Jaime Licauco: Parapsychologist to the world

We have heard of Jaime Licauco for the longest time and knew that he was the top name in parapsychology. We have been told of his various activities, lectures, seminars and writings. We have yet to catch him on his radio program but plan to do so very soon. But it wasn’t until sometime in May this year that we took time out to investigate just who this famous person was. The reason for it was because a friend, a fitness addict, got hold of one of Licauco’s writings and sought us out at home while we were having breakfast.

We asked him what the matter was, and he said excitedly, holding a clipping in his hand. “Read this, read this,” he said, shoving the piece of paper beside our coffee mug. “This happened to me. It has happened to me in the exact same way.”

The story in the clipping told of how a regular gym enthusiast couldn’t lift a barbell that he normally could lift easily. He tried it several times and still couldn’t lift it. Then he went to a heavier barbell and was surprised at the ease with which he could lift it.

We read what was in the column. It, too, interested us, and we decided to research on who exactly was Jaime Licauco. What we discovered almost floored us. This is what we found: Licauco, or Jimmy to his friends, has been researching, teaching and writing on esoteric knowledge and the paranormal for 35 years, and he has lived as a Tibetan monk, an Egyptian high priest and a Japanese scholar in past incarnations, according to the psychics.

Licauco studied at San Beda from elementary to high school and on to college taking up graduate studies in sociology, then shifting to business management in the ’70s until he decided to enter the world of the paranormal. His litany of activities and accomplishments include the pamphlet Healing Without Medicine and the book Understanding the Psychic Powers of Man. He taught parapsychology at De La Salle, founded the Philippine Paranormal Research Society that investigates and documents supposed paranormal phenomena, developed and conducted the first Creative and Intuitive Management module for graduate students, and established the Silva Mind Control and the Inner Mind Development Institute which conducts seminars on mind development, whole brain management, ESP, creative thinking and related subjects. He also founded the New Age Breakfast Club that would meet weekly to discuss topics of a metaphysical, paranormal and spiritual nature.

What do we personally think of all these? Of his 12 books published over a period of time, we would personally pick the following, most of them available at National Book Store. They are Understanding the Psychic Powers of Man, the controversial Jun Labo: A Philippine Healing Phenomenon and True Encounters with the Unknown: The Psychic, the Mystical and the Strange which reads like the title of a movie. There’s also Soul Mates, Karma and Reincarnation, as well as Dwarves and Other Nature Spirits: Their Importance to Man. They sound like they would make for interesting reading — the kind to bring along on a long flight.

But what we discovered next is what truly interested us. He was born in 1940, a mere year before I, too, was born. He lived for a while in San Juan City, where we also lived and went to school. Of course, everyone who has ever lived and worked in San Juan would be familiar with what the city is known for. San Juan is the city associated with ghosts, witches, dwarves, gnomes and all that inhabit the other world. We recall carrying on a conversation with a favorite gnome as a child. We also remember how we would set aside a tin can of food for them to eat and knew this would make them happy. We are certain Licauco will understand this feeling. 

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