Speakers and Chairs
meet our
Speakers
David Lorimer
Rupert Sheldrake
Vicente Arraez
Sebastian Salicru
Brannon Wheeler
Yoana Strateva
Birdie Jaworski
Donald Hoffman
Marjorie Woollacott
Felicity Warner
Phyllida Anam Aire
Susan Jamieson
Raymond Moody
Sam Parnia
Anita Moorjani
Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Bethany Butzer
Tadas Stumbrys
Tony Lee
Georgia Black
Paul McKeever
Marina de Moses
Evelyn Elsaesser
Diane Hennacy Powell
David Lorimer
David Lorimer, MA, PGCE, FRSA is a visionary polymath, poet, spiritual activist, writer, lecturer and editor who is a Founder of Character Education Scotland, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and former President of Wrekin Trust and the Swedenborg Society. Originally a merchant banker and then a teacher of philosophy and modern languages at Winchester College, he is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including The Spirit of Science, Thinking beyond the Brain, Science, Consciousness and Ultimate Reality, The Protein Crunch (with Jason Drew), and A New Renaissance (edited with Oliver Robinson). His most recent books are his essays A Quest for Wisdom and his collection of poems, Better Light a Candle. His early books on death and near-death experiences, Survival? and Resonant Mind, were republished in 2017.
He is a founding member of the International Futures Forum and was editor of its digest, Omnipedia – Thinking for Tomorrow. He was also a Trustee of the St Andrews Prize for the Environment and a Churchill Fellow. His book on the ideas and work of the Prince of Wales – Radical Prince – has been translated into Dutch, Spanish and French. He is the originator of the Inspiring Purpose Values Poster Programmes, which have reached over 300,000 young people. See www.inspiringpurpose.org.uk
Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 100 scientific papers and 9 books, and the co-author of 6 books. His books have been published in 28 languages. He was among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders for 2013, as ranked by the Duttweiler Institute, Zurich, Switzerland’s leading think tank. On ResearchGate, the largest scientific and academic online network, his Research Interest Score puts him in the top 4% of scientists. On Google Scholar, the many citations of his work give him a high h-index of 45, and an i10 index of 133. For twelve years running he has been recognized as one of the ‘most spiritually influential living people in the world‘ by Watkins Mind Body Spirit magazine. His work has been featured in many magazines, newspapers and broadcast media, including New Scientist, The Guardian, Discover magazine, The Spectator, The Washington Post, Die Zeit and on BBC Radio and television.
He studied natural sciences at Cambridge University, where he was a Scholar of Clare College, took a double first class honours degree and was awarded the University Botany Prize (1962). He then studied philosophy and history of science at Harvard University, where he was a Frank Knox Fellow (1963-64), before returning to Cambridge, where he took a Ph.D. in biochemistry (1967). He was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge (1967-73), where he was Director of Studies in biochemistry and cell biology. As the Rosenheim Research Fellow of the Royal Society (1970-73), he carried out research on the development of plants and the ageing of cells in the Department of Biochemistry at Cambridge University. While at Cambridge, together with Philip Rubery, he discovered the mechanism of polar auxin transport, the process by which the plant hormone auxin is carried from the shoots towards the roots.
Vicente Arraez
Dr Vicente Arráez Jarque is a Spanish intensive‐care physician and long-standing transplant coordinator associated with the Hospital General Universitario de Elche (Alicante). His clinical and organisational work spans donation after brain death, end-of-life decision-making, and limitation of life-sustaining treatment in ICUs—areas where he has contributed to Spanish and European programmes for organ donation and critical care practice.
Beyond the hospital, Arráez is the principal organiser of the long-running Jornadas sobre la muerte y el morir (“Death and Dying” conferences), public and professional events designed to restore cultural literacy around dying and to improve compassionate, ethically grounded care at the end of life.
He also teaches within initiatives of Fundación Metta Hospice, including an international advanced course on consciousness and dying that integrates scientific, ethical and transpersonal perspectives—an approach that reflects his broader interest in contemplative disciplines and their role in care.
Sebastian Salicru
Sebastian Salicru is a registered psychologist, psychotherapist, and board-approved clinical supervisor with 25+ years’ experience across clinical and corporate settings. He leads PTS Consultants and PTS Psychology, works internationally as an executive/leadership coach, and writes on evidence-based practice, spirituality and mental health. He is the author of Leadership Results (Wiley, 2017).
Salicru’s published and professional work bridges integrative psychotherapy (including energy- and exposure-based methods), meaning-making, and the ethics of emerging therapies. His writing for Psychology Today explores how spiritual practices interface with wellbeing, reflecting a pragmatic, outcomes-oriented stance grounded in clinical supervision and long experience with diverse client populations. He maintains an ORCID profile and Google Scholar presence documenting ongoing scholarly activity.
Brannon Wheeler
Brannon M. Wheeler is Professor of History (History of Religions, Middle East and Asia) at the United States Naval Academy and founding director of its Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies. Trained at the University of Chicago (PhD, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), he has held Fulbright research appointments and visiting posts across the Middle East and Europe.
Wheeler is the author of eleven books, including Animal Sacrifice and the Origins of Islam (Cambridge University Press), which combines textual analysis with material culture and zooarchaeology to illuminate ritual, agency, and meaning in early Islam. His broader publications address prophets and revelation, Mecca and sacred space, and comparative scriptural exegesis.
Yoana Strateva
Yoana Strateva graduated from the Music Conservatory in Sofia and specialized in violin and chamber music in France. She is a laureate of several international competitions.
She is a professor of violin and chamber music at the New Bulgarian University. Yoana has given concerts in England, Greece, France, USA, the Netherlands, Morocco and other countries. She has been featured on a variety of Beinsa Douno CD’s: “Duet Esoteric” with Peter Ganev, “Paneurhythmy” with her son, Bozhidar, and “Music on Violin and Guitar”with Petyo Tzanov.
Birdie Jaworski
Birdie Jaworski is a consciousness researcher, remote viewing specialist, and the developer of TransDimensional Mapping (TDM) – an advanced remote viewing methodology that blends cognitive science, symbolic narrative, and intuitive perception to explore non-ordinary dimensions of experience. With over three decades of work in the field of remote viewing, she has trained thousands in applied consciousness techniques and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible through disciplined non-local perception.
Jaworski holds a Master’s degree in Digital Forensics with a concentration in Writing and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Artificial Intelligence. Her research explores intersections between consciousness, time, and sentient systems. She is the founder of Mapping Mavericks, a development platform for applied remote viewing practitioners, and teaches internationally through collaborations with academic institutions and experiential research organizations.
Donald Hoffman
Donald Hoffman received his PhD from MIT, and joined the faculty of the University of California, Irvine in 1983, where he is a Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Sciences. He is an author of over 100 scientific papers and three books, including Visual Intelligence, and his new book, The Case Against Reality. He received a Distinguished Scientific Award of the American Psychological Association for early career research, the Rustum Roy Award of the Chopra Foundation, and the Troland Research Award of the US National Academy of Sciences. His writing has appeared in Edge, New Scientist, LA Review of Books, and Scientific American and his work has been featured in Wired, Quanta, The Atlantic, and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. He has a TED Talk titled “Do we see reality as it is?” and a podcast with Lex Fridman titled “Reality is an illusion.”
Marjorie Woollacott
Marjorie Woollacott PhD is an Emeritus Professor of Human Physiology, and member of the Institute of Neuroscience, at the University of Oregon. She was chair of the Human Physiology Department for seven years. In addition to teaching courses on neuroscience and rehabilitation, she taught courses on complementary and alternative medicine and meditation. She is Research Director for the International Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and is President of the Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences (AAPS She was also a research professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Umea in Umea, Sweden, and in the National Center for Scientific Research in Marseille, France.
Marjorie has received over 7.2 million dollars in research funding for her research in child development, aging, rehabilitation medicine and most recently, meditation. She has published more than 200 scientific articles and written or co-edited eight books. Her latest book, Infinite Awareness (2015) (winner of eight awards, including the 2017 Parapsychological Association Book Award, Eric Hoffer Book Award and the Nautilus Book Award) her research as a neuroscientist with her self-revelations about the mind’s spiritual power. Between the scientific and spiritual worlds, she breaks open the definition of human consciousness to investigate the existence of a non-physical and infinitely powerful mind. She is Co-Chair of the Galileo Commission, co-editor of Spiritual Awakenings and an Honorary Member of the SMN.
Felicity Warner
Felicity Warner is the visionary founder of the international Soul Midwives’ movement, a pioneering force in holistic and spiritual palliative care. Driven by profound personal experiences with loss, Felicity has dedicated over two decades to transforming the end-of-life experience, advocating for dignity, love, and a peaceful passage for the dying.
As the Principal of The Soul Midwives’ School, she has trained hundreds of Soul Midwives globally, empowering individuals to offer gentle, compassionate, non-medical companionship to those at the end of life and their families. Her work emphasizes “Tender Loving Care” (TLC), focusing on deep listening, soothing therapies, and supporting the emotional and spiritual journey of the dying.
An award-winning author and respected lecturer, Felicity has penned acclaimed books such as “Gentle Dying,” “A Safe Journey Home,” “The Soul Midwives’ Handbook” (a widely used textbook), and “Sacred Oils.” Her innovative approach has garnered significant recognition, including being named “End of Life Care Champion” by the National Council for Palliative Care and Royal College of Nursing, and “End of Life Doula of the Year.”
Felicity’s unwavering dedication continues to shape a more empathetic and holistic approach to death and dying, both within communities and in collaboration with healthcare organizations like the NHS, Macmillan and Hospice UK
www.soulmidwives.co.uk
Phyllida Anam Aire
Phyllida, FiléDia (meaning divine poet in Irish) is an Irish grandmother, living in her Scottish community in Edinburgh. At 81, she is more in love with life than she was as an Irish nun in 60s! Her 26 years living in N.I. supported her to put into daily observance, what she had absorbed throughout her training with – and later working as a clinical therapist – at Elisabeth Kübler-Ross MD Centre in Virginia. Phyllida has known since childhood that death was not scary but that life was. Now she loves life and welcomes bodily death when it arrives!
Phyllida had learnt ancient Celtic death rituals from observing the old ones at deathbeds in Ireland from a young age. The sounds and movements of the Marbhú, meaning deathing, seemed just natural to her. Life it seemed lost nothing in its moving out of the body, as she could imagine the original homing place of soul to be beyond …at the crosswords, place of transition.
From her NDEs, Phyllida sensed that she had been impressed with knowledge, none of which she understood at the time, but would be transmitted to her later, as she needed to know. This will be the first time Phyllida chooses to share this grace in public.
Susan Jamieson
Dr Susan Jamieson is a medical doctor integrating mindfulness, energy, and conscious awareness in wellness. Using the ‘Be your Own Light’ concept, she teaches techniques of using quantum light fields and energy. She seamlessly weaves ancient Celtic wisdom and Eastern Philosophy techniques. This enables connection with your inner light and that of others, increasing joy, peace and well-being. This integration has led to her becoming doctor to Sir Elton John, Sir Mick Jagger, Greenday, Fergie and Black Eyed Peas, The Eagles, and more.
Larry Dossey, MD:
Dr Susan Jamieson’s insights into role of light in healing are both profound and rare in today’s medicalized, technological world. Her knowledge is based in solid science, much of which has been neglected in conventional medicine. She possesses the wisdom of healers throughout history — that mind and body are a whole, and that consciousness is a vital factor in health.
Raymond Moody
Raymond Moody MD, PhD is a bestselling author of twelve books, including Life after Life, Reunions, and Proof of Life After Life which have sold over 13 million copies worldwide. He has also authored numerous academic and professional articles on near-death experiences and the relationship of language to consciousness. Dr Moody is the leading authority on the ‘“near-death experience’”— a phrase he coined in the late seventies. Dr Moody’s research into the phenomenon of near-death experience goes back to the 1960s. The New York Times calls him “the father of the near-death experience.”
Sam Parnia
Dr Sam Parnia writes: As the director of critical care and resuscitation research for the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at NYU Langone, I am dedicated to advancing patient care through innovative research and clinical excellence. I believe in a proactive approach to healthcare, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and continuous patient engagement to optimize recovery and overall health.
My specialities include preventing, treating, and managing cardiac arrest, as well as post-resuscitation syndrome. With extensive experience in developing novel real-time non-invasive brain resuscitation monitoring and oxygen delivery methods, I strive to enhance the quality of care for patients who are critically ill. I have directed numerous international collaborative studies on cardiac arrest, and I am actively involved as a local principal investigator in several multisite COVID-19 studies.
Throughout my career, I have focused on fostering strong partnerships with patients and their families, ensuring a responsive and supportive healthcare experience. My journey into medicine was inspired by a profound interest in the complexities of human consciousness and the critical moments of life and death. At NYU Langone, I am committed to pushing the boundaries of medical science to improve patient care and outcomes. I am the author of nearly 70 peer-reviewed articles, and my most recent book is Lucid Dying.
Anita Moorjani
Anita Moorjani is a woman with a remarkable story! The New York Times best-selling author of Dying to Be Me and her subsequent books, What If This is Heaven?; Love, a Story About Who You Truly Are; Sensitive is the New Strong; and Scaredy Caterpillar; has been where most people haven’t.
After a 4-year battle with cancer, Anita fell into a coma and was given days to live. As her doctors gathered to revive her, she had a near death experience (NDE) where she crossed over into the realm of spirit, and was given the choice to return to her physical form or to continue into this new realm. She chose the former, and when she regained consciousness, her cancer began to heal. To the amazement of her doctors, she was free of countless tumors and cancer indicators within weeks.
Her book Dying To Be Me has sold over two million copies worldwide, in over 45 languages. It has been named a Contemporary Classic and a Foreign Language Phenomena by her publishers.
Anita was a protége of the late great Dr Wayne Dyer, who brought her on to the world stage in 2011. She is a great speaker and has gone on to capture the hearts and attention of millions across the globe and has been a featured guest on The Dr Oz Show, Fox News, The Today Show, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, The Epoch Times, the National Geographic Channel, The Pearl Report in Hong Kong, Headstart with Karen Davila in the Philippines, and many others. Her TED talk has received well over 4 million views.
The UK’s prestigious publication The Watkins Journal list Anita among the top 100 of the world’s most spiritually influential living people for the 12th consecutive year. Anita has gone on to create two meditation journey CDs, both of which hit the Billboard charts, and has also received several awards in recognition for her spiritual contribution, including the prestigious New Thought Walden Award for the year 2021.
Anita has dedicated her life to empowering the minds and hearts of people with her story of courage and transformation, inspiring her audience to embody the highest version of themselves. She travels the world speaking her truth with grace and humour to sold-out audiences that want to learn of her journey and experiences of embracing change, the power of healing, and the quest to live a full and unlimited life.
Today, Anita lives in the United States with her husband Danny and continues to share her incredible story and lessons internationally. Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Anita lived and worked in Hong Kong with her husband. She was born in Singapore of Indian parents and grew up speaking English, Cantonese, and an Indian dialect simultaneously.
Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Alexander Moreira-Almeida, MD, PhD is Professor of Psychiatry at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) School of Medicine and Founder and Director of the Research Center in Spirituality and Health, Brazil. Recipient of the 2025 Oskar Pfister Award from the American Psychiatric Association, the top award in the field of psychiatry and spirituality. Founding chair of the section on spirituality of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association (2014-21). Former chair of the Sections on Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) (2014-21) when coordinated the WPA Position Statement on Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry. He obtained a medical degree at UFJF and trained in psychiatry and cognitive-behavioral therapy at the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, where he also obtained his PhD in Health Sciences. Formerly a postdoctoral fellow in religion and health at Duke University. Author of more than 200 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters that received more than 9,600 citations, h index 50 (Google Scholar). More than 600 presentations at academic meetings, including 160 abroad in 19 countries. More than 400 interviews to lay media. Coordination of TV NUPES, a YouTube channel on science, health and spirituality with more than 300 videos and 1,1 mi views in 100 countries. Editor of the book “Spirituality and Mental Health Across Cultures” (Oxford Univ Press, 2021) and coauthor of “Science of Life After Death” (Springer, 2022). His main research interests involve the exploration of the association between religiosity and health as well as empirical studies of spiritual experiences, especially their implication for the mind-brain problem, as well as the methodology, history and epistemology of this research field.
Bethany Butzer
Bethany Butzer PhD writes, teaches, and conducts research in the fields of positive psychology and transpersonal psychology, which emphasize the development of human strength and potential. She received her MA in clinical psychology and her PhD in social psychology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Bethany has worked in the corporate world and in academia, and she has also spent several years as an entrepreneur. From 2013 to 2015 she was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, where she studied the effects of yoga in school settings. Bethany lives in Prague, where she was a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of New York in Prague from 2016 to 2022. She is currently a Lecturer for the Alef Trust MSc programme in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology and she is also the Assistant Director of the Alef Trust PhD programme in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. Bethany’s research focuses on yoga and mindfulness for youth, as well as transpersonal topics such as synchronicity, parapsychology, and ecopsychology.
Tadas Stumbrys
Dr Tadas Stumbrys is a lecturer and a researcher in the fields of dreams, consciousness, mindfulness, and transpersonal psychology, with a particular interest on the phenomenon of lucid dreaming. He holds an MSc in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University (UK) and a PhD in Sports Science from Heidelberg University (Germany) where he conducted doctoral research on applications of lucid dreams in sports. Tadas contributed over two dozen articles to the field of lucid dream research. His work on lucid dreams has been published in such journals as Consciousness and Cognition, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, American Journal of Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of Sports Sciences and others.
Tadas lives in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he also works as Associate Professor at Vilnius University, Institute of Psychology. He served on the Board of Directors for the International Association for the Study of Dreams and is currently a Board Member of Lithuanian Association for Mindfulness-Based Psychology. He is the Editor of Alef Trust’s scholarly journal Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal Psychology and is on the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Dream Research. He is Assistant Director for Research at Alef Trust and a core faculty member, teaching on several modules, supervising research projects and serving as a personal tutor for students.
The Alef Trust is a global leader in transformative education in the areas of consciousness, transpersonal, integral, and spiritual psychology. We provide university-accredited Masters and PhD Programmes, as well as Professional Certifications, and Open Learning Courses, all of which promote holistic psychological frameworks and perspectives, nurturing the development of human consciousness and culture. The Alef Trust is a non-profit social enterprise and at the heart of our work is a commitment to building transformative learning communities, supporting people to grow as change makers in their lives and their work. We recognise that these unprecedented times call for a deeper presence, uniting spiritual practice, academic learning and multi-disciplinary research with a profound sense of service in the world. We believe that we need to re-envision our ways of being, so that humanity may find greater peace and may thrive in harmony with Earth and her diverse ecosystems.
Tony Lee
Tony Lee is a transpersonal psychology researcher and YouTuber based in London, UK. He holds an MSc in Transpersonal Psychology from Alef Trust in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University. His recent research explores how synchronistic experiences in the workplace can reveal deeper life purpose and inspire more meaningful, engaged work. Formerly a finance professional in the corporate world, Tony now creates inspiring content that blends science, spirituality, and storytelling—helping others recognise the subtle signs guiding them toward more fulfilling, purpose-driven lives.
Georgia Black
Georgia recently completed a Master’s degree in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology with the Alef Trust, focusing on the intersection of memory, collective learning and Rupert Sheldrake’s theory of morphic resonance. She is currently assisting Rupert Sheldrake in ongoing research into morphic resonance, as well as scopaesthesia (the sense of being stared at). She is passionate about exploring the boundaries of mind and matter, and is particularly interested in investigating theories which question the reigning materialist paradigm. Alongside her research, she works part-time in the travel industry.
Paul McKeever
Paul McKeever, PhD is a chartered counselling psychologist who holds degrees in psychology and music. He has maintained a clinical practice for over thirty years and is a professional organist. He has worked part-time as an academic in organolgy and musical anthropology.
Marina de Moses
Marina de Moses, MA, founder of EuMuse, is a musicologist, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, pianist and writer – though not always in that order. By nature, she is a nomad, one who thrives on open spaces in visible reality and the intangible world. By occupation and calling, she is a bridge, one that connects the story to history (his-story and her-story) and geography to lore. Resonating with the description of knowmad and polymath, she is dedicated to transforming intangible qualities of curiosity, collaboration and creativity to tangible assets. She lives and breathes the science of how to free humanity to be the best selves through conscious application of music, and how to initiate the transformative impact of continually changing one’s music horizon towards beauty. Recognized for combining humanitarian vision with academic rigour and moral sensibility, Marina was elected member of the Business Council – Global Peace Initiative of 500 Business and Spiritual Women’s Initiative at the UN, Geneva. She is the author of Music and Future of the Human Heart: Shaping the Invisible – Principles of Harmony, Beauty & Order – Roots and Routes of the Art of Listening to Music. Fluent in multiple languages and four alphabets, she has studied, worked and lived in countries across Europe and Asia. She divides her time between Oregon and Florida.
Evelyn Elsaesser
Evelyn Elsaesser is an independent researcher and author in the field of death-related experiences, notably After-Death Communications (ADCs) and Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). She is the project leader of the long-term international research project “Investigation of the Phenomenology and Impact of Spontaneous After-Death Communications”, as well as a founding and current member of the Board of Swiss IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies). She lives in Switzerland.
Website of Evelyn Elsaesser: www.evelyn-elsaesser.com
Website of the ADC research project: www.adcrp.org
Diane Hennacy Powell
Diane Hennacy (Powell), MD, is an internationally recognized expert on autism and savant syndrome who trained in neuroscience at Ohio State University. She received her MD and psychiatric training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine before spending six months at the Institute of Psychiatry in London doing child psychiatry with Sir Michael Rutter in 1987. She was on faculty at Harvard Medical School, is serving for the third time on the Board of the Parapsychological Association, and has contributed chapters to AAPS’ Is Consciousness Primary? and the Oxford University Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality. Her 2008 book The ESP Enigma (Walker) received an award from the LA Festival of Books and has been translated into German, Portuguese, and Finnish. Her research for the past thirteen years has focused on autistic children who appear to have ESP and was featured in the popular podcast “The Telepathy Tapes.”