...not something that can BE tested and evaluated except by comparing stories about experiences, there is an impasse reached.
This is arrant nonsense, Bill. It is true of the physical sciences by nature of their framework. The notion that you would HAVE to use physical science methods to test psychological or spiritual phenomena is absurd. A far better approach would be to examine changes in subjective states reported. There is no impasse at all if you approach the problem intelligently to deal with the great plasticity of subjective views. Even though this (and other factors) interject a lot more variables which cannot be eliminated, a preponderance of evidence can be abstracted and conditional conclusions and hypotheses can be drawn. The notion that it should be rigorously controlled to the same degree molecules are is silly. It would only appeal if you were trying to prejudice the whole experiment by embedding your assumptions about the material roots of consciousness. And as any scientist knows, embedding your desired outcomes into your experiments is a no-no.