The PK Man: A True Story of Mind Over Matter

So begins Jeffrey Mishlove's The PK Man, the true and strange story of Ted Owens, whose claims of powerful psychokinetic abilities given to him by "Space Intelligences" were too bizarre and extreme for many to believe. When these claims were ignored or challenged, he purportedly used his powers to produce earthquakes, civil unrest, UFO sightings, strange weather events, and other powerful phenomena. Owens even threatened to down aircraft to garner attention.

Was there any truth to Owens' abilities, or was he a fraud with a knack for picking the times and places of catastrophes? Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, a respected parapsychologist and host of the popular public television program Thinking Allowed, analyzes correspondence, interviews, newspaper reports, and remarkable life of "the world's greatest psychic," as Owens claimed to be. Whether Owens was a prodigious liar and dangerous con-man, or a true but unbalanced master who used his incredible powers primarily for petty acts of revenge, many questions remain, and the implications for the rest of us are staggering.

Customer Reviews:

Not a Moses, but maybe a Balaam

By Rabbi Yonassan Gershom - November 26, 2000

"The loonies are coming out of the cracks again," said my wife, Caryl, as she handed me this book from our daily pile of mail. My first impression agreed with hers -- until I saw that it was written by Jeffrey Mishlove, whom I personally know and respect. "What's Jeffrey up to this time?" I wondered. Ted Owens, who called himself "The PK Man" (PK = psychokinesis, mind-over-matter), was a flamboyant, controversial figure in the ufology community, who died back in 1987. During his lifetime, Owens predicted a wide variety of storms, plane crashes, and other disasters. He claimed to do this through mental contact with UFOs and non-corporeal beings that he called "Space Intelligences." Because he wanted Dr. Mishlove to write his biography, Owens regularly sent him copies of the predictions, along with clippings about events that he felt were fulfillments. The result is the worlds's largest collection of material on Ted Owens, which formed... read more

A compelling and entertaining read!

By A Customer - October 5, 2000

This case study, told by psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, would be impossible to believe -- if it were not for the fact that the author has been known to me, and millions of others, for over a decade as the dignified and intelligent host of the national, public television series, Thinking Allowed. PK Man deals with phenomena that are mostly relegated to fictional accounts like Harry Potter, Star Trek or the X-Files. But, Mishlove's documentation is impeccable in convincing me that the events he describes actually did take place. And, as Mishlove concludes, the case deserves further study because phenomena of this type are rare. The book is about Ted Owens, who died in 1987 and who was studied by Mishlove for more than ten years. Owens claimed that he was in telepathic contact with hyperdimensional beings he called the "Space Intelligences." By virtue of this connection, Owens attempted to prove -- over and over again -- that he could control large-scale events... read more

The Biography of a Psychokinetic Master

By Cynthia Sue Larson "best-selling author" - November 13, 2000

I was enthralled to read this remarkable true life story of Ted Owens, also known as "The PK Man". Ted Owens achieved great fame and notoriety in the 1970's for accurately predicting numerous earthquakes, vehicle crashes (including the space shuttle Challenger), weather changes, sporting event outcomes, UFO appearances, and power outages, among other things. Ted considered himself to have psychokinetic (PK) abilities conferred upon him by what he called "the space intelligences", although he often had difficulty convincing skeptical journalists and scientists of his powers. I love the way Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove methodically examines each example of Ted Owens' PK demonstrations in THE PK MAN, in order to determine the validity of Mr. Owens' claim that he was using psychokinetic (not precognitive or clairvoyant) powers. While Ted's PK powers were not 100% fool-proof, many of his predictions for unlikely events (such as a drought in Florida in the rainy season)... read more