🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <231.3473.uupcb@synapse.org> steve.crabtree@synapse.org
(Steve Crabtree) writes:

   The same thought has occurred to me. If there is no unique brain
   state which underlies what appears to be a unique set of
   behavioural phenomena, you're left with the options of denying the
   existence of hypnosis and accusing people of acting, assuming that
   the states of the brain can change without affecting EEG, or with
   the tantalizing possibility that hypnosis may act not on brain but
   on mind (soul etc.)

This may simply reflect the narrowness of your definition of what
"hypnosis" is.  If trance behavior is seen as a natural phenomena,
part of everyday life and occuring to everyone several times a day,
and that a formal induction is simply a mechanism for gaining access
to this natural skill, then some of this dilemma goes away.

   One recent example; last year, I attended a presentation in which
   the presenter claimed that he could consistently demonstrate
   precognition with an excellent trance subject. The procedure is to
   suggest that the time is 10 minutes later than now and to show the
   subject a blank piece of paper on which a drawing will later be
   made and to request them to copy it. The subject, of course, is
   told that the drawing already has been made.

   According to this source, this results in a remarkable match with
   what is later (randomly) drawn. (This work is not intended as a
   formal experiment but as exploratory work).

I would GREATLY appreciate more infomation about this procedure.
Time, place, participants, and any sponsoring organization would be a
good start.

   What puzzles me is that so little work seems to be done these days
   exploring the possible links between hypnosis and parapsychology
   with a view to exploring the nature of humankind.

Funding for parapsychology research (as opposed to other kinds of "New
Age" activities) is hard to come by.  Explicitly stating hypotheses
and the expected results of the experiment, and what it means (in the
example above) for a sketch to be a "remarkable match" is difficult in
any rigorous way.  Getting published is also rather difficult.  Some
progress is being made, but not at the "hypnosis end" of things.

					Dave Barton
					dlb@hudson.wash.inmet.com