Steven Jay Lynn

My first memory of Steve was from 1989. I was being interviewed for a position at Ohio University in Athens (where Steve was a Professor at the time). I met Steve for dinner and after we went to his office (around midnight). Since we shared a life-long love of guitar, Steve pulled out the rig stashed in his office and we spent the next hour in his office playing loud, amplified electric guitar.

I ended up taking a job at UCSB and had no contact with Steve for the next 20+ years. Then, for reasons I no longer recall, I submitted a paper to a new journal he had established -- Psychology of Consciousness. We hit it off immediately -- partly in consequence of our shared interests in the topic and partly due to our shared interests in amplified music.

Steve encouraged me to keep submitting to his newly formed journal. His successor -- the wonderful Rob Kunzendorf -- did as well. I became committed to doing what little I could to help establish the new journal (though it was never clear my work was a positive or a negative contribution toward that goal!).

Steve was highly supportive of my efforts. It is no exaggeration to say that in the absence of his encouragement and guidance, I might have closed up my little academic shop a decade earlier.

It was a true pleasure to get to know Steve (again). We had wonderful academic and guitar talks (I even acquired a few guitar effect pedals for him). He was a wonderful, intelligent and kind man. I am greatly saddened to know he has passed.

I'm so sorry to hear of this. Steven had been my hero for some time in terms of his incredible contributions to the fields of hypnosis, dissociation, consciousness and general psychology. I finally got to meet him last November in London and we had the most wonderful conversation for 90 minutes (including me spilling his coffee).

He was so interested, supportive and encouraging. And wrote to me shortly after to say "stay in touch". By the time I did it was too late.

A huge loss for the field of psychology and especially for hypnosis research.

A prolific researcher I was most touched by his gentle intelligent curiosity.

My deepst condolences to his family and friends.

I was privileged to know Steve Lynn first at Indiana University, where he was a talented graduate student, later as a colleague and co-author, and always as a friend of surpassing kindness and integrity. Steve went on to a distinguished scientific career, but those who worked with him will always remember the warmth and generosity he brought to every relationship.

Richard H. Price
Stanley E. Seashore Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Organizational Studies Emeritus
University of Michigan

So sorry to hear about the passing of Steven Jay Lynn. What a brilliant open-minded skeptic of clinical psychology he was.

He was generous with his time and was a mentor-at-distance for me at times. We published a number of articles together, and I am lucky to have been able to.

He cowrote and coedited a truly wonderful book called Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology, which I recommend to this day.

Lawrence Patihis, PhD,
Portsmouth University

Steve was my academic supervisor in the graduate program at Ohio University from 1985 to 1993. But more than that he was my mentor and my friend. His unyielding guidance and support put me on a career trajectory in psychology that I still follow. I am profoundly grateful to him for everything he willingly offered and the scores of moments in time I spent hanging out with him talking about research, running statistical analyses and the late nights together prepping research articles for publication. My gratitude for this truly unique experience is immense. I feel so lucky to have worked with him and learned from him - about the field of psychology, our profession and about life´s journey. My sincere condolences to all of Steve´s family at this time of great loss. My thoughts are with you all.