In 2016, American embassy personnel in Cuba began reporting strange sounds followed by debilitating symptoms - ear pain, headaches, dizziness, and cognitive difficulties. Quickly labeled as attacks by a mysterious sonic weapon, these incidents led to diplomatic breakdowns and accusations against foreign adversaries.

This episode explores the science of mass psychogenic illness and how normal physiological responses to stress can manifest as real physical symptoms. And it reveals how institutional failures by government agencies, media outlets, and even prestigious medical journals amplified a narrative that fit political agendas despite contradicting scientific evidence.

From the Salem witch trials to modern diplomatic crises, this story demonstrates how our beliefs shape our perception of reality, and how these psychological mechanisms can be exploited to advance geopolitical interests.

GUEST: Dr. Robert Bartholomew is a medical sociologist and Lecturer on Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand who has spent over 35 years studying mass psychogenic illness. Co-author of Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria, Bartholomew specializes in how beliefs can manifest as genuine physical symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals. With dozens of published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and part of his PhD focused on this phenomenon, he offers critical insight into how social factors influence our health experiences. Bartholomew approaches these topics with scientific rigor while making complex psychological concepts accessible, helping audiences understand how cultural context shapes our interpretation of ambiguous physical sensations.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Havana Syndrome Could Have Been Weaponized (NBC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLyswGG4Tk

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out:

http://lennyflatley.substack.com/