Luciano Pederzoli

Mind-Matter Interaction at a Distance of 190 km: Effects on a Random Event Generator Using a Cutoff Method

We used a new method to test whether subjects could influence the activity of a distant random event generator (REG). In a pilot study, participants selected for their strong motivation and capacity to control their mental activity were requested to alter the functioning of a REG, located in a laboratory approximately 190 km so as to achieve a deviation of ± 1.65 standard scores from the expected mean, during sessions lasting approximately 90 seconds. The predefined cutoff was achieved in 78% of 50 experimental sessions compared to 48% of the control sessions. This study was replicated with a pre-registered confirmatory study involving thirty-four participants selected according the same criteria as in the pilot study. Each participant contributed three sessions completed in three different days giving a total of 102 sessions. The same number of control sessions was carried out. The percentage of the experimental sessions which achieved the predefined cutoff was 82.3% out of 102, compared to 13.7% for the control ones. We discuss the opportunities for exploiting this method as a mental telecommunication device.

EEG correlates of social interaction at distance

This study investigated EEG correlates of social interaction at distance between twenty-five pairs of participants who were not connected by any traditional channels of communication. Each session involved the application of 128 stimulations separated by intervals of random duration ranging from 4 to 6 seconds. One of the pair received a one-second stimulation from a light signal produced by an arrangement of red LEDs, and a simultaneous 500 Hz sinusoidal audio signal of the same length. The other member of the pair sat in an isolated sound-proof room, such that any sensory interaction between the pair was impossible. An analysis of the Event-Related Potentials associated with sensory stimulation using traditional averaging methods showed a distinct peak at approximately 300 ms, but only in the EEG activity of subjects who were directly stimulated. However, when a new algorithm was applied to the EEG activity based on the correlation between signals from all active electrodes, a weak but robust response was also detected in the EEG activity of the passive member of the pair, particularly within 9 – 10 Hz in the Alpha range. Using the Bootstrap method and the Monte Carlo emulation, this signal was found to be statistically significant.

Brain-to-Brain Interaction at a Distance: A Global or Differential Relationship?

Background: The main objective of this exploratory study was a confirmation of the results obtained by Giroldini et al, 2016, relative to the possibility of identifying a long-distance connection between the EEG activities of two totally sensory shielded subjects, one of whom was stimulated with light and sounds. Furthermore, this study sought to answer the following questions: - What is the relationship between the power of the EEG signal in the stimulated partner and that of the other distant partner? - Is the relationship between the EEG activities of the stimulated and distant isolated partners global (i.e., an undifferentiated response), or is it differentiated and thus displays variations depending on the characteristics of the stimulation applied to the stimulated pair? Methods: Five adults chosen for their experience in mind control techniques and their mutual friendships took part in this study. Each participant took turns in being both the stimulated partner and the isolated non-stimulated partner with each of the others, making a total of 20 pair combinations. The stimulated partner received three blocks of 32 visual-auditory stimulations lasting 1 second modulated at 10 Hz, 12 Hz, and 14 Hz respectively, with a constant inter-stimulus interval of 4 seconds. The EEG activity of each pair was recorded at 128 samples/sec over 14 channels and analyzed by measuring traditional steady-state potentials and the Pearson’s linear correlation between all possible signal pairs with an innovative algorithm. Results: From the results of the twenty pairs, we found an increase in the correlation among the EEG channels of the isolated distant partners, corresponding to frequencies of the steady-state visual and auditory potentials used for the stimulated partner. Furthermore, we did not find a correlation between the response intensity elicited in the stimulated partners and that observed in the non-stimulated one suggesting that this physical characteristic cannot be transferred between isolated partners. Discussion: A mental connection at distance can allow connection of informational rather than physical characteristics of the shared signals.

Hypnotically Induced Out-of-Body Experience

The possibility to induce real out-of-body experiences (OBEs) using hypnotic inductions, with the opportunity to interview participants during their experience, permits to investigate in depth the characteristics of different aspects of this particular state of consciousness from a first-person point of view. In this article, six selected participants report the description of another “body” we named “subtle body,” identified as an intermediate entity between the physical body (Pb) and their “Self” or “I-identity” that was named “psychic body,” and their relationships and characteristics. The “subtle body” was described as a sort of white silvered cloud surrounding the Pb, with a particular enlargement of its hands and feet that could move quickly like flying from one place to another even if less easily than the “psychic body,” and a vague sense of attrition was perceived when passing through walls. Similar to the “psychic body,” the “subtle” one too could move forward and backward in time even if they did not seem perceiving the sense of time. The “subtle body” was referred to be connected with the physical one by a sort of white brilliant link sometimes described like a silvered string more or less visible, whereas no visible links were identified between the “subtle body” and the “psychic” one. These reports were compared with similar descriptions deriving from the Vedanta philosophy and Theosophical tradition.

A Discussion About Research

This article provides an answer to the often-asked question: “Can either a private citizen or a small organization conduct useful research that supports official science, without the financial means that would normally be required?”