2003 DPE Reports

March 2003 DPE Report

Is this evidence of phenomena?  Sherrill Nichols of the Spiritualist Church of Two Worlds, San Leandro CA, recently sent us a photograph taken by a friend.  We hope that you can see in this black and white version presented here that the boy in the photograph is nearly obscured by a smoky-like haze.  (The boy’s missing face is not phenomenal.  We have erased it.)  Ectoplasm has been photographed through out history in experiments done with many famous mediums, and clairvoyants sometimes report seeing ectoplasm as white, smoky tendrils of energy.

The boy is wearing a slick plastic jacket and it is reflecting considerable light back to the camera.  This may be the cause of the smoky film.  On the other hand, all of the photographs of the boy before and after this appeared without the smoky film.  The boy was in focus in all but the one with the smoky film.

We are not photographic experts, and the DPE does not have funds at this time to send photographs like these to experts at a photography laboratory.  We would like to know if any of the readers of this column have a background in evaluating photographs of this type.  It seems important that photographs like these are seriously considered for possible phenomena, because if the smoky film cannot be explained in mundane terms, then it may be evidential and should be noted as such.  We have placed the photograph on the DPE web site (http://nsacphenomena.com), so that you can have a better look at it in color.

ABC drama Miracles should highlight our interests.  AA-EVP member Richard Hatem was the screen writer and co-producer of the movie The Mothman Prophecies.  His work is now hitting primetime on ABC.  Miracles, a new ABC series will premier January 27^th, 2003 at 10p.m.  It is written and produced by Richard.

When asked to tell us a little about what viewers can expect, Richard wrote, “I've tried to inject as much of my own interests into Miracles as possible.  Episodes involve everything from reincarnation to poltergeists and from apports to time-slips.  One of the main characters, Alva Keel (named after John A. Keel, author of The Mothman Prophecies) relates an EVP experience as the main reason he began to investigate the paranormal.  His story will sound familiar to anyone who knows of Friedrich Jurgenson's first EVP experience.  In fact, in an up-coming episode, I'm planning to reference Raudive and the whole EVP phenomenon head-on.  Ultimately, I hope the show is uplifting.  Our goal is not to just scare you; we also want to make you cry.”

This series will have already made its debut by the time this report is published in the Summit.  The networks cancel many shows after airing only one or two episodes.  We hope that Miracles is still airing and if so watch and tell a friend about the show.  Even if the show is a bit scary or spooky it will be an opportunity for the public to learn more about phenomena.  That it will be aired on a main network is phenomenal in itself.

Is consciousness the basic building block of the universe?  Dr. Sam Parnia, senior research fellow at the University of Southampton, and Dr. Peter Fenwick, a consultant neuropsychiatrist at Oxford University, are seeking funding to conduct a large-scale study to discover if clinically dead people really have out-of-body experiences and if consciousness lives on.  The researchers have founded a charitable trust, Horizon Research, to promote studies in this field.

Last year Parnia published a study indicating that ten percent of patients who were clinically dead, and then later resuscitated, reported memories while their bodies were lifeless.  Fenwick and others are not positing life after death per se, merely consciousness after death.  Nevertheless, the implications are enormous.  If near-death experiences and out-of-body experiences do not come from the brain, where is consciousness based?  One theory proposes that the basic building block of the universe is not matter, but is instead, consciousness itself.  This is described as the "transcendent" view, a perspective shared by many of the world's religions.

Parnia’s studies have been interpreted by some researchers as an indication that consciousness behaves as a field, much like magnetism, which can be affected by other fields.  If that's true, then it is possible for a person's consciousness to affect another person.  This could help explain how absent or distance healing works.  Fenwick and Parnia hope to add new near-death and out-of-body experiences to their research findings.

Extracted from the 38^th Edition of the News from NSAC email newsletter published by Robert Egby.  You can find more information about Horizon Research at http://www.diamondway-buddhism.org/ .

Comment: We have recently reported on several variations of the same theme concerning ways in which scientists are beginning to recognize how out-of-body experiences might prove the existence of our “higher consciousness,” and therefore, our survival after physical death.  There seems to be a certain momentum mounting in this field of research.  Perhaps we will soon see the scientific community “officially” confirming what we have always known to be true.  When this does occur will people, such as those described in the next item, who refuse to consider the evidence, join the ranks of people who still believe the Earth is flat?

A philosophical look at belief systems.  In his essay, Who’s Afraid of Life After Death, Journal of Near-Death Studies Vol. 21, No.1, Dr. Neal Grossman proposes that some people will resist what is fast become overwhelming evidence of survival, no matter what is said or how the evidence is presented.  To Dr. Grossman, this is especially troubling when it is a well-trained scientist who refuses to consider the facts.  He accounts an instance in which he discussed the subject with a research colleague.  Dr. Grossman asked, “What will it take, short of having a near-death experience yourself, to convince you that it’s real?”

His colleague responded, “Even if I were to have a near-death experience myself, I would conclude that I was hallucinating, rather than believe that my mind can exist independently of my brain.”  The colleague went on to say that dualism (mind and body are two separate entities), “is a false theory, and that there cannot be evidence for something that’s false.”

Dr. Grossman explained that for some people, “… materialism is the fundamental paradigm in terms of which everything else is explained but which is not itself open to doubt.”  For this attitude, he has coined the term, “fundamaterialist.”

We are sure that you have encountered fundamaterialism.  Dr. Grossman has pointed out, fundamaterialist are able to compartmentalize what they believe into articles of fact and articles of faith.  Once an idea like personal survival is placed into the “articles of faith” compartment, there is little hope of bringing that idea into the “articles of fact” compartment.

Online psi tests.  Garden of Dreams is the Institute of Noetic Sciences’ (IONS) research project designed to test and potentially train intuitive abilities.  By registering for Garden of Dreams and playing the games you can help IONS learn how intuition is influenced by factors like mood, belief, personality and environment.  The Garden of Dreams requires contemplative states of mind and demonstrable intuitive skill to succeed.  The games are provided for entertainment and education but are also a part of an IONS research program on intuition.  To participate register at http://www.psiarcade.com

Please send information about phenomena in your church, life or community to Tom and Lisa Butler, PO Box 13111