Blood, Iron and Beyond: Bizarre Biology and the Paranormal

Hello, Eerie Expeditioners!

You may have read some of my contributions to the pages of the magazine recently, and now that I've been invited to write this blog, I thought that it is a good time to formally introduce myself, and why I'm so passionate about life and the paranormal.

What if I told you that for me, the concept of a hidden dimension isn't merely a literary device or a fantastical concept? Indeed, what if it's woven into the very fabric of my being and existence, shaping how I perceive not just our world, but the myriad of others that lie just beyond the common human grasp?

When you read my article about Gef the Talking Mongoose in the October 2025 issue, you'll find that I explore and analyze his story from a vantage point equally informed by alleged history and my own personal experiences- many, if not most, of which I now believe are tied directly to my body, its structure, needs and operations. That said...

What if disclosure is far different than most imagine?

​A Life of Inquiry

As an author, speaker, and paranormal experiencer, I often find myself navigating psychology, situations and sciences that many around me find unsettling, extraordinary or odd, but for me, these are the very fabric of my life and body. My journey into the paranormal began before I could form words, with encounters that suggested a reality much richer and stranger than commonly perceived. These encounters weren't just "seeing things" in the way a child might imagine monsters in the dark; they were fundamental, undeniable interactions that shaped my earliest understanding of what was real, and who else might be sharing our space. As I grew, I realized my experiences weren't solely about what I saw or felt, but perhaps about how I was built to see and feel. My neurodivergent brain, for instance, doesn't simply process information differently; it acts like a finely tuned antenna, picking up frequencies and patterns that often go unnoticed by others. My brain waves all throughout life have revealed that I live in different brain wave patterns than the human beings around me. The default human pattern reflects only Beta brain waves during waking, operating hours and world navigation, but mine are recorded to be almost entirely Alpha, Theta and Delta during these times. Conventional science says that this is impossible. My scientific team and others are still working on parsing the full implications of this brain chemistry reflection, but it is at least accurately explained that someone who lives in this pattern lives an inner life of exquisite peace and gentle quietude. This does describe my inner experience. Scientists also believe that my brain wave state in part is what allows me to communicate with those 'on the other side', since otherwise, my brain standard is only present in human beings who are completely asleep or in a totally hypnotized state.

Add to this genetic physical differences like porphyria, a condition that impacts my system in profound, legendary ways. For example, porphyria used to be called the vampire disease because people who have porphyria are deathly sensitive to sunlight.

Specifically, living with porphyric anemia has opened a very particular window into the unseen. Porphyria affects the production of heme, a crucial component of hemoglobin, and often leads to a deficiency in iron. While this can have various physiological impacts, it's the subtle interplay with our body's electromagnetic field and its interaction with the environment that I find most compelling in a paranormal context. Throughout history and folklore, iron has been imbued with mystical significance – often seen as both a protective barrier against the supernatural and, paradoxically, a conductor or amplifier of certain energies. Perhaps the unique iron metabolism in porphyric anemia, combined with the body's natural electrical impulses, creates a distinct energetic signature or sensitivity. This could potentially allow for a more acute perception of subtle environmental shifts, geomagnetic fluctuations, or even the energetic imprints left by unseen forces. It’s a compelling correlation that has consistently informed my own experiences.

This connection between iron, sunlight, and paranormal interaction has been extensively discussed by paranormal scientists like Steve Mera and Barry Fitzgerald. They articulate how sunlight can influence the effectiveness of iron as a protective agent against certain paranormal phenomena. Moreover, their research highlights that the protective qualities of iron often diminish or even fail entirely in underground environments – a fascinating observation that aligns with the idea of differing energetic conditions in subterranean spaces. This scientific exploration provides a compelling framework for understanding how physical elements, even at a biological level, can modulate our susceptibility or sensitivity to the unseen.

Further deepening this intriguing connection, some Irish families are medically noted to have an excess of iron in their blood – a condition known as hemochromatosis. This inherited trait, linking specific ancestral lines to a distinct blood chemistry, adds another layer to the complex relationship between our physiology and the paranormal. It suggests that certain genetic predispositions, tied to how our bodies process vital elements like iron, might be inextricably linked to our sensitivity to the unseen, particularly in conjunction with environmental factors like sunlight. The intertwining of blood, iron, and sunlight seems to play a profound and under-explored role in shaping human experience of the paranormal.

Beyond these systemic conditions influencing my entire physical and energetic being, my unique anatomy extends to more localized yet equally impactful differences. It's not just how my body processes elements internally, but how specific structures—like those in my eyes—act as distinct filters for reality.

My unique eye structure and a newly-classified brain chemistry aren't mere anatomical oddities; they are, in essence, my personal "gateway." They offer me unprecedented insights, allowing me to perceive specific qualities of light, shadow, and energetic signatures that consistently reveal the truly exotic aspects of existence. For example, it's a known biological phenomenon that the lens of the human eye thickens between approximately ages 7 and 13. This thickening is thought to filter out certain wavelengths of light. However, part of my different eye structure includes a thinner lens. This subtle, yet significant, anatomical difference is a contributing factor to why I can sometimes perceive phenomena—subtle shifts, faint figures, or energies—that other adults around me simply cannot. It's like having a natural filter that lets in more of what is often screened out. For me, these biological traits are not limitations; they are the very framework through which I experience the magical, the mysterious, and the profound, allowing me to glimpse the worlds that lie just beyond our common perception. My body, in a sense, is a living portal.

My Life as the Laboratory: From Personal Insight to Public Exploration

It’s this deep, inherent connection to the "other side" of reality that hasn't just shaped my personal life, but has also fueled my professional journey. These intimate, firsthand experiences, present through my unique biological lens, became the driving force behind my significant contributions to science itself—particularly in the fields of neuroscience, human evolution, and genetic studies. I seek to understand the how and why of what I and those around me perceive, blending the deeply personal with rigorous academic inquiry.

In my younger years, before all the scientific inquiry, this journey also led me to confront the paranormal directly, taking on the challenging role as a non-religious exorcist. While I was not a member of the Catholic Church, nor was I Catholic myself, I worked intimately with their processes and personnel, leveraging my unique perceptions in cases of suspected demonic oppression, classic poltergeist activity, haunted objects and more. My profound experiences within that capacity only solidified my understanding that the veil between worlds is often far thinner than most imagine, and that unseen forces actively interact with our reality. It taught me about discernment, resilience, and the power of both belief and observation.

Ultimately, all these threads—my unique biology, my early encounters, my scientific pursuits, and my intimate walk with the supernatural—converge in my writing. These aren't just stories or theories; they are the echoes of a life lived with one foot firmly in the seen, and the other planted, well, everywhere else. Tales From The Rift, my first standalone book, and my contributions to Eerie Expeditions, this new blog, Outer Limits Magazine, and books for Zontar Press generally, are where these personal realities find their voice. My writing is an invitation for you to explore what I've encountered, to open your own perception to the possibilities that dance and swirl at the edges of our world.

May I Have This Dance?

I'm incredibly excited to share my life and thoughts with you, and deeply honored that you are here with me, giving me some of your precious time and attention. What are your thoughts or experiences with the unseen? Have you ever heard the whisper of another reality? If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine. This is How I Met Your Monster. Let's dance!

Tillie Treadwell

Exploring the extraordinary, one story at a time.