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USING NEURAL IMAGING(functional magnetic resonance imaging ) TO TEST ESP - research by Samuel Moulton, and Stephen Kosslyn

For centuries people have debated the existence of ESP. Yet the debate always seems to be pointless because the two sides do not recognise each others methods. The scientific rationalists argue for controlled and easily replicated experiments. The psychics look to one off events that prove the existence of ESP. For instance you have a dream and then you connect that dream with some sudden event that could not have been predicted eg september 11. They had a dream that predicted the terror attacks and that proves it. Yet science does not accept such methodolgy.

Psychologists at Harvard University have tried to study extra sensory perception in a new way. They study the brain and neural imaging. In theory - if precognition exists then if participants are truly exhibiting precognition then they will exhibit a different neural image.However, participants reacted the same way to both ESP and NON ESP stimuli. They conclude that this is strong evidence against the existence of ESP.

The method is ingenious as it could resolve the debate in a truly scientific way. If the results had proved ESP then science would have been forced to accept precognition and telepathy. Yet there are perhaps some flaws in the method.

1. If the participants were not exhibiting any precognitive abilities then naturally the neural imaging would not have picked up on these. They may instead have picked up on someone trying to access their own new age hippy side. Yet totally failing to exhibit any real abilities.

2. Maybe telepathy and precognition cannot be easily summoned up. The test supposes that we can perform skills of telepathy and ESP when asked. If that were the case then there would be no debate. Many people report ESP at certain times yet they maybe have no control over it.

3. ESP may only occur at certain key moments. People record strong premonitions and telepathy at key crises moments. These are beyond the capabilities of science to study.

When I first joined a dream discussion forum in 2003 I avidly looked back over previous dreams. I realised that the dream forum went back some time. I looked back to the date September 11,2001. yet the dream forum did not go back that far. If it had we would have a true test of precognition. A series of dreams reported before the events that could be studied for genuine precognition.

source - Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (January 2008)

DREAM SYMBOLISM
DREAM SYMBOLISM :Neural patterns and their relevance to dream interpretation
ANIMALS IN DREAMS :By Dorian Paul
ANIMALS IN DREAMS : Animals in dreams
COLOURS IN DREAMS : By Urban
COLOURS IN DREAMS : By Kafka
Archetypes and myths : Jungs archetypes by Dorian Paul
INDIVIDUATION : understanding the Jungian approach
ARCHETYPES : Jungian archetypes
EVIL ARCHETYPES : By Dorian Paul
Heros and archetypes : by Dorian Paul
DREAMS AND MUSIC : by Dorian Paul
CRUSH DREAMS : The archetype
DREAM DICTIONARY? : Are we influenced by the dream dictionary we use by "Comrade Bart"

SLEEP PHENONOMA
HYPNOPOMPIC AND HYPNOGOGIC IMAGERY :Hallucinations and dreams
HYPNOGOGIC IMAGERY :Example dreams
SLEEPWALKING :Dreams and sleepwalking
SLEEP DEPRIVATION :The TV reality show "shattered"
CIRCADIAN RYTHMS :Dreams and melatonin
LUCID DREAMS

NIGHTMARES
DISTURBING DREAMS : Nightmares.
NIGHTMARES : Childrens Nightmares.
WORLD WAR ONE NIGHTMARES : Dreaming of the front line.
NIGHTMARES : A practical study of nightmares showing what individual nightmares meant
CONFRONTING FEAR IN NIGHTMARES : By Dorian Paul

PREMONITIONS AND TELEPATHY
HEART TRANSPLANTS - Does the heart have a memory
DAVID MANDELL :Psychic paintings?
OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCES :OBE's and psychic phenonoma
Premonitions :places deep into the future?
SCIENCE :Towards an understanding of premonitions
EXPERIMENTS :Premonition studies and false premonitions

DREAMS AND THE MIND
THETAWAVES :Hallucinations and dreams
NEURAL IMAGING:Attempts to prove or disprove the existence of ESP
ROBERT STICKGOLD:Robert Stickgolds studies of dreams and the game Tetris
DREAM DIARIES :What to look out for
THE FUNCTION OF DREAMS Why do we dream
COMMUNICATION SKILLS : Dorian Paul on left and right brain issues?
MEDITATION :Using meditation to expand your mind

OTHER ARTICLES
BIG BROTHER : A study of the Big Brother reality show
THE SPIRITUAL AAPROACH : By Always Dreaming
INSPIRATION : By Dorian Paul
FAITH AND DREAMS : By Weiss
MONTAGUE ULLMAN : Swedish researcher
DREAM FORUMS : Helpful advice
ETHICAL GUIDELINES : By Dorian Paul
FACTS ABOUT DREAMS : Some thoughts

OTHER DREAM INTERPRETORS

Aisling Ireland : Posts at www.bellaonline.com