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PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
When the Society for Psychical Research (S.P.R.)
was founded in 1882 research into phenomena and experiences suggesting
personal survival of man after death took a high priority. Its findings
were constantly under fire from the scientific establishment, which frowned
even upon the notion psychical research being considered a science - after
all paranormal phenomena did not exist at all! A belief still cherished.
Investigators of the S.P.R. became so influenced
by these attacks and were eager to find favor in the eyes of their antagonists
that they began to take over their condemning attitude. A common psychological
trait, the oppressed identifying themselves with the worst characteristics
of their tormentors.
Scientists, who would not dare to trespass in fields
outside their specialty for fear of being torn apart by fellow academics,
feel free to make all sorts of pronouncements in the media on subjects
in the domain of parapsychological research, of which they have no knowledge
of whatsoever.
Like in all other areas of science, parapsychology
has narrowed down its research to specialist sectors, hardly anyone daring
to voice an opinion on general issues.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
As to research into personal survival after death, although no absolute
proof in a scientific sense has been established, there are strong convergent
arguments in its favour.
Let us examine these:
Human consciousness can exist independent of brain-activity.
Reductionism/Epiphenomenalism has long been a
pet notion of psychology, specially in behaviourism. Now that psychology's
own principles have been shaken after recent discoveries in genetics the
idea that consciousness is merely an effect of brain-activity is being
questioned again.
Brain specialists, Prof. J.C.Eccles, Sir Cyril
Burt, Dr.Wilder Penfield and Prof.W.H.Thorpe stated that in their opinion
the brain appears to be more a complicated organism to register and channel
consciousness rather than produce it. "The brain is messenger to
consciousness", Eccles said. In his famous debate with philosopher
Popper "The self and its brain" this matter was examined further.
David J.Chalmers Ph.D. writes in the Scientific
American (1997):
Consciousness, the subjective experience of an inner self, could be a
phenomenon forever beyond the reach of neuroscience. Even a detailed knowledge
of the brain's workings and the neural correlates of consciousness may
fail to explain how or why human beings have self-aware minds.
Man's psychic powers
It is remarkable that in most predictions about
discoveries anticipated in this century a breakthrough in parapsychology
is not even mentioned or hoped for. Yet developing its 'extra dimensional'
powers is the only way for mankind to overcome its isolation in the universe
as a result of the space/time barrier. One has not woken up to the fact
that there are no other means left. One may assume that advanced extraterrestrial
civilizations will have developed precisely these powers.
Herewith a summary of some of these faculties:
* Telepathy. Almost everyone knows an instance of the so-called sixth
sense, yet science pronounces that this power to be aware of someone else's
thoughts does not exist as it has no physical basis.
* The same applies to clairvoyance - awareness of an object or event at
a distance not through the normal senses.
* Precognition - foreseeing an event in future.
* Psychokinesis(PK) or mind over matter. Exercising power over objects
outside of human physical reach. Levitation being one of these phenomena.
* Bi-location A person being seen at two places at the same time.
* Psychic healing. Healing that cannot be explained by normal means.
* Dowsing. The ability to feel the presence of underground water, ores
etc.
* Psychometry. The ability to pick up information about a person - past,
present or future - by handling an object that belonged to him/her.
Man's creative
and spiritual nature
Man's spiritual nature is another ticklish matter
for scientists excelling in cerebral activity. Yet, these faculties distinguish
man from the animal. History has given us sufficient testimony as to his
ability to tune in to a divine spiritual reality. With his sublime creative
powers bordering on genius man can create works of art that are everlasting.
Saints, sages, mystics and great artists have laid the foundation of human
culture in a relatively short time in evolution. Mystics and founders
of religions have testified to man's ability to free him/herself from
the clutches of temporal existence by opening himself to the Divine.
Some people feel quite suddenly and unexpectedly carried away in spirit,
becoming emerged in a 'cosmic consciousness' - one with nature.
Being able to transcend time and space could mean that in the depth of
his nature man is connected to an extradimensional continuum.
Out-of-the-body experiences
Another phenomenon that indicates that the mind can operate independent
of the body is that of ESP projection.
During OBE's (Out-Of-the-Body experiences) occurring during sleep, narcosis
or other circumstances, people have actually felt leaving their bodies.
From a point in space they saw themselves lying in bed.
Near-Death-Experiences (NDE's)
Thanks to progress in medical science, more and more patients are resuscitated
from clinical death. Some of them report experiences which bear great
similarity, such as passing through a tunnel, being received by deceased
members of the family, or a radiant figure, before entering in a heavenly
sphere in a state of great euphoria.
As a result of continuing research in the last decades more and more of
these experiences could be recorded, compared and analyzed. It is noteworthy
that these patients saw only relatives and friends who had died, in the
'hereafter'. In exceptional cases they even saw people who they surmised
still being alive, but whose death announcement had not reached them as
yet.
Of course specialists have endeavored to wave
this argument away, but psychiatrist Bruce Greyson writes in The Lancet
of Feb.5th 2000 after having examined all biological and neurochemical
explanations, these do not offer any satisfactory solution for this phenomenon.
Deathbed visions
Nobel prize winner Prof. Charles Richet, who took a deep interest in psychical
research, was most impressed by deathbed visions. Prof. Karlis Osis has
done great work in collecting accounts of doctors and nurses on this phenomenon.
Patients, whose last hour has struck, have been
reported seeing visions of near relatives appearing at their bedside.
They have been seen focusing their attention on a point in space where
they see the apparition. In rare cases people present in the room see
the apparition as well, feel an unexplainable cold draught, hear a rushing
sound, or see some kind of curious luminosity. Other visitors may partake
in the resulting exaltation.
As in the case of near-death-experiences the dying
only see apparitions of deceased people. Again there are instances of
patients who saw people who they surmised were still alive, but in fact
had died without them knowing so.
Apparitions
Not only terminal patients see such visions. In fact one of the first
research projects of the S.P.R. In 1889 was to collect accounts of people
seeing apparitions. The question asked was:
Have you ever, when believing yourself
completely awake, had a vivid impression of seeing or being touched by
a living being or an inanimate object or of hearing a voice; which impression
was not due to any external physical cause?
In this "Census of Hallucinations" some
17000 cases were being studied and the most trustworthy published. It
was ascertained that about 10% of the population had such an experience.
The conclusion was that there must be some connection between the death
of a person and an apparition.
Sometimes the phantasm of a deceased person seems
to come for the sole purpose of conveying urgent information to the surviving
relative. In one of such cases the late farmer James Chaffin appeared
to his son to show him that he had hidden in his Bible his last will.
Many cases have been documented of people
being forewarned of a coming disaster by an apparition. In other cases
apparitions, sometimes seen as angels, gave life saving advice.
Apparitions have been observed to cast a shadow,
be reflected in a mirror, overturn furniture, make sounds whilst walking,
leave a scent, ask for a lift, in short, demonstrate to possess an active
intelligence.
Communications from the
dead
A popular saying has it that no one has ever returned to tell what happened
after death. They do not take into consideration then the millions of
communications said to have been received by the survivors directly, or
by means of a psychically gifted person - a medium. This contact with
the dead has been reported to us from the dawn of mankind. Thousands of
books have been filled with descriptions of the hereafter.
Some of these communications were dictated whilst the recipient was asleep.
In other cases one hand just scribbled on its own accord the messages
whilst the receiver was either asleep or conducting a conversation. Messages
have revealed facts no one alive could have ever known.
'A course in miracles' (1975), even in academic
circles being acknowledged for its spiritual depth, was being dictated
to an atheist, non-believing professor in psychology, Helen Schucman.
Dr.A. Crookall, who studied a host of these communications
was struck by the fact that they bore a great similarity in the description
of the after death states.
In S.P.R. Proceedings hundreds of pages have been
devoted to alleged cross-correspondences in messages received by a number
of mediums living far apart independently.
Sentences received by one medium were completed through another who was
not aware of the other incomplete message. The correspondence between
the messages was detected later by a research-officer of the S.P.R.
Cases suggestive of reincarnation
Numerous cases have been reported of young children remembering a previous
incarnation, showing even birth marks of supposed injuries in a previous
life.
Prof.Ian Stevenson has collected the most striking cases of this kind.
The last decades regressions to previous lives under hypnosis have been
put forward as "proof" for a survival after death. Sometimes
the person remembering a previous incarnation may furnish historical data
that were lost but could still be verified after intensive search.
Reincarnation helps to explain the origin of particular
talents, phobias, fears, preferences and characteristics that make up
man's identity. Its chief weakness is its failure to explain convincingly
the similarity of identical twins and the origin of the increasing number
of human souls that are being born.
None of the above ten arguments in itself is sufficient
proof for personal survival after death. Yet, taken together, the above
phenomena constitute a solid body of testimony in favour of the belief.
Author J.Vyvyan argues in his "A case against Jones" (Ernest
Jones being the great behaviourist psychiatrist) that if ever a case for
or against survival would have to be fought in court, a jury might well
be convinced of a life after death on the basis of the above arguments.
Let us not forget that mankind all through
its history has left traces or records evincing that it believed that
life did not end at death. In the oldest graves objects have been found
for the deceased to carry to his new abode. It is only in the past century
that this belief has been assailed by the scientific establishment which
itself staggered from one shattered paradigm to another.
Literature:
* Barrett, Sir William: Death-Bed Visions (1926)
* Berger, A.S & J: The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical
Research (1991)
* Brown, R.L.: The Phantom Soldiers (1975)
* Bucke, R.M.: Cosmic Consciousness (1901)
* Chalmers, David J.: The Puzzle of Conscious Experience (Scientific American,
special issue 'Mysteries of the mind' 1997)
* Crookall, Robert: The supreme adventure (1961)
* Ebon, Martin: The evidence for life after death (1977)
* Gordon Melton, J.: Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology (1996)
* Gurney, E; Meyers, F.W.;Podmore, F.: Phantasms of the Living (1886)
* Hart, Prof.Hornell: The enigma of survival (1959)
* Inglis, Brian: Natural and Supernatural, a history of the paranormal.(1977)
* Mishlove, J.: Roots of Consciousness (1993)
* Monroe, R.A: Journeys out of the Body (1977)
* Muldoon,S. & Carrington, H.: The Phenomena of Astral Projection
(1951)
* Myers: F.W.H.: On recognised apparitions occurring more than one year
after death."(1889)
* Randles, Jenny & Hough, Peter: The Afterlife. An investigation into
the Mysteries of Life after Death (1993)
* Saltmarsh, H.F.: Evidence of personal Survival from Cross-correspondences
(1938)
* Stevenson, I: Twenty cases suggestive of reincarnation (1974)
* Toynbee, A., Koestler A. and others in: Life after death (1976)
* Vyvyan, J.: A case against Jones (1966)
References:
* Survival of bodily death. A statement
by a group of scholars and scientists.
* Society for Scientific Exploration
* 'Human Nature' international magazine for the Study of Survival of Death
and Psychical Research
* Evidence for Survival after Death
* Koestler Parapsychology unit, Univ of Edinburgh
* A lawyer presents the case for the afterlife
* Beyond the Veil - NDE site + Resources on death and dying
* After Death Communication Research Foundation
* International Association for Near-Death studies
* Near-Death-Experience. Article in 'Two Worlds'
* Searching For Evidence Of Spirit Communication
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