Apparent anomalous anticipatory effects in meditators

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Apparent anomalous anticipatory effects in
meditators

• as measured by fMRI
• Dick J Bierman
• University of Amsterdam

Time anomalies and the interpretation of
Sheldrakes data
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Contents

• The replication problem
• Feeling of being Stared at
• Phone telepathy
• Interpretation of differences
• Experimenter effects?

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Replication at the UvA

• 3 staring studies
• Methodologically improved
• 50.8 mean scoring vs Sheldrake 55
• Marginal sign. Skin Conductance effect
• 1 Phone Telepathy study
• Method allows for cheating
• Effectsize 29 (p0.05) vs Sheldrake 45
• Confined to morning (35) as predicted
• Conclusion
• Effect sizes seems not to replicate

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Interpretation

• There is no effect (ESP error some place)
• Effect is real but different conditions
• Subject population
• Lab situation etc. etc.
• Experimenter effect
• Time anomalies
• Presentiment
• Retro-PK
• Regular physics

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Main Stream Animal fear study
6850 msec
Skin Conductance
response
anticipation
time
Globisch, J., Hamm, A.O., Estevez, F., and Ehman,
A. (1999). Psychophysiology, 36, pp. 66-75.
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Hamms publication
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Results re-analysis Hamms data
stimulus
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Individual differences
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Erotic Presentiment effect at time -4
seconds. Td 2.89 df 39 p lt 0.01
Bierman Scholte, 2002
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Convergent evidence time-anomaly

• Dependent variables
• Skin conductance
• Bold (fMRI)
• Evoked Potential (EEG)
• CNV (EEG)
• IBI
• Eye movement
• Pupil Dilation
• Eye Blinks

• Stimuli
• Emo/Neu Pictures
• Sounds
• Slot machine
• Other paradigms
• Retro Priming
• Retro Habituation
• Retro Learning

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Does a coherent brain show more presentiment?

• A meditation study

Theoretical Background Bierman, D.J. (2008).
Consciousness induced restoration of
time-symmetry, a new theoretical framework. In
preparation.
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Design

• 8 Experienced meditators
• 2 sessions Med and NonMed
• 8 Matched controls
• 1 session C
• 64 random pictures (neutral, erotic, violent)
• 16 seconds interval, 2 seconds exposure
• All meditators trained
• Replication of fmri study Bierman Scholte (2002)

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Analysis procedure

• Find interesting regions by comparing bold
  RESPONSES between
• Med lt-gtNonMed (direct effect of meditation)
• NonMedlt-gt C (long term effects of meditation)
• Compare for those regions the signals BEFORE the
  emotional with the signals BEFORE the neutral

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Results Spatial

• 36 regions show significant different responses
  (picture shows contrast for meditators while
  meditating vs non-meditating)

Most regions are associated with attentional
proceses
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Results temporal (all regions)
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Meditators vs Controls
Count of largest anticipatory peaks in 36 ROIs

• Comparing meditators with controls
• MEDITATORS 47/4 11.75
• CONTROLS 21/5 4.2 (plt0.05)

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Number of anticipatory peaks
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Effect of meditation
Count of largest anticipatory peaks in 36 ROI
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Retro PsychoKinesis psychokinesis on previously
recorded bits
time
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Results Retro-PK

• There were 9 different main experimenters from 7
  different institutions involved.
• 18 out of 26 experiments gave results that
  significantly corresponded to the intentions of
  the participants. The combined z-score
  (Stouffer-z) was 5.3. (plt0.0001)

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Conclusion

• Convergent and cumulative experimental evidence
  for Time anomalies (effect precede cause).
• This implies for interpretation of Sheldrakes
  data
• Experimenter might retro-PK effects.
• Extension of scientific practice needed
• Also report info about experimenter
• No ad hoc (morpho) fields required to explain
  data, regular consciousness induced restoration
  of time-symmetry in physics will do.

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Thank you

• Further info d.j.bierman_at_uva.nl

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No conflict with physics

• Assumption that brain-producing-consciousness is
  a multi-particle coherent absorber
• Restores Time-symmetry
• Weighted by a coherence measure

S1 f(t) S2 f(-t) S S1 Coh N-neurons
S2
Physical formalisms
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Example
S1f(t)
S2f(-t)
CohN-neurons0.1
S