1369: Trepanation & Castration | Skeptical Sunday

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday. I'm your host, Jordan Harbinger. Today I'm here with Skeptical Sunday co-host, writer and researcher Nick Pell. On the Jordan Harbinger Show, we decode the stories, secrets, and skills of the world's most fascinating people, and turn their wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact your own life and those around you. Our mission is to help you become a better informed, more critical thinker. During the week, we have long form conversations with a variety of amazing folks, from spies to CEOs. Athletes, authors, thinkers, and performers. On Sundays, though, is Skeptical Sunday, a rotating guest co-host and I will break down a topic you may have never thought about and debunk common misconceptions about that topic, such as acupuncture, the death industry. Homeopathy, sovereign citizens, e commerce scams, diet supplements, and more. And if you're new to the show or you want to tell your friends about the show, I suggest our episode starter packs. These are collections of our favorite episodes on persuasion and negotiation, psychology, disinformation, junk science, crime and cults, and more that'll help new listeners get a taste of everything we do here on the show. Just visit JordanHarbinger.com slash start or search for us in your Spotify app to get started.

Okay, today. It's twenty twenty six and just about everybody has some kind of body modification. Tattoos are everywhere, and even if that's not your thing, most women have their ears pierced at the very least. It's not shocking anymore, and unless somebody is super heavily tattooed or has a lot of facial piercings, nobody even bats an eye. But some people are into some pretty extreme body modification. There's scarification, subdermal implants, where they put silicone beneath your skin to reshape your body, or things like tattooing the eyeballs. That's a thing, if you haven't been watching Nightline or whatever. Even beyond that, however, is what we're gonna talk about today. Now before I go any further I just wanna say we're gonna be talking about some pretty intense stuff here today. So if you have small kids

grandmas, maybe you're squeamish or just easily offended. Maybe it's time to switch to another episode'cause it gets gross kind of quick on this one. Today we're gonna talk about people who want to drill holes in their head. and cut off their body parts for fun, including their junk. I swear, guys, I wish I was making this stuff up. This is real. And so how many people are doing this? How did this become a thing in the first place? And of course, the question everybody's asking at home already, why, why, why? Here to help me drill into the facts is who else, writer and researcher Nick Pell of course I had to pick you for this one, Nick. It's time for another deep dive into the world of the absolutely bizarre and I'm

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