It's been awhile since I read this book, and it's been fairly well buried in my brain-attic, but I can dig out enough.

First, I liked this as a kind of reference book for authors and world-builders. Neuroscience certainly isn't my forte, but the technical aspects are accessible and the text is readable enough for the layperson. Powell doesn't seem to be a wholehearted 'believer,' either, she cites studies and maintains some skepticism. But this book more aims to legitimize paranormal scientific studies rather than investigate them, I still maintained rather more skepticism than the author.

But there are plenty of interesting ideas here: how it's possible 'brain power' may not be entirely limited to inside the skull (not in a woo-woo way, but more like 'why not?', since something measurable has been observed), or just how difficult it may be to study something that works on a level we can't see.

Overall, I found it interesting, without being especially earthshaking or compelling. But like I said, for authors it might be a good resource for extrapolation, if you want to write on the paranormal end of things.

I do remember one claim Powell made; in finding legitimate studies, she had to go to paranormal researchers and declassified documents from the CIA, and I thought—the former may be too invested, and if the latter declassified such studies, surely they're the ones that didn't work! It's the CIA, we all know they're keeping the good stuff to themselves. ( )