie and still defended Romanek's documentation of his claims of legitimate alien contact, then Sprinkle is no scientist, he's a crackpot! Note also that sprinkle has not held a job in academia since 1967 (from his resume online).
ReplyDeleteDr. Leo Sprinkle was a Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Wyoming in the Spring of 1984 during which I personally interacted with him on a professional basis. I saw him on referral from two Physics Professors, a Physicist with ties to Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore, a Zoology PhD Candidate, two Zoology Professors, a Chemistry Professor, a highly accomplished and historically recognized Geology Professor, and numerous highly educated and intelligent ranchers with concerns regarding numerous sightings. The world is not flat nor revolved about by the sun and stars. Contrary to the rantings of pseudo-intellectuals and ill-appointed and quasi-educated professors who declare history and learning only valuable in-so-much as it serves the objectives of modernity and financial interests, I must say, truth in scientific inquiry must be adhered to, undaunted by political, financial, and religious pressure. John Edward Mack M.D. @ Harvard has chosen investigation to be worthy. He was also pressured by the establishment. Science is an inquiry in a systematic form that should not be daunted by theoretical monsters at sea or the theoretical wrath of gods who would thwart true knowledge. Let's not re-enter another dark age and fall off the edge of the world. Lets stop the ignorance, violence and hostility. Where are we going to live when we blow the shit out of this planet?
ReplyDeletehttp://nicap.org/books/1968Sym/1968_UFO_Symposium.pdf
ReplyDeletePERSONAL VIEWS OF UFO INVESTIGATION...
First time actually visiting this site, came up in a search result online. I'm not a doctor or an academic but isn't there some kind of law against diagnosing patients you haven't actually examined personally? Everybody is entitled to their opinion but where do you draw the line between being truly scientific and looking for answers and personal opinion when concluding your diagnosis? The truth can be extremely elusive, sometimes by nature and technology restraints, sometimes by design. The tone of this whole site smacks of biases, not very productive, but I guess that's human nature as we get older and settle in to our own comfortable beliefs. By all accounts Dr. Sprinkle is a genuinely great man and a consummate professional. You however are a nameless stranger who runs this completely editorial, unchecked, informal internet blog who cant even bother purchasing a proper web domain... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ReplyDeleteWhat a great man! God Bless him
ReplyDeletePeople who maintain 'blogs and encyclopedias of others that they label "quacks" and "loons" are usually projecting.
ReplyDeleteG.D. your denigrating article about Dr.Sprinkle has a despicable Troll like quality. Considering that he has helped countless people, and that he wants to shine a light on the UFO / Alien phenomena - does not make him a 'Crackpot'.
ReplyDelete...and furthermore - if you had only a fingernail size of Dr. Sprinkle's wisdom of human nature, science, and overall knowledge, you would not run a closed minded blog that takes aim at people who operate above his own severely limited brain capacity. -
ReplyDeleteDenial is a common response to things we do not wish to be true that will cause us to have to make changes in the way we live.
ReplyDelete