A qualified medical doctor who began to explore parapsychology in the early 1950s, investigating a range of phenomena and publishing Beyond Telepathy (1962) and The Sacred Mushroom (n.d.). In 1971 Puharich met Uri Geller, an Israeli stage magician, and was convinced of his extrasensory powers. In 1974 Puharich published Uri: A Journal of the Mystery of Uri Geller, a chronicle of the many and varied things that happened around Geller in Puharich’s presence and of the messages from higher beings that Geller conveyed while under hypnosis.
In his book, Puharich reports that while Geller was under hypnosis and regressing (i.e., tracing his steps back through his life), an unearthly and metallic voice from above said, “It is we who found Uri in the garden when he was three. We programmed him in the garden for many years to come, but he was also programmed not to remember. On this day his work begins. Andrija, you are to take care of him.’’ Geller and Puharich remained associated for several years, Puharich acting in effect as Geller’s promoter or impresario.