Evidence for Nonlocality of Mind
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| Dean Radin |
Recent work in the area of parapsychology has produced results which, if they are confirmed, might provide some persuasive evidence for non-locality of mind The most convincing are the Ganzfeld experiments (Radin, 2011), which have examined mind-reading ability in a state of sensory deprivation and Bob Jahn's set of experiments in Princeton’s University PEAR Lab, which have shown the ability of minds to influence a random number generator, or to affect the way balls fall in a large pinball machine. (Jahn & Dunne, 2005a; Jahn & Dunne, 2005b; Jahn & Dunne, 2009) None provided full proof, but they were taken seriously enough for other researchers to try to replicate them (Carter, 2012; Broderick & Goertzel, 2014).
Wackermann et al (2003) investigated the correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated human subjects and found that such correlations may occur, although no biophysical mechanism is known.
Fenwick (2019) investigated the claims of Alain Forget, a philosopher who has spent years in meditation. He discovered that he could radiate energy in the form of light to his students and that they saw light surrounding Alain while he was giving it.
Fenwick et al (2018), conducted a hyperscanning EEG experiment to see whether, when Alain gave light, his student’s brain was affected, even if he did not know light was being transmitted. They discovered that, although a group of people could see Alain’s light, no camera could record it. When giving light, Alain’s brain showed a totally different pattern of activity, with frequencies stretching up to 100hz, the limit of the measuring equipment. At the same time, the student’s brain, even though he did not know Alain was giving light, showed responses as well. Of interest is that on Facetime, Alain’s light, when viewed by 100 people from all over the world, could be seen by 75% of them and was very strong in about 30%.
In summary, they found clear evidence that there were unusual electrical and metabolic changes in Alain Forget’s brain which correlated with the giving of the light energy. And that this energy was able to affect other brains. This suggests that the linking of brain activity may provide a physiological basis for altering another person’s brain function and might form the basis for an explanation of parapsychological phenomena such as telepathy.
Wider theories of consciousness
If consciousness is only the mechanical functioning of neuronal nets it can never be non-local. A recent step away from that reductionist position was suggested in a paper published by the Royal Society (Schwartz et al. 2005). The authors, argued that the reductionist mechanical science which assumed that causality within the brain was fully determined by the movement of small Newtonian particles, atoms etc., is now over three-quarters of a century out of date. It has been superseded by the application of quantum mechanical theories of brain function. These follow the mathematics of von Neumann who argued that both the physical world and the conscious world must be considered when looking at a quantum mechanical system (von Neumann J., 1955).
Schwartz et al argue that the brain is a quantum mechanical system, not only because the neurotransmitter junctions are susceptible to quantum effects, but because the von Neumann view of the world stretches from the level of the individual molecules of neurotransmitter to include the whole brain and the mental processes that occur within it. They showed very clearly that mental processes and the mental (social) context in which the brain is embedded are causal agents in their own right as postulated by von Neumann’s theory.
The brain contains two domains, both causal, von Neumann’s Process 1 and Process 2 – those conscious processes, such as thoughts, feelings, beliefs etc, would come to bear on the pure quantum system and are causative in their own right.
Thus, at one stroke consciousness takes its place in its own right in any theory of how the brain works. The matrix of meaning in which the subject is embedded - culture, family relationships and so on - now extends brain function well beyond the physical brain.
Schwartz et al show the causative effect, of conscious processes very simply and elegantly. They point out that a placebo may consist only of chalk and is inactive when taken by mouth. However, if subjects with Parkinson’s disease are told that it is a powerful anti-Parkinson agent and will improve their walking, then they do indeed find that their Parkinson symptoms alleviate when they take the chalk pill. They move more easily and MRI scans show an increase in dopamine, the neurotransmitter in which they are deficient. What this paper showed is that it is not possible when just looking at brain processes, to explain their form and nature only by other brain processes, e.g. from the reductionist point of view.
Multidimensional theories
So consciousness and the cultural setting have to be taken into account when addressing the ‘hard question’ relating to consciousness. When we die it is clear from accounts of the dying that the transcendent role of consciousness is primary, particularly in the movement of the dying into an alternate reality, composed of love and light which is not situated in this physical world. [See Chapter 5 of this essay] It is truly transcendent but it is only detected by consciousness itself. If we are to ask about the location of the dead relatives, the dying would answer that their location is in the domain of transcendence. So the question now becomes, where is this domain?
There are a number of theories in physics that postulate reality cannot be contained in space and time alone. It has been suggested by the astrophysicist Bernard Carr (Carr, 2007) that the world is in fact a five-dimensional matrix and that it is within the fifth dimension that these conscious experiences are stored. Randall & Sundrum, (1999) extending Kaluza-Klein theory, also use a five dimensional model to explain the phenomena we find in dying and David Lawton, who has studied near death experiences, (Kean, 2017) has also argued for a five dimensional structure for NDEs, and suggests that “death is simply the withdrawal of the 4-D part leaving the 5D intact” (Kean, 2017). So it will only be available to the four-dimensional brain on occasions when the structures within the brain weaken and allow it. This is certainly true for the experiences reported during cardiac arrest and as described by Pim van Lommel in Chapter 5 of this essay.
There are other features of the dying process which fit neatly into a five-dimensional explanation of reality, for example the alteration of time as shown by premonitions and in the appearance of dead relatives. Light surrounding the body and shapes seen leaving the body, which do not seem to be physical, would suggest that momentarily, at the time of death, these energies can be sensed by others present in the room of the dying. Alteration of space and linking together of minds are shown by deathbed coincidences, in which the dying establish a link to someone they are emotionally close to. It goes some way towards explaining physical phenomena such as mechanical malfunction, or the stopping of clocks.
Biocentrism and Beyond
Biocentrism was first proposed by Dr. Robert Lanza in 2007. Dr. Lanza is an expert in regenerative medicine. His theory of biocentrism consciousness as fundamental to the universe (Lanza & Berman, 2016). It is consciousness that creates the material universe and not the other way round. Therefore, the death of consciousness simply cannot occur.
“To Be And Not To Be. This is The
Answer: Consciousness Survives,” essay for the 2021 Bigelow essay contest
submitted by Dr Peter Fenwick & Dr Pier-Francesco Moretti, Dr Vasileios
Basios, and Martin Redfern.The complete essay with footnotes is available at https://bigelowinstitute.org/contest_winners3.php.
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