How to Prove the Paranormal: Scientists Discuss

It seems scientists are opening their minds to the possibility that the paranormal does exist, and there are those who have set out to prove it.

It's about time!!

Source: redicecreations.com...

A growing number of scientists are calling for a shift in scientific methods to acknowledge phenomena commonly experienced but difficult to study according to conventional methods.

Scientists who have explored the world of the paranormal and human consciousness discuss their insights on how their studies can help science move forward.

1. Dr. Gary Schwartz

Dr. Gary Schwartz received his doctorate from Harvard, taught psychiatry and psychology at Yale, and is now a professor at the University of Arizona. He has studied individuals who say they are able to predict the future.

Schwartz tailors the tests specifically to the individual abilities instead of imposing a cookie-cutter test of precognition. Not everyone who can predict the future can predict it in the same way, he says. He has found people he considers “the real deal.”

2. Dr. Bernard Beitman

Dr. Bernard Beitman, a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia, proposes the establishment of a transdisciplinary study called “Coincidence Studies.”

Dr. Bernard says one of the biggest challenges is providing a systematic place in scientific research for subjectivity and for human consciousness. He says it depends on the mind of the observer to have a meaningful coincidence.

The question of how to develop methods and an accompanying technical language that includes and respects the subjective element built into the fabric of coincidence needs to be answered.

3. Dr. Alan Sanderson

Dr. Alan Sanderson is a psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and spirit-release therapist. He founded the Spirit Release Foundation in 1999, an organization dedicated to the clinical treatment of spirit possession.

Dr. Sanderson wrote in a 2003 paper: “I want to stress that the concept of spirit attachment and the practice of spirit release are not based on faith, as are religious and mystical beliefs. They are based on the observation of clinical cases and their response to standard therapeutic techniques.”

Future Experiments:


This one is interesting. Wow! These new smart phones really are smart!

Smartphone apps are being used to study collective consciousness and the phenomenon of coincidence. Users report their experiences in real time and the wealth of data collected helps researcher

4. William A. Tiller

Stanford Physicist William A. Tiller has developed what he says is a method of physically detecting human intention. He has discovered a powerful realm in the space between particles that contains an energy our conventional instruments cannot usually detect. Tiller has realized, however, that human consciousness or intention can activate that mysterious energy, making it interact with the substances we are able to detect. He can thereby study the physics of human intention and this energy.

Mr. Tiller did a test on a friend of his to see if he really could have OBEs at will, and travel around during sleep, as he claimed.
He asked his friend to come to his room that night. Mr. Tiller came up with an idea to write a note for his friend to read.
Then next day his friend told him what the note said.

“Fast forward to the next morning. I get a call from him telling me that he had … read the note. … He got it right.

“This experience has really blown my mind. I know it would be hard for most of you to believe me, but this really happened and I am 100 percent positive that there was no way he could have seen what I had written on that post it.”

So, scientists are finally coming around and doing experiments to prove the paranormal exist.
This should be interesting.
Maybe when they prove the paranormal does exist, people who experience this phenomena won't be labeled "crazy" anymore!
I just wonder what took them so long?!

You can read more on the experiments from the source link.

sled735
Mr. Tiller did a test on a friend of his to see if he really could have OBEs at will, and travel around during sleep, as he claimed.
He asked his friend to come to his room that night. Mr. Tiller came up with an idea to write a note for his friend to read.
Then next day his friend told him what the note said.

“Fast forward to the next morning. I get a call from him telling me that he had … read the note. … He got it right.

“This experience has really blown my mind. I know it would be hard for most of you to believe me, but this really happened and I am 100 percent positive that there was no way he could have seen what I had written on that post it.”

So, scientists are finally coming around and doing experiments to prove the paranormal exist.
This should be interesting.

Maybe when they prove the paranormal does exist, people who experience this phenomena won't be labeled "crazy" anymore!
I just wonder what took them so long?!

You can read more on the experiments from the source link.

This is interesting.

S&F, BTW.

reply to post by sled735


sled! S/F!!

Hey, they've been doing experiments, it's just that it's been "taboo" - so they sorta kinda hafta keep it quiet. So they're not ostracized.

Did you read the books by Chris Carter yet?


THANKS for the new link and the newly opened horizons!!

I agree; it's about time! I really think science already has all the information they need for proof, but it's scattered throughout all of the different scientific fields.

If memory serves me right, it was in the late 60's when they hooked plants up to a lie detector and discovered through experiments that plants have a conscious. Just thinking about cutting a leaf caused a huge response!
They had several people enter and leave the room, then one person came back and cut a leaf off.The same people returned, one by one, with no plant response measured, until the 'leaf cutter' came back in. Their equipment went wild!
I always think of this, and feel rather guilty, when I prune my plants.

Kirlean photography was another field that made news around that time, and I wish it had been studied further. Photographs of an amputee showed a distinct aura where the missing limb would have showed up.
The pictures of the Dalai Lama's hand showed a much larger energy pattern than the average persons.

Love the thread!

nugget1
The pictures of the Dalai Lama's hand showed a much larger energy pattern than the average persons.

Maybe this has something to do with the fact that he received alot more money and backing from the CIA than the average person.

en.wikipedia.org...

Meet where politics, religion and "science" all meet...

I just hope that they won't start using "scientific-flavoured paranormal proof" to try and push political agendas.

Great thread - thank you!

As soon as science is able to wrap its collective mind around such things, it will no longer be "paranormal" - just normal.

nvm

coincidence study? doesn't that title already contain bias? just sounds like a dick thing to name it. oh, we're gonna study spirits, lets call it the coincidence study, because this #s just a coincidence. lol


I think the most spot on quote in there was

Dr. Sanderson wrote in a 2003 paper: “I want to stress that the concept of spirit attachment and the practice of spirit release are not based on faith, as are religious and mystical beliefs. They are based on the observation of clinical cases and their response to standard therapeutic techniques.” - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

nice to finally hear someone state that distinction.

So, how are we defining paranormal here?

denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.

Does that mean these events break the laws of physics, or are just uncommon?

I just wanted to clarify something in the OP...

Mr. Tiller did a test on a friend of his to see if he really could have OBEs at will, and travel around during sleep, as he claimed.
He asked his friend to come to his room that night. Mr. Tiller came up with an idea to write a note for his friend to read.

The way that it's worded, it looks as if Dr. Tiller was the one who conducted that experiment with his friend that could do OBEs at will and read a note he wrote. But I clicked on the article linked in the OP, and from there clicked on the original article it came from - which was from Epoch.

This is a quote from that original Epoch article:

...
Stanford Physicist William A. Tiller has developed what he says is a method of physically detecting human intention. He has discovered a powerful realm in the space between particles that contains an energy our conventional instruments cannot usually detect. Tiller has realized, however, that human consciousness or intention can activate that mysterious energy, making it interact with the substances we are able to detect. He can thereby study the physics of human intention and this energy.

In the age of mass communication, anecdotes and amateur investigators can often provide a starting point for more in-depth investigations. Here’s an example of a netizen who tested his friend’s paranormal ability and shared it on Reddit:

“[My friend] claimed he was able to leave his body during sleep and basically travel around in his spirit form. I took it with a grain of salt for obvious reasons, but I didn’t dismiss him right off the bat because I knew him pretty well and he wasn’t the type of kid that would try to troll me about these things.

“At the end of the night [of hanging out at my place], I told him hey, why don’t you prove to me that you can really fly around as a spirit and come to my room tonight [traveling from his house to mine during sleep].

“I came up with the idea that I would write a note on a post it and he would have to guess what I wrote. He agreed.

“Fast forward to the next morning. I get a call from him telling me that he had … read the note. … He got it right.

“This experience has really blown my mind. I know it would be hard for most of you to believe me, but this really happened and I am 100 percent positive that there was no way he could have seen what I had written on that post it.”

Link to Epoch article: www.theepochtimes.com...



So the story follows the stuff about Dr. Tiller, but it appears that the story actually originated on Reddit and is credited to a "netizen" (in other words, a random person posting their experience on Reddit).

Just didn't want there to be any confusion about where that remarkable story came from. I wish it came from Dr. Tiller, but unfortunately it looks like it came from an anonymous Reddit poster.

The reason that scientists don't generally "discuss the para-normal" is because it's para-normal, and science, which is methodological naturalism, doesn't really have anything to say about the para-normal or supernatural, by definition. If something doesn't exist in the natural world (like God or telekinesis,) the scientific method isn't applicable.

For example, let's say that someone claims that they have ESP. Science can demonstrate that they are exhibiting behaviour that is not ESP, but is some natural phenomenon (like cold reading,) or science can say that they are exhibiting behaviour that is unexplainable by known natural phenomenon, but that's about it.

Given the past, it's only a matter of time before someone brings up quantum physics, and attributes supernatural phenomenon to it, as that is the latest wave of "I want to believe in magic, while still appearing credible to my rational critics" claims.

Powers, beings and forces that exist outside the view of the physical sciences have no place in scientific experiment. It's not that "science" wants nothing to do with them, its because parapsychologists have yet to create a theory or model of what it is they are actually looking for. It's impossible to devise an experiment to measure or record forces and substances that have zero physical properties. At best they can only record the phenomena, magically attribute it to some paranormal force, and utilize meta-analysis in the hopes of finding some sort of discrepancy among the data.

reply to post by Aphorism


I noticed elsewhere from past posts of yours that you have not read any of the books by Chris Carter. If you had, or do, your thinking might change. Or have you since then? It was an old thread I came across...before my time here.
Just sayin...

reply to post by BuzzyWigs

I noticed elsewhere from past posts of yours that you have not read any of the books by Chris Carter. If you had, or do, your thinking might change. Or have you since then? It was an old thread I came across...before my time here.
Just sayin...

You wouldn't lend me your copy. Just sayin...

reply to post by Aphorism


What are you talking about?

nvm. Just asking if you'd read them.

The title of this thread is poorly worded and represents why mainstream science doesn't want to touch the paranormal yet. Science doesn't set out to prove anything. It sets out to study and classify a phenomenon so that it can better explain it. By saying, "How to Prove the Paranormal..." you are automatically assuming that it is true and exists. This creates a confirmation bias and violates the scientific method. A better wording would have been, "How to Study the Paranormal: Scientists Discuss"

P.S. OP, I understand you are just copying and pasting the name of the article, so I am not calling you out for this mistake. Just wanted to point out the failed thinking behind paranormal investigators and the community that follows them.

BuzzyWigs
reply to post by sled735

 

sled! S/F!!

Hey, they've been doing experiments, it's just that it's been "taboo" - so they sorta kinda hafta keep it quiet. So they're not ostracized.

Did you read the books by Chris Carter yet?

THANKS for the new link and the newly opened horizons!!

I read some about him online, but I haven't bought any books yet.
Sorry for the short reply. I just got up. Need coffee to get the brain in gear. LOL

reply to post by nugget1


Hey, I remember that. It made me feel guilty about my plants too.

I bet the grass outside goes crazy every time my husband walks by.

VegHead
I just wanted to clarify something in the OP...

Mr. Tiller did a test on a friend of his to see if he really could have OBEs at will, and travel around during sleep, as he claimed.
He asked his friend to come to his room that night. Mr. Tiller came up with an idea to write a note for his friend to read.

The way that it's worded, it looks as if Dr. Tiller was the one who conducted that experiment with his friend that could do OBEs at will and read a note he wrote. But I clicked on the article linked in the OP, and from there clicked on the original article it came from - which was from Epoch.

This is a quote from that original Epoch article:

...
Stanford Physicist William A. Tiller has developed what he says is a method of physically detecting human intention. He has discovered a powerful realm in the space between particles that contains an energy our conventional instruments cannot usually detect. Tiller has realized, however, that human consciousness or intention can activate that mysterious energy, making it interact with the substances we are able to detect. He can thereby study the physics of human intention and this energy.

In the age of mass communication, anecdotes and amateur investigators can often provide a starting point for more in-depth investigations. Here’s an example of a netizen who tested his friend’s paranormal ability and shared it on Reddit:

“[My friend] claimed he was able to leave his body during sleep and basically travel around in his spirit form. I took it with a grain of salt for obvious reasons, but I didn’t dismiss him right off the bat because I knew him pretty well and he wasn’t the type of kid that would try to troll me about these things.

“At the end of the night [of hanging out at my place], I told him hey, why don’t you prove to me that you can really fly around as a spirit and come to my room tonight [traveling from his house to mine during sleep].

“I came up with the idea that I would write a note on a post it and he would have to guess what I wrote. He agreed.

“Fast forward to the next morning. I get a call from him telling me that he had … read the note. … He got it right.

“This experience has really blown my mind. I know it would be hard for most of you to believe me, but this really happened and I am 100 percent positive that there was no way he could have seen what I had written on that post it.”

Link to Epoch article: www.theepochtimes.com...



So the story follows the stuff about Dr. Tiller, but it appears that the story actually originated on Reddit and is credited to a "netizen" (in other words, a random person posting their experience on Reddit).

Just didn't want there to be any confusion about where that remarkable story came from. I wish it came from Dr. Tiller, but unfortunately it looks like it came from an anonymous Reddit poster.

edit on 31-3-2014 by VegHead because: (no reason given)

My apologies.
You are absolutely correct. Thanks for pointing out my mistake. I actually thought it was Dr. Tiller when I posted the OP.
I just went back and re-read it. It's pretty clear it wasn't him.
All I can do is chalk it up to being tired after coming home from work. I had already sat up two hours after my usual bedtime.

I worry about myself sometimes!

Krazysh0t
The title of this thread is poorly worded and represents why mainstream science doesn't want to touch the paranormal yet. Science doesn't set out to prove anything. It sets out to study and classify a phenomenon so that it can better explain it. By saying, "How to Prove the Paranormal..." you are automatically assuming that it is true and exists. This creates a confirmation bias and violates the scientific method. A better wording would have been, "How to Study the Paranormal: Scientists Discuss"

P.S. OP, I understand you are just copying and pasting the name of the article, so I am not calling you out for this mistake. Just wanted to point out the failed thinking behind paranormal investigators and the community that follows them.

edit on 31-3-2014 by Krazysh0t because: (no reason given)

Maybe you should apply for a job on their team of editors.