Garret Yount, PhD, is a Scientist at IONS where his research focuses on mapping the mind-gene interface. He obtained his BS from the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the Pennsylvania State University, and his PhD from the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He was then awarded two Postdoctoral Scholarships, one in the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the second in UCSF’s Brain Tumor Research Center. During his postdoctoral training at UCSF, he was awarded a Fellowship from the Robert Steel Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research in New York.
Dr. Yount has a long-standing interest in developing methods and technologies for bridging molecular neurobiology with aspects of consciousness and extended human capacities. His doctoral thesis work in Stony Brook focused on deciphering molecular links between brain activity and the regulation of neuropeptide gene expression. In 1997, Dr. Yount was among the first scientists to be awarded a Research Project Grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health to study qigong and other healing modalities involving a purported human biofield. These experiments were highlighted in various media outlets, including the books Entangled Minds by Dean Radin, and Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer; they were also dramatized in the popular novel by Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol. To date, Dr. Yount has conducted carefully controlled laboratory experiments with spiritual healers and biofield practitioners from around the world, including China, Brazil, Canada, USA, Japan, India, Russia, Hungary, and Sri Lanka. He has evaluated a variety of mental influence models, ranging from human brain cells in petri dishes receiving distant healing intention to hospitalized children experiencing Expressive Arts Therapy. Based on this experience, he has spoken nationally and co-authored peer-reviewed papers on the topic of establishing rigorous guidelines for research into biofields and micro-psychokinesis. He is the author of many peer-reviewed scientific papers and the book Why Vibes Matter: Understand Your Energy and Learn How to Use it Wisely.
