William A. Tiller
William A. Tiller (1929-2022) was a Canadian physicist and notable proponent of crystal therapy, as well as the pioneer of psychoenergetics. He theorized the existence of subtle energies that could be harnessed by certain healers to treat various ailments. Tiller defined psychoenergetics as the exploration of how these energies interact with human consciousness, a concept he elaborated on in his 1997 book, *Science and Human Transformation*. Throughout his career, he authored multiple books and published over 350 articles on this subject and other traditional scientific topics.
Tiller held advanced degrees from the University of Toronto and had a distinguished career, including significant contributions as a consulting physicist and as a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He was also the founder of the Academy of Parapsychology and Medicine and chaired the William A. Tiller Foundation, which aimed to promote his research and disseminate related materials. Despite his contributions, Tiller's theories faced skepticism and criticism from the scientific community and skeptics of pseudoscience. In his later years, he focused on the role of human intention in improving mental and physical health, an area that continues to resonate within the complementary and alternative medicine community today.
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William A. Tiller
- Born: September 18, 1929; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Died: February 7, 2022; Scottsdale, Arizona
Overview
Canadian proponent of crystal therapy and pioneer of psychoenergetics. William A. Tiller, a proponent of crystal therapy, was most notably the pioneer of what is called psychoenergetics. Tiller claimed to have discovered novel natural phenomena generated through what he called subtle energies. He believed that certain healers and other paranormal practitioners could manifest these energies, which could be used to treat ailments. He defined “psychoenergetics” as the study of the interrelationship between these energies and human consciousness. Tiller outlined his ideas on this topic in Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality, and Consciousness, which was published in 1997. He published several other books throughout his career. He also appeared in the 2004 independent film What the Bleep Do We Know!?, which explored the linkages among quantum physics, spirituality, and consciousness.
Tiller had both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from the University of Toronto. He worked for nine years as a consulting physicist at the Westinghouse Research Laboratories, where he undertook both experimental and theoretical investigations of the physics involved in freezing various materials such as water, metals, and semiconductors. In addition, he researched the relationships between the process of crystallization and the resultant properties of a given solid. Using the knowledge he gained during these efforts, he introduced new methods for growing crystals, purifying various materials, and casting certain types of metal. He also worked for more than thirty years in academia.
Tiller’s credentials included professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at Stanford University and a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. In addition, he was chair and chief scientist of the William A. Tiller Foundation, an organization devoted to researching and promoting Tiller’s work on psychoenergetics. The foundation also distributes his books and other items (such as crystals) related to psychoenergetics. Also of note, Tiller was the founding director of the Academy of Parapsychology and Medicine, a short-lived organization dedicated to the advancement of psychoenergetics and the healing principles of the body, mind, and spirit. In addition to several books, Tiller published over 350 articles about psychoenergetics and other topics in widely accepted traditional fields. He also has several patents.
Skeptics of pseudoscience were critical of Tiller’s ideas. In 1979, he received the Pigasus Award, an annual designation by skeptic James Randi, for comments Tiller made about parapsychology. Tiller’s work continued to concern skeptics and those in the medical community until his death in 2022. In the last years of his life, Tiller focused on the power of intention, or the use of human psychoenergetic ability, to improve mental and physical health. Tiller also claimed that stating one’s intentions and promoting their meaningfulness in one’s life could also improve financial prosperity. Further, through The Tiller Foundation, Tiller and his colleagues claimed the power of intention could be used to treat autism without additional therapies or medications. Although several of Tiller's ideas were controversial, and many continue to claim were pseudoscience, the connection between the mind and body and its influence on overall well-being continues to be supported by the complementary and alternative medicine community in the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
"Dr. William A Tiller." The Tiller Foundation, tillerfoundation.org/dr-william-tiller. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
Fontaine, Dominique, and Emily Rekstis. "Healing Crystals 101: Finding the Right One for You." Healthline, 14 Nov. 2023, www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/guide-to-healing-crystals#the-why. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
Tiller, William A. Psychoenergetic Science: A Second Copernican-Scale Revolution. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior, 2007.
Tiller, William A. Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality, and Consciousness. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior, 1997.