# 508 - John of God: Ghosts, Grift, and Psychic Surgery

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/timesuck-with-dan-cummins-494288/508-john-of-god-ghosts-grift-and-psychic-surgery
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/timesuck-with-dan-cummins-494288/508-john-of-god-ghosts-grift-and-psychic-surgery.md
Podcast: [Timesuck with Dan Cummins](https://stenobird.com/podcast/timesuck-with-dan-cummins-494288)
Published: 2026-05-25T18:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.badmagicproductions.com/pages/timesuck-podcast-2024
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/stitcher.simplecastaudio.com/7286a6df-ea82-4a20-ae25-154bacb66b05/episodes/2e566573-c69f-4f3a-839e-dcb5a2844bbe/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=7286a6df-ea82-4a20-ae25-154bacb66b05&awEpisodeId=2e566573-c69f-4f3a-839e-dcb5a2844bbe&feed=Llc7KL2K
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/timesuck-with-dan-cummins-494288/episodes/508-john-of-god-ghosts-grift-and-psychic-surgery
Duration seconds: 8923

## Resource

For decades, hundreds of thousands of desperate people (maybe even millions) traveled to rural Brazil seeking miracles from João Teixeira de Faria — better known as “John of God” — a self-proclaimed psychic surgeon who claimed spirits healed others through his body. But behind the stories of supernatural cures, celebrity endorsements, and spiritual enlightenment lurked allegations of fraud, manipulation, and horrific abuse.

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## Transcript

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