The Problems of Psychical Research: Experiments and Theories in the Realm of the SupernormalCarrington, Hereward
Science
The Problems of Psychical Research: Experiments and Theories in the Realm of the Supernormal
Carrington, Hereward
Parapsychology
lights and lights of other colours should be tried, to see whether they
affect the phenomena in any manner. These are but a few of the many
tests and experiments that might be made, and which would doubtless
suggest themselves to the mind of the investigator as soon as the
legitimacy of the subject were once granted.
Again, in the case of telepathy. Once the facts were proved, the
fascinating study of the laws and causes would begin. Under what mental,
physical, and, possibly, spiritual conditions does telepathy operate?
What is the best mental condition of the agent? of the percipient? What
would be the effect of hypnotic trance? What of dreams? (These are not
original ideas, but they have never been followed out as they should be,
and might be, if the subject were pursued scientifically as other
questions in science are.) Again, might not telepathy be facilitated if
we chose individuals of the same general temperament? If we chose two
individuals to whom the same chord on the piano appealed (say the common
chord of G minor or C sharp), and this chord were struck repeatedly,
might not telepathic transmission be facilitated under such conditions?
If both subjects were hypnotized, and the agent were told to "will"
certain figures, etc., might not the percipient receive them more
easily? If both agent and percipient were placed in a strong magnetic or
high-tension electric field, might not this in some way influence
communication? Again, these are but a very few of the experiments which
might be tried, once telepathy became an accepted fact.
In the case of clairvoyance the field is even greater, but here more
original work has been done, owing largely to the fact that many of the
experiments have been conducted upon subjects in the hypnotic trance,
and hence more fully resembled "laboratory experiments." Still, much
remains to be done, particularly in the realm of the _explanation_ of
clairvoyance, and in the investigation of the neural and general
physiological concomitants of the condition.
In the field of "thought-" and "spirit-photography," the possibilities
of research and experimentation are obvious and almost unlimited. The
recent researches of Dr. Ochorowicz in "radiographs," and of Commandant
Darget in thought-photography and the so-called V-rays, are of extreme
importance, if true. Here is a field which any one may invade; and, with
the aid of a camera and specially sensitive plates, might accomplish
really valuable and striking results. Very rarely have attempts been
made to photograph apparitions (probably because they were too fleeting
and unexpected), and the forms at seances have been photographed on only
a few occasions. The human "aura"--granting it exists--should certainly
be capable of being photographed, under certain conditions, as well as
the radiation said to issue from magnets, crystals, etc., as explained
by Reichenbach.
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