Psychic Mediums Provide Accurate Information

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that psychic mediums, who claim to communicate with the spirits of deceased individuals, are able to bring forth accurate information.

In the study, conducted by Gary Schwartz and his colleagues at the University of Arizona, Tucson and published in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, five reputable mediums sat in turn with a single client who had experienced several losses over the previous few years. The medium and the client were separated by a curtain. The client was able to respond with a yes or no to any questions the medium asked. After the sessions , the researchers prepared transcripts of all sessions and asked the client to evaluate for accuracy every single statement made by the mediums. The results indicated that the average accuracy rate was eighty-five percent.

To obtain some measure of what might be a base rate of accuracy from simple guessing, the researchers asked volunteers to guess at the information. The researchers compiled a sample questionnaire, comprising seventy statements randomly selected from the statements provided by the mediums. Examples of such items were, “Who called the client ‘Patsy’?” and “What is the client’s child’s name?” A group of sixty eight college students attempted to guess the right answers to these statements. Their average accuracy was only thirty six per cent, significantly lower than that of the mediums.

In an examination of the qualitative aspects of the information, the researchers found evidence to contradict the presumption that the medium was getting information telepathically from the client. All mediums got information about a deceased son, but none got anything about a deceased daughter. In fact, there was a daughter, but she was still living. They picked up correct information about the name of the deceased son, but got no information about the name of a daughter. If they were receiving information from the client’s mind, it would seem as likely for them to receive information concerning the daughter’s name as it would for them to receive information about the son’s name. Four of the five received information about a deceased dog. None of them received any information concerning the name of the dog. During the interview with the client, the client referred to the dog by name as often as she referred to her deceased son by name. If the mediums were getting their information telepathically from the client, it would seem that they would be as likely to get the name of the dog as they would the name of the son.

The research was financed by HBO, a television network, that was preparing a documentary on spirit communication.

Americans Believe in the Paranormal

According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans’ belief in paranormal issues have risen in the past ten years. Only one issue, belief in devil possession, has gone down. According to a report of the poll published in Noetic Sciences Review, there was a significant increase in the belief about haunted houses, ghosts and witches. There were two matters about which over half of all Americans polled did believe: psychic healing and ESP.

Research at Esalen Archived on the Internet

The Esalen Center for Theory and Research, located in Big Sur, California, has a large web site (www.esalenctr.org) that provides information on its various research interests. The center sponsors special topical conferences, by invitation only, and archives summaries of these presentations online.

On the topic of survival research, for example, you can read about the research of University of Virginia psychiatrist, Jim Tucker, who has found that the mothers of children who recall past lives often have dreams that alert them to the child’s past life memories. He has also found a significant relationship between current life phobias and past life memories.

On the topic of psychic abilities, Russell Targ, one of the first investigators of remote viewing, makes five predictions about the future of ESP: First, that society will soon recognize “non-locality” (the inherent inter-connectedness of life that provides for “action at a distance”). Second, society will accept the reality of mind-to-mind and mind-to-matter interactions. Third, distant healing will become accepted medical practice. Four, that science and spirituality will become more integrated, including the acceptance of spiritual processes as valid scientific methodology. Fifth, the value and importance of seeking a peaceful mind will become increasingly recognized.

Birth Process Alleged Culprit

Is it possible that many of society’s ills, especially our destructive behavior, comes from the fear, pain or frustration of the experience in the womb and the experience going through the birth process? Stanislav Grof, M.D., in his book Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research (SUNY Press) believes he has the evidence to affirm that proposition.

His book describes his forty years of research guiding people into the realms of the unconscious, where he has discovered that people have memories for their intrauterine existence and that these experiences color their later lives. He believes that a more enlightened approach to pregnancy and the birth process will contribute to the enlightenment of society.

Partially in response to Dr. Grof’s work there has been established the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPAH). This organization publishes a newsletter as well as the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health. For more information, write to APPAH, 340 Colony Road, Geyersville, CA 95441 or email APPAH@aol.com

The association also has an extensive website, www.birthpsychology.com, which has many articles on prenatal activities and rituals to share with the fetus. One section of the website, entitled, “Communication before conception: A spiritual frontier,” (www.birthpsychology.com/lifebefore/concept.html) has several articles, personal stories, and instructional material, including an article acknowledging Glady Taylor McGarey, an orginator of the A.R.E. Clinic in Phoenix, and a proponent of Edgar Cayce’s teaching on the spiritual preparation for conception, as the “pioneer of pre-birth communication.”

Chicks Have PK power

Little baby chicks seem to have the psychokinetic (PK) powers necessary to mentally manipulate the movements of a robot. In a demonstration of this possibility, conducted by French researchers and reported in the Journal of Scientific Exploration, a candle bearing robot was placed in a darkened chamber that held in one corner a group of chicks. The robot was programmed to move randomly around the chamber. An analysis of the robot’s movements, however, showed that in more than seventy per cent of the cases, the robot spent more than an average amount of time in the vicinity of the chicks. When the chicks were not present in the room, the robot’s movements were totally random.

For more information, go to www.scientificexploration.org/jse/abstracts/v9n2a5.html

Religion Helps Prevent Depression

More than eighty studies conducted during the past century have found a link between religious involvement and lower rates of depression. According to Susan Larson, author of The Forgotten Factor in Physical and Mental Health: What does the Research Show?, religious involvement provides a basis for finding meaning in the face of suffering, some positive coping mechanisms, and a network of support from other church members.

The research also shows, however, that the type of religious involvement makes a difference. “Intrinsic” religiosity, where a person internalizes their religious beliefs and is motivated to behave accordingly for the sake of those beliefs, regardless of external circumstances, is the type of religious involvement that provides protection from depression. “Extrinsic” religiosity, where a person manifests religious behaviors to promote a positive self-image for oneself and others, actually increases slightly the chances for depression.

For the complete text of Larson’s report on this survey of research on depression and religion, see www.ichs.org/programs/researchreports/web/depressionfacts.asp

Doctors Meet to Integrate Spirituality

“Spirituality and Healing in Medicine: Practical Usage in Contemporary Healthcare” was the theme of a recent continuing education program sponsored by Harvard Medical School. According to a report published in Research News & Opportunities in Science and Theology, there were three main themes presented at the conference. First was the healing power of the “relaxation response” or meditation. The second was the importance of “meaning” in the healing process and how religion or spirituality contributed to that necessary experience. Finally was the topic of “presence,” or the quality of consciousness with which the health care provider approached the patient. This last quality, it was recognized, requires that the health care professional have a relationship with their own spirituality.

For further information on Research News & Opportunities in Science and Theology, write to 415 Clarion Drive, Durham, NC 27705 or visit their website at www.researchnewsonline.org. For more information on the next conference on Spirituality in Medicine, see the website www.mbmi.org

Crosscurrents Integrate Heart and Mind

The Association for Religion and Intellectual Life (ARIL) is a non-profit organization for people committed to both faith and intelligence and to “connecting the wisdom of the heart and the life of the mind.” The organization publishes the magazine CrossCurrents and has an extensive web site.

Many articles from the back issues of the magazine are available at the web site. A sampling of topics include the relationship between Christianity and Zen, the symbol of the Cross, the value of dancing, the relationship between religion and politics, spirituality in the modern world view, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, listening with the heart, and the internet as a metaphor for God.

For more information, write to ARIL, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 or go to the internet site, www.aril.org

More Americans Forego Religion

Today, more than twenty nine million Americans say that they have no religion, which is more than twice the number from ten years ago, according to a report in USA Today based upon data provided by the American Religious Identification Survey.  The proportion of Americans with no identified religion jumped from eight per cent to fourteen per cent. With the exception of Vermont, the states with the greatest proportion of Americans with no religious identification are all out west. There are more Americans today with no religion than the combined number of Methodists, Lutherans and Episcopalians combined.

According to a poll conducted by USA Today/Gallup finds that there is a shift occurring from institutionalized religion to more individualized forms of spiritual practice. This poll showed that half of Americans call themselves religious, while an additional third call themselves “spiritual but not religious.” Only one in ten say they are neither spiritual nor religious.

On the other hand, according to a World Values Survey, a study conducted by sociologists, there is a religious attitude manifested by people when asked how often they spend time thinking about the meaning and purpose of life. This research shows a growth in concern for the environment and seeing all of life as sacred. The new commandment might be, “Thou Shalt Not Pollute.”

Spirituality is Healing

The strength of a person’s faith in a higher power can be a powerful and guiding force in the health of a person’s life. It has scientifically proven healing power. Such is the premise of the book, God, Faith, and Health: Exploring the Spirituality-Healing Connection (John Wiley and Sons). The author, Jeff Levin, Ph.D., established the field known as the epidemiology of religion while he was on the staff of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia.

The ideas presented in this book as scientifically validated include:

·       Unconditional love is the most powerful stimulant of the immune system

·       Prayer, being an act of confiding, reduces stress

·       Faith, as a source of comfort, lessens the harmful effects of chronic illness on disability

·       Meditation and prayer decrease heart rate, lower metabolism,and bring the body back into balance.

·       Belief in God provides a source of hope, and instills trust and a sense of well-being—the power of positive thinking.

Intuitive People Less Sensitive to Lies

One practical value of the development of psychic ability would be to inform us of those people whom we could trust and those we could not. In fact, the invisibility of secrets and lies would seem viable only in the absence of ESP. An article appearing in Venture Inward magazine, “There’s no hiding from those who love you: ESP and family secrets,” and archived at www.creativespirit.net/noboundaries/secrets.htm showed, in fact, that ESP often “outs” secrets closeted in family relationships. Would those who have more ESP be more capable of detecting secrets or lies? Recent research surprises us with a negative answer.

In a British study reported on by the NewScientist.com news service, researchers obtained video clips of individuals either lying or telling the truth about their favorite films or preferred ways of relaxing. Two hundred participants viewed these clips and attempted to determine who was telling the truth and who was lying. Prior to presenting this task, researchers asked the participants to rate themselves on intuitive ability. In correlating the self-assessment of intuitive ability with the ability to detect deception, the researchers found that the people who assessed themselves as not intuitive had an accuracy rate of sixty-nine percent. The people who assessed themselves as very intuitive, however, had an accuracy rate of only fifty-nine percent.

The researchers speculated that perhaps the intuitive people used the wrong cues for assessing deception. When the results were reviewed with a group of professional intuitives (www.intuition.org), there were other explanations put forward. One was that self-assessment of intuition is not necessarily associated with actual ability. Second was that intuitive people may have a tendency to look on the positive side of life and be less sensitive to deception. Another explanation is that the detection of deception, still a poorly understood skill, may involve abilities other than intuition.q

For more information, see http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992054

Science and Spirit Meet Online

The publishers of Science and Spirit magazine have an extensive web site that includes selected contents from their hard copy publication as well as related news from other publications.

Among the archived articles, for example, there is one describing how seventy U.S. medical schools now teach student doctors how to deal with patients’ spiritual needs (www.science-spirit.org/articles/articledetail.cfm?article_id=287). Another article describes how a high tech worker used the spiritual concept of the Sabbath to recover from burnout and to restore balance (www.science-spirit.org/articles/articledetail.cfm?article_id=291)

The internet site also conducts polls. The current one asks whether or not you would favor a “green burial,” meaning burial in a biodegradable casket.

For more information, go to www.science-spirit.org

Dreams are Awake on the Internet

The internet is a lively place for exploring dreams, other people’s dreams as well as your own. There are many different websites that provide information about dreams.

·       Marc Barasch was healed of thyroid cancer by his dreams and wrote about it in his book, Healing Dreams (Riverhead Books). He has created a website, www.healingdreams.com that contains excerpts from his book, a gallery of dream images, and a collection of famous quotations about dreams.

·       Dream Central, located at www.sleeps.com, offers information about how to interpret your own dreams. It has a dream dictionary, as well as a forum where you can share your dreams. There is also a dream interpretation service.

·       The Dream Bank, located at www.dreambank.net is a collection of dreams collected by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. You can browse the dreams of people categorized along many dimensions, such as blind people, grade-school girls, scientists, or search for dreams that contain certain words. This site is associated with a larger site, part of the university’s ongoing dream research, located at http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/. This has many resources for the student and researcher of dreams, including references, research articles, frequently asked questions about dreams. This site is of particular use for students who are preparing to write a school paper on dreams.

·       The Association for the Study of Dreams, located at www.asdreams.org, has information about how you can participate in dream studies, selected contents from its two publications, Dreaming (a professional journal) and DreamTime (a magazine for dreamers). A special feature of this website is that they have several online galleries of dream art exhibits associated with their annual conventions. It also contains perhaps the most exhaustive listing of links to dream related sites on the internet.