«Jenseitsforschung» mit psychophysiologischem Rüstzeug

Background: The ‘Systemic Memory Hypothesis’ put forward by Schwartz and Russek [1999] can be used to explain such diverse phenomena as homeopathy and the altered personality phenomena of transplant patients, and challenges our concept of survival of consciousness. For one prediction derived from this hypothesis is that our consciousness survives in a personal way after death. To test this, after-death communications (ADCs) were undertaken by mediums. The question was: When multiple mediums attempt to receive ADCs for a single individual (the sitter) who has experienced multiple losses, will accurate and replicable ADC information be obtained? Method: Each of 5 highly skilled mediums met individually with a woman, unknown to all of the mediums, who had experienced 6 significant losses over the past 10 years. There was no communication between the mediums about the sessions. Two chairs were placed side by side, a few feet apart, separated by a screen that eliminated visual cues. Except for an initial greeting, the only communications allowed from the sitter were simple yes or no responses to the medium. 19 channels of EEG and the ECG were recorded simultaneously from the medium and the sitter. Two video cameras recorded the sessions. A 2nd sitter was tested with 2 of the mediums. Results: The mediums’ average accuracy was 83% for sitter 1 and 77% for sitter 2. The average accuracy for 68 control subjects who got the same information as the mediums was 36%. In a replication and extension experiment, the mediums’ average accuracy in an initial 10-min period that did not allow yes/no questioning was 77%. Conclusion: The data suggest that highly skilled mediums are able to obtain accurate and replicable information. Since all possible measures were taken to eliminate the factors of fraud, error, and statistical coincidence, other possible mechanisms should be considered in future research. These include telepathy, super psi, and survival of consciousness after death.