PARAPSYCHOLOGY ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL

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or ac ap- 'x- >er ts be in os ch of ipyom d Fy&rrRtelr*a to900/08/11: CIA-RDP96-00792R000400160001-6 quisition and seemed determined to ban "claims of the paranormal:' The author states that blind faith in one's own belief leads to underestimating the quality of the proponent and the complexity of the subject under discus- sion. This explains the unfair treatment of the French psychologist/statistician, Michel Gauquelin. Hoebens and other skeptics who supported the investigation of Gau- queliin feared that the Committee was a lost cause: All moderates would probably leave and turn their backs on the crusaders. Fortunately, this year (1984) a "Reappraisal" took place through internal and external pressure. It seems to the author that they have learned their lesson from this affair. He praises the new evolution which aims at cooperation between skeptics and critical para- psychologists as allies in the fight against irrationalism. - D.D. 02441. Dumalin, Daniel. Spierlezen: '"rhe show must go on ...:' Psi-Forum, 1984, 1(1), 25-29. 1 ref The human automatic reflexes are used in a number of mentalistic tricks and can give the layman the impres- sion of a paranormal feat. In a few recent TV programs this method was used by people who claimed to be psychics. In our home town (Ghent, Belgium), a man is still performing this act under the guise of telepathy. This article shows under what form and in what way human reflexes can be used to give people the impression that one Is gifted with psychic abilities. - D.D. 02442. Martens, Ronny. RandI's Project Alpha. Psi- Forum, 1984, 1(1), 30-35. 2 ref The history of parapsychology is heavily marked by fraud and poorly controlled experiments. This article re- views an experiment by Randi (Project Alpha) to test cur- rent parapsychological research standards. Unfortunately, Randi's experiment shows that things have not improved through the years. His two hypotheses: (1) that the availability of money does not necessarily improve research standards and (2) that scientists are in a very bad position to uncover subject fraud, were confirmed. The author con- cludes (a) that Randi's experiment urges the paranormal investigator to reconsider his position and research, and (b) both the researcher and the skeptic should strive towards a meaningful dialogue and cooperation. - DA 0244.3. Zorab, George. Poltergeist-syndrome. Psi- Forum, 1984, 1(2), 66-81. 7 refs The author traces the origin of the term "poltergeist" and the history of the phenomena. This is illustrated with well-known cases between the years 1450-1968. The author states that now, after 50 years, it has become clear that there is no difference between local (haunting) and per- sonal (poltergeist) hauntings. In both cases the same phenomena can occur. He concludes that the paranormal is dominated by the living and there is no need for super- natural entities. - DA 02441. Gondry, Dirk. 250 years: Franz A. Mesmer. Psi-Forum, 1984, 1(2), 86-82. 13 refs The career of Mesmer is placed in its historical con- text. The author shows that the ideas of Mesmer were not original, but can be placed next to the works of other authors as early as 450 B.C. His idea of animal magnetism and his life seem to have been influenced by several per- sons such as M. Hell, Count de Gebelin, and Maria- Theresia Paradis. After his downfall his ideas were taken up by, several persons such as Dr. E. Perkins (U.S.) and de Puys4:gur (France). - DA 02445. Martens, Ronny. Observational theories: Part 1. Psi-Forum, 1984, 1(2), 108-117. 7 refs The author introduces the reader to the new observa- tional theories within the field of parapsychology. These theories are based on quantum physics, which shares some elements with paranormal phenomena. The reader is provided with an introduction to quantum physics upon which two of the three most developed theories are elaborated. - DA TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR PARAPSYCHOLOGIE 02446. Tenhaeff, W.H.C. Spontaneous clairvoyance. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1932/1933, 5, 62-79. Tenhaeff notes that since 1929 many people have written to him about clairvoyant experiences, which were mostly of a precognitive nature. A drawback was that none of the cases was told to other people so that they could be corroborated. He presents 10 of the cases. - G.Z. 02447. Koster, II.E. Aspects of the occult. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 24-26. Serious investigators of the occult, i.e., the paranor- mal, have observed several times that the manifesting en- tities at seances are not able to see what is happening in the seance room. This fact applies especially to those seances where table-tilting, planchette-writing, and other such phenomena take place. The Dutch spiritualist, Mr. de Fremery, during a seance asked the manifesting entity if it knew what the persons attending the seance were doing. The answer was, "You are busy washing the dishes." The answer was given by the table knocking with one of its legs on the floor. Mr. Koster writes that he himself once put that same question to the entity that was present at the seance he was attending. The answer was, "Y'ou are doing the washing with a washingboard." For a long time Mr. Koster thought about this queer kind of sight of the spirits but failed to find any explana- tion. Some years later, when staying in Java, he believed he had the explanation. In Java he had himself mag- netized. When he fell into a kind of magnetic sleep, he suddenly found that his sight has become quite different. It is his opinion that a deceased person is in the same situation as a living person in a magnetized trance. Al- tered perceptions occur in both situations. - G.Z. 02448. Dietz, P.A. Experiments concerning the homing of dogs. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 86- 92. These experiments took place in the South of Ger- many in the neighborhood of Munich. Three dogs were tested. The transport of a dog was done in such a way that it could not see where it was going. They were taken to a place about 6 miles from their home, in the middle of woods and hills. According to the experimenters the dogs found their way home not by using their senses, but by a capacity of orientation which migrating birds also possess. - G.Z. 02449. Tenhaeff, W.H.C. Dr. G. van Rl jnberg and parapsychology. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 123-129. Professor van Rijnberg, who for many years was the editor of a prominent Dutch medical journal, was inter- ested in spiritualism and all things mystical. He was one of the very few Dutch people who attended seances with the famous medium Eusapia Palladino. He published what he observed at these seances in a Dutch periodical under Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400160001-6 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400160001-6 Vol. 5, No. 2 December 1987 the title 'The Third Arm of the Medium:' He wrote: "It was at Rome, 21 years ago, that I had a seance with that famous medium, Eusapia Palladino. At that seance, a married couple was also present. Eusapia told us that she would try to levitate the table without using her muscles. All of us stood airound the table, holding each other's hands which were placed on the table. Eusapia stood at one of the short ends of the table. I squatted on the floor on her right side. I put my left hand around her legs. I raised her skirt, so that I could see the two legs of the table nearest to me. This made it impossible for anyone to place his foot under the table-leg and lift the table. With my right hand I got hold of Eusapia's right hand. This hand was also held by Mrs. P. Mr. P was holding Eusapia's left hand.. There was not much light in the room, but it was sufficient to distinguish the various ob- jects in the room. After waiting some time the table sud- denly began to move. The table moved for a few mo- ments to the left and to the right, and then suddenly left the floor and floated about 15 cm above it. This lasted a few minutes and then it dropped to the floor with a loud bang. When the table started to move about I suddenly saw that Eusapia's right hand became indistinct. Then it seemed as if a whole series of arms, one arm above the other, were visible for a short time. The levitation of the table too was of short duration. Those present at the seance were very pleased with what they had seen. This made them urge the medium to repeat the phenomenon. The medium guessed correctly what he wanted to see again, for she said: 'You want to see my astral double, don't you?" "The phenomena were again observed and were a great deal better than those in the beginning. Out of Eusapia's left thigh, just in front of his head, projected a straight black spoke which looked like a long thin arm. That arm ended in a broader piece that got hold of the right table-leg. All the time that I saw this ghostly thing, the table remained !levitated. The phenomenon was only visible during a short time, but long enough to give me, the certainty that I was not having a hallucination:" - G.Z. 02450. Walther, Gerda. Seances with the medium, Rudi Schneider. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 84-118. Describes the early history of the mediumship of Rudi and Willy Schneider. Tells how Baron von Schrenck Notzing became involved and set up a laboratory to inves- tigate Rudi's mediumship in particular. Some of his sit- tings are described i,n which C.G. Jung and others were present. The author describes the seance conditions which she observed as a sitter. - G.Z.R.A.W. 02451. Kooy, J.M[.J. Experiences concerning the Dunne effect. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 144-169. The "Dunne effect" is a Dutch term for precognitive experiences such as were described by J.W. Dunne in his book, An Experiment With Time (1929). Dunne described a number of precognitive dreams that came true. These dreams were generally of a symbolic nature, and the dreamed future events happened within a short time (rarely over a month). Before he read Dunne's book, Kooy himself had had dreams of this kind. From the very beginning Kooy wrote his dreams as soon as he woke. His dreams forced Kooy to accept the future as of the same nature as the present and the past, and that time was a human fiction. He describes some of his experiences in this article. - G.ZJR.A.W. 02452. Hamel, A.G. van. Paranormal phenomena in Iceland. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 177- 199. Paranormal phenomena were already known in Iceland in 900 A.D, and many cases were described in the Island's Sagas and in the book, Landnamabok. In the lat- ter such cases are described in detail, and the place where they occur is also mentioned. This book was written in the 13th century. From the very beginning, parapsychologi- cal phenomena were cited in the Icelandic literature. These phenomena were mostly spread among the Icelandic population. Not everybody, however, possesses this paranor- mal gift. Why this is the case, is still unknown. The Icelanders themselves would like to know why so many people of other countries are devoid of this gift. The best book about the paranormal experiences of the people in Iceland is that written by Gudmundur Finnbogason (Reykjavik, 1933). The principal paranormal experience described is the dream. The dream might be precognitive, or one that in- forms the dreamer about a missing object, or where to find missing people, dead or alive. Many dreams have a symbolic meaning that have to be decoded. Dream appari- tions are also often mentioned. The man or woman who was drowned or murdered appears in the dream of one of their beloved ones, and tells where she or he can be found. The article gives many examples of clairvoyant men and women whose second sight is not only active in dreams, but also when fully awake. These clairvoyants of- ten know special things, e.g., where to find runaway cattle or horses, the hour and manner of the death of certain people, the finding of those who committed criminal ac- tions, etc. - G.Z. 02453. Van de Kroon, A.A. Some paranormal phenomena the author investigated at first hand. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 216-223. Describes some of his own psychic experiences. One involved knowing a young patient would die where there were no overt signs that he would do so. The second in- volved the dream of a female relative concerning theft in the largest church in Breda. All but one detail was later verified. - G.ZJR.A.W. 02454. Tenhaeff, W.H.C. Pygmies of Central Africa and their paranormal capacities. Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie, 1934, 6, 301-306. [Reprinted from R.P. Priller, Les Pymees de la Fore: Eguatoriale. Paris, 1934.1 Quotes some psi experiences of African pygmies described by R.P. Trifler. Their sorcerers used a scrying method of polished copper or mirrors to obtain informa- tion. Several cases of ESP, some precognitive, are described. - G.ZJR.A.W. GERMAN LANGUAGE (Editor: Gerd H. Hovelmann) ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PARAPSYCHOLOGIE UND GRENZGEBIETE DER PSYCHOLOGIE 02455. Kell, H.H. Jurgen. Pavel Stepanek and the focusing effect. Zeitschrift fur Parapsychologie and Grenzgebiete der Psychologie, 1977, 19(1), 1-22. 33 refs Stepanek emerged in the 1960s as one of the most successful and consistent ESP subjects. Over a period of Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400160001-6