| Reference code: | PT/FB/BL-2002-136.03 |
| Location: | Arquivo PCA - Pasta 7/2002
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Title:
| Factors affecting the relationship between human intentionality and the hemolysis of red blood cells
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| Publication year: | 2006
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URL:
| http://archived.parapsych.org/pa_abstracts_2005.html
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| Abstract/Results: | ABSTRACT:
20 psychic healers and 40 non-healers participated in a conceptual replication of an experiment by William Braud, which appeared to demonstrate that a significantly large number of participants (Ps) were able to influence the process of hemolysis of red blood cells in vitro. This finding, however, could have been artifactual. Following Braud's procedure, hemolysis was induced for each trial by mixing 50 µl of blood with 3 ml of .425% physiological saline in a cuvette. The cuvette was then placed inside a spectrophotometer that measured the rate of hemolysis over a 1 min period. Healers completed 2 sessions and non-healers 1. Each session consisted of 2 runs of 8 trials. During the test run, Ps attempted to psychically retard the rate of the hemolysis from a distant room on Trials 4 and 5, preceded by a progressive relaxation tape. They were unaware of any of the other trials in either run. During the non-intention periods healers were interviewed about their healing practices and beliefs, whereas non-healers completed a rating scale on these themes. Both samples completed a shortened version of the Hartmann Boundary Questionnaire (BQ) and the Spiritual Transcendence Scale (STS). For half the runs, the DC component of the earth's geomagnetic field (GMF) was essentially eliminated around the cuvette inside the spectrophotometer; for the other half, the GMF was set at 0.5 Gauss, its normal magnitude in nature. Hemolysis scores consisted of the ratio between t-scores for the test and baseline runs, each of which reflected the difference between the results of Trials 4 and 5 and the other trials within the run, and they were corrected for the influence of the hemolysis at the time the measurement process began. Overall hemolysis scores were non-significant, the scores of healers and non-healers did not differ significantly, and there was no direct effect of the GMF manipulation. Relative hemolysis retardation was suggestively associated with high values of ambient GMF on the day before testing, confirming a finding of Braud. Post-hoc, it was found that older non-healers appeared to accelerate hemolysis and younger non-healers to retard it. Combined hemolysis scores for both runs in 1st sessions revealed hemolysis acceleration with GMF on and retardation with GMF off, indicating the possible influence of non-intentional psi. Retardation with GMF off was greater among thin-boundary Ps on the BQ. Healers scored much higher than non-healers on the STS, and among non-healers the STS was positively correlated with estimated success on the hemolysis task.
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| Accessibility: | Document does not exist in file
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Language:
| eng
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Author:
| Palmer, J.
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Secondary author(s):
| Baumann, S., Simmonds-Moore, C.
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Document type:
| Conference paper
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Number of reproductions:
| 2
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Reference:
| Palmer, J., Baumann, S., & Simmonds-Moore, C. (2006). Factors affecting the relationship between human intentionality and the hemolysis of red blood cells. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The Parapsychological Association 48th Annual Convention (pp. 119-130).
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| Indexed document: | No
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| Keywords: | Parapsychology / Psychokinesis (PK) / Hemolysis / Human intentionality
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