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Psychic Discoveries behind the iron Curtain -  Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder

Dr. Sergeyev, an intense, solidly built man in his forties, was the only Russian to discuss his research that second day of the conference. Sergeyev's own "force field" radiated seriousness as he spoke. A former radio man in the Baltic during the war, the mathematician, also trained in neurophysiology, was obviously held in very high esteem by his colleagues. "He has done brilliant work," a Czech scientist told us. In almost every lab we visited in the satellite countries we found Sergeyev's latest books on brain research being minutely studied. Communist scientists were particularly excited about Sergeyev's new discovery of an unusual aspect of Mikhailova's brain.

"Most people generate three or four times more electrical voltage from the back of the brain than the front," said Sergeyev. "Mikhailova's brain generates fifty times more voltage from the back of the head than the front." (Of course, even this much electrical discharge in the brain is so faint it has to be amplified four million times just to be recorded and observed.)

Sergeyev, who has found this brain pattern in about 7 percent of the people he's ever tested, feels it's a good indicator that they have better than average psychic power.

The second film on Mrs. Mikhailova appeared on the movie screen. "All you've seen so far in the first film is the outer expression of telekinesis. It's PK the way anyone could observe it," Sergeyev said. "Now, with new instruments, we can get some idea of what telekinesis is like from the inside. We can discover what happens to a human being when PK occurs."

In this film Mrs. Mikhailova was seated inside the electronically insulated EEG chamber of a Leningrad physiology lab. She was strapped into a leather headpiece that looked like an early aviator's cap, covered with electrodes. Her wrists were braceleted with leather straps and more electrodes. Like an astronaut, she was all trussed up and wired for sound. Instruments measured heartbeat and brain waves. At a distance from her, the new Sergeyev detectors measured the "biological fields" twelve feet away from her body.

As before, Mikhailova began to circle her hands above the objects on the table. Her face creased with strain as she struggled to activate her PK powers. (We've pieced together what happens next from the film, subsequent interviews, and published reports.)

During the revving-up phase, the EEGs showed tremendous activity in the region of the brain controlling sight. Was this explosive activity in this part of her brain one of the reasons she sometimes becomes temporarily blind after a PK test? As she concentrated ferociously, the electrocardiograph showed her heartbeat had increased four times its normal rate, to 240 beats a minute.

The object in front of Mikhailova began to move. Would the new detectors be able to catch PK in action? Suddenly, the Sergeyev detectors revealed something that researchers had never been able to see before. The powerful magnetic fields around Mikhailova's body began to puke! It was as if she'd caused a wave of energy to vibrate through the invisible energy-envelope around her. Brain and heart pulsed in rhythm with these vibrations in her force field! Not only was her entire force field pulsing, the detectors showed that this pulsing force field had focused in the direction of her gaze.

But how did this pulsing force field she focused on an object make it move?

"I believe these vibrations in the fields around her body act like magnetic waves," Sergeyev theorized. "The moment these magnetic vibrations or waves occur, they cause the object Mrs. Mikhailova focuses on, even if it's something nonmagnetic, to act as if magnetized. It causes the object to be attracted to her or repelled from her."

So "mind over matter" wasn't quite accurate. It was really "mind over force field." This vibrating force field was the mechanism, according to the Soviets, by which the mind could produce at least some kinds of PK If these tests are right, the Soviets have scored a walloping breakthrough in PK.

It was strange to be closeted inside the Czech Embassy in Moscow listening to the Soviet scientists tell us about the discovery of "vibrations." Perhaps the Russians aren't aware of it, but for decades mediums deep in trance have been asked, "What makes PK ESP, or trances happen?" And from mediums all over the world, having no contact with one another, came almost identical answers-"vibrations."

The entranced psychics would explain that the human body is made up of an "energy body" or "field" that vibrates. If the frequency of vibration of this field is stepped up, energy or information from another "dimension" can come through to us, the mediums said. But no one knew exactly what it was they were to vibrate, or how to do it.

The Soviets say that three things affect our force fields and thus our psi power:

(1) fields produced by machines;

(2) natural fields produced by sun, moon, and probably planets;

(3) most importantly, human emotions. Not only is the psychic's emotional effect on her own force field involved, the Soviets told us, but the emotions of the observers play a part too.

"This has been a very difficult point to get over to some scientists," Edward Naumov said. "They expect human beings to turn on like machines. They don't seem to realize their own force fields might be affecting Mrs. Mikhailova. She's a very excitable and nervous personality. Some of these scientists with no understanding of psychology or bio-information are radiating unpleasantness and suspicion which she picks up. We're usually able to demonstrate PK anytime, but with unpleasant people it may take Mrs. Mikhailova as much as seven hours to be able to turn the compass needle.

Their negative influence is not helpful. Surrounded by friendly people, the compass may move within five minutes."