● About the Author

Dr. Richard Gallagher, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and New York Medical College. Trained at Yale University School of Medicine, he is internationally recognized for his clinical and academic work at the intersection of psychiatry, spirituality, and anomalous religious experience. He brings decades of experience in discerning psychopathology from authentic spiritual and religious phenomena.

Current Positions & Affiliations

● Publications & Contributions

Dr. Gallagher is widely known for his careful, empirically grounded evaluations in cases involving claims of possession, oppression, and other extraordinary experiences. His work emphasizes rigorous psychiatric assessment, differential diagnosis, and the ethical responsibility to avoid both pathologizing spiritual experiences and romanticizing severe mental illness.

● Contribution to Parawize Journal

As a member of the Editorial Board, Dr. Gallagher contributes expertise in:

• ✔ Differential diagnosis between psychotic disorders and spiritual or religious experiences
• ✔ Clinical assessment of alleged possession and anomalous phenomena
• ✔ Ethical frameworks for addressing spiritual crisis in psychiatric settings
• ✔ Interdisciplinary dialogue between psychiatry, theology, and parapsychology
• ✔ Safeguards against both reductionism and credulity in anomalous case evaluation

His involvement strengthens the journal’s commitment to scholarly rigor, balanced inquiry, and clinical responsibility, aligning perfectly with our mission to respect both psychological science and the lived reality of extraordinary human experience.