Observations placeholder
Hasted, Professor John – 22 Spoon bending - Changes of mood and its effect on the success of spoon bending
Identifier
026908
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
THE METAL-BENDERS” by JOHN B. HASTED
It is of importance to research the psychological background to the action of the metal-bender and his companions. This type of work was first carried out by Batcheldor and Brookes-Smith on the psychokinetic contributions to table-lifting sessions.
They proposed the hypothesis that the action occurred at moments of sudden change in the psychological state of one or more of the subjects.
Such a hypothesis is readily tested in the case of metal-bending by experiments with resistive strain gauges. Julian Isaacs has taken on a programme of such experiments, including audio-recording of conversations during sessions with several subjects; the audio-recording was synchronized to the strain gauge recording.
I have personally observed several occasions on which the sudden relaxation of concentration on the part of the subject has been accompanied by a dynamic strain signal. Sometimes the relaxation was not spontaneous, but was brought about by the initiative of the experimenter – e.g. by saying, ‘How about a rest and a cup of tea?’
Julian Isaacs has observed similar features, with other changes of mood. With a psychokinetic subject the strain gauge apparatus could possibly be used as a lie detector. In a sense the relaxation-triggered events could be classed as post-active.