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Psychic Warfare (Threat or Illusion) By Martin Ebon

One visitor has, half-jokingly, referred to Kulagina's heat effect as "Nina's flaming sword." They tell the story of a Leningrad psychiatrist who regarded all talk about her powers, the frog heart episode in particular, as so much unscientific gossip. He met Kulagina in the presence of several physicians. They were seated several feet apart, both connected to an electrocardiograph.

Kulagina gave the psychiatrist her "whammy," a modern equivalent of the "evil eye." The graph soon showed that his heart was beating at an accelerated speed, while Nina's heartbeats were also coming more rapidly. Within a few minutes, the man's heart was racing so wildly that the experiment had to be stopped; the risk of cardiac arrest had become too great.

At times, odd burn marks appear on Kulagina's skin. Sergeyev considers them as evidence that the heat force she generates boomerangs back into her body. One wonders whether there is a psycho-physiological link between them and the stigmata of religious tradition. In one way or another, Nina's mysterious kinetic force has been linked to high temperatures. Twice, a British parapsychologist, Benson Herbert, experienced this force on his own body.

Mr. Herbert, who directs the Paraphysical Laboratory at Downton, Wiltshire, England, paid two visits to Kulagina. The first, to her home, took place in 1972; the second, when he conducted a carefully planned experiment, took place at a Leningrad hotel the following year.

During the first visit, Kulagina placed her hand on Herbert's arm and he experienced a burning sensation so strong that he asked her to stop after only two minutes. On his return trip, he was determined to see how long he could bear the burning feeling. He included the following description in a detailed account of his visit, published in the Journal of Paraphysics (Vol. 7, No. 3):

"She then removed rings from her fingers and asked me to roll up my left shirt-sleeve, and I knew she intended to repeat the experiment of June 1972 in which she held my arm and produced an intolerable sensation of heat, which I could not endure for more than two minutes. I suddenly had the impulse to suggest a variation of this experiment; I told Kulagina on this occasion not to let go of my arm, however much distress I appeared to be suffering, but to continue indefinitely, for I was curious to see what would happen if I could endure a prolonged exposure to this torture. My drastic resolve aroused some amusement in our companions, who formed a circle to witness the outcome."

Benson Herbert reported that he "steeled" himself as she held his arm lightly, just above the wrist. He had not been sure, the year before, whether the sensation he felt was electrical or heat. He knew that mere suggestion can produce red skin marks, just as religious stigmata can be caused by autosuggestion. He had, however, seen what he regarded as objective evidence, the impact of Kulagina's heat phenomenon on photographic film, and concluded that suggestion was not the decisive factor. Herbert began to feel the heat in a minute or so; his report continues:

"As far as I was concerned, it felt like acute physical pain, and I had to clench my teeth and beat my forehead with my free hand in order to continue with the experiment. It soon became clear beyond doubt that the sensation was pure heat, and electrical in nature. Apart from the heat, restricted roughly to the area beneath her hand, I felt no other symptom. I cannot be sure how long I held out, but guess it was between four and five minutes, after which time I involuntarily collapsed on a nearby couch, and Kulagina released me of her own accord."

In Herbert's view, her power can be used "as negative healing - to injure organisms - if she wishes, but of course she only does it by way of scientific demonstration to advance our knowledge." He wrote:

"It is now not difficult for me to believe that she can stop a frog's heart. I think it possible that if Kulagina had maintained her grip on my arm for half an hour or so, I would have followed the way of the frog."