Garret Moddel | An Introduction to Psibotics Society for Scientific Exploration 2026-09-20 | Garret Moddel | An Introduction to Psibotics
2022 Presidential Address | William Bengston Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-10-08 | Turning the conventional into the conventional.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: SSE 2022 Presidential Address | William Bengston Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-10-08 | Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Decreased PTSD Symptoms Following Lucid Dream Healing Workshop | Garret Yount Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-28 | Introduction: People have believed in the capacity for self-healing through dreams throughout human history. Recent investigations of lucid dreaming suggest that this unique form of dreaming may be especially useful for promoting healing due to the lucid dreamer’s capacity for goal-directed action in the dream. The objectives of this pilot study were todetermine the feasibility of studying healing lucid dreams for people with PTSD and to gather relevant preliminary data.Methods: Following a one-group, pretest-posttest research design, participants were recruited to experience an online healing lucid dreaming workshop. Of 144 adults experiencing chronic symptoms of PTSD who were screened, 49 completed the workshop from their homes in six different countries. The workshop consisted of 22 hours of live teaching via video conferencing spread, over six days, with curriculum including sleep hygiene principles, guided meditations, yoga Nidra, dream sharing circles, lucid dream exercises, dream planning lessons, and multiple lucid dreaming induction techniques. Outcome measures were collected before, during, and immediately after the workshop, as well as one month later. The primary outcome measure was self-reported PTSD symptom severity, as measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Secondary outcomes included the degree of distress caused by nightmares measured using the Nightmare Experience Scale (NexS; Kelly et al., 2019), overall well-being using the Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale, and positive and negative emotions using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Salivary alpha-amylase levels were assessed as an exploratory measure with four of the participants who collected saliva samples each morning.Discussion: The finding that participants experienced clinically significant and persistent relief from symptoms of PTSD, including reduced experiences of distressing nightmares, confirms the feasibility of studying the healing power of lucid dreaming. Further confirmation of feasibility is provided by the finding that a majority of the participants in the study who achieved lucidity were also able to remember their dream plans for healing in the lucid dreamscape. Future studies are warranted that incorporate experimental conditions designed to distinguish effects unique to dream lucidity and to explore the mechanisms of action underlying the health benefits experienced following healing lucid dreams.ReferenceKelly, W., & Mathe, J. (2019). A brief self-report measure of frequent distressing nightmares: The Nightmare Experience Scale (NExS). Dreaming, 29(2), 180–195.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: Decreased PTSD Symptoms Following Lucid Dream Healing Workshop | Garret Yount Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-28 | Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Exploring How Sentiment Measures Interacts with the Data Produced by the GCP | Ulf Holmberg Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-27 | This presentation explores how the random numbers produced by the Global Consciousness Project (GCP) covary with various sentiment measures. Previous findings suggests that variations in such measures, conceptually, also should covary with the GCP data. The hypothesis, that the GCP data covaries with sentiment, is tested using time series statistics and by correlating several well-known quantitative daily sentiment measures with daily GCP data aggregates. Results supportive of such correlations and thus the hypothesis are found. The results motivate an even further exploration on how the GCP data interacts with, predicts, and affects various sentiment measures and its derivatives.The random numbers produced by the Global Consciousness Project (GCP) have been shown to react strongly to events of perceived global importance (Nelson & Bancel, 2011; Nelson et al., 2002; Radin, 2002; Radin et al., 2006). Results suggesting that the GCP data significantly correlates with seemingly unrelated data sources such as stock market returns and internet search trends have also been found (Holmberg, 2020; Holmberg, 2021; Holmberg, 2022). What could cause the GCP data to react to events of perceived importance, such as stock market movements and internet search trends? Arguably, the observed effects are mostly unrelated, but it is acknowledged that they could come to be if they are caused by some unseen cofounder. One such unseen cofounder is global sentiment, and notably, the literature already implicitly suggests that such a link exists. It is well known that the economy at large, and equity prices in particular, are highly affected by sentiment (Howrey, 2001; Fraiberger, 2017; Shiller, 2017). Furthermore, internet search trends are strongly related with the perceived importance of the events searched for, and thus affected by sentiment directly. In this paper it is hypothesized that many of the correlations found originate from how sentiment covaries with the GCP data. It is also acknowledged that such a hypothesis can be tested for by correlating sentiment with variations in the random numbers produced by the GCP.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: Exploring How Sentiment Measures Interacts with the Data Produced by the GC | PUlf Holmberg Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-27 | This presentation explored how the random numbers produced by the Global Consciousness Project (GCP) covary with various sentiment measures. Previous findings suggests that variations in such measures, conceptually, also should covary with the GCP data. The hypothesis, that the GCP data covaries with sentiment, is tested using time series statistics and by correlating several well-known quantitative daily sentiment measures with daily GCP data aggregates. Results supportive of such correlations and thus the hypothesis are found. The results motivate an even further exploration on how the GCP data interacts with, predicts, and affects various sentiment measures and its derivatives.IThe random numbers produced by the Global Consciousness Project (GCP) have been shown to react strongly to events of perceived global importance (Nelson & Bancel, 2011; Nelson et al., 2002; Radin, 2002; Radin et al., 2006). Results suggesting that the GCP data significantly correlates with seemingly unrelated data sources such as stock market returns and internet search trends have also been found (Holmberg, 2020; Holmberg, 2021; Holmberg, 2022). What could cause the GCP data to react to events of perceived importance, such as stock market movements and internet search trends? Arguably, the observed effects are mostly unrelated, but it is acknowledged that they could come to be if they are caused by some unseen cofounder. One such unseen cofounder is global sentiment, and notably, the literature already implicitly suggests that such a link exists. It is well known that the economy at large, and equity prices in particular, are highly affected by sentiment (Howrey, 2001; Fraiberger, 2017; Shiller, 2017). Furthermore, internet search trends are strongly related with the perceived importance of the events searched for, and thus affected by sentiment directly. In this paper it is hypothesized that many of the correlations found originate from how sentiment covaries with the GCP data. It is also acknowledged that such a hypothesis can be tested for by correlating sentiment with variations in the random numbers produced by the GCP.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Multivariate PK Sensing at the Monroe Institute MC Squared Program | W.J. Ross Dunseath Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-21 | Introduction: Neuroimaging studies of psi processes such as psychokinesis (PK) are a central interest at the Ray Westphal Neuroimaging Laboratory (RWNL, Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia, USA). Obtaining neurological and physiological correlates of success in psi tasks is desirable for showing psi is meaningfully related to other measurable phenomena rather than just a free-floating anomaly. Physiological correlates can also provide information about unconscious psi processes, enable mapping of psi-related information flows through the body and brain, and resolve ambiguities regarding the source of observed psi effects (the so-called "experimenter effect").PK presents an opportunity to acquire physical measurements of anomalous processes localized in time and space using sensors with real-time continuous outputs. For typical neuroimaging protocols requiring repeated relatively short "trials" interspersed with rest periods, a useable PK sensor must provide a reasonable signal to noise ratio, not interfere with the physiological instrumentation, and present an attractive well-defined target for the PK agent with the potential for immediate feedback. This study is an evaluation of a multivariate PK sensor designed for use in neuroimaging studies, run with groups and individuals attempting to influence the sensor in a timed protocol.Methods: A sensor system consisting of multiple channels in an electromagnetically-shielded enclosure connected to a laptop computer was presented to MC Squared program participants at the Monroe Institute in Faber, Virginia. Each sensor provided three outputs regarding localized air ionization events from cosmic ray sources. Participants were provided with a basic description of the target and asked to make the score shown on the real time laptop display go higher. Attempts at PK were timed at 120 seconds, with 135 second baseline periods in between. Both groups and individuals were offered opportunities to engage the sensor. One hundred and twelve participants from ten MC Squared programs participated in the study over a period of three years.Results: Sensor outputs were significantly different (higher) during PK attempts vs. baselines. Simple scoring of sensor outputs was based on event counts (effect size 0.07, p = 0.02) that are relatively easy to detect and discriminate from artifact with automated scoring. However, each event also has two analog measures, magnitude, and velocity, and when these are combined in Manova the results are considerably more significant, p = 0.009. Additional information from the sensor is available in the timing of events in clusters. Cluster counts were much lower than event counts, and all baseline clusters were composed of two events only. In contrast, PK clusters were not only more numerous but also had multiple events. Weighted cluster scores, taking into account multiple events, were 70 for PK vs. 32 for baseline.Discussion: This was an evaluation of a novel PK sensor for potential use in neuroimaging PK studies. The sensor detects air ionization events primarily from Muons (similar to electrons) arriving at the surface of the earth from cosmic ray sources. Previous studies using Geiger counters (Radin, 1993) and other types of radiation detectors (Yan et al., 2002) have shown apparent human intention effects regarding high energy particles. This study appears to demonstrate human intention is capable of directing the trajectories of Muons. Of additional interest is the non-significant response from a Geiger counter located in the sensor enclosure directly above the target sensors. Participants were not informed of this device when the target sensors were described.ReferencesRadin, D. I. (1993). Environmental modulation and statistical equilibrium in mind-matter interaction. Subtle Energies,4(1), 1-30.Yan, X., Lu, F., Jiang, H., Wu, X., Cao, W., Xia, Z., Shen, H., Wang, J., Dao, M., Lin, H., & Zhu, R. (2002). Certain physical manifestation and effects of external Qi of Yan Yin Life Science Technology. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 16, 381-411.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: Multivariate PK Sensing at the Monroe Institute MC Squared Program | W.J. Ross Dunseath Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-21 | Introduction: Neuroimaging studies of psi processes such as psychokinesis (PK) are a central interest at the Ray Westphal Neuroimaging Laboratory (RWNL, Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia, USA). Obtaining neurological and physiological correlates of success in psi tasks is desirable for showing psi is meaningfully related to other measurable phenomena rather than just a free-floating anomaly. Physiological correlates can also provide information about unconscious psi processes, enable mapping of psi-related information flows through the body and brain, and resolve ambiguities regarding the source of observed psi effects (the so-called "experimenter effect").PK presents an opportunity to acquire physical measurements of anomalous processes localized in time and space using sensors with real-time continuous outputs. For typical neuroimaging protocols requiring repeated relatively short "trials" interspersed with rest periods, a useable PK sensor must provide a reasonable signal to noise ratio, not interfere with the physiological instrumentation, and present an attractive well-defined target for the PK agent with the potential for immediate feedback. This study is an evaluation of a multivariate PK sensor designed for use in neuroimaging studies, run with groups and individuals attempting to influence the sensor in a timed protocol.Methods: A sensor system consisting of multiple channels in an electromagnetically-shielded enclosure connected to a laptop computer was presented to MC Squared program participants at the Monroe Institute in Faber, Virginia. Each sensor provided three outputs regarding localized air ionization events from cosmic ray sources. Participants were provided with a basic description of the target and asked to make the score shown on the real time laptop display go higher. Attempts at PK were timed at 120 seconds, with 135 second baseline periods in between. Both groups and individuals were offered opportunities to engage the sensor. One hundred and twelve participants from ten MC Squared programs participated in the study over a period of three years.Results: Sensor outputs were significantly different (higher) during PK attempts vs. baselines. Simple scoring of sensor outputs was based on event counts (effect size 0.07, p = 0.02) that are relatively easy to detect and discriminate from artifact with automated scoring. However, each event also has two analog measures, magnitude, and velocity, and when these are combined in Manova the results are considerably more significant, p = 0.009. Additional information from the sensor is available in the timing of events in clusters. Cluster counts were much lower than event counts, and all baseline clusters were composed of two events only. In contrast, PK clusters were not only more numerous but also had multiple events. Weighted cluster scores, taking into account multiple events, were 70 for PK vs. 32 for baseline.Discussion: This was an evaluation of a novel PK sensor for potential use in neuroimaging PK studies. The sensor detects air ionization events primarily from Muons (similar to electrons) arriving at the surface of the earth from cosmic ray sources. Previous studies using Geiger counters (Radin, 1993) and other types of radiation detectors (Yan et al., 2002) have shown apparent human intention effects regarding high energy particles. This study appears to demonstrate human intention is capable of directing the trajectories of Muons. Of additional interest is the non-significant response from a Geiger counter located in the sensor enclosure directly above the target sensors. Participants were not informed of this device when the target sensors were described.ReferencesRadin, D. I. (1993). Environmental modulation and statistical equilibrium in mind-matter interaction. Subtle Energies,4(1), 1-30.Yan, X., Lu, F., Jiang, H., Wu, X., Cao, W., Xia, Z., Shen, H., Wang, J., Dao, M., Lin, H., & Zhu, R. (2002). Certain physical manifestation and effects of external Qi of Yan Yin Life Science Technology. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 16, 381-411.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Is the Altered Calligraphy in Psychographed Texts a Mediums Disguise or the Spirits Handwriting? Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-18 | Messages through psychography, also known as automatic writing, usually have different handwriting in each session. This is the unpublished perception of mediums and relatives participating in psychography seances. One can venture two possible explanations for this finding: (A) conventional materialistic reasoning: the medium produces and sustains a disguised handwriting with each new communication; or (B) unconventional spiritual premise: each spirit produces different calligraphy when driving the medium's fist.Explanation (B) cannot be proven directly but its acceptance could be greater if the other proposal proves to be untenable. Indeed, Explanation (A) may be the least likely one since there are limits for handwrite disguising ability. Any attempt to overwrite the automatic writing motor program produces vicious movement patterns (Caligiuri & Mohammed, 2012). A graphotechnical analysis can point out inconsistencies of the disguise, as the writer inadvertently includes elements of one's handwriting finer structure and some forger's characteristics will "leak out" (Mirić & Aranđelović, 2020; Upadhyay & Chandravanshi, 2021).Some attempts to validate psychographed texts using graphoscopy are found in lay books and non-peer-reviewed journals. Although successful, they are often retrospective analyses on writings of the exceptional medium Chico Xavier (1910 – 2002), written in Portuguese (Oliveira, 2020; Henn, 2021). Chico was one of the very rare mechanical mediums, those who remain unconscious during trance; in these cases, the handwriting is almost identical to that of the deceased communicator. Today, some semi-mechanical mediums (conscious during the phenomenon) active in Brazil produce quite variable calligraphy, sometimes resembling the deceased's ones.This ongoing research aims to document, through graphotechnic analysis, the level of variation of writing parameters in psychographed texts. The working hypothesis follows the spiritual premise that each text would have its own handwriting characteristics, different from one manuscript to another.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: Is the Altered Calligraphy in Psychographed Texts a Mediums Disguise or Spirits Handwriting? Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-18 | Messages through psychography, also known as automatic writing, usually have different handwriting in each session. This is the unpublished perception of mediums and relatives participating in psychography seances. One can venture two possible explanations for this finding: (A) conventional materialistic reasoning: the medium produces and sustains a disguised handwriting with each new communication; or (B) unconventional spiritual premise: each spirit produces different calligraphy when driving the medium's fist.Explanation (B) cannot be proven directly but its acceptance could be greater if the other proposal proves to be untenable. Indeed, Explanation (A) may be the least likely one since there are limits for handwrite disguising ability. Any attempt to overwrite the automatic writing motor program produces vicious movement patterns (Caligiuri & Mohammed, 2012). A graphotechnical analysis can point out inconsistencies of the disguise, as the writer inadvertently includes elements of one's handwriting finer structure and some forger's characteristics will "leak out" (Mirić & Aranđelović, 2020; Upadhyay & Chandravanshi, 2021).Some attempts to validate psychographed texts using graphoscopy are found in lay books and non-peer-reviewed journals. Although successful, they are often retrospective analyses on writings of the exceptional medium Chico Xavier (1910 – 2002), written in Portuguese (Oliveira, 2020; Henn, 2021). Chico was one of the very rare mechanical mediums, those who remain unconscious during trance; in these cases, the handwriting is almost identical to that of the deceased communicator. Today, some semi-mechanical mediums (conscious during the phenomenon) active in Brazil produce quite variable calligraphy, sometimes resembling the deceased's ones.This ongoing research aims to document, through graphotechnic analysis, the level of variation of writing parameters in psychographed texts. The working hypothesis follows the spiritual premise that each text would have its own handwriting characteristics, different from one manuscript to another.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
From Oracles to Algorithms: Wisdom Acquisition at the Intersection of A.I. and Psi | Mark Boccuzzi Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-11 | Throughout history, people have consulted with shamans, soothsayers, oracles, channelers, mediums, and psychics to gain information about the future and communicate with the dead.One of the earliest reports of testing the accuracy of oracles comes from the story of king Croesus who ruled Lydia (what is now Turkey) from 560 to 547 BCE. Croesus asked the oracles in Greece and Libya to provide specific information about his activity on a specific day. Through this process, Croesus became convinced of the accuracy of Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, and queried her about waging war with the Persian empire. Pythia responded that if Croesus were to go to war, he would “destroy a great empire”. Emboldened by this news, he attacked, only to learn that the “great empire” that was destroyed was his own.Since then, psychics have been employed by governments, scientists, intelligence agencies, industries, and financial investors to provide accurate information about current and future events that elude our existing abilities to monitor and predict. However, as our technologies advance, the acquisition of seemingly inaccessible information will only become easier and less expensive.While the study of psychic functioning and development will continue to have a role in personal growth, spirituality, and providing deeper insights into the nature of consciousness and reality, its utility as an information-gathering tool will most likely continue to be relegated to narrower and more highly specialized use cases. As information access becomes more ubiquitous, the real value in psychic functioning will be the ability to acquire wisdom from discarnate or untethered consciousness. However, the current challenge is delineating the boundaries between retrieved psychic information and the psychics’ own mental interpretation of the task and results.To explore this problem, our lab conducted a series of trials utilizing a Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV) protocol to acquire information from blinded remote viewers about the nature of what is commonly called the afterlife. These trials produced unique results that were, in some cases, even surprising to the viewers (Boccuzzi, 2021).The current project takes the process further by entirely removing living, incarnate psychics from the process through the development and deployment of non-biological consciousness-hosting platforms. Bridging the gap between Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC), channeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), this highly exploratory research program utilizes various technologies, including random number generator arrays, natural language processing chatbots, predictive text algorithms, and machine-based image generation.To date, the system has been deployed to provide advice for the grieving and encouragement for the disenfranchised, along with providing insights into some of humanity’s most burning questions including: What can we do about climate change? What is the impact of social media interactions on modern society? How can we live up to our potential? Do we survive after the death of our bodies? Is there a God? What can we learn from UFOs? How can we close the gap between science and spirituality? Of course, as with any new technology, we need to be mindful of its strengths, weaknesses, and the potential for abuse, lest we find ourselves facing the same fate as Croesus.This presentation will review the current technologies employed, examples of wisdom and advice provided by the system, a discussion of limitations, and future PsiBotics (Moddel, 2018) applications, including AIs capable of performing telepathic, precognitive, clairvoyant, and psychokinetic tasks.ReferencesBoccuzzi, M. (2021, August 11). The VISTA Program: Applying Controlled Remote Viewing to Afterlife Research [Conference session]. 2021 Windbridge Research Center Afterlife Symposium. youtu.be/DsHM8V6D6skModdel, G. (2018, June). An Introduction to Psibotics [Conference session]. Joint Conference of the Society for Scientific Exploration and International Remote Viewing Association, Las Vegas, Nevada. youtu.be/WCjhPRSzm-AJoin this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCEIXmabw_UhSWTvTS6ftsuA/joinSupport the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: From Oracles to Algorithms: Wisdom Acquisition @ the Intersection of A.I. & Psi | Mark Boccuzzi Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-09-11 | From Oracles to Algorithms: Wisdom Acquisition at the Intersection of A.I. and PsiMark BoccuzziThe Windbridge Institute, LLCArizona, USAThroughout history, people have consulted with shamans, soothsayers, oracles, channelers, mediums, and psychics to gain information about the future and communicate with the dead.One of the earliest reports of testing the accuracy of oracles comes from the story of king Croesus who ruled Lydia (what is now Turkey) from 560 to 547 BCE. Croesus asked the oracles in Greece and Libya to provide specific information about his activity on a specific day. Through this process, Croesus became convinced of the accuracy of Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, and queried her about waging war with the Persian empire. Pythia responded that if Croesus were to go to war, he would “destroy a great empire”. Emboldened by this news, he attacked, only to learn that the “great empire” that was destroyed was his own.Since then, psychics have been employed by governments, scientists, intelligence agencies, industries, and financial investors to provide accurate information about current and future events that elude our existing abilities to monitor and predict. However, as our technologies advance, the acquisition of seemingly inaccessible information will only become easier and less expensive.While the study of psychic functioning and development will continue to have a role in personal growth, spirituality, and providing deeper insights into the nature of consciousness and reality, its utility as an information-gathering tool will most likely continue to be relegated to narrower and more highly specialized use cases. As information access becomes more ubiquitous, the real value in psychic functioning will be the ability to acquire wisdom from discarnate or untethered consciousness. However, the current challenge is delineating the boundaries between retrieved psychic information and the psychics’ own mental interpretation of the task and results.To explore this problem, our lab conducted a series of trials utilizing a Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV) protocol to acquire information from blinded remote viewers about the nature of what is commonly called the afterlife. These trials produced unique results that were, in some cases, even surprising to the viewers (Boccuzzi, 2021).Join this channel to get access to perks: youtube.com/channel/UCEIXmabw_UhSWTvTS6ftsuA/joinSupport the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Reframing Extrasensory Perception: A Condensed Model | Keith V. Alexander Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-31 | J.B. Rhine, writing in 1937, describes his efforts to validate the existence of precognition as distinct from clairvoyance, telepathy, and psychokinesis, all of which he had already identified (Rhine, 1937). In contrast, we are setting out to start with precognition, and reframe all four (and their derivatives) as expressions of precognition only. The objective is to use Occam’s razor and give precedence to simplicity. Time is now better understood than in 1937 (Price, 1996), and the concept of retrocausality (Sheehan, 2011; Price, 1996), and the idea of information filtering back in time, are regularly addressed. Precognition therefore seems to have a mechanism (Oreshkov et al., 2012; Olson, 2011; Radin, 2006a; Sheehan, 2015; Radin, 2006b), while the others still do not. We also propose that the whole phenomenon is not “out there”, but instead, within each of us - and nowhere else.In making decisions that are important to us, we are sporadically guided by information that comes exclusively from our future selves.Precognition is All There Is. We are choosing to start with this assumption, follow it through to see how much of ESP can be explained, and see what the consequences are.• Psychokinesis is re-framed as the experimenter being precognitively informed by the future joy of his own success, to make the right decisions to get results he wants. By implication there is no psychokinetic, forcing field emanating from his mind, causing mind-over-matter effects, (May et al., 1995).• Telepathy is reframed as precognition, because telepathy experiments frequently allow the participants and experimenters to discuss the results after the tests, and it is from this future revelation that the participants, in the past, can use precognition to guide themselves to the results they want. Added to this, telepathy has targeting issues, (Beloff, 1970) that the reframed ESP model overcomes.• Clairvoyance and remote viewing can be reframed as precognition for the same reasons – they both have opportunities for the participants to see the results in the future, from where their past decisions are guided.Psi experiments over vast distances, from space (Mitchell, 1971), or deep in mines or under the sea are all successful, not because ESP travels over vast distances or deep underground, but only because the experimenters and participants learn about the results after the fact, from where information is picked up precognitively and used, before and during the experiments, to get the results they want. In May’s words they become “statistical opportunists” (May et al., 1995).Precognition only gets information from the future self. Another assumption is that there is only one source. The only place precognitively-acquired information comes from is the future self. We do not receive information telepathically from other people. There is no psychic ability to scan the world or other people’s minds to get information, as is sometimes suggested (Radin, 2006b). Precognitively acquired information does not transmit by some field or resonance or any other exotic method, (May et al., 1995).Instead, we propose, important information stays in our own mind, within our own world line, in our own “future memory”, from where a small fraction of it can be detected in the past and contribute to a decision being made there. This hypothesized process is the core of the reframed-ESP model.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A - Reframing Extrasensory Perception: A Condensed Model | Keith V. Alexander Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-31 | Reframing Extrasensory Perception: A Condensed ModelKeith V. AlexanderDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of CanterburyChristchurch, New ZealandJ.B. Rhine, writing in 1937, describes his efforts to validate the existence of precognition as distinct from clairvoyance, telepathy, and psychokinesis, all of which he had already identified (Rhine, 1937). In contrast, we are setting out to start with precognition, and reframe all four (and their derivatives) as expressions of precognition only. The objective is to use Occam’s razor and give precedence to simplicity. Time is now better understood than in 1937 (Price, 1996), and the concept of retrocausality (Sheehan, 2011; Price, 1996), and the idea of information filtering back in time, are regularly addressed. Precognition therefore seems to have a mechanism (Oreshkov et al., 2012; Olson, 2011; Radin, 2006a; Sheehan, 2015; Radin, 2006b), while the others still do not. We also propose that the whole phenomenon is not “out there”, but instead, within each of us - and nowhere else.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
A New Yet Ancient Foundation for Scientific Research | Dianne Cheryl Trussell Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-30 | Introduction: Here is a proposal for viewing differently the concept of consciousness and all fields of scientific research, by reintegrating the Ageless Wisdom teachings with modern science. The proposal is founded on evidence from diverse sources, personal and third-party experiences, intuitive realizations, and unexpected experimental results.Why is the concept of consciousness fundamental to all scientific research? All scientific research conceived and conducted by humans must by definition exist within the medium of consciousness. Quantum physics has taught us this! What we have observed about consciousness so far covers all the bases: non-locality, ubiquity, entanglement, hypothesized primacy, and energy-like effects on forms, patterns and processes.The Ageless Wisdom teachings. The tenets of the Ageless Wisdom teachings about the nature of man, the universe, levels of consciousness, and indeed all of science, pre-date our modern discoveries, clarify them, confirm some of them, and help resolve persistent conundrums. The Ageless Wisdom is “ageless” because it is an ongoing, systematized science based on human inner experience, experiment, observation, and intuition that spans thousands of years. It is time that we marry it with modern scientific research to advance our understanding and methodologies on many currently hard problems and explanatory gaps, particularly in the psychological, parapsychological, biological, and sociological sciences.Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCEIXmabw_UhSWTvTS6ftsuA/joinSupport the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Q&A: A New Yet Ancient Foundation for Scientific Research | Dianne Cheryl Trussell Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-30 | Join this channel to get access to perks:youtube.com/channel/UCEIXmabw_UhSWTvTS6ftsuA/joinSupport the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
An Explanation of the Powers of Franz Mesmer | Franz Mesmer Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-25 | Although Franz Anton Mesmer is immortalized in our language with the verb - to mesmerize - his discovery of animal magnetism has been reinterpreted over the centuries to mean a sexual power of attraction. Only specialists in the fields of mental and spiritual healing are really acquainted with the man Franz Anton Mesmer and what place he occupies in the history of human civilization. This article attempts to rectify that situation and give a testimonial to the greatness and genius of the real person Franz Anton Mesmer who not only was the pioneer of virtually every modern practice of mental and spiritual healing and profoundly changed modern religious practices in general, but also anticipated by almost 250 years the modern science of radiogenetics where it has now been found that the ferritin in our bodies, which is a paramagnetic material that can be manipulated by electromagnetic waves (radio waves including brain waves) and also by magnetic fields. In other words, there really is a magnetic fluid in our bodies and there really is such a thing as animal magnetism as originally claimed by Franz Anton Mesmer.This article does not claim that Franz Anton Mesmer invented animal magnetism, and if he had not lived, then all the modern practices of mental and spiritual healing as well as hypnotism, psychology and psychiatry would not have occurred, because quite clearly all these practices and disciplines are the essence of the human condition, and if Franz Anton Mesmer had not started the ball rolling, then some other historical person would have. This article attempts to address the fact that the historical person Franz Anton Mesmer was the genius who started the ball rolling, and for that reason alone his name deserves to appear in lights in the history of human civilization. The name Franz Anton Mesmer should have top billing.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Body Mapping the Somatic Experience | Nancy McLaughlin-Walter Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-24 | Introduction: “Body mapping is a visual, narrative, and participatory methodology that has several names and is used unevenly by health researchers” (Gastaldo et al., 2018).The purpose of this study is to garner a greater understanding of how pain and illness are expressed and experienced somatically pre and post virtual attendance of a distant healing intention group session. A Body Mapping Index (BM-I) was created to examine the shared psi-somatization of the distant healing intention relationship. Within the healing relationship, the shared psi-somaticizing experience is often overlooked in favor of empirically measuring living system effects. This study aims to determine if the shared experience of the distant healing relationship, specifically the shared psi experience, can effectively be measured. The Body Mapping Index has been designed to guide the participant in their description by providing a physical representation for expressing the psi experience. Preliminary analysis indicates that a shared psi-somaticizing experience does occur and is independently reported by both the practitioner and the sitter/healee.Methods: A comparative analysis was performed to gain an initial understanding of the practitioner’s and sitter/healee’s overlapping experience.Results: Preliminary results show a high degree of overlap (82% of respondents) in reporting of symptoms in concentrated areas of the body between both Distant Healing Intention Practitioner’s and sitter/healee.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Correlating Mediums’ Accuracy with Five Facets of Mindfulness | Julie Beischel Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-23 | Introduction: It is possible for anyone to experience contact from the deceased and this phenomenon has been reported across cultures since antiquity. A medium is defined as someone who has this experience regularly, reliably, and on-demand. Twenty Windbridge Certified Research Mediums were previously screened under controlled laboratory conditions for their abilities to report accurate information about the deceased. They then performed phone readings for deceased individuals and answered specific questions about verifiable topics regularly conveyed during naturalistic mediumship readings: the deceased’s physical appearance when alive, personality characteristics, hobbies or interests, and cause of death. The mediums received no further information about the deceased or their associated living counterparts (sitters) and no feedback during or after the reading. The sitters did not hear or participate in the phone readings; a blinded proxy sitter served in their place. Each medium performed two readings for two different deceased people. Formatted items from the readings were scored for accuracy by the associated sitters. Each blinded sitter scored their own target reading and a decoy reading intended for another sitter. This quintuple-blind protocol addresses potential confounding factors as the source of the reported information: fraud, deception, cold reading, cueing, and overly general information. A previously published study compared the accuracy percentages of blinded target and decoy readings (Beischel et al., 2015). The sections of target readings including the four specific questions listed above received accuracy ratings significantly larger than those sections of decoy readings (52.8% ± 3.9% vs. 36.6% ± 3.8%, p = .002, d = .75, n = 31). An additional previously published study analyzed accuracy data broken out by each of the four questions from readings performed by 12 of the mediums (Beischel & Conboy, 2021). Scored readings were received from 21 of the 24 sitters. The means for each question type (physical description, personality, hobbies, and cause of death) varied (53.9% ± 5.2%, 67.0% ± 7.1%, 49.4% ± 5.5%, 41.3% ± 6.5%, respectively) but no significant differences existed. It was concluded that none of the four types of information requested is more or less difficult to acquire or report during a mediumship reading than any other. In addition, the 12 mediums’ accuracy data were correlated with their scores on three surveys assessing sensory modality preferences and learning styles. No significant correlations were found. It was concluded that these individual characteristics may not impact mediumistic abilities. Methods: The current study aimed to compare mediums’ accuracy scores to their mindfulness, the paying complete attention, in a nonjudgmental way, to the present moment’s experiences. The 12 mediums’ accuracy scores were correlated with their scores from the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2006). This instrument uses 39 items employing a 5-point Likert-type scale to assess the following five facets of mindfulness: Observing, Describing, Acting with awareness, non-Judging of inner experience, and non-Reactivity to inner experience. Results: It was determined that accuracy was positively and significantly correlated with the Observing facet of mindfulness. Specifically, mediums’ accuracy scores for the content they provided when asked about the deceased’s physical description, personality, and hobbies were significantly correlated (r = .5, p = .03; r = .469, p = .04; r = .457, p = .04, respectively) to their scores for the mindfulness facet Observing (which includes observing, noticing, attending to sensations, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings). Correlations between accuracy for the cause of death question with any of the five facets as well as any of the accuracy scores with the other four facets (Describing, Acting with awareness, non-Judging, and non-Reactivity) did not achieve significance. Discussion: Though this sample size was not large, it may be appropriate to conclude that natural abilities in or intentionally developing the Observing facet of mindfulness may be beneficial to mediums’ accuracy. Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Evidence of Solar Rotation and Planetary Cycle Effects on Human Longevity and Professional Eminence Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-22 | Evidence of Solar Rotation and Planetary Cycle Effects on Human Longevity and Professional Eminence Graham John DouglasIntroduction: A growing body of evidence linking solar activity to human health, and seasonal variations has been shown to affect human longevity (Davis & Lowell, 2018; Skjærvø et al., 2015). Marzullo and Boklage (2011) found that seasonal solar variations affect embryonic development during gastrulation and again during the testosterone surge period of fetal development (Marzullo, 2014). The well-known 27-day solar cycle has received less attention in this field (Halberg et al., 2013). Michel Gauquelin (1978) observed that the birth frequency of eminent writers and scientists showed sharp peaks when plotted against the ecliptic position of the moon, but he dismissed them as noise. No structured patterns appear in the lunation cycle, which usually figures more in reports of lunar effects (Bevington, 2015). The source of these patterns is hypothesized to be solar flares, which are known to concentrate in ‘active longitudes’ on the sun and to rotate with it. They tend to form in clusters at heliographic longitudes separated by 180° and sometimes by 90°, which is also a feature in the birth and death data, and to persist sometimes for over a century (Berdyugina & Usoskin, 2003). Blizard (1969) showed that planetary conjunction cycles correlate with solar magnetic storms, and they seem to be involved with the timing of the 11-year sunspot cycle (Grandpierre, 1996). Evidence for these effects has accumulated (Hung, 2007; see articles in Morner, et al., 2013). Methods: The Gauquelin data was downloaded from http://cura.free.fr/. Data on German dynastic families (Muller & Mentzer, 1993) were obtained from Ertel’s (2007) posthumous archive kindly supplied by his son Christian; a collection of mathematicians was kindly provided in Excel format by its curators at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland; publicly available births and death data for the period 1974-2019 was supplied by the Scottish Registry. Published data on solar flares (Shea & Smart, 1990) was supplemented by data available on the NASA website. Data were analyzed using the astrological Jigsaw 2 software based on the Swiss Ephemeris. Statistical validity was assessed using chi-squared (df = 1) from a 2x2 contingency table thus allowing effect sizes to be calculated as Cohen’s d. Percentage increases were also calculated. Results: Patterns in the 27-day cycle appear in many Gauquelin professional data sets, in their collection of Parisian birth and death data, and in three other independent datasets. A T-Square pattern of peaks similar to that of the writers and scientists was placed in overlapping ‘lunar’ longitudes and is apparent in the solar flare data. The birth data peaks show highly significant correlations with heliocentric planetary conjunction cycles. Discussion: There are possible practical applications in the fields of medicine and insurance relating both to longevity and to SIDS deaths. Marzullo’s work suggests a way to understand the influence of space weather at key points during gestation of the embryo and fetus and possibly in the timing of spontaneous births. A solar origin of the 27-day variations is supported by their correlations with key phases in heliocentric planetary conjunction cycles. Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Enigma Operandi and the Hintu Force | Solange Fabião Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-16 | Enigma Operandi and the Hintu Force Solange Fabião Introduction: Can one ’s life story become a case study? This study is composed of a collection of some of the synchronistic life-changing events, dreams, artworks, architecture, and design that I have experienced over a period of thirty years in Brazil, Germany and in the US. The retrospective case-study hopes to show that what I call Hintu or High Intuition is tangible and is farther-reaching, perhaps even distinctly different than intuitive emotional responses. The data I have accumulated is multifaceted; the interconnectedness within its heterogeneity, its peculiar relation with time, all seem to call for a creative approach that goes beyond reader-response criticism while still retaining the importance of the reader/viewer; it has the potential to be evaluated as a scientific-life-story. The Threshold: The subject matter of the unconsciously-driven body of work and of my personal art collection wasn’t visible to me for decades, until I had what I later became aware was a climactic breakthrough in 2014. My continuing allegiance to my High Intuition has proven to be fundamental: after visualizing the subject matter of the undercurrent art as the human torso, followed by the several weeks of bringing the artwork together for the first time, an unexpected pain emerged in my own torso leading up to my hospitalization and to a life-changing medical intervention. Uncannily, back at home, I found myself alive and surrounded by torso images. Subsequently, 22 Healing Dreams poured in and were registered in art-prints. Methods: My experiment is triggered by a deep artistic call I have in me. My method is translated into acting openly: allowing Hintu permeate through oneself and letting a reaction unfold. It is very much like a creative act or eureka. To listen and to act: flow–trust–unconscious apprehension or impulse–action–outcome–recognition. Results: The study is based on facts and establishes what I term the Enigma Operandi – The EO. EOs are occurrences that defy probability and are manifested physically sometimes presenting a two-way unorthodox causality. Synchronistic events and four EO groups compose this study, which is subdivided in nine categories ranging from basic chance encounters to unconsciously provoked materializations. My overview of those events is currently catalogued in two parts (18,000 words). Discussion: Can a life story be acknowledged as a scientific study? Could a gravitational field provoke everything that is phenomenal? What is the makeup of Hintu? My goal with this presentation is to introduce the study, delineate its aspects with the intention of connecting with a producer or an editor interested in the interconnections between art and science, to help me shape the material into a scientific-story.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
A Comparative Analysis of Popular vs Scholarly Psychology Books | Debra Lynne Katz Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-08-05 | Many academic psychologists hold negative and stereotypical views about popular psychology books, even though there have been few formal, methodological investigations into these materials to understand their content, construction, purposes, or orientations, or their author’s credentials. (Campbell, 2017). This dissertation explored the subject of the popularization of psychology. It sought to determine whether the current delineations between scholarly and popular materials are as clear cut as those making such delineations seem to suggest, or if an alternative model of the relation between academic and popular psychology literature could be offered.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Subtle Energies | Jeffrey Keen Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-31 | The initial motivation for my research was based on four questions. I have always been intrigued why the act of consciously observing quantum experiments could affect their results. I also wished to discover why quantum effects were not observed in the macro world. How does Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance” work? And why, after nearly 100 years of unsuccessful theoretical research, were there so many unsuccessful and untestable theories of quantum gravity? I believed a new approach to physics research was required, one that involved the mind. Examples of such hitherto unscientific, but ancient, techniques included the use of Noetics, dowsing, visualization, and similar research tools to investigate subtle energies, psi lines, auras, the relevance of geometry, and similar phenomena. Using the above approach soon produced promising results. Subtle energies distort geometry, both physical and abstract, from a solitary dot to a complex three-dimensional pattern. This phenomenon led to a protocol that has enabled subtle energies to be very accurately measured and quantified, leading to numerical results as well as equations and graphs (Figure 1). Additionally, I found that, when any three bodies are in alignment, they produce a subtle energy alignment beam. These bodies can be three planets, three grains of sand, or even three circles drawn on paper or in sand (Figure 2). Using the above two discoveries led to me to create techniques that enabled the measurement of the velocities of subtle energies in our solar system (Figure 3). I found that there is a strong interaction between gravity and subtle energy (Figure 4). Subtle energies have field strengths that not only could be measured locally and extending to Neptune in our solar system (Figure 5), but also to the center of our galaxy (Figure 6). Further development of these discoveries led me to additional results. Certain information is not only communicated across our solar system faster than light, but instantaneously (Figure 3). Several equations were found with high correlation coefficients that involve universal constants, a gold standard in science. The mind can achieve macro-level entanglement. And a connection exists among consciousness, gravity, and the expanding universe (Figures 4 and 6). This strongly suggests that there is a connection between the mind, subtle energy, and dark energy (Figure 7). In conclusion, I believe that I have made a good start on achieving my four objectives. All the above discoveries are explained in greater detail in my 58 published papers available from my website www.jeffreykeen.co.uk.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Text Similarities in Descriptions of Events Likely Depend on Similarities in Astrology Charts Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-28 | Embeddings, a way to measure similarities between texts, are a recent gift of machine learning. They were used here to quantify similarities in short descriptions without dates of pairs in 7153 world events post-1600 AD as found in a provided database. There are 25,579,128 unique such pairs. The zodiacal placements of the charts were also calculated for either the actual date at midnight of the event or the same but using the start date for a multi-day event. Only Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, North Lunar Node, and South Lunar Node tropical degree placements from zero to 360 degrees were computed. Adding up the cosines of the differences between planetary placements for two events offers a neat and novel way of measuring similarities between these zodiacal placements for the two events. Thus, I have metrics for textual similarities and chart similarities. The imagery of these metrics plotted against each other suggests non-monotonic dependence. This study answers a precise question: what is the p-value for independence, i.e., nondependence, between the two metrics? The upper p-value for independence is less than 0.01 as computed by Hoeffding’s D measure. The conservative Monte Carlo approach to estimating the upper value of this p-value was necessary due to physical computation constraints. Thus, likelihood for the alternative to independence, namely dependence, between event textual similarities and event chart similarities is established. Data and Wolfram language code are included. Null Hypothesis: measures of event description and event astrology are independent. This is shown to be unlikely. The Alternative Hypothesis is thus supported: there is a dependency between the two measures. Code, data, and more information.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
How Much Light Energy Change Can Cause the Variation of Radin’s Double-Slit Fringe? | Daqing Piao Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-25 | The existence and mechanism of mind-matter interaction, which is sometimes termed psychophysical effect, is fundamental to our understanding of the physicality and causality of the entirety of phenomena that are amenable to experimental investigation. Recent reports (Radin et al., 2012; 2013) on variations in the fringe visibility of the interference patterns of laser-engaged double-slit experiments, which seemed inexplicable in the absence of psychophysical influences, have elicited notable debates within the scientific community and substantial interest among the lay population. In accounting for the observed changes of fringe pattern, Radin et al. reported that the electrical field of the light passing the two slits might have reached an asymmetry of 3:1 when under the psychophysical intent in comparison to the generally symmetric baseline. However, a change to the double-slit interference fringe could have multiple causes. The objective of this research is to investigate, by computer simulations, which kinds of physical variation could have led to the changes of the double-slit interference fringe as reported by Radin et al. We theorize that a change to the double-slit interference fringe-pattern, or equivalently the fringe visibility, that is comparable to the level reported by Radin et al., could very well be caused by a slight asymmetry of the spectral bandwidth of the light passing the slit, subject to psychophysical intent.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Unlocking Genius: Tech-Assisted Altered States | Manori Sumanasinghe & Nelson Abreu Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-24 | Manori Sumanasinghe and Nelson Abreu have nearly 50 years of combined experience exploring consciousness and educating a niche of motivated individuals, interested in the intricacies of "inner reality" through non-profit consciousness and scientific anomaly academic organizations. As an architect and an electrical engineer, both with a focus on innovation, they set out to expose a wider demographic to the world of consciousness. They describe the approach as meeting people where they are, speaking to their more immediate needs, such as relief from discomfort, stress, and anxiety; tapping into their imagination and inspiration. It is hoped that by democratizing and demystifying the out-of-body experience and allied phenomena, more funding will pour into research and more people will want to deepen their practice. They will discuss how Neuma Being can reliably induce substance-free altered states and the results of a pilot of self-reports of altered states.History is no stranger to luminaries finding their muse through dreams, hypnagogia and other altered states. “Creativity, originality and initiative” is the number-three in-demand skill predicted for 2022. 77% of professionals experienced poor sleep, stress, and burnout prior to the pandemic. Worldwide, the cost of unwell workers represents 10-15% of global economic output. Studies show that mindful altered states are associated with creativity and are able to curb depression and the ill effects of burnout, while improving overall well-being. Meditation remains challenging for many and about 1 billion people are affected by disorders that have no medicinal relief, except psychedelic-assisted therapy (depression, PTSD, addiction, pain). Silicon Valley has made micro-dosing a trend, as well. However, substances are not for everyone or every occasion. Out-of-body experiences have been shown to reduce pain intensity by 37%. Frequent lucid dreamers have been able to solve 25% more puzzles. What if technology and a more accessible language could open up the microverse of lucid dreaming and beyond to “everyday people”.Individuals spend thousands of dollars and months of time to learn how to achieve these mindful and heightened states of mind. This keeps millions of others from even trying. What if there was a safe, effective, and quick solution to tap into the stress-reduction power of the subconscious? It would make these benefits accessible to busy problem-solvers from creative professionals to first responders making high-stakes decisions during long shifts. What if the solution was adapted to pandemics: No-Contact, Physically-Distanced, and Hygienic?Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Theory of Multiple Planes | Ian J. Thompson Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-23 | We need a unified theory of reality that covers the existence and function of physical, mental and spiritual processes in such a way as to extend our sciences beyond their current limitations. Many of us want this within some non-dual scheme since that seems necessary for unification, but we still recognize that there appear to be multiple planes of activity, each with distinctive kinds of motivations, information and actions. Often these planes are taken in order, starting from a first source and ending with final effects in nature. Each plane seems to have its own dimensions (usually three of space and one of time) and has distinctive features of the beings there. Question: My question now is whether a being can move from one plane to another. This depends on whether (1) the planes are smaller parts of one larger continuous whole, or whether (2) they are each discrete spaces. In the first continuous option (1) we could move our bodies to visit any plane, whereas in the second discrete option (2) we could not, so that visiting would require more an awakening or building of some new part of us. Recently Bernard Carr (2021) and others have been suggesting the first option, whereby the multiple planes are higher dimensions of physical spacetime just as time can be fourth dimension in addition to our three spatial dimensions. I want here, however, to explore the second discrete option. Proposal: If the multiple non-physical and physical planes are discrete, there must still be some kinds of connections between them in order to function together. Descartes proposed that mental and physical are two planes, which gives his basic dualism. A major shortcoming of his theory is, however, that he did not propose any regular method to link them together. That has led many thinkers to deny multiple planes altogether, but I would rather we have a theory of multiple ‘small’ dualities with some familiar connections between planes. We need to connect multiple planes existing between the first source and the final effects in the last plane. I propose that the entities in each plane have (or are) the propensities to generate new entities in a next plane. This second plane receives and may then retain those new object propensities for later action. The second plane is thus a kind of container: selective retention in the second plane also constrains what is retained in the first plane. The overall template for connections between planes is therefore the combination of ‘generation and selection’. So far, this is a general framework of levels, and it is not yet determining what is distinctive in each plane. Information about features can be found from observation, science, or from useful kinds of spiritual revelation, but in all cases, they have to be supported by multiple confirmations.Applications: We will explore examples in quantum physics, psychology, and near-death experiences, as well as new proposals recently advocated for linking non-physical with the physical planes. A recent theory (Thompson, 2021) has shown how non-physical causes can be linked to variations in certain basic ‘constants’ of quantum field theory, and how they can be linked to specific biological effects by targeted variations of the electric ‘fine structure constant’. Thompson (2022) has presented another theory to link discrete planes by a generalization of the projection operators used to describe quantum measurements. This can used to give fast object recognition in the visual system and show also how to implement rapid recall in an associative memory. All these processes could perhaps have been accomplished by material or mechanical processes, but only much more slowly. That implies that these theories should be testable even on the physical plane, and confirmation would open the way to seeing information and control passing between multiple planes.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Human Electrostatic Field Measures in Copper Wall Replication Study | Ross Dunseath Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-22 | In an effort to replicate the Copper Wall Research led by Elmer Green at the Menninger Institute, a similar facility was constructed at The Monroe Institute 2018 and a pilot study was conducted in 2019 - 2020. Single-channel electrostatic measurements were made on staff and program participants at the Monroe Institute. Measurements with two healers were conducted as well. The study was exploratory, with a focus on identifying and controlling for environmental sources of measurement artifact. Results and plans for a study combining electrostatic measures with other sensors are be presented. W. J. Ross Dunseath, Ph.D. is an electrical engineer who first encountered the wild world of psi research as a student at Duke University in the previous century. After working on dry electrode biosensors in a biofeedback lab at Duke, and inventing instrumentation for combined EEG/fMRI neuroimaging in a startup venture, he joined the Westfall Neuroimaging Lab at the Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia, and is also research coordinator at The Monroe Institute. Present interests include neuroimaging of altered states of consciousness and psi phenomena, psi sensors, and biofield measurement.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Beverly Rubik Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-20 | The ultraweak light known as “biophotons” emitted from organisms may convey information central to life. To explore this, we designed and built a custom photon counting detector system with a walk-in dark closet that can sit 3 persons comfortably. This system uses a conventional photomultiplier tube with customized electronics to count photons emitted from various regions of the human body or other organisms. We studied single subjects and also subjects engaged in energy healing inside the dark chamber. Our experiments show that certain regions of the human body, including the palm of the hand, forehead, heart, and abdominal regions, emit photons in the visible spectrum at an extremely low rate (less than 100 counts per min), in line with published values. We measured the light emitted from mind-body practitioners of qigong, meditation, yoga, and various types of energy healing, such as Reiki, and external qi, among other forms. In some cases, these practitioners were able to alter their own energy emission dramatically, for example by “opening” and “closing” the “third eye” region. We demonstrated scientific validation of certain concepts of ancient Oriental knowledge, such as sword fingers being one of the greatest emitters of energy from the body. In addition to discussing some experiments conducted within our custom-built biophotonic chamber, Dr. Rubik discusses the Bio-Well device, a digital form of high voltage electrophotography from Russia, which measures the induced light emitted from the fingertips and reveals information about health and healing states.Dr. Beverly Rubik earned her Ph.D. in biophysics at the University of California at Berkeley. Since then, she has published over 90 scientific papers and 2 books. From 1992-1994, she served as one of 18 advisors selected by Congress to the Office of Alternative Medicine, the precursor of the National Center for Integrative and Complementary Health at the National Institutes of Health. In 1997 Dr. Rubik founded and became president of the Institute for Frontier Science, a 501c3 nonprofit laboratory in Emeryville, California. She is a leading scientist internationally known for her research that goes beyond the mainstream and challenges the dominant biomedical paradigm.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Empirical Testing of Energy Practitioners | Melinda H. Connor Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-18 | A review of the ongoing testing of energy practitioners using a series of empirical measures, including Physiology suite, EEG's, Triaxial ELF meter, Volt meter, RF spectrum analyzer, pH, PPM, and Biowell/GDV.Professor Melinda H. Connor is the Director of Research for Akamai University and a Professor of Complimentary Medicine, chair of the board of directors of the National Alliance of Energy Practitioners and founder of Earthsongs Holistic Consulting. Trained at Harvard University, Wellesley College, University of San Francisco, American Military University, and California Coast University, Dr. Connor did her NIH T-32 research fellowship at University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine. Board certified and a Fellow of the American Alternative Medicine Association, she is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Medicine, UK and the author of ten books.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Magnetic Field Activity During Healing | Margaret Moga Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-17 | Studies have noted electric field surges and magnetic field (MF) oscillations in close proximity to the healers’ body, suggesting that electromagnetic field variations may be part of the energy healing mechanism. In a study of Healing Touch practitioners, environmental magnetic field activity significantly increased during the healing sessions, but not during experiments with progressive relaxation or mock healing. A unique magnetic field waveform was observed, which has been reported by other investigators with different magnetometers. The ‘charge-discharge’ nature of energy healing is evident in the magnetic field recordings, and is characteristic of Reichian orgone and human physiology, in general. A dual-level mechanism may account for both local effects and distant, non-local effects of healing. Margaret Moga Ph.D. is an associate professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology at Indiana University School of Medicine. Her research background is the neuroanatomy of circadian rhythms and the central autonomic nervous system. Her research interests include developing scientific measures of ‘energy healing’, the chakras and other bioenergetic phenomena such as kundalini, and studying the exceptional experiences of healers and meditators. As a complement to her research, she has completed training as a practitioner in Healing Touch biofield therapy.Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Physiology, Psychology and Non-Local Consciousness Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-12 | Introduction: This pilot study was undertaken to prepare for a postgraduate project on human physiology, psychology, non-local consciousness and interconnectedness during states of meditation and yoga compared with normal activities. The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab over many years has shown that consciousness is non-local and can influence external physical processes. Thus, we can now research the human relevance of that knowledge in much greater detail using their technology in mainstream psychological, physiological and sociological experiments. Where this pilot study departs from the usual type of cognitive neuroscience studies is by simultaneously making physiological measurements with an app, recording the conscious experiences of the psychologically profiled participants, and running a Random Event Generator to observe the effects of both the participants and experimenter. Overall, this study initiates a path to answer the following questions: 1) Do physiological measurements correlate with psychological experiences such as meditation, and with psychological profiles? 2) Are there correlations between these and non-local consciousness? 3) Are there any indications of non-local connections between participants and experimenter? If so, what implications would this have for the future conduct of scientific research? Methods: This study included the following methods.Psychological profiling: Six participants filled in the Beliefs About Consciousness and Reality Questionnaire of Baruss and Moore, and the Psychological Wellbeing Scale of Carol Ryff. After sessions, they described their experiences of being a participant. Meditative practices: Two types of meditation were compared: a breath focused meditation and a body-focused yoga. Both these modalities emphasize whole-body conscious presence. The 6 participants did 3 baseline, 3 meditation and 3 yoga sessions of 10 minutes each. Physiological measurement: An iPhone app, Welltory, was used to measure heart rate variability (HRV) etc. before and after all sessions. It also provided the balance of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous activity, stress and coherence of heart, lungs and nervous system. REG: A Psyleron Random Event Generator was used in “FieldREG” mode for the duration of every 10-minute session. Analysis: Data were tested for correlations between type of meditation, physiological measures and psychological wellbeing scores. REG: Output data is still in the process of being statistically analyzed in relation to the other data types. Interim Results:Psychological: Participants all fell into the Extraordinary Transcendentalist category of Baruss and Moore, and all displayed moderate to high levels of psychological wellbeing (Ryff). Participants reported improved psychological states after meditation. Physiological: Some physiological factors of HRV were significantly correlated with meditation compared with baselines. HRV clearly improved which implies health benefits. The difference was less obvious with yoga. REG: An early indication is that there are two broad types of conscious experience that produce notable deviations from baseline in the FieldREG trace. Discussion: The results of this pilot study have confirmed previous research regarding the physiological wellbeing resulting from meditation. Further, there were positive correlations between the participants’ levels of perceived wellbeing and heart rate variability parameters. The results extend and complement the research of others who are using the REG strategy for measuring the physiology of meditation. For example, it appears that the strong deviations produced by emotional states, i.e., stimulation or suppression, contrast with minimal deviations during the detached state of meditation. However, the statistical analysis still needs to be completed. During sessions, it was frequently noted that conscious shifts in the experimenter affected the REG. There were also some striking examples of the experimenter and the participant having a similar psychological experience at the same time that produced a marked reaction in the REG. Could this indicate a shared conscious experience? These effects may challenge or at least extend some of the methodological assumptions of REG experiments and open up the possibility of including interpersonal, non-local connectedness between participants and experimenters by using the tools of ‘parapsychologists’ in future conventional consciousness research.---Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: scientificexploration.org/joinThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Introducing YouTube Memberships at the SSE Channel Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-07-12 | Support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science by becoming a member of our YouTube Channel. With a small, monthly donation, you will be given a loyalty badge, access to exclusive photos and status updates, early access to new videos, and priority replies to comments.All of the SSE’s work is open-access, but your YouTube membership will help us maintain our professional standards and the accessibility of our publications, while you enjoy a few perks. So, please join our network as a YouTube member today.
Exploring Ball Lightning related to Cold Fusion, UFOs, Crop Circles, and Bigfoot | Simeon Hein Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-27 | Research from John Hutchinson, Kenneth Shoulders, and more recently the Martin Fleischmann Memorial Project, building on the discoveries and ideas of inventor Nikola Tesla, have shown how large amounts of energy can be emitted from superconducting Exotic Vacuum Objects; tightly bound, coherent electron clusters whose behavior is described by fluid vortex dynamics. Such tightly compressed energy entities are regularly produced by Cold Fusion and LENR systems. These EVOs can create “strange radiation”, antigravity, and have been called micro Ball Lightning by scientists such as Takaaki Matsumoto and Russian researchers. This presentation suggests that electric anomalies like cars stalling and batteries draining as repeatedly experienced by witnesses around non-ordinary phenomena like UFOs, orbs, and related encounters are, in fact, related to this previously unrecognized type of coherent matter and its ability to tunnel through solid surfaces, transmute chemical elements, and create sudden, high-energy discharges when these energy wave clusters collapse. Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Why All Scientists Should Take Psi Seriously | Jessica Utts Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-25 | Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Remote Viewing Applications Survey | Debra Lynne Katz Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-24 | Introduction: The primary purpose of this review and exploratory survey of experienced remote viewers was to discover which types of projects they are engaged with today, and to what extent, and to understand their backgrounds, methods, approaches, practices, philosophies, beliefs, and phenomenological experiences related to this work. Another goal was to discover whether the original definitions and tenants of remote viewing defined within its specific historical context have changed.Methods: In designing our novel survey, we examined RV projects discussed in the scientific, archival, and popular literature spanning the past 50 years since remote viewing inception. These past projects, along with their methods, approaches, and philosophical underpinnings, informed our multiple-choice question construction (46 in all) as we operated from the hypothesis that we would likely see, at least to some extent, a continuation of these themes, or reminiscences of them, through present day remote viewing applied work. Still, we anticipated there could be some changes related to the decentralization-deinstitutionalization of remote viewing from its shift to governmental and military culture into a far less structured one. We also anticipated there could be changes related to developing technologies.Only respondents who have participated in real-life applied/operational remote viewing projects other than for training practice or research purposes were invited and allowed to participate. We were interested in polling only those who would fall under the stricter definition of remote viewing, and not just any type of psychic practitioner such as an intuitive or clairvoyant reader or medium.Results: One hundred-six remote viewers participated in the survey, although not all responded to every question. We consistently had between 70 and 73 responses per question. Participants came from over a dozen countries, spanned in age between 35-55, with twenty participants over the age of 65 (19.61%). Professions included tax analyst, financial auditor, investors, insurance claims adjuster, economic development consultant, systems analyst, business school professor, software developer, software engineer, geophysicist, medical surgeon, registered nurse, pharmacist, nutritionist, law enforcement officers, teachers, and artists.Responses were analyzed through the use of a mixed-methods approach. The main findings are that remote viewing applications are wide, spanning from business to scientific and intelligence applications, and for the use of personal, corporate, and public agencies. RV is often used for finding missing items and pets. Twenty-three percent of the participants declared that their remote viewing job was paid. The range of the training and experience with remote viewing was expansive, and the majority used mixed methods, depending on the project. We found that most respondents expressed both awareness of and respect for the scientific principles related to blinding and separation of roles, yet there was a range of views regarding the practicality of adhering to these for application purposes.Discussion: While only 23.4% declared that their RV job was paid, for some, this is a real professional job. All viewers had some level of training, ranging from less than one year to more than 20 years of training and less to 50 to over 2000 RV completed sessions. They are also trained in a wide range of modalities. Differences between remote viewers today and those who emerged from the earlier research labs and government RV programs are that viewers today are without monitors in terms of the actual conducting of the RV sessions. While some stick to a single modality (such as controlled remote viewing), many reported adjusting their approaches based on a project’s needs and using a mixed-methods approach. In terms of the overall project setup, many continue to work in groups, or at least with taskers. Respect for blinding protocols was mentioned, but there was a range of beliefs about the practicality of remaining blind for applied projects. Working with front-loading appeared to be viewed as a higher-level skill.We were impressed by the expressions of strong enthusiasm, excitement, and personal benefits of remote viewing during applications work. The phrase “remote viewing makes me high” was repeated several times, as were words such as “thrilling” and “love” and “fascinating.” Our participants gave different definitions of success, not just accuracy-driven. Our final conclusion is that remote viewing continues to be carried out in the spirit in which it was intended, for practical use and as an information gathering tool, by articulate, thoughtful, and engaged participants.The SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.https://linktr.ee/scientificexploration
Nonlocal Consciousness and the Anthropology of Religions and Spiritual Practices | Stephan Schwartz Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-22 | This paper presents an anthropological assessment of religions and spiritual practices stripped of their sectarian dogmas. It discusses them not on the basis of faith, but as systems of empirical observational science developed over generations for the purpose of allowing followers the opportunity to open to nonlocal consciousness. The paper describes how religions begin as the result of a single individual having a nonlocal, or a series of nonlocal consciousness experiences, laying out the steps by which that individual’s experience becomes a religion. It shows how the empirical sciences of religions, and the spiritual practices they engender are supported by scientific experimental research from many different disciplines explaining in the process why water and wine are often a part of religious rituals; why healing is common across religions; why sacred spaces are significant, how they are created; and why scriptures, and even the manner in which they are written, matter. Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Measuring Group Connections: Heart Rate Variability & Random Number Generators | Eric Leskowitz Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-20 | Measuring Group Connections: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Random Number Generators (RNG)Eric LeskowitzSpaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USAIntroduction: Most people have experienced the power of group energies, whether at a political rally, a sporting event, a musical concert, or a meditation retreat. While concrete factors like the volume of the cheers and the sight of other people clapping are easy to identify as contributors to the impact of these events, objective measurement of the intangible aspects of this phenomenon has been problematic. In this report, I describe the detection and measurement of the subtle energy aspects of group connections using two well-validated techniques: heart rate variability (HRV) (in particular, Heart Coherence (HC)) and random number generators (RNG). The first demonstration was done in a laboratory setting, and the second was done while attending a professional baseball game. Both produced significant confirmatory evidence that intangible group connections are, in fact, real, measurable, and quantifiable. Methods: HRV: On-site at the Institute of HeartMath, a volunteer (the author) who was naïve to the IHM practice of heart coherence (HC) had all incoming visual and auditory cues blocked by blindfolds and headphones. He then had his baseline HRV status was measured with standard heart-rate biofeedback monitors, before being joined by four experienced HeartMath practitioners. At a moment in time unbeknownst to the subject, they began their meditation practice, while he continued to be monitored to determine whether his HC status was being affected by the nearby group’s meditative activities. RNG: A software program for continuously generating random numbers was installed on a laptop computer that the author brought to a professional baseball game. The program was allowed to run throughout the game, which the author watched while seated several hundred feet away from the computer. He made note of moments that he subjectively determined were emotionally significant or intense. After the game ended, the RNG data file was analyzed by an off-site statistician, who was blind to the proceedings, in order to determine at what moments in time the RNG output varied from randomness by more than two standard deviations (i.e., attained statistical significance). Results: HRV: During the baseline phase, the subject showed no significant degree of heart coherence, ranging from 0-5% on the coherence ratio weighted average HC index. Shortly after the HeartMath team entered the room, and within seconds of them beginning to meditate, the subject’s HC tracing showed an immediate and sustained increase in coherence to 25% over the next minute. At that point, the study was terminated by the lab director. RNG: Seven moments of statistically significant spikes in RNG non-randomness were noted, and five of them corresponded exactly in time to the five of the eight most emotionally significant moments of the game, as previously determined subjectively by the author. The odds that these co-occurrences happened due to chance alone were 1:2,000. Discussion: Both studies validated the initial hypothesis that group energetic connections could be measured by fairly simple instrumentation. The mechanism of action for these effects is not clear, though the apparent synchronization of heart rhythms is thought by IHM researchers to represent a resonance phenomenon between the cardiac magnetic fields of the participants. Future studies could shield out various components of the EMF and biofield via Faraday cages and mu-metal shielding to isolate any putative non-EMF or etheric components of this interaction. The baseball study mirrored findings by the PEAR Lab and the Global Consciousness Project, but with more precise moment-to-moment data analysis made possible via the novel proprietary software used in this study. In contrast to the cumulative data analysis favored by those labs, the use of this novel software could enable more precise studies of the impact of group consciousness on RNG devices. ---Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: scientificexploration.org/joinThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Accuracy and Neural Correlates of Blinded Mediumship Compared to Controls | Arnaud Delorme Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-13 | Introduction: Mediumship is an ancestral practice whereby mediums can access information they should not be able to access based on the materialist paradigm. During advanced meditative practice or mediumship sessions, unusual perceptions can arise, including the sense of receiving information about unknown people who are deceased. As with meditation, this mental state of communication with the deceased involves calming mental chatter and becoming receptive to subtle feelings and sensations. We show that it is an ideal field of study for testing the hypothesis that consciousness is nonlocal, as it is (1) widely practiced, (2) involves extreme emotions — such as the ones associated with death — which usually trigger the most spontaneous paranormal reports, and (3) there are also prior, reputable studies. We review three experiments we performed on this topic. Experiment 1: In our first experiment, psychometric and brain electrophysiology data were collected from six individuals who had previously reported accurate information about deceased individuals under double-blind conditions. In the first task, the participant was given only the first name of a deceased person and asked 25 questions. Mediums’ accuracy was rated above chance expectation in this blinded test. The correlation between accuracy and brain activity during the 20 seconds of silent mediumship communication was significant in frontal theta for one participant. These differences suggest that the impression of communicating with the deceased may be a distinct mental state distinct from ordinary thinking or imagination. Experiment 2: In our second experiment on this topic, we improved experimental design to increase statistical power. We invited 12 mediums to see if they could tell if a person was alive or dead based solely on a brief examination of his or her photograph. Participants examined 404 photographs displayed on a computer monitor, one photo at a time, each shown for a maximum of 8 seconds. At the time the experiment was conducted, half of the individuals in the photos were deceased and half were alive. The images in the two classes were balanced using 11 image characteristics so that not a single characteristic could help with classifying the images. Participants were asked to indicate if they thought the person in a photo was living or deceased by pressing an appropriate button. Overall, the mean accuracy on this task was 53.6%, where 50% was expected by chance (P = .005, two-tailed). Statistically significant accuracy was independently obtained in 5 of the 12 participants. We also collected 32-channel electrocortical recordings and observed a robust difference between images of deceased individuals correctly vs. incorrectly classified in the early event-related potential at 100ms post-stimulus onset. Our results suggest that some individuals can intuitively assess mortality based on some as-yet-unknown features of the face. Experiment 3: In our third experiment, a classification task asked participants to look at 180 facial photographs of deceased individuals (photographs were taken years prior to their deaths) and guess the cause of death from three equiprobable categories: heart attack; death by firearm; or car accident. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) data were simultaneously collected during the task. The participants included individuals who claimed “mediumistic” (psychic) abilities and controls who claimed no mediumistic ability. Pooled data showed accurate guesses for the cause of death (p = 0.004), and control subjects were primarily responsible for this effect (p = 0.005). EEG and ECG differences were found between the mediums and controls. Control participants had larger amplitude event-related potentials (ERP) following the presentation of the images than the mediums, between 80 and 110 ms, and between 200 and 350 ms. This result could be interpreted as reflecting greater attention and less response inhibition by controls as compared to the mediums. Discussion: We explain how these results, suggesting that consciousness is not limited to the brain, have important consequences for our model of the world. We may interpret this result as mediums accessing global consciousness shared by all living beings and matter. Our results suggest that we are connected to each other in ways not fully explained by the materialist paradigm. Although these results do not yet demonstrate that consciousness is primary, it indicates that the materialist paradigm is incomplete at best. ---Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Spacetime Holism | Sky Nelson-Isaacs Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-13 | Introduction: The basic notion of time moving as a point moving from past to future dominates Western thinking. In a recent paper in Quantum Reports, I showed that wavefunction propagation in spacetime (through the Feynman path integral or the Schrodinger equation) can be rewritten as a recursive Fourier transformation. This approach distinguishes between measurable coordinates, which correspond to physical interactions or endpoints, and unmeasurable parameters, which are non-physical. This distinction is illustrated by a hologram, in which the holographic image you see (coordinate) is distinct from the film in the background (parameters). The result is a holistic view of time, in which the basic element of time is not a point but a line between interactions. Treating time as fundamentally holistic allows one to construct theories which connect present with future, i.e., post-select a given end state to experience a meaningful coincidence or synchronicity in the present time. Methods: Drawing off two related formalisms—Fourier optics and the Feynman path integral—an equation for wavefunction propagation is presented which reflects the mathematics of holograms. The ontology of this formalism is simple, consisting of spacetime and its Fourier dual. The traditional approach of a spatial wavefunction which is dependent upon the time variable is discarded in favor of a 4-dimensional spacetime distribution (block multiverse) which does not evolve. In spite of the static nature of the block multiverse, equations of motion of a system are encoded as-a-whole into its phase profile. Dynamical change is thus possible even though the wave distribution does not evolve. Discussion: Bohm sought to develop quantum mechanics into the implicate and explicate order. Bohm’s structure emerges naturally in this formalism. This is unsurprising because Bohm’s favorite metaphor was the hologram and the Fourier transform, which serve as the basis for the formalism presented here. Just as digital images and audio data can be converted into spaceless and timeless representations, respectively, the implicate order described here is without space or time parameter. The timelessness and spacelessness applies universally and generates fruitful lines of inquiry, such as the retroactive flexibility of histories, as well as the requirement that all physical properties are defined subjectively. ReferencesBohm, D. (1980). Wholeness and the implicate order. Routledge.Feynman, R. P. (1948). Space-time approach to non-relativistic quantum mechanics. Reviews of Modern Physics, 20, 367–387.Goodman, J. W. (1996). Introduction to Fourier optics (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Book Co.Nelson-Isaacs, S. (2021). Spacetime paths as a whole. Quantum Reports, 3(1), 13-41. doi.org/10.3390/quantum3010002---Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
20 Years of Vital Force Technology | Igor Nazarov Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-12 | Introduction: Dr. Yury Kronn spent the last thirty years of his life exploring different aspects of subtle energy that led him, in 2000, to the invention of Vital Force Technology. This technology allows for capturing “blueprints” of subtle energy, using noise in the region of existing sound waves as their carrier. Dr. Kronn conducted numerous experiments working with different labs at a variety of institutions and showed that products processed with VFT can beneficially affect humans, animals, and plants on the physical, cellular, and even genetic level (Kronn, 2016). In 2017, a new approach using a region of the visible light spectrum, instead of the sound wave range, was put under trial. An experimental setup based on the non-linear qualities of light (Butylkin, 1989)—the Multidimensional Imaging System (MIG)—was created. Various tests demonstrated that MIG Technology is capable of successfully capturing subtle energy blueprints. Methods: Vital Force Technology (VFT) is capable of capturing a subtle energy pattern coming from the electrically modulated gas discharge of specific inert gasses and of recording this as noise with the help of a high-quality audio-processing system. The subsequent audio signal playback through powerful electromagnets allows for processing a selected sample, providing it with the qualities of the subtle energy blueprints. MIG Technology functionally mimics VFT, with the only difference being, instead of using the sound wave range of frequencies, it works in the region of light spectrum wavelengths. Results: Four years of a study comparing sound waves with light spectrum waves, when both are used as carriers of subtle energy blueprints, has shown that products created with the help of both methods work the same way. Some samples occurred to be more effective for human well-being when the two methods are combined, especially when the blueprints are taken from plants. MIG Technology has demonstrated greater effectiveness in creating a long-lived macroscopic entanglement. Discussion: One of the driving forces behind both technologies is a well-known model describing how the three-dimensional material world, which science mainly explores, is the last resort of the multi-dimensional Multiverse that “squeezes” itself into the dense condition of our existence. It is hypothesized that the material world is constructed according to the “blueprints” of the higher dimensions that we can call the subtle world. If this is correct, then every object we deal with in the material world has as an integral part of these blueprints. By finding out how to attune to these blueprints, record them, and then impose them enhanced on different objects, we could then be able to beneficially change these objects and their qualities. During his life, Dr. Kronn, experimenting with people known to be sensitive testers, found that some combinations of the gas discharge recorded through specific filters, when modulated with the current of particular frequencies swept with distinct speeds (VFT), can positively affect human mood and health. Experimenting further, he enhanced the effectiveness of his experimental setup configuration by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio using a special filtering system. This allowed Dr. Kronn to record not only a powerful subtle energy signal coming from the gas discharge but also to capture subtle energy blueprints of practically any object. This breakthrough brought forward the necessity of further shielding experiments from environmental noises (Kronn, 2019). The next generation of subtle energy technology switched from sound waves to the light spectrum of waves (MIG). Light technology was discovered to be more effective in creating a long-lived macroscopic entanglement, which is now being used for EMF protective devices entangled with the ionosphere vibrations—Schumann resonance frequencies (Nazarov, 2019). It is hypothesized that other parts of the wavelength spectrum characteristic of the human sensory apparatus may also work in the same fashion, revealing new features of subtle energy. More research is needed to improve our understanding of the relationship between subtle energy and the Multiverse.Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Spatial and Temporal Coherences of Biophoton Emission | Daqing Piao Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-11 | Growing bodies of experiments have revealed that the spontaneous biophoton emission of humans shows patterns of coherence in both spatial presentation and temporal phase-variation. The spatial coherence pattern refers to correlations of the intensity changes of biophoton emission of humans between distant anatomic locations (Van Wijk et al., 2014). The temporal coherence pattern refers to synchronous or sequential occurrences of changes of biophoton emission of humans at various anatomical locations when influenced by a systematic exogenous factor (Kobayashi et al., 2009). These weak albeit undeniable patterns of spatial and temporal coherences (to the least correlations) are different from, and thus inexplicable by, the coherence of localized photon-counting of Poisson-statistics as stipulated by Popp et al. according to the decay of induced change of biophoton emission in organisms when stressed.Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Replication Study of Causally Ambiguous Duration Sorting | Winthrop T. Williams Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-09 | Introduction: The “arrow of time” is so fundamental to our present language and logic that we may think we can logically rule out retrocausation when in fact the lack of retrocausation was built into the axioms underlying that logic. In the absence of these presuppositions, the existence of retrocausation may be no more self-contradictory than the claim that retrocausation does not exist. (Kafatos & Nassikas, 2011). Empirical results have demonstrated a seconds-to-minutes apparently retrocausal effect manifesting as a correlation between the number of photons measured in an optical system and the future duration of that same photon-detection process (Mossbridge, 2019, 2021). This study is an attempt to replicate this effect. Methods: Hardware and software were developed independently from those of Mossbridge (2019, 2021), but were operated using the same protocol. Briefly, a light source and photon counter were turned on at the beginning of each run, 33 seconds of photon counts were gathered (in 3 11-second cumulative bins), then a quantum-seeded pseudorandom process was used to select the remaining amount of time photons would be counted. After that duration, the light source and photon counter were turned off. Differences in apparatus include photon detection by a single photon counting module (SPCM), pulse counting using a field programmable gate array, random number generation by discrete logic implementation of an 80-bit shift register pseudorandom number generator clocked by muon detections, a LabVIEW program operating the experiment and appending data to a file, and an RC circuit for ramping the detector voltage up and down which is optically isolated from the computer. Results: Data have been collected from approximately 34000 trials during 1/2 year of continuous operation from July 27, 2020 to Feb 21, 2021 inclusive. Analysis is in progress. Discussion: “Post Selection” experiments have demonstrated time symmetry in the evolution of quantum-mechanical systems and are congruent with the standard model of quantum physics (Aharonov et al., 2015). Those experiments support the possibility of apparent retrocausation and show a connection between the direction of causality (arrow of entropic time) and the boundary conditions of the system. Conceivably therefore, such a relationship might be turned around creating what one might call a “time telescope” whereby measurements of retrocausal effects allow us to observe boundary conditions that may be distant in time. ReferencesAharonov, Y., Cohen, E., Waegell, M., & Elitzur, A. C. (2018) The weak reality that makes q1uantum phenomena more natural: Novel insights and experiments. Entropy (Basel, Switzerland), 20(11), 854. doi.org/10.3390/e20110854 Kafatos, M., & Nassikas A. A. (2011). Retro-causation, minimum contradictions and non-locality. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1408, 291. doi.org/10.1063/1.3663730 Published Online: 18 November 2011.Mossbridge, J. (2019). The influence of future durations on past photon counts in an optical system. 2019 Annual Meeting of the APS Far West Section, 64(17). figshare.com/articles/figure/Future_Photon_Figure_1_pdf/9964976 Mossbridge, J. (2021). Long time-frame causally ambiguous behavior demonstrated in an optical system [In preparation for publication]. Retrieved from researchgate.net/publication/349106030_Long_time-frame_causally_ambiguous_behavior_demonstrated_in_an_optical_system/statshttps://linktr.ee/scientificexploration
Why We Need the Apocalypse Now! A Materialist Investigates Reality & Changes His Mind |Christof King Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-08 | This presentation recounts some of my anomalous experiences of synchronicity and psychokinesis (Dunningham, 2013). As the theme of this conference is connections, I present this material through a series of connections and parallel frustrations that highlight my personal journey from occult (hidden) agnosticism, dominated by paranoia, to apocalyptic (unveiled) epiphany, characterized by signs and synchronicities. Connected with this, I conclude with a discussion of how spirituality could progress from a situation of individual occultism and isolated meaningful coincidences towards an awareness of global synchronicity within a connected, enchanted world. ___Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Energy Mindfulness: Depression, Anxiety, Stress & Subtle Energy Balance | Analaura Trivellato Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-07 | Benefits of Energy Mindfulness (EM), generally taken as a spiritual practice, are widely accepted as valid and effective among those who practice it. However, scientifically rigorous experiments to measure such results have not been carried out. This study investigates the effects of EM practices (i.e., the intentional movement of one’s own subtle energy). EM is rooted in ancient practices and an updated version of this technique known as VELO was applied in this study. Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Intention As a Variable in Nonlocal Consciousness Research | Stephan Schwartz Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-06 | What is consciousness? What is information? Those, to me, are the two great mysteries. After 50 years of experimentation research studying consciousness, I have come to this conclusion. Max Planck and many of his colleagues in the German school who created modern physics were correct. Consciousness is causal and fundamental. Spacetime arises from consciousness not consciousness from spacetime. It is not a new idea, but today, for the first time, we are able to use experimental science to test our ideas about it. It has always been a fundamental belief. The world is created by nonlocal consciousness as an expression of intention. However, humanity has formulated that concept across time, culture, and geography, whether in religious or secular terms. Scriptures the world over begin with this predicate, the only difference being the description of the intender and the cultural context. This paper explores the scientific experimentation data showing that intention is a variable that must be considered in science.Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://linktr.ee/scientificexplorationThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Unlocking Zero-Point Energy | Garret Moddel Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-06-05 | Introduction: In a recent breakthrough (Moddel et al., 2021a), we reported the successful demonstration of extraction of power from zero-point fluctuations. Since the advent of quantum mechanics, zero-point energy (ZPE) has tantalized the scientific community with its huge store of energy, which has appeared to be a fixture of nature but not something that could be extracted. Here, I describe why this energy has appeared to be inaccessible and then provide the keys to unlocking it. Background: In 1911, Planck presented his second theory for the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation resulting from material at a particular temperature to account for observed spectra. It included two terms, a temperature dependent term, and a second, temperature independent term that became known as the quantum vacuum or ZPE radiation. Decades later, with the development of quantum theory, this ZPE was again proposed, but this time as a result of the quantum uncertainty principle, an explanation that can be easily understood. Today most of the physics community invokes the uncertainty principle as the justification for ZPE. Perhaps because it is seen as existing to satisfy a physical principle instead of, say, the result of a physical interaction, it is viewed as a fixture of nature. Such a fixture is unalterable and therefore not available for extraction. Beyond this mindset, I give three physical reasons ZPE should not be available for extraction. Arguments against the possibility of zero-point energy extraction: 1. Need for a difference to induce flow. Just as heat flow requires a temperature difference to drive it, so too would ZPE require a difference to drive it. Since ZPE is the universal ground state, it would appear impossible to provide a difference in its level. 2. Equilibrium and detailed balance. In equilibrium all transitions between two sites or energy levels are balanced by the opposite transitions, a process called detailed balance. Since ZPE is considered to be in equilibrium, even if we could induce a flow, it would be balanced by an equal flow in the opposite direction, as part of the detailed balance concept. 3. Perhaps most fundamentally, energy extraction from a system in equilibrium would violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics, arguably the most sacrosanct principle in physics. We have designed, fabricated, and tested over a thousand of these devices, and found real energy extraction. After carrying out eight different types of verifications of the measured response, we found no artifacts that can explain away the results (Moddel et al., 2021a). We measured even larger effects on the resistance of the samples (Moddel et al., 2021b). It is still possible that another, non-ZPE cause for the observations will be found, but in the absence of that the following appear to be the keys to unlocking ZPE: 1. A Casimir cavity is an optical cavity in which the density of vacuum ZPE modes is reduced compared to outside of the cavity. The commonly associated energy is due to the Casimir force, an attraction that appears between the mirrors of the cavity. We instead use this cavity to induce an asymmetry that produces a net flow of electrons through the Casimir photoinjector. 2. It has been argued that a small amount of energy may be borrowed from the background ZPE for a very short time (Ford, 1991). We break the detailed balance by capturing the electrons in femtoseconds (10–15 seconds), before the borrowed energy can return to its source. This is accomplished with extremely fast transit of electrons through nanometer layers in the Casimir photoinjector, and essentially bilks the system out of some of its ZPE. 3. More than any other factor, the possible violation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics by the Casimir photoinjector is the main reason for the deep skepticism of our results by the physics community. By redefining equilibrium to incorporate spatial variations in ZPE, it may be possible to reconcile our results with the Second Law. ReferencesFord, L. H. (1991). Constraints on negative-energy fluxes. Physical Review D., 43, 3972. Moddel, G., Weerakkody, A., Doroski, D., & Bartusiak, D. (2021a). Optical-cavity-induced current. Symmetry, 13, 517.Moddel, G., Weerakkody, A., Doroski, D., & Bartusiak, D. (2021b). Casimir-cavity-induced conductance changes. Physical Review Research, 3, L022007.Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: https://www.scientificexploration.org...The SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
“Don’t Cross the Streams!” Parsing Potential Poltergeist Phenomena from Alleged Bigfoot Activity Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-05-14 | “Don’t Cross the Streams!” Parsing Potential Poltergeist Phenomena from Alleged Bigfoot ActivityDarby OrcuttNC State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USAIntroduction: As an academic with a foot in both the parapsychological and Bigfoot research communities, I can appreciate the allure of mixing the two, but am especially cautious not to cross the streams of scientific approaches to each, and especially recognize the futility of addressing one unknown with another. Cutchin (2020) recently speculates on numerous ways that the two fields might relate, proposing a phenomenon of “wildnisgeist,” or “poltergeists of the woods” (although I think the more literal “waldgeist” would be clearer and sound better). Reinterpreting what Bigfoot researchers commonly call “class B” reports (i.e., reports of events consistent with alleged Bigfoot behavior but lacking an actual sighting) as potential poltergeist phenomena, Cutchin produces a laundry list of ostensible similarities, including “thrown stones, raps, disembodied voices, anomalous odors, frightened pets, apports, electrical interference, and anomalous lights” (p.10). Cutchin poses a number of logical explanations for these relationships, yet seems to see no path forward towards testing or assessing their vitality. In this paper, I offer a more logical means of parsing alleged poltergeist occurrences from Bigfoot accounts in order to facilitate scientifically testing potential poltergeist phenomena. Methods: This is an exploratory study based on qualitative data from interviews and ethnographic fieldwork. Discussion: My own speculation on a poltergeist explanation of some alleged Bigfoot reports arose from a number of firsthand accounts I heard from amateur Bigfoot investigators. A minority of reports included details that were qualitatively distinct from most “class B” reports as well as logically inconsistent with biological models of even potential primate range and behavior. For example, in place of the standard rock-throwing, a behavior both reported in numerous Bigfoot eyewitness accounts and also consistent with known primate behavior, certain witnesses reported being showered instead with tiny pebbles. Pebble tossing mirrors the act of rock-throwing but utterly lacks the presumed intent of intimidation. These reports seem to cluster in locations far less likely to provide habitat or cover for a large, elusive species. For example, one experiencer encouraged me to join him in attempting a Bigfoot encounter in an urban tract of “woods” that appeared to be only about an acre or two in size. The experiencers of these qualitatively different reports furthermore tend to have numerous encounters, far more frequent than most amateur investigators. For example, I accompanied one such eyewitness on a fruitless nighttime investigation, after which he claimed that he had previously “always” experienced Bigfoot across many visits to that location. That same witness later shared with me descriptions and photographic evidence of a physical nature, but “evidence” that was easily explained as misidentification of natural and normal aspects of the environment. While misidentification, imagination, and/or fabrication could account for all of these reports, the apparent sincerity of the witnesses – as well as the correlation of their unusual and unlikely details – led me to consider a more charitable explanation. The further correlation of these reports with common aspects of poltergeist activity suggests potential origins in unconscious psi or RSPK, not the least notably that they are repeated phenomena occurring in the presence of only certain human experients. Rather than shrug our shoulders at where the potential line, if any, may be drawn between possible Bigfoot and poltergeist experiences, I encourage parapsychological focus on cases fitting this particular profile, which is almost certainly not reconcilable with any conceivably natural Bigfoot species. This allows for at least a research question that is clear and singularly focused: Are these experiences human RSPK phenomena? If so, then they may offer psi researchers a wonderful opportunity to study poltergeist phenomena that are longer lasting than most domestic manifestations. On the other hand, the ethics of investigating a phenomenon other than that reported by and of interest to the experients must be carefully navigated. ReferenceCutchin, J. (2020). Wildnisgeist: Poltergeists of the woods? EdgeScience, 43, 6-13.Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: scientificexploration.org/joinThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
After-Death Communication with Cell Phones | Durra Kadiragha Society for Scientific Exploration 2023-05-10 | After-Death Communication with Cell PhonesDurra Kadiragha, & Imants Baruss Department of Psychology King’s University College at Western University, London, Ontario, CanadaAfter-death communication (ADC) with cell phones is a phenomenon in which instrumental transcommunication occurs on mobile devices. Our study has recruited a sample of 21 people who have experienced this phenomenon and asked them to answer a 95-item questionnaire regarding their experiences. What our research was trying to investigate is the nature of ADC using cell phones, the mechanisms through which the communication occurs, variations of the incidences, as well as how extensive the phenomenon is. The questionnaire detailed different aspects of the incidences to pin-point patterns, common reoccurrences, and to begin the exploration of these occurrences in hopes of understanding their nature and how they can possibly be replicated. On June 25th, 2020 our questionnaire, consisting of three measures, was posted onto the ITC group on Facebook. The 95-item survey was sent out specifically to this Facebook group, as its members identify as frequent practitioners of instrumental transcommunication using numerous devices, ultimately sharing their results and experiences with the rest of the group. MethodsParticipants: Participants consisted of 21 individuals recruited from posting our debrief form on the ITC Facebook group page on June 25th, 2020. There were 16 women and five men (N= 21), 16 of them were over 55 years old. Materials: A consent letter was provided to the participants. It included a description of the study and detailed the potential risks and discomforts associated with it, the benefits, anonymity, and right to withdraw at any time. Measures: Three measures were included in the study, which were six demographics question, an After-Death Communication Questionnaire developed by the researchers, and Carol Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being. The After-Death Communication Questionnaire consisted of 41 Likert type items varying from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” regarding the nature of ADC via cellphone devices, along with the impact of these instances on the individual and their perception of the sender and experience. Carol Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being questionnaire was used as a measure of psychological well-being of the participants, looking into six different areas of well-being measured by the Ryff inventory, which are Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations with Others, Purpose in Life, and Self-Acceptance. Each one of these items was scored on a six-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” (Ryff & Keyes, 1995). Results: Findings show our participants scored higher on the Personal Growth scale of the Ryff inventory than the norm (df = 8504, t = 2.969, p =0.0015). This finding is statistically significant and suggests that our participants have a greater interest in self-development and openness to new experiences. As well, different mechanisms of after-death communication were reported by our participants through self-assessment measures. The most frequent of these mechanisms were telephone calls, photos or videos showing up on cell phones, text messages, non-vocal sounds during telephone calls or on voicemail, and voice during telephone calls. Our study also includes participants’ descriptions of their experiences, which will be shown in the presentation. Discussion: The findings of our study highlight the different types of mechanisms through which after-death communication can occur on cell phones. This changes the perception of after-death communication and suggests that communication can occur with regular cellphones without the need for creating dedicated EVP and ITC devices.ReferencesRyff, C., & Keyes, C. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.---Join the SSE to support to support the Society’s commitment to maintain an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: scientificexploration.org/joinThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers, and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
Patrick Huyghe | The Startling Discovery of Small Comets Society for Scientific Exploration 2022-12-13 | In 1986 Space Physicist Louis A. Frank at the University of Iowa announced that the Earth was being showered every minute by small comets that break up and deposit large clouds of water vapor in the upper atmosphere. This wasn’t mere speculation; the evidence came from images taken by the Dynamics Explorer spacecraft. Frank faced an avalanche of criticism from fellow astronomers, geologists, and geophysicists. But a few scientists who were intent on proving him wrong actually confirmed his discovery. Then in the 1990s, images from two instruments on another spacecraft named Polar provided “vindication” of his original discovery. This talk will attempt to present some of the evidence for the existence of the small comets and explain my role in the story. It will not detail the extensive controversy, which is covered in detail in the new book "Cosmic Rain: The Controversial Discovery of Small Comets" by Louis A. Frank. Patrick Huyghe is a writer, editor, publisher, and television producer. He spent two decades writing about science for magazines from Omni to Discover to The New York Times; was a staff writer at Newsweek; produced television documentaries for WGBH and WNET; was the editor of the SSE’s EdgeScience for more than 12 years, and is the author/co-author of nine books. He is currently the editor and publisher of Anomalist Books.This talk is part of a series of community discussion hours hosted by and for members of the Society for Scientific Exploration. Join the SSE to support the Society’s commitment to maintaining an open professional forum for researchers at the edge of conventional science: scientificexploration.org/joinThe SSE provides a forum for original research into cutting-edge and unconventional areas. Views and opinions belong only to the speakers and are not necessarily endorsed by the SSE.
