Barry’s Lecture at Paraforce 2017
The first time I heard about Barry’s book ‘The Influence’ was actually quite a while prior to Paraforce UK 2017, when a friend of mine made me aware of it. Graham Smith had heard the lecture on the concept that the book is based. At that point the brief overview I received of the theory actually did intrigue me a little, but I never had the time to follow it up.
Luckily for me though I managed to attend Paraforce UK 2017 where Barry would be giving a few talks, turns out one would be on the influence.
I always like to look into and read up on different ideas around paranormal phenomena, especially as I have learnt that often as you learn more you can piece together an interesting picture based on different comprehensions that are out there.
So, I sat down in the little old barn room on Day 2 of Paraforce UK 2017 quite looking forward to Barry’s lecture on ‘The Influence’ and to be quite frank I wasn’t really disappointed. The lecture itself presented his book brilliantly and highlighted the research to a degree that made me want a little more. In fact both Kerry Greenaway and I decided to grab a copy of the book to find out a little more.
What’s it all about then?
As a bit of a writer myself I know the importance of allowing my readers to determine for themselves what they think of my work. So, with that in mind I’m not going to give you an extremely detailed account of the books contents here.
‘The Influence’ is a bit of interesting theory that has captured my imagination a little and made me pause for thought. Fundamentally the concept looks at how our thought processes lead to actions, some of which can not only seem out of character for the individual committing those acts, but equally evil in their delivery.
Barry takes this on a little further though; based on his own research and experiences adds a probable source to those actions, revealing the influence that hides beyond.
Utilising the skills he has grown over many years of paranormal investigation the world over and varying research from several sources; Barry walks us through his personal experience of the influence, a game changing experiment, some synchronicity, his manifestation scale, the effects of our modern sugar fuelled diet and his own warning about sharing this information.
The theory certainly does appear to tie in with a few I have touched on in my own research and it does raise an interesting question. If there is indeed an outside influence, especially in these unusual cases where an individuals actions are completely out of character; then are these individuals at fault here and how can we determine if there is an influence at play at all? Such questions are of course above my pay grade so to speak. They remain a complicated story of psychology and criminal investigation, which is more than likely not open to criminal fault being attributed to an entity they can’t capture and place in prison.
In my opinion…
I enjoyed Barry’s book as it was a fresh idea that he presented well in his lecture at Paraforce UK 2017, then delivered reasonably well chapter by chapter. I found that he explained his theory reasonably well and it left room for thought too. It looked at some interesting angles and presented some good research that may support the theory too.
I am not sure I’m 100% sold on the theory, sorry Barry. However this isn’t particularly completely nested on the book itself though. I’m one of those annoying people in the field that has a love of data and solid studies to support a theory. Something which knowing Barry, he probably has in a desk drawer at his home (I’m guessing of course). However as a writer I can totally understand that a massive abundance of pages listing data and resources that may support the theory may not be something that would be appealing to the wider audience of the book. His lecture and passion for the subject certainly suggests theres more to this tale than is communicated within the pages of the book itself. If so, I would love to take a look Barry?
The other reason that I am probably not completely sold on the theory is my own lack of experience with violent hauntings or demonic cases. As we all rely on our own experiences, knowledge and memories to comprehend things, this can hinder our own personal acceptance of those approaches beyond that understanding. In my case, without personal experience of a truly violent haunting case I guess that I often find myself concluding based on what I know, the data I have and the provable facts. As all of us in the paranormal field are well aware though, if we had an abundance of those last two, then the paranormal would simply be normal.
Closing the cover..
All in all ‘The Influence’ is a great little read that clearly outlines Barry’s theory based on his experiences, experimentation and research. It’s certainly worth a read in order to familiarise yourself with this idea. After all we should leave no stone unturned whilst venturing into the unknown and if Barry is right, I would rather the heads up now. It’s certainly made me think about what I eat and drink just before an investigation, amongst other things.
Personally the idea has intrigued me a bit and I for one would like to see a little more of the research behind this or if there has been more supporting evidence captured since the books release. If the aim was to leave me wanting more Barry, then that’s fully achieved.
If you’re someone who like to read about new ideas or theory’s within the paranormal field or perhaps about the cause of more violent hauntings then this is one for you. Barry doesn’t just outline his idea and support it, he provides some sound advice too. Perhaps even an important warning.
Ashley Knibb 