In this episode of The Paranormal Podcast, Jim is joined by journalist and author Ben Machell. His book Chasing the Dark explores more than a century of investigations by the Society for Psychical Research. Ben brings listeners inside a largely forgotten world of serious inquiry into the paranormal, long before ghost hunting became entertainment.

We talk about why the subject attracted some of the sharpest scientific and literary minds of the last 140 years, and how careful documentation, patience, and intellectual humility shaped an approach that still feels surprisingly modern today.

At the heart of the conversation is the remarkable life and work of SPR investigator Tony Cornell, a man who spent decades quietly examining real-world paranormal cases without chasing fame, certainty, or easy answers. Ben shares how Cornell balanced skepticism with open-mindedness, why some cases stubbornly resisted explanation, and what these investigations reveal about human psychology, belief, and the limits of materialist thinking. This is a thoughtful, wide-ranging discussion about mystery, method, and what it really means to confront the unknown.

You can find Ben's book at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MY2rEE

Thanks Ben!

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