Studies of the Origin and Nature of the Energetic Forces Exerted on a Torsion Pendulum by Human Subjects

Abstract

These results extend what is known about the effects of a human subject sitting under a torsion pendulum. Previous results showed that subjects affected the pendulum in significant ways. Substantial shifts of the center of oscillation of the pendulum, shifts as large as 2.2 cm (7 deg) requiring a force that is equivalent to 45 mg were observed. Many new frequencies of oscillation of the pendulum were introduced when a subject was present. Dramatic changes in the amplitudes of oscillation of the pendulum were observed throughout the experiments; increasing, decreasing, and increasing again, in quasi-consistent patterns. These shifts of the center of oscillation, the new frequencies of oscillation, and the changes in amplitudes all persisted for 30-60 min after the subject has left the pendulum. These effects have been variously attributed to ‘human bioenergy,’ or to simple cranial heat convection currents. The physical nature of the forces causing these effects remains uncertain. Until now all the experiments we have performed have used ‘control subjects,’ which refers to subjects with no known abilities that would affect the pendulum in unusual ways. In this work, a subject who had 45 years of daily experience with a particular type of meditation ‘sound current meditation’ was recruited. The purpose was to see if different mental states such as a meditative state versus a non-meditative sate, would affect the pendulum differently. These results establish that they are different, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and that the effects by the experienced meditator were significantly different than those routinely seen with ‘control subjects.’ A new kind of experiment was performed by having subjects sit beside the pendulum instead of directly under it. Subjects were the ‘experienced meditator,’ and a ‘control subject.’ Effects on the pendulum with subjects sitting beside the pendulum were diminished in amplitude but were otherwise similar to subjects sitting directly under the pendulum. Although the possibility of cranial heat convection currents being able to exert these effects from a significant distance is not eliminated, the argument that cranial heat convection currents are solely responsible for subject effects on the pendulum is weakened.