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Media Watch for February 2006 (Issue 51)
Superpsi Under Attack: In his essay, Some Thoughts on Superpsi (That bogus Pseudo-Scientific Hypothesis), Neal Grossman, Ph.D., questioned whether or not all alternative explanations need to be seriously considered. Not all theories that attempt to explain the evidence for personal survival after so-called death as something other than survival are logically possible or supported by experimental evidence. He cited Superpsi as an example of a hypothesis that has no empirical evidence to support the claim that mediums are getting their spirit greetings from a reservoir of past experiences, rather than a surviving discarnate personality. Grossman suggests that the scientific community has placed the burden of proof on researchers who study personal survival, rather than the people who propose such unsupported theories. He finished with, “In the absence of empirical support, such hypotheses merely reflect the fantasy life of the super-skeptics, and science is not obliged to take unsupported imaginings and fantasies seriously.” From: The Journal of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies, Vol. 28. Number 3.
The Separation Between Science and Philosophy: In his essay, Why Parapsychology is one of the most important sciences, Tony Adzinikolov, Ph.D., observed that there is a fragmentation of the dominant worldview between things considered physical and what is considered of the mind. As he noted, “Parapsychology is the field of human inquiry, which deals with phenomena that mainstream science, and many skeptics, regard as a pseudo-science because, according to its critics, its methods and techniques of research lack experimental controls and its procedures do not produce significant quantifiable and replicable results.” Of course, there are many areas of inquiry in parapsychology that are very well supported with significant replicable evidence, but these have largely been ignored by mainstream science. Adzinikolov argued that this fragmentation of science (physical science verses holistic science of the Self) is reflected by a fragmentation of human personality in which people experience the intangible aspect of reality but deny the “realness” of the experience because of what is taught by mainstream science. He goes on to speculate that, should an underlying unifying view be developed to embrace the evidence brought by both the physical scientists and parapsychologists, Humankind would undergo an important change in worldview. From: The Journal of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies, Vol. 28. Number 3.
Top Unanswered Questions: Science magazine’s list of the top one hundred unanswered questions in science reminds us that the paranormal is not the only thing that we do not always understand. The list glaringly shows how little we know about our fundamental reality. Some of the questions listed were: What is the Universe made of? How and where did life on Earth arise? What is the basis for consciousness? How many species are there on Earth? What are the roots of human culture, language and music? Why do we sleep? Why do we dream? From: Sciencemag.org and Fate magazine, “I see by the Papers,” by Phyllis Galde
Transformation Survey: In 1998 the US General Social Survey found that thirty-nine percent of those polled said that they had a spiritual or religious experience that changed their lives. Now the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is asking for participation in an online survey on transformation. The survey is part of ongoing studies by researchers at IONS, the University of California, Berkeley, and Philadelphia University and will help researchers discover what initiates transformative experiences, what happens during them and what is changed as a result. Go to www.transformationsurvey.com
Our Marriage Impacts our Health: Couples in conflict-ridden marriages take longer than those who are happily married to heal from wounds, suggests a new report. The health toll of a stressful job seems to be eased when the worker had a pleasurable home life. Karen Kayser the author of, When Love Dies, says she isn’t surprised. “People tend not to recognize how much their marriage can affect the rest of their life…our marriages are affecting our health and well-being all the time.” From: “A Happy Marriage Can Help Mend Physical Wounds” by Marilyn Elias, USA Today.
Chronic Anger and Hostility: Dr. John Swartzberg of the University of California Berkeley said in the Universities Wellness Letter that preliminary evidence suggests that chronic anger may weaken the immune system and cause other health problems. The report looked at two studies. One found that hostility increased the risk of dying for men and woman with certain cardiovascular risk factors and the other found that forty percent of people with the most common type of stroke had felt angry or experienced something unsettling within two hours preceding the stroke.
Swartzberg had some recommendations for treating anger which included finding the source of the anger and taking steps to change the circumstances creating it. He also suggested relaxation therapy and meditation and said that anger management courses could help but only if the person volunteered. From: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, July 2005
Why Religion Helps: A Newsweek Poll found that going to church promoted healthy habits and that those who attended weekly were more likely to make positive changes. They were 131 percent more likely to be less depressed, 78 percent more likely to quit smoking, 54 percent more likely to exercise and 39 percent more likely to stop drinking. From: “Faith & Healing” by Claudia Kalb in Newsweek, November 10.2003
Healing Touch Study: In an American study, patients having heart surgery received pre-surgery treatment from a "Healing Touch" therapist. They also were instructed in breathing exercises, visualized being in a peaceful place and played calming music. The patients who did this were more likely to be alive six months after their operation and suffered far less distress than other patients. From: "Music, imagery, touch, and prayer as adjuncts to interventional cardiac care: the Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomized study." The Lancet, 366, 211-217.
Laughter, the Best Medicine: Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from the people of Hong Kong. The city best known for its serious pursuit of money held a laughing contest sponsored by the Joyful Mental Health Foundation. The event was aimed at educating the public about depression, a sickness that has only been recognized in Hong Kong in the past few years. Contestants were judged on how long they could laugh and the quality of their laughter. The judges also looked at whether the laughter was infectious and genuine. From: Reuters “Hong Kong seeks to make laughter the best medicine,” news.yahoo.com
Astrologer Sues NASA: Last year a Russian astrologer sued NASA for $300 million for her suffering as a result of a Deep Impact probe that created a crater in the comet Tempel I. Marina Bai said that this event had ruined the natural balance of forces in the universe and deformed her horoscope. No word on whether the suit was thrown out of court but we would imagine so. From: “Izvestia,” Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune.
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