{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"ResponsAbility - Dialogues on Practical Knowledge and Bildung in Professional Studies","title":"#25 Donna Thomas | Researching extraordinary experiences with children","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2701,"description":"In this episode we welcome Dr. Donna Thomas, co-director of ICreates@UCLan and Perrott-Warrick Senior Researcher administered through Trinity College Cambridge. Donna investigates children’s and adults’ extrasensory experiences within human development, bringing together psychological, social-scientific, and parapsychological perspectives. As she puts it: “Having a wider understanding of what it means to be human will inform how we develop services for people.” We talk with Donna about the kinds of unusual experiences children report, how creative and participatory methods allow them to express what lies beyond language, and why taking these experiences seriously matters for wellbeing. She also shares insights from her research on children’s near-death experiences in paediatric intensive care, and invites us to rethink dominant assumptions about consciousness, reality, and what it means to be human.00:01:01 – Origins of Donna’s Research Interest00:05:29 – Personal Extraordinary Experiences00:11:04 – Children’s Unusual Experiences00:16:35 – From Research to Services00:22:59 – Post-Materialist Worldview00:26:24 – Extrasensory Experiences and Development00:29:59 – Children’s Epistemic Authority00:34:01 – Creative Research Methods00:39:06 – Philosophical Dialogue with Children00:42:07 – Children’s Intuitive WisdomBetween Theory and Practice – Questions for Reflection:How might the insights from this dialogue inspire your own practice? The following questions are intended to inspire further inquiry, whether explored individually or in conversation with colleagues, students, or peers.Donna Thomas argues that many unusual experiences are dismissed or pathologized because they do not fit dominant assumptions about consciousness and human nature. In your own professional context, how do you respond when people share experiences, perspectives, or forms of knowing that challenge established frameworks? What might become possible if you approached such experiences with...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/CrFbTP4NhEnDEGQiy3DJA0GaXH1LyGw-ry7BpB-GvH0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hNzgw/YTQ3MDIwNjAyM2Jk/MDJiYzIwMjBmY2Yz/ZGVmMC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}