Bep Hermans

Bep Hermans was a Dutch au pair who came to work for Andrija Puharich in 1956, taking care of his three young children after his wife, Jinny, was sent for psychiatric treatment. Hermans later became Puharich's wife¹.

She arrived at the Warrenton Estate, the home of the Round Table Foundation, in late March 1956. Hermans observed the dynamics within the foundation, including the relationship between Puharich and Peter Hurkos. She recalled that Hurkos's presence gave Harry Stump a confidence he had not had before, and that despite their conflicting natures, Peter and Harry "got along famously and forged a great telepathic team"¹. Hermans also witnessed Hurkos's psychometric talents, noting that he could provide detailed information about a person by touching an object belonging to them¹.

Hermans recalled Puharich's growing paranoia and anger when he learned that the CIA had bypassed him and contacted R. Gordon Wasson directly regarding the teonanáctl mushroom. She stated that Puharich "felt the CIA was after his research"¹.

Her relationship with Puharich was tumultuous. She recalled the dark turn things took at the Round Table Foundation as drugs began to take hold, and Puharich regularly dosing Peter Hurkos with hallucinogenic mushrooms. Hermans also described the chaotic period in Carmel, California, where Puharich's drug use escalated, including a "mushroom binge" involving a middle-aged couple copulating wildly¹.

By 1961, pregnant with their second child, Hermans gave Puharich an ultimatum: he had three months to settle down or she would leave him and take their children back to Europe. She eventually left Puharich and returned to Europe with their children when he continued his unconventional pursuits, such as traveling to Brazil to study the psychic healer Arigo¹.