JNLI2Sidorov1
IV. Energy versus information
I. Introduction
Journal of Nonlocality and Remote Mental Interactions, Vol. I Nr. 2, May 2002
Control systems, transduction arrays and psi healing: an experimental basis
for human potential science
Lian Sidorov
"Cancer cells were not locked irretrievably into the
malignant state; in the presence of embryonic
control systems, they could return to normal"
Robert O. Becker, Cross Currents
"One really should start thinking in terms of
biomind receptors, rather than in terms of ESP"
Ingo Swann, "Trending away from
the Parapsychology Paradigm"
Abstract: Based on the biophysical models of Becker, Popp and Gariaev, the present paper
makes the argument that the study of exceptional human abilities such as self-healing and
anomalous cognition (AC) should focus on biophoton emissions and conformational changes of
biomolecules under the influence of focused intent. The central hypothesis is that practices such
as qigong and yoga induce long-term structural and physiological changes in the body's
semiconducting liquid crystal matrix, which maintain the system in a higher-than-average state of
coherence, hence optimizing energy utilization (Bigu), sensitivity (AC, tohate) and regulatory DC
current feedback loops which in turn control the expression of DNA and the "tuning" of sensory t
ransduction arrays.
A comprehensive model of non-local mental interactions (Pitkanen's TGD) is also discussed
within this theoretical framework, especially with respect to biophotons as a signature of
macroscopic entanglement. Finally, a number of psychophysiological experimental approaches
are described as an alternative to current directions in CAM and parapsychology studies.
The great allure of reductionist approaches is that they yield definite answers: piecemeal
questions lead to clear-cut piecemeal results, which can then be easily incorporated into a
great edifice of practical applications. Thus science grows like a 3-dimensional jigsaw puzzle,
spurred on by the need to "fill holes in our knowledge" and supported by the authority of
neighboring, complementary pieces.
The trouble with this distinguished method is that - well, simply put, pieces which don't "fit" are
simply discarded. This has traditionally been the fate of experimental evidence emerging from
parapsychology, radionics, energy medicine, qigong and other such "fringe" disciplines. While
the past few decades have seen a slight improvement in the establishment's recognition of these
fields of study, they are still treated as a collection of quirky, esoteric, essentially irrelevant
phenomena. Conceding their existence is as far as most scientists would go. Token funding of
their study by official institutions seems most often more a matter of political correctness than of
conviction; and finally, speaking even more loudly than the scarcity of resources and support, is
the almost complete absence of attempts at integration with mainstream science. While qualified
theoreticians are not lacking (see Savva 2000) finding institutions willing to support experimental
work in these fields is a different matter (Lin & Chen; Savva 2000). Complicating the situation is
the fact the tools of psi investigation have remained relatively unchanged over the past several
decades, and that restricts any possible conclusions to rather vague phenomenological statements
about the functions of Mind. But if we are ever to understand what Mind is and how it interacts
with physical reality, we have to go beyond such observations, into the realm of physics and
physiology. For that, we have to use the tools of biomedical research - and that is where we face
our greatest challenges and opportunities.
Molecular biology is the prodigal, wildly successful offspring of a technological boom which has
delivered countless diagnostic and therapeutic formulas into our hands. However, the same
approach has also notoriously failed to produce a solution to two of the century's greatest
scourges: cancer and HIV (see Gariaev & al. in this issue). In parallel with this, cognitive science
has also reached a point of "crisis" (Ho 1997), where increasingly sophisticated brain imaging
techniques have proliferated without providing any significant clues about the questions of memory,
binding or free will.
A few prominent voices have courageously risen up over the past several decades, to argue in
favor of a subtler, more complex approach to biosystems' control mechanisms - one based not
on chemical interactions and classical statistics, but on physical concepts such as fields, non-linear
dynamics and, more recently, quantum coherence and entanglement. Those pursuing such lines
of thought are pioneers in their own fields: to extend these preliminary results to the subject areas
of parapsychology and mind-body medicine may seem a stretch under the best of circumstances:
yet in this author's humble opinion nothing seems to offer more opportunities for progress than the
convergence of experimental approaches in these (seemingly unrelated) areas of research. It is the
purpose of this article to demonstrate why, as well as to sketch some general directions available
for future studies. In so doing, I also hope to underscore the significance for biomedical sciences
of an alternative paradigm championed since the '50s by figureheads such as H. Frohlich, Robert
O. Becker and Mae-Wan Ho.
II The salamander's tale
In a prior, "first-thoughts" essay discussing the presence of Schumann frequencies in the
EEG during various healing practices we had proposed that mental intent might function as a
variable window of transmission/ reception in the exchange of extrasensory information, which
tuned into the Schumann resonance to carry such bio-regulating information to distant targets
and acted as a primitive, radar-type sensory interface (Sidorov 2001). However, pursuing this
line of thought soon lead to the landmark experiments of Robert Becker - who, it became evident,
had not only reached somewhat similar conclusions based on his own body of evidence, but had
gone beyond them to suggest that such subtle currents could reach far deeper into our genetic and
consciousness control mechanisms.
After nearly eight decades of EEG and other brain imaging studies , it is sobering to realize that
we still can't tell with certainty where EEG voltages come from (Becker 1985, pp 88). The
general consensus is that they must arise from the simultaneous firing of large numbers of neurons,
but that has never been proven. On the other hand, evidence accumulating since the 1940s
(through the efforts of such luminaries as mathematician John von Neumann and neurophysiologists
like Wilder Penfield and Walter Cannon) points to the idea that the brain works by a combination
of analog and digital coding, where the firing (sensitivity) of neurons (fast, digital information
transmission) is modulated by the background, low voltage DC potential (analog) which reflects
higher-order cognitive processes such as state of wakefulness, memory recall, thought, emotion
and so forth. (ibid., pp 89). DC potentials (measured in microvolts) have been recorded by
Goldring and O'Leary from the human scalp, from the exposed brain during surgery, and from
the brains of monkeys and rabbits. In all vertebrates a midline head potential was found, flowing
from the back to the front, and apparently originating from the reticular activating system. It was
shown that applying small external negative voltages to neurons increased their sensitivity, while
positive potentials had the opposite effect (ibid., pp 89).
DC potentials, however, are not restricted to the brain: Becker tested a wide range of
organisms (from flatworms to fish, reptiles, mammals and humans) and found that the
potentials measured on the skin reflected the arrangement of the nervous system, with a strong
positive potential in the head and neck area, which decreased and became gradually negative
as one moved toward the extremities. (Interestingly enough, this parallels the distribution found
along nerve cells, where the positive end is the dendritic input area, with the potential becoming
negative at the axon).
The most significant observation about this somatic DC field, however, is that it correlates in
very specific ways with physiological states and processes: using salamanders for test subjects,
Becker found that under anesthesia, their peripheral voltages dropped to zero, and even
reversed in very deep stages, with the tail and limbs becoming positive; negative potentials in the
frontal brain area also tended to shift toward the positive during rest and sleep. By applying very
small currents through the salamander's head (in the opposite direction to its normal
occipito-frontal flow), he managed to record deeper and deeper levels of anesthesia (as given by
the amplitude of EEG delta waves, which correlated with the animal's periods of unresponsiveness).
Even more spectacular was his ability to partially reverse chemical anesthesia by passing a
current in the normal direction: although the salamander did not regain full ability to start moving,
the level of sedation did become shallower, and the EEG recorded a return to higher-frequency
waves. (ibid., pp111). Similar correlations were later found in humans (Becker 1990, pp 91),
where hypnotized subjects demonstrated that they could decrease or increase the DC potential
of specific areas of the body depending on the suggestion given (a suggestion of numbness in the
right arm resulted in no response to a pinprick stimulus and a drop to zero in the DC potential,
while the pinprick response/DC potential remained almost unchanged for the left arm; the change
in voltage was "exactly the same as that seen in standard chemical nerve block". )
In addition to brain potentials, Becker studied the change in voltage associated with areas of
injury in frogs and salamanders, and without exception found that the polarity at the amputated
stump reversed from negative to positive right after the injury, returning to normal over a period
of approximately three weeks. However, while the frogs' potential dropped steadily as their
stumps healed over with skin and scar tissue, the salamanders' regenerative process (in particular
the appearance of the blastema) was accompanied by a sharp negative potential, exceeding the
baseline value. The salamander's ability to evoke this unusual negative voltage seemed to correlate
in an important manner with its regenerative potential.
It was known as early as 1958 that applying a small, polarity-enhancing external current to
an injured plant increased its regeneration rate by as much as 300% (Becker 1985, pp61). In
1961, Becker and his team found that negative electrodes applied directly to the marrow cavity
of dogs' thighbones had stimulated considerable amounts of bone growth, compared to controls.
But nothing prepared them for the momentousness of their next discovery: following up on
preliminary experiments done by German researchers in the 1920s, they found that applying
a very weak current (in the order of a billionth of an ampere) to a culture of nucleated
frog red blood cells induced complete dedifferentiation in the cells, which reactivated
their nuclei, lost all hemoglobin and became primitive (unspecialized) in the space of
four hours (ibid., p143). These changes, which were later found in the RBCs of fish and
other reptiles, suggested a reactivation of the DNA - for once the staining characteristics of the
nucleus shifted, the process continued even if the current was interrupted. All the changes
involved paralleled those found in the salamander limb blastemas, demonstrating that the process
of regeneration was initiated by the current of injury. Applying this knowledge to wound healing
in mammals, in 1971 Becker's team stimulated the bone marrow of rats' amputated forelegs with
a 1 nanoampere current and managed to obtain partial regeneration of the limb, including new,
well organized bone, cartilage, muscle, blood and nerve tissue: at least ten types of cells had
differentiated from the blastema, and some specimens even demonstrated the rudiments of
finger cartilage. (ibid., pp 153) These results indicate, first of all, that mammals still have the
machinery to read out their genetic instructions and regenerate lost parts, although that potential
seems to be limited by the scarcity of immature red corpuscles in the bone marrow. Secondly,
the fact that no dedifferentiated cells are left when the regeneration is complete suggests a finely
tuned feedback mechanism between the dedifferentiation and redifferentiation mechanisms,
analogous to the balance between cell mitosis and death in normal cell turn-over. ( We will see
later on that these observations, and others like them, are best addressed in the context of a new
paradigm of genetic control mechanisms.)
Beyond the exhilarating prospect of organ and nerve regeneration (which Becker explores at
length in his book), the observation that mature cells can dedifferentiate and redifferentiate
opens up what is perhaps the most extraordinary possibility yet: a mechanism for understanding
otherwise inexplicable healing accounts, such as "spontaneous" cancer remission.
Observing that three major characteristics of malignant cells (cell simplicity, mitotic speed and
metabolic priority) were also typical of embryonic growth and regeneration, in 1948 Meryl Rose
conducted a landmark experiment designed to test whether the physiological environment of
regeneration could take over the controls of tumor cells. After transplanting pieces of frog kidney
tumor to the limbs of salamanders and watching them grow, he amputated the leg just below or,
in some cases, right through the tumor mass. As opposed to controls, where the tumor metastasized
and ended up killing the host, these specimens demonstrated a remarkable phenomenon: the tumor
cells dedifferentiated more fully as the blastema formed, then redifferentiated along with the blastema
- thus proving a monumentally important point: "the regeneration's guidance system could control
cancer, too" (Becker 1985, pp 217). Furthermore, replicating experiments conducted in
1962-1963 by F. Seilern-Aspang and K. Kratochwil at the Austrian Cancer Institute showed that,
in cases where the primary tumor was in the tail, amputation of the tail below that level (i.e. leaving
the primary tumor intact) resulted in total disappearance of both the primary mass and all its
distant metastases as the tail regenerated (ibid., pp220) - thus complete healing of two
aetiologically-distinct injuries (incidentally, a claim not uncommonly found in the alternative
healing literature). Although this result was obtained only when the amputation was close to the site
of the primary tumor, it demonstrated beyond doubt that the key to such "spontaneous regression"
was a shift in the tumor's immediate environment - most probably the electrical currents in the
neuro-epidermal junction, which Becker had proven were the initiators of regeneration.
What is the nature of this "analog system" which preoccupied Becker for over three decades?
By demonstrating the Hall effect in the leg of a salamander as it regained consciousness
(ibid., pp101), Becker showed that this DC potential was a semiconductor current - in other
words, that the carrier were electrons in a semiconducting lattice. But to admit the existence of
a semiconductor current permeating and regulating the brain-body continuum, one must be ready
to look for an appropriate substrate. Semiconduction requires an ordered molecular structure,
such as crystals, in which electrons can exist in a delocalized fashion and flow coherently across l
large distances with minimal dissipation of energy - a very different model from the type of
conduction associated with neurons. In the wet, warm, perpetually-fluctuating environment which
is the living organism, what could possibly constitute a proper matrix for this type of phenomenon?
____________________________________________________________________________________
III The challenge of Perception
If the preceding discussion was intended to gently destabilize our dogmatic faith in the
completeness of the molecular biology approach to healing, opening the door to alternative models,
when we come to the question of anomalous cognition conventional science has practically nothing
to offer as a possible mechanism: the classical approaches seem to have hit an impasse which
closely parallels the impasse of neurocognitive science in general. That is, most psychophysiological
approaches to altered states of consciousness and anomalous cognition have centered on brain
imaging studies, which have yielded a catalog of "brain activation areas" as diverse and
inconclusive as the particle-zoo of our preliminary forays into quantum physics. The EEG appears
to be a very noisy, chaotic, unstable display of the brain's functional state: patterns of brain activity
are simply unrepeatable, concludes well known neurophysiologist Walter Freeman (Ho, 1996).
Although gross correlations between general cognitive states and EEG shifts have been found, it is
becoming increasingly questionable whether such studies will ever be able to provide the detailed
map we had once hoped for. At the same time, the interplay between body DC potentials and
brain activity demonstrated by Becker raises the question of a "full body consciousness" - a spectrum
of subtle somatic changes which may well play a critical role in "gating" and regulating cognitive
functions, including altered states of consciousness and anomalous cognition. For this reason, we
would like to propose temporarily shifting our attention from the study of EEG maps in order to
consider other possible physiological parameters of cognitive functions.
In a series of essays on the human potential, Ingo Swann repeatedly argues that the West has
misunderstood and needlessly mystified the nature of subtle perception abilities: by coining the
term "extrasensory perception" we have drawn a forbidding line which by its very definition
prevents us from studying phenomena like Remote Viewing (RV) and Distant Mental Interactions
with Living Systems (DMILS) in the context of physical science. Yet, he insists, ancient texts such
as Patanjali's Yoga Sutras make it clear that those who had indeed mastered these skills through
advanced meditation techniques regarded them as part of man's natural spectrum of senses: what
is "subtle" is not their substrate (which we erroneously tend to believe in this day and age) but the
application of focus, or attention, on the perceptual apparatus processing this information. As the
"father" of modern remote viewing, Swann is in a unique position to share his insights from a
position of experience and authority - therefore it is worth spending the next few paragraphs
to review some of his conclusions.
Swann introduces the terms "sensory transducer array" to denote the hardware of our sensory
apparatus (understood to be the physical matrix of both common and exceptional human senses)
and "mental information processing grids" to refer to the software programs processing the raw
data (Swann 1996a). His main proposal is that we have an "inherent hard drive [ability]
TO CONSTRUCT an enormous variety of sensory transducers" - however, these transducers
are constructed only through repeated exposure and cognitive processing of the signals. In other
words, we have a choice in the way we "format" these information processing grids, which results
in the reinforcement of some pathways and the near-breakdown of others. (Note: this is true of
normal sensory pathways too - see Rivlin & Gravelle on the post-natal development of vision in
kittens and human babies). This formatting is a function of evolutionary forces (survival skills
emphasizing some senses at the expense of others), as well as social pressures (senses which
appear "scientifically impossible" being stigmatized by ridicule and/or irrelevance, thus forced into
disuse). Information still trickles from these innate perceptual systems, but it is now qualified as
feelings, intuition, impressions - in essence, mental processes we consider to be non-factual,
imaginary, or based on a very low signal:noise ratio. By definition we do not weigh these equally
with factual sense-data in our decision making processes - unless we are trained to recognize
them as sense-data. Coordinate remote viewing is precisely such a form of training - "an exercise
in formatting specialized sensory transducers" (1996b) by the interplay of repeated exposure and
feedback, in order to strengthen one's recognition of subtle and implicit relationships (1997b).
Swann further argues that there is a vast difference between message and its structure, or format
- in other words, that the "mental image" put together by an experienced viewer or "psychic" is most
often not "seen" as such, but constructed from implicit relationships of subtle impressions which he
or she has learned to organize based on repeated feedback (1997b). This organization is intimately
related to the notion of signal:noise ratio, with misconceptions, fear and other "social luggage"
providing a considerable source of noise. The other major source of processing noise is language
itself, which is THE main conceptualization/ meaning-assigning grid: if a given experience cannot
be assigned a recognized term, chances are it will be discarded - hence the loss of information
(Swann 1997b, 1996c). (Note: additional sources of noise, according to Braud, are
"exteroceptive stimulation, skeletal muscle activity, excessive autonomic activity, various kinds
of cognitive activity, excessive effort to succeed at the task, distracting imagery and mentation".
Krippner S and George L., pp 353)
Sensory transducers are mechanisms which convert various forms of input energy to another
form which can be used by the organism's sensory systems. The typical example is speech, where
sonic vibrations are converted to electromagnetic signals which activate certain brain areas
responsible for speech recognition, memory and meaning integration. It is only after this step
that the original signal acquires its meaning and is recognized as such. An even more dramatic
example is vision, which can be broken down into up to 10 steps (Swann 1997a, Rivlin &
Gravelle): step 1 begins when the interference patterns of light bouncing off of objects are picked
up by the visible light sensitive elements (rods and cones) of the retina. This input is converted
into chemical energy, then back into electromagnetic signals which are subsequently transmitted
via a complex system of relay cells to the visual cortex. Because visual processing cells are
sensitive only to specific features (e.g. lines at various angles, moving bars, specific primary colors,
parts of the right or left visual field, etc) the visual cortex is the place where the integration of all
these disparate elements fed by thousands of neural firing patterns occurs, and a "map"
representing the visualized target is reconstituted - only to be subsequently compared with
internal representations stored in memory. As matches, or partial matches to these elements,
are found, recognition takes place, leading to step 10 - the "mental image picture". However,
if the match is insufficient, the mental picture fails to form, and we are left with mere
"impressions". As we shall see below, this is particularly relevant to understanding remote
viewing, because of a phenomenon called analytic overlay.
In Swann's model, the "biomind" consists of "a system of arrays of sensory receptors followed
by arrays of sensory information transducers, and then by arrays of meaning transducers" (1996b).
Swann believes that, since everything we "perceive" is recognized as such only against memory
storage, a vast field of natural information sources has become virtually inaccessible to us simply
because we have historically failed to reinforce their required processing pathways: these, however,
do not simply concern step 10 (meaning integration) but, very significantly for our discussion, they
span the entire transduction chain from primary reception to conscious recognition. Unfortunately,
the remainder of the discussion is focused on meaning transducers and offers little guidance
regarding the possible nature of the lower level formatting.
This brief overview of Swann's provocative ideas is very important for two reasons: first,
because it refocuses our attention from immaterial philosophical speculations on the nature of
"extrasensory perception" to a concrete approach making use of tangible models; secondly,
because these models force us to ask some interesting questions about exactly what it is that
we perceive during remote viewing.
It is commonly believed that, in the cases where a remote viewing session is judged to have
failed, the problem consisted of an inability to locate the target. In fact, (see 3; McMoneagle 1997
pp63, 66, 88, 108, 196, 200; McMoneagle 2000 pp 207-8) some of the most experienced
professionals in this field now believe that the error more commonly lies with a misinterpretation
of the preliminary impressions, which tricks the mind into pursuing further impressions which
reinforce this cognitive basin, while discarding others which seem to be incompatible. For this
reason, it is strongly emphasized from the very beginning of RV training that impressions be
given in a descriptive and non-analytic format. The difficulty of this problem is twofold: first, the
mind is highly trained in making inferences and filling in missing data (Rivlin & Gravelle pp 136)
which has definite evolutionary advantages, but can also "create" false information. Secondly, it is
known that imagination interferes with perception in the same modality (LaBerge 1990). It is
therefore almost impossible to distinguish between actual perception and cognitive fill-in (analytic
overlay) on a subjective basis: in the "ganzfeld" environment of RV they both "feel" the same!
Whatever the primary receptors of remote perception may be, the final (conscious) stage of
input integration seems to be the same.
The question of primary receptors for RV is, of course, THE great question of parapsychology.
But there is one other intriguing observation to be made regarding "normal" versus remote
viewing: the way in which perceptual data is reported in the typical RV experiment bears
a strange resemblance to the specialized visual neural processing described above: for
instance, the target is often perceived at the wrong scale or orientation (see Houck; McMoneagle
1997 pp47-54, 85, 92, 94, 192; Dong & Raffill pp 155-6); the right color may be associated
with the wrong shape, or vice-versa; finally, some people only remote-view in black-and-white,
while some view in full color (Jimmy Williams "Discussion on RV) (This latter observation
provides an interesting point given its parallels to dreaming - perhaps in some people only
rod-associated neurons can be activated by indirect stimulation such as imagery or, as we shall
see in section VI, by entanglement-triggered magnetic sensory modulation). The obvious
question is whether the reception of RV data occurs at the cortical (integration) level,
or whether it overlaps with normal visual processing pathways below this level? In
light of the above observations, it seems logical to conclude that the initial reception
is below level 10 - therefore that we are dealing not with abstract, conceptual data
fed directly to the "higher mind", but with raw stimulation which has a basis in some
form of material perception. Although we are far from understanding the nature of such
"extrasensory" stimuli, we know that many normal perceptual pathways involve the translation
of Morse-like patterns of nerve stimulation into alternative sensations. A typical example of this
pattern theory, as it's been called, is the way we discriminate between our basic tastes: since
one type of nerve responds to sweet and sour and another to sweet and salty, when both
nerves fire at the same time the "sweet" message is registered, with the other two rejected.
Is RV based on a similar - if far more complex - system of patterned stimuli? This may be
an area of interesting experimental possibilities - for example, given the loss of color which
normally occurs when only one or two of the three sets of color receptors are stimulated
(Rivlin & Gravelle pp 103) it would be interesting to see what happens when the RV target
is monochromatic in one of the primary colors.
Let's also look a little further into Swann's "sensory transduction arrays": according to his model,
they comprise both software (meaning assignment, training in the recognition of mental
impressions against target feedback) and hardware - on which, unfortunately, parapsychology
does not have very much to say. Swann recognizes, toward the end of this magnificent series
of essays, that psi research needs to move away from its traditional paradigm and embrace
the advances of neurobiology and information theory (Swann1997c) - a position with which
the present author is in complete agreement. But with cognitive science plagued by its own
conceptual impasses, where shall we look for support?
Swann emphasizes that RV and other subtle sensory abilities, such as the siddhis described
in the ancient yoga sutras, are abilities which require systematic and deliberate development,
in addition to intellectual understanding (1). This is a point with considerable echoes in the
meditation and qigong literature. In Zen and the Brain, Austin lists known physiological
changes observed in long-term meditators: increase in visual sensitivity; an increase in the level
of physiological arousal/blood norepinephrine levels (but without the expected rise in heart
rate/blood pressure!) during stressful situations; slower rate of breathing; and an increase in
skin resistance. Large predominant alpha waves are commonly observed in both masters and
trainees during qigong practice, with the amplitude increasing over time as the student advances
in training (Kawano, 1999; Kawano, 1998-1; Kawano & al, 1998; Kawano, 1998-2;
Terasawa & al, 1997; Kawano & al, 1996; Zhang & al, 1999; Machi, 2001; Zhang & al, 2000;
Cohen, 1996). Finally, long-term changes ranging from a drop in blood pressure to
improvements in heart function and microcirculation, increased cardiac output, beneficial
changes in blood chemistry, improved blood flow to the brain, and increased phagocytic
rates/immune function in cancer patients have been reported by now in dozens of qigong
studies (see Sancier, Cohen, McGee & Chow). Does this indicate that some form of
neuromuscular remodeling is involved, as in musical or athletic training? Are there new
connection being made between neurons and their receptor fields? These are perhaps
valid questions, but in the absence of a reasonable model explaining our access to non-local
information, they fail to provide much insight. Swann is quick to mention the validation of
additional, subtle senses by conventional science (for example, electromagnetic sensors and
"echolocators" in sharks and other fish, magnetic directional sensing by pigeons, and a number
of other animal orientation abilities - see Rivlin & Gravelle pp 53-64). But these are all based
on simple field gradients and do not begin to approach the complexity of information typical
of RV - at least judging from our current behavioral studies. Is there more detail to this
information than we have so far assumed?
One very interesting experiment that might shed some light on this question was done by
Elizabeth Rauscher and William Van Bise (Becker 1990 pp.105) who used magnetic fields
generated by 2 coils of wire, each pulsing at a different ELF frequency, and directed so as
to intersect at the head of a human subject. The subject was blindfolded, and as the frequencies
were slightly varied, they reported "seeing" simple geometric images (circles, ellipses, triangles)-
all of this bypassing the entire visual system as we know it! Since the currents were much too
weak to produce any action potentials, Becker suggests an explanation via stimulation of the
semiconductor DC control system. However, there is one other current theory available
which might provide even more insight into this phenomenon, as well as into other major
questions of "extrasensory" perception: we will deal with the magnetic sensory canvas
hypothesis and other implications of Pitkanen's Topological Geometrodynamics in
Section VI of this paper.
One of the recurrent objections to healing practices such as waiqi or therapeutic touch is that
we do not understand how energy and/or information can be effectively transmitted from one
person to another. While self-healing through visualization, meditation practices or biofeedback
is seen as a manipulation of psychoneuroendocrine cascades "firmly" based on conventional
biochemical models, we do not seem prepared to accept that someone else's intent can trigger
similar effects. Yet over two decades of serious research conducted in countries like Japan,
China, the US, Russia and others seem to strongly point in this direction. But in that case, where
is the locus of action? What does the signal consist of? And how much energy is involved in the
transfer - if, indeed, energy is being transferred at all? In this section we shall look at some
of the studies mentioned above and see if we can begin to sketch a possible answer to these
questions.
In a 1991 paper published by the American Journal of Chinese Medicine Chien & al. report
that they found the following biochemical effects when studying the influence of a qigong master's
"facilitating" qi on a culture of human fibroblasts: a 1.8% increase in cell growth rate in 24 hrs,
10-15% increase in DNA synthesis and 3-5% increase in cell protein synthesis in a 2 hr period.
When the master emitted "inhibiting" qi, the cell growth decreased by 6%, while DNA and
protein synthesis decreased by 20-23%, respectively 35-48%. Additionally, the respiration rate
of boar sperm was increased by 12.5-13% after a 5 minute exposure to "facilitating" qi, and
decreased by 45-48% by a 2 minute exposure to "inhibiting" qi. The qi was emitted from the
palms of the master and measured using a III-V compound semiconductor InSb detector -
as an increase, respectively decrease in the temperature of the environment.
A series of controlled studies conducted by US researchers Glen Rein and Rolin McCraty
of the HeartMath Institute (Benor PSupp p. 303-307, 406-410) presented evidence that
individuals generating highly coherent ECG spectra are capable of producing target-specific
and directional conformational changes in DNA samples. In these experiments, individuals
trained in generating focused feeling of deep love were asked to increase or decrease the rate
of DNA denaturation in DNA solution samples either held by them or kept in a laboratory
0.5 miles away. The ECG measurements were taken by fast Fourier transform techniques,
with the coherence ratio determined by the percent of coherent to non-coherent epics during
the two minutes of recording. The denaturation rate was measured using UV spectroscopy.
While individuals who showed low coherence ratios, although in a calm state of mind, were
unable to change the conformation of DNA, all subjects trained in the HeartMath technique
were able to produce high coherence rates and significant DNA changes (p<0.01 ), with
one individual demonstrating an effect size that was three times larger than the maximal thermal
and mechanical perturbation known to be possible. The winding and unwinding of the DNA
reflected the directionality of intent, and in one protocol involving three identical aliquots of DNA,
two samples were denatured to different degrees while the third one was left unchanged, as
intended. In distant-effect protocols, similar effects were noted, but the onset time varied from
immediate to a 60-minute delay, with the effect either continuing to increase or reaching a plateau,
depending on the experiment (Note: this delayed effect is a common observation in PK tests -
see Houck, Dong & Raffill). The authors believe that these observations indicate "an energetic
exchange of information between the heart and the rest of the body" which is "mediated by a
non-Hertzian quantum field" which they identify as "heart energy".
Similar results were obtained by Qigong Master Yan Xin (Yan, 1988), who applied external
qi to samples of calf thymus DNA and yeast RNA for 10-15 minutes and from distances ranging
between 0 and 10 km. As opposed to control samples which remained stable, the test samples'
UV absorptions (measured with a fast-scanning spectrophotometer) increased by 1.3-12%,
depending on the sample and the time of measurement (delayed effects were also noted in this
set-up, with one sample absorption increase value changing from 4.1% to 12% overnight, in the
absence of further emission). In general, the effect of subsequent emissions was to further
denature the DNA sample. Samples shielded by lead still demonstrated a 2.6% change
compared to controls. The level of significance in these tests was p< 2 x 10 ^-9. A similar test
on salmon sperm DNA subjected to 5 subsequent emissions (from 2,000km away) resulted
in a 51% increase in UV absorption over 13 hours (Li, 1988)
DNA synthesis in culture tumor cells treated with a healer's (Dr. Leonard Laskow) intent
demonstrated statistically significant inhibition, in a study reported by Glen Rein (Benor 2001
pp 401). Focused intent that the cells return to their natural order produced the same effect
(20%) as imagery alone, with the effect doubling in size when imagery and intent were combined.
An increase in the receiver's Laogong point skin temperature was measured during distant
(shielded) waiqi emission (Chen 2001). Another DMILS study (Kokubo, 2000) reports that, in
the results of 35 trials, the fluctuations in the receiver's skin conductance was smaller during the
sending periods than before and after. In another distant healing experiment (300 km), subjects
experienced body actions and reported visions of light images during the sending windows
(Kido, 2 001). Chinese researchers have also shown that external Qi can increase blood
plasma cAMP (Lin and Chen).
If all these changes can be imprinted upon a distant target, how about the effects of qigong on
the healer's own body? Medical literature abounds in evidence supporting the beneficial and
regulatory effects of qigong practice on almost every aspect of physical and mental health
(see Sancier; Cohen; McGee & Chow). We shall concentrate here only on some of the more
obscure (and intriguing) energetic processes, as they provide an important link to our previous
discussion.
Intent-modulated emission of biophotons from the hands of qigong practitioners is a
well-known phenomenon that has often been reported in the scientific literature: at the 1999
Third World Congress on Qigong, Dr. Eugene Wallace reported measuring up to 100 time
stronger emissions from the hands of gifted subjects compared to controls. Tanaka & al.
(Tanaka 2001) report that a qigong master imagining qi emission from the right palm was able
to significantly decrease the skin surface temperature of the right palm compared to rest periods,
while no change was observed in the left hand. A study by Nakamura & al. (Nakamura 2000)
reports an increase in subject's hand biophoton intensity associated with a drop in skin surface
temperature during qigong practice.
Physical signal detectors have measured a variety of energy fluctuations in the vicinity of qigong
and therapeutic touch practitioners. In their review, Lin and Chen report 80% frequency
modifications in the far infrared radiation detected 50 cm from the palm of a qigong practitioner;
thermal flow (detected by an AGA thermogram) indicated heat moving from the arm to the
palm and finally the fingers of a qigong master emitting qi, while other studies showed a
rhythmical alternation of brain hemispheric temperature during a master's qigong practice.
Tests conducted in a zero-magnetism lab in China showed significantly higher magnetic signals
and (in 80% of the subjects) residual magnetic signatures from qigong practitioners compared
to control subjects. At the same time, Radin reports in a 1991 paper (Radin 1991) that the
background ionizing radiation could be decreased in accordance to task instructions (p<0.05),
only to suddenly increase above control levels 20 seconds after the treatment period. In the
same issue of JISSSEEM, Elmer Green & al. report body-potential surges of 4 to 221 V
(median value 8.3 V) in therapeutic touch meditators, compared to under 4 V in all
non-meditators. These surges were predominantly negative in polarity and lasted a median
3.6 seconds. As these values are over 100 times greater than GSP, EEG or EKG voltages,
the authors could not find a reasonable source of energy explaining this phenomenon.
Another interesting observation is reported in (Benford 1999): in a series of experiments
involving therapeutic touch practitioners and their subjects, gamma radiation levels significantly
decreased in 100% of the subjects and at every body site tested. (The author's hypothesis is that
the healers's conscious intentions are producing increased EM fields around the hands of the
healers, which cause alterations in Shipov's torsion field and thus distortions of the zero-point
field - which in turn somehow "rebalance the energy scales and return [the target organism] to
equilibrium".
One of the most striking effects of qigong practice is the so-called Bigu state, in which
practitioners continue to carry on normal activities while surviving on 300 calories per day or
less. The diet typically consists of water and fruit juices and is followed for periods of time
ranging from a week to months and even years. Subjects report that they do not experience
hunger or the desire to eat and that their perceived energy level, as well as physical and mental
competency are enhanced during this period. (Terenzini, ). For the advanced practitioner, this
state follows naturally "when the accumulation of qi reaches a certain point" (Gao 1998).
Although the mechanisms behind this phenomenon are not yet understood, preliminary studies
done in China and the US show that the metabolic profile is significantly different from that
associated with fasting - according to Dr. Rustum Roy, who chaired the 2000 Bigu Conference
at Penn State University (for example, the serum protein levels are significantly raised). To use
Dr. Roy's analogy, this indicates that the body somehow assumes a super-efficient state, like a
car which can run 80 miles to the gallon instead of the usual 15 or 20 (1, 2, Huang 1988)
How can we understand such phenomena? With the exception of photoautotrophic organisms,
all other systems are energetically dependent on the use of chemical compounds which are
produced with light as the primary driving force (Renger 1998). Do qigong practitioners
bypass these usual metabolic pathways to "feed on light", as Bigu is commonly referred to? The
idea seems so preposterous that it is hardly worth mentioning. And yet, as we shall see in the
following section, the role of light in biosystems is much farther-reaching than previously assumed.
While non-autotrophs may not be able to "feed" on light, the utilization of energy by their
organisms may be greatly modified by electromagnetic fields.
V. The quantum-holographic blueprint of living structures
BIBLIOGRAPHY
VI. The Phase Space of Conscious Interactions
In a superb paper presented to the British Acupuncture Society in October 1999, entitled
"Coherent Energy, Liquid Crystallinity and Acupuncture", Mae-Wan Ho outlines the essential
features of the biophysical (as opposed to biochemical) paradigm: 1. living organisms are open
systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium and characterized by a highly coordinated hierarchy
of energy flow cycles, such that entropy is minimized and energy efficiency approaches 100%. 2.
The energy is stored in a coherent form tied to the characteristic space-time domains of natural
processes, "a quantum superposition of coherent activities, with instantaneous (non-local)
noiseless intercommunication throughout the system". Thus any subtle perturbation arising
anywhere within this domain is instantly propagated and amplified throughout the entire organism.
This super-sensitivity to weak signals, Ho argues, is the basis for all forms of energy medicine,
including acupuncture (Ho 1999, 1996).
Evidence for this model of living systems continues to stream in at accelerating rates:
neurophysiologists have found macroscopic, phase-correlated electrical activities in widely
separated parts of the brain (Ho 1999, 1996); "molecular energy machines" transfer energy
non-dissipatively from the point of release to the point of utilization in coupled, collective modes
which span the entire subcellular-macroscopic continuum (Ho 1996 ); metabolites are
channeled sequentially in multi-enzyme complexes, thus giving rise to coupled reactions; the
cell itself has been shown to possess a highly complex microtrabecular lattice structuring and
channeling the distribution of metabolites, chemical messengers and water, its functional
configuration responding to the subtlest mechanical and electrochemical signals - acting, in
effect, more like a solid state than the "bag of enzymes" it had previously been identified with
(Ho 1996). Other processes which cannot be explained strictly on the basis of the current
model (i.e. the nervous system controlling and coordinating all responses to stimuli) are the
speed of eye-hand coordination, the accuracy of phase agreement in global brain oscillations,
motor defense reactions and the detection of local DC potential changes half a second before
sensory signals arrive in the brain (Ho 1998, 1997, 1993). But the most promising directions
for the study of coherent excitations in living systems are tied to the discovery of biophotons
in the 1970s.
All living systems emit light spontaneously: these ultra-weak emissions range from a few up
to several hundred photons per second per square centimeter of surface area. The distribution
spectrum ranges from infra-red to ultra-violet and is nearly flat (does not depend on the
wavelength), which suggests that the energy is emitted from a wide range of excited molecules
and stored in a delocalized manner within the system. This broad spectral distribution persists
when the organism is stimulated with monochromatic light (delayed luminescence), in which
case a hyperbolic decay rate is observed. It has been argued by Popp and others (Popp and
Chang 1998; Ho 1993, Popp a, b; Popp and Yan) that these characteristics are necessary
and sufficient to demonstrate that the source of biophotons is a coherent photon field within
the organism. Furthermore, it has been shown by Popp (Ho Will, Gaia) that the flat
distribution results in an optimization of the signal-noise ratio over all wavelengths, hence
minimal entropy.
Cells undergo an average 10^5 reactions per second. Cilento has shown (Popp, 1999) that
most biological reactions take place when a photon is borrowed from the surrounding
electromagnetic bath, exciting the transition state complex, then is returned to the surroundings
to become available for the next reaction. Since the average reaction takes 10^-9 seconds,
Popp has argued that one photon (or an extremely low photon intensity) may be all that is
needed to supply the required activation energy for all cell reactions. In fact, given that in
10^-9 seconds the electromagnetic wave packet travels over a distance of 10 cm (or 10^4
times the diameter of a cell), it is impractical to even speak of single photons in a cell: instead,
we must envision a field of electromagnetic wave amplitudes which can localize and delocalize
according to the interference patterns and non-equilibrium dynamics of a field whose coherence
volume may range from nanometers to meters. Thus metabolic energy, instead of being lost
as heat, is stored as coherent electromagnetic vibrations (collective modes). One property of
this coherent state is its factorizability (Ho and Popp, 1989; Ho 1998): parts of the system
can behave quite independently of each other, yet maintain instant communication (much like
players in an orchestra, to use Ho's analogy). Another interesting characteristic is the coupling
of the different frequency bands, such that random energy introduced into the system is
instantly communicated to other frequencies (Ho 1993 pp 91).
Photon fluxes play a remarkable number of biological roles as either carriers of information
(in enzyme activation, phototropism, photomorphogenesis, phototaxis, regulation of gene
expression, vision) or as a driving energy for biological processes (Renger 1998).
Furthermore, it is known (Chwirot, 1998; Rubik) that both the intensity and the spectrum
of the biophoton emission are strongly correlated with the physiological and developmental
state of the organism, and with the actions of the environment upon it (especially stressors,
which tend to cause an increase of bioluminescence intensity). The dominating role of source
and sink for the biophoton field is the DNA molecule. (Popp-1999, Popp and Chang 1998)
(in fact the mammalian red blood cells, which do not have active chromatine, are the only cells
which do not emit biophotons). There are definite correlations between the intensity of biophoton
emission (BPE) and conformational states of DNA during meiosis (Popp 1999). For example,
increased levels of ultraweak luminescence (UWL) have been observed during cell division in
frog eggs, the germination of seeds and during early stages of differentiation of Dictyosteluim
discoideum (4; Chwirot). The same papers report significantly higher level of photon emission
from surgically removed tumors compared to normal tissues, a non-linear correlation between
BPE and growth rate, and further correlations between the UWL from the fingertips of patients
and their age and certain physiopathological states. Beside the prospect of a sensitive,
non-invasive technique to diagnose a variety of early conditions, these findings offer ample
support to the thesis that biophotons are intimately related to the regulation of critical
biological functions.
Noting correlations between optical properties of molecules and their carcinogenic activity,
Popp has suggested that cancer induction is related to the loss of coherence of a photon field
in the living tissues, originating from excited states of DNA. Evidence is gradually
accumulating in support of his theory: for example, it has been shown that the delayed
luminescence relaxation of tumor tissues with increasing cell density in solution approaches
an exponential function, whereas normal tissues follow a hyperbolic function (Chang & Popp).
Another argument is related to the control of normal development: growth regulation is based
on the death rate of cells, with sudden cell death and mitosis having to balance each other
perfectly; with 10^7 cells dying every second in the human body, this information has to
travel a distance of at least 10^-3cm in 10^-7 seconds, which is much faster than the velocity
of messenger molecules, approaching the velocity of sound. If it is assumed that the message
is holistic and related to the entire body, then the scale becomes 1 meter, and the speed of
transmission reaches electromagnetic values. Thus cancer can be seen as an imbalance
between cell growth and death due to a deterioration of intercellular and full-body
communication systems (Popp and Chang 1998) - and indeed, research has shown
(Chwirot- a,b) that the characteristics of biophoton emission curves are different for
normal versus tumor tissues.
The spatio-temporal coherence of biophoton fields means that complex EM interference
patterns are created throughout the organism: the more coherent the light, the sharper the
interference patterns. It has been suggested by Popp, Gariaev and others that these patterns
may be the basis of morphogenesis and structural/biochemical regulation of the organism
throughout its life - an EM blueprint guiding the development, repair and even social behavior
of organisms. The phase information within and between cells are hypothesized to act as
biological control parameters regulating the growth and differentiation of cells, with
constructive interference domains intracellularly and destructive interference in the
extracellular matrix (Popp 1999). Experimental evidence such as the phantom leaf effect
(see Gariaev 1991), the delayed luminescence function of tumor cells and the distribution
of Daphnia larvae (Popp-a, Popp 1986, Chang&Popp 1998, Ho 1993, 1996) certainly
seem to support this hypothesis. For example, loss of coherence in tumor cells is presumed
responsible for the loss of inhibition (destructive extracellular interference) leading to abnormal
mitosis rates (Popp & Chang).
One of the most remarkable findings to shed some light on the possible mechanism of
biophoton control comes from Ho's laboratory: in 1993, she and Lawrence discovered that,
under polarized light microscopy, this extraordinary level of dynamic coherence makes
organisms appear crystalline. Because the frequency of coherent molecular motion in cells and
tissues is much lower than the frequency of light, molecules will appear to be statically ordered,
or crystalline, to the light passing through. This dynamic coherence is a continuum that extends
from intracellular molecules to the cytoplasm, extracellular matrix and the connective tissues
throughout the organism. (Ho 1993). The lipids in cellular membranes, the cytoskeletal and
muscle proteins, collagen and other connective tissue macromolecules, as well as the DNA in
chromosomes - all these essential and ubiquitous molecules of living systems are liquid crystals
(Ho 1996, Beal). Consequently, the organism may be seen as a solid state possessing many of
the physical characteristics of these highly interesting materials.
Liquid crystals (LCs) are mesophases - states of matter between the solid and liquid phase.
While they possess long range orientational order, they are highly mobile and responsive,
undergoing orientation changes (phase transitions) when exposed to a wide variety of stimuli,
including electromagnetic fields, temperature and pressure changes, hydration, pH,
concentrations of inorganic ions and other pysico-chemical parameters (Beal, Ho 1996).
LC can convert information about minute changes in pressure, temperature and light into
electrical currents (they are piezoelectric, pyroelectric and photoelectric). Lastly (but, as we
shall see, very significant for our main proposal) they are permanently modified (sensitized)
by the passage of electrical currents so as to facilitate the future passage of such currents
(Becker 1985 pp 257).
Considering these arguments, Mae-Wan Ho concludes that the liquid crystalline continuum
of the body acts as "the basis of sentience", a primitive "body consciousness", working in
tandem with the nervous system and representing the primary control center for instantaneous
coordination of body functions. Moreover, she suggests that Becker's semiconducting DC
potentials and "currents of injury" are not restricted to the perineural system, but are distributed
throughout the LC matrix of the organism. (Ho 1998). Because conformational changes in a
LC network produce alterations in the structure of bound water associated with them, and
because the water itself has a certain degree of resistance to change, this body consciousness
is also characterized by "tissue memory", which becomes part of the dynamic circuits
constituting the DC body field. Finally, Ho suggests that the LC matrix may act a quantum
holographic medium which records interference patterns between local events and the global
body field - an idea which finds full agreement with Gariaev's experimental work (see below).
Since the early '90s, Gariaev's team has been developing a new theoretical and experimental
approach to the study of genetic material encoding and expression. In a pioneering paper
(Gariaev 2001; see this issue), he and his colleagues challenge the limits of the genetic code
triplet model and propose instead a dual, substance/wave basis for the encoding and
expression of genetic material. The wave-like, non-local aspect of genetic regulation is
recorded at the polarization level of DNA-associated photons, and the genome is seen as a
quasi-hologram of light and radio waves which create the background necessary for the
appropriate expression of genetic material.
Some of the experimental evidence cited in support of this new model is extensively reviewed:
1. the ability of DNA and chromatin in vitro to be pumped in as a laser-active medium for
consequent light laser generation; 2. the fact that 95-98% of a genome represents non-coding
sequences which have been shown (by statistical analysis using the Zipf-Mandelbrot law) to
have more in common with natural languages and demonstrate significantly greater
long-distance correlations, than coding sequences; 3. the existence of homonymous-synonymous
ambiguities of genetic texts; 4. the virus-like strain specificity of prions in the absence of
DNA/RNA material; and 5. laboratory research carried out by Yu. V. Dzang Kangeng, who
demonstrated wave transmission of genetic information to change hereditary characteristics
of biological accepting objects. (Although Kangeng provides no theoretical interpretation
of the operational device, the authors' previous work with laser mirrors closely parallels his
protocol, leading them to conclude that the polarized laser beam split into orthogonal waves
which, by repeated passing through the optically active donor DNA and multiple interference
with itself, lead to the phenomenon of photon field localization and information recording);
6. the authors' own experiments with polarization-laser-radio-wave (PLRW) spectroscopy,
whereby they used electromagnetic waves to "repair" the genetic information of old
radioactively-damaged seeds from the Chernobyl area (1987).
The authors argue that the genome emits light and radio-waves whose delocalized interference
patterns create calibration fields (blueprints) for a system's space-time organization. This
holographic-type information is being constantly and simultaneously read in billions of cells,
accounting for the quick coordinated response typical of living systems. On the basis of this
model, the authors suggest that the activation of oncogenes and xenobiotic HIV sequences is
dependent on genome holographic processes and therefore that future research in these
high-profile areas should focus on the factors modulating such EM field characteristics
(such as external artificial modified fields) in addition to local, molecular biology approaches.
The problems presented in the preceding discussion (detection of non-local and/or
sub-threshold sensory information, super-efficient energy utilization, non-local control of
genetic material) receive an original and very compelling solution in the context of Topological
Geometrodynamics - a comprehensive 8-dimensional reality model in which cognitive
representations like memory, perception and intent exist as 3-D spacetime sheets of various
durations in a global 8-D manifold, and are subject to laws of dynamics and evolution which
lead to entanglement, phase transitions and other non-local phenomena (see
Pitkanen 2002 -a,b,c).
One of the key concepts of TGD are the so-called massless extremals (MEs), which are
topological field quanta of electromagnetic fields and one of the basic solutions of field equations
in TGD. They carry a lightlike vacuum current (a massless, purely geometric current produced
by spacetime deformations) which generates coherent EM waves and propagates with no
attenuation. MEs can be generated by quantum jumps and are topological/geometrical correlates
of entanglement in all length scales (spacetime bridges between both physical and p-adic sheets).
Furthermore, ME-magnetic flux tube pairs are laser mirrors, which play a very significant
role in sensory representations, long term memories and genetic information (see below). In
living systems, MEs associated with linear structures such as DNA and microtubules act as
sources of coherent photons (biophotons, ultraweak luminescence). MEs define an infinite
hierarchy of electromagnetic lifeforms and are essential to the understanding of EEG: "each
primary quale corresponds to a particular EEG frequency and EEG provides a representation
of brain state just like {an] atomic transition frequencies [...] spectrum" (Pitkanen-d).
Pitkanen proposes that the binding energy of molecules is represented at the level of
spacetime topology by negative energy MEs: hydrogen bonds correspond to ME with lengths
of a few micrometers; covalent bonds MEs have lengths in the order of visible light wavelengths.
MEs in all length scales give rise to magnetic bridges between cells, organs, etc. Thus atomic
and molecular properties automatically imply properties of EM "bodies" having much larger
sizes and provide a basis for long distance correlations and even an EM genetic code - a
holographic template used by the body to self-organize (see Gariaev). MEs generated by
the radiation of DNA and amplified by LC bound water of DNA have lengths up to the
body size in the high frequency end of the spectrum - thus ELF MEs can be seen as coding
for the magnetic body.
Magnetic mirrors formed by magnetic flux tube/ME pairs occur in all length scales in TGD,
providing a general molecular recognition mechanism and a generalization of manysheeted
DNA, as well as a basis for the sensory canvas and long term memories (the latter bearing
interesting similarities to Peter Marcer's theory of memory as a "re-experience" of a given
event). ME-magnetic flux tubes pairs make possible bridges between healer and target and
the transfer of intent and action by resonant interaction.
One of the most significant implications of Pitkanen's theory is the magnetic sensory canvas
(MSC) hypothesis, which states that our "selves" are composed of the physical body and
a magnetic "body", consisting of magnetic flux tube structures which are part of the Earth's
magnetic field. (Another way to say this is that the Earth's magnetic field has self-organized
into complex patterns inside living organisms). Thus sensory representations are realized
outside the brain at magnetic flux tube structures associated with the brain and having a
size comparable to the Earth's circumference. EM stimulation of magnetic flux tube/ME
pairs of the sensory canvas induce them to resonantly oscillate at harmonics of
thalamocortical resonance frequencies, thus "projecting" sensory data on this extracorporeal
canvas in a frequency-coded fashion. It is known (see Becker 1990 p234-42), that ELF
frequencies which are multiples of cyclotron frequencies for Ca++ and other biologically
important ions have special effects on living tissues. TGD postulates that sensory qualia
correspond to the increments of quantum numbers in quantum jumps which occur between
the magnetic states of various ions in the Earth's magnetic field. Particular frequencies
stimulate the magnetosphere, giving rise to a 'feeling of existence" in a given position of the
magnetic sensory canvas, while inside the brain similar magnetic transitions involving protons,
electrons, as well as ions like K+, Cl-, Na+, Ca2+, etc. are responsible for the "wake-up" of
mental images and qualia. EEG frequency bands act like radio frequency bands: when the
brain is tuned to the correct values, cyclotron transitions occur resonantly, leading to an
entanglement of the mental image (quale) and particular position on the magnetic sensory
canvas - thus "extrasensory perception".
Thus the brain cycles through an enormous number of frequencies corresponding to
"reception windows" (meaning that the EEG is not so much a summation of actual neural
activity as a digital dial picture, showing which reception frequencies are active at the moment):
in the awake state, the frequencies are predominantly in the beta-alpha range, corresponding
to direct sensory receptor apparatus and restricting perception to body-adjacent area. In sleep
and trance, the frequency spectrum shifts and the brain becomes receptive to resonant
frequencies in its extended magnetic sensory canvas: this perceptual dependence on specific
EEG/MEG spectra might also explain why we are not able to achieve a high degree of
replicability in anomalous cognition tasks, even after the most extensive training
(McMoneagle 1997, 2000).
The size of ELF MEs is in the range of the Earth's circumference, which means that a single
projector ME stimulates both the personal magnetic sensory canvas and the Earth's magnetic
field. Since a given region of the magnetosphere can receive information from several brains, this
can lead to the sharing of mental images and give rise to phenomena like telepathy and RV.
ME/magnetic flux tube mirrors may also reflect perturbations in the earth's geomagnetic field,
accounting for the well known correlations between geomagnetic activity and reported
psychological disturbances, as well as the observed interference with ESP function
(Becker 1990, p 242).
One of the main proposals of TGD is that the generation of bound states liberates energy.
This has extraordinary implications for the study of distant healing and other forms of PK, in
that the "qi state" can be seen as an entanglement between the healer and surrounding
("universal qi") spacetime sheets, as a result of which surrounding energy becomes available
via magnetic bridges and can be subsequently transferred to the target. The question of the
"missing energy" in Bigu can also be resolved in this manner - as an "absorption" of
environmental energy in addition to the heightened coherence and efficiency of utilization.
It is important to remember that the Bigu state is not achievable except for limited intervals
(weeks to months usually) and until advanced stages of training have been followed, such that
the "accumulation of qi reaches a certain level" (Gao ) - signaling, presumably, a state of
entanglement which is relatively difficult to maintain for prolonged periods of time.
P-adic to real phase transitions (e.g. transformation of intent into action) occur constantly
in the awake state, catalyzed by volition. This is equivalent to quantum jumps leading to
subjective time experience/moment of consciousness, and also to the separation of self from
the p-adic background. In TGD, such transitions require energy expenditure, thus metabolic
input. Conversely, loss of consciousness associated with sleep or trance means that volition is
absent and these transitions do not occur. Bigu may therefore be seen as a unique state of
partial cognitive entanglement with the environment/partial autonomy.
Entanglement between selves is realized by the formation of join-along boundaries between
spacetime sheets having the same local topology (real or p-adic), which also provides a
mechanism for building wholes from parts (organisms from molecules, Selves from mental
images, etc). The fact that both the real and p-adic spacetime sheets of different selves can
entangle as long as they possess the same topology is an important prediction of TGD, which
has direct implications on the possible mechanisms of anomalous cognition and psychokinesis.
The basic iterative step of self-organization and evolution is the quantum jump, which consists
of several steps. The final step (state preparation) is governed by the Negentropy Maximization
Principle, which states that only a subsystem giving rise to maximum negentropy gain in a
quantum jump can perform this transition (qjump). At the same time, quantum entanglement gives
rise to the generation of long range order and the emergence of increasingly longer coherent
dynamical units - an idea which echoes Mae-Wan Ho's concept of evolution. This principle
represents a maximization of the cognitive information content of a given spacetime surface -
the universe tends continually toward maximal intelligence!
The ability of selves to switch between awake/localized and semi-trance/entangled modes
of operation provides a mechanism for the self-narrative of our consciousness, an ability to
restrict the amount of input relevant to the organism's routine operations while still allowing
access to the collective intelligence of the species (see morphogenetic field and "extrasensory"
perceptions). Pitkanen suggests that this binary structure is an essential and ubiquitous
evolutionary element (seen everywhere from the cell membrane bilayer to the double helix of the
DNA and the hemispheric organization of the brain) - including the parallel development of
biological life and culture seen as an increase in the complexity of the genetic and memetic
codes.
The implications of this theory for a non-local model of consciousness and its correlations
with Mark Germine's landmark experiment (Germine 1998) will be explored in part two
of this paper (to be published in a future issue). For now, let us merely note that very similar
ideas have been proposed by prominent scientists such as E. Laszlo, M.W. Ho, P. Marcer
(see below), R. Sheldrake and, of course, D. Bohm.
Finally, let us also note that the magnetic sensory canvas hypothesis dovetails in an elegant
fashion with both anomalous cognition data and pattern theory (see section III). It is
conceivable that Becker's perineural system and/or the LC matrix of the organism
(including, but not limited to, connective tissues, cell membranes and DNA) might act
as a full-body array of sensory receptors for Pitkanen's magnetic sensory canvas
signals, with specific excitations patterns coding for different types of information.
VII. DISCUSSION
One of the major challenges facing us is to understand why and how certain training techniques
lead to an enhancement in psi function - in other words, why the interface between the physical
and cognitive dimensions becomes more permeable with certain meditation practices. It is well
known that siddhis (spontaneous or specifically cultivated) characterize advanced practice
stages in many spiritual traditions. Swann (1996a) emphasized that the primary goal of yoga
(as described by Patanjali's and other ancient sutras) was an overall expansion of sensory
awareness - and that as a result of this expansion, other mechanisms also became activated,
accounting for what we would today call psychic powers. This also seems to be the case with
modern Chinese training programs (see Dong & Raffill), where children originally found to be
capable of "ear reading" were subsequently trained to perform (or spontaneously developed)
PK feats such as opening flower buds, removing pills from sealed medicine bottles or mental
writing. The evidence also suggests (see section III) that these advanced stages are not
merely a matter of "know-how", but involve long-term/permanent changes in the
practitioner's physiology. Traditional wisdom assigns these changes to an "increase in qi flow".
Do we dare look for its physical correlate?"
What we propose is that qigong and other meditative techniques work by
progressively increasing the overall coherence ("qi flow"?) of the EM/LC
continuum via conscious mental driving, in a way not dissimilar to laser pumping
or the gradual orientation of ferromagnetic particles in an EM field. Meditation
frequencies engage the thalamic silent periods and possibly other frequency-window
pacemakers, and thus "drive" the configurational states that the body naturally
cycles through, to sensitize its LC matrix to particular frequencies. The
semiconductor nature of living tissues suggests that, with repeated passage of
an EM current through them, their sensitivity to subsequent signals should increase -
a property which, we believe, is critical to the understanding of long-term physiological
changes seen in qigong practitioners. This "kindling" effect of meditation would,
in our model, lead both to a gradual increase in tissue liquid crystallinity (hence
greater perceptual sensitivity, energy efficiency and ability to absorb stresses as
per Ho's model of frequency delocalization - see section V ); and to more efficient
coupling between intent (EM signal modulation) and its physical transducers - be
they DNA molecules regulating the body's physiological responses, or other,
yet-unknown elements which may be instrumental in anomalous cognition and
psychokinesis. The maintenance of a mentally-driven, permanent tighter-than-average
molecular coherence would thus result in faster signal detection/transmission and
greater amplification of even the most minute field fluctuations, so that normally
imperceptible "ESP" signals would gradually become consciously detectable and/or
lead to reflex responses as seen in tohate demonstrations (Yamamoto & al, 1996a,b).
Phenomena like Bigu and self-healing then become natural extensions of this
mechanism, with the specificity of given physiological actions being directed by
characteristic frequency patterns as we have described elsewhere (Sidorov 2001).
One significant piece of evidence in favor of this model comes from (Lin & Chen), in which the
authors describe studies done by professor Deyin Chu of Peking University on the
conformational changes of biomolecules under the effect of external Qigong. Using samples
of poly-glutamic acid, poly-lysinec, metallothionein and RNA, they found significant changes
in the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum which were directional and varied with the intent of the
master emitting the qi. It is also possible that similar results were obtained by a Russian team
whose experiments are briefly described in a report by L. Vilenskaya and E. May: although specific
details are missing (such as the exact nature of all the optical media), the authors mention that
organic compounds were used in conjunction with a high-precision optical polarimeter to measure
changes in the angle of rotation of the polarization plane unde the influence of a few gifted
subjects; the fact that changes varying from 20sec to 1 min arc rotations were obtained by
3 out of 5 operators within 1.5 minutes from the beginning of the attempt does indicate that
changes in the structure of the organic medium were produced under mental influence.
Furthermore, a 10x increase in the concentration of the medium produced a two-fold increase
in the effect size.
Ho's studies have shown that all organisms, from protozoa to vertebrates, are polarized along the anterior-posterior axis, so that the colors representing the different tissues of the body change
continuously and are at a maximum when the axis is appropriately aligned in the optical system.
(Ho 1998). This raises an interesting question: if, indeed, qigong acts on the
conformation of liquid crystal arrays, could we use Ho's polarization microscope
technique to detect such global changes in a target organism while under the influence
of external qi? We suggest that a small organism or a cell culture could be used in such a
protocol, then followed by metabolic and physiological assays to objectively compare the effects
of waiqi to control samples. In particular, any increase in DNA or protein synthesis, or
similarities with the metabolic profile observed in Bigu, would support the hypothesis that
qi increases the coherence of an organism's solid state matrix. It may also become possible,
as the technology evolves, to observe the effects of qigong on the practitioner's own molecular
structure - for example, by studying finger capillary beds or other areas of thin cross section
under the polarization microscopy techniques employed by Ho's team. Current efforts are
under way in countries like Germany and Japan to develop ways of simultaneously measuring
the full-body biophoton emissions of human subjects: such possibilities will undoubtedly pave
the way for increasingly detailed, non-invasive studies into the realm of subtle energy-molecular
interactions.
A very intriguing possibility is that the expression of genetic material may be influenced to
a large degree by the locus of "spontaneous" DNA unwinding - which, as we have
seen, can be effected by conscious intent (see section IV). It remains to be seen in
future qigong experiments how specific this "denaturation" can become under the
influence of given intents - that is, whether the effort to produce two different types
of protein in, say, a bacterial culture, leads to chromosomal unwinding which
selectively exposes the genes responsible for the particular proteins. If, as Gariaev
proposes, the expression of a particular gene is regulated by the spatio-temporal
characteristics (i.e. constructive/destructive interference, polarization angles) of an EM
environment created by vast stretches of intronic DNA and other LC tissue components, then
it is conceivable that some of these parameters (say, the polarization angle) may be modulated
by DC potentials which are in turn driven by intent. As Dr. Becker points out, "under hypnosis,
humans may be given verbal commands to the conscious digital-system portions of the brain,
which can then effectively control the operations of the DC analog system. Since the primitive
analog system controls growth and healing, it is possible that under certain circumstances,
conscious thought can cause healing.(Becker 1990 p 91)" But how exactly does this happen?
It is known that polarized light can be used to induce molecular alignment with high spatial
resolution. Beal states: "A biopolymer may be regarded as being a physical, structural
memory of previous environmental configuration, a memory of a previous wave state of the
environment. [...] If this particular wave state has had a part in the original structuring of the
biopolymer, then, when it re-radiates energy, it will simulate the wave pattern of the
environment. " We also know that qigong masters like Yan Xin are able to distantly modify
the polarization angle of a laser beam by as much as 12% (Yan & Lu 1988). Similar
experiments conducted in Russia (Vilenskaya & May) have also yielded statistically
significant results. Changing the polarization angle of one EM field component might
"refocus the DNA un-zipping" point of the resultant vector on a different segment
of DNA, or, assuming that the locus of action is found by progressively opening
"chapters" of chromosomal material - the overall configuration of the field's
interference pattern might impose a different conformation on the double helix,
leading in turn to a different pattern of "spontaneous book opening". We believe
that such mechanisms have been honed through natural feedback loops over millions of years
of evolution, adding to the self-healing and fast-response capabilities of higher organisms in a
way that supersedes conventional immunological pathways and the standard fight-or-flight
neurohormonal cascade. (For example, one interesting observation is that microscopic
studies of cancer tissues treated with qigong reveal precisely the apoptotic bodies hypothesized
by Gariaev to be induced by photon localization (Chen & He 2002)). Although modern
pharmacotherapeutic interventions have shifted the healing responsibility away from the
patient's lifestyle and mental attitude, there is ample documentation (Sancier, Benor) that,
with training, conscious intent can effect dramatic changes on almost every aspect of our
metabolic, physiological and genetic mechanisms. For these reasons we think it imperative
that advanced experimental approaches such as X-ray crystallography, polarization microscopy
and ultralow intensity photon detectors be used more extensively in CAM protocols, which
have historically focused on clinical studies and case reports which yield little or no information
on the actual mechanisms at work.
What about the energetic cost to the organism of such mentally-driven effects? What is the
source of energy in the case of distant targets? Over and over, studies of DMILS (Sidorov
2001, 2002) have demonstrated that the body seems aware of distant intent below the level
of conscious perception - in essence bypassing what we consider mental activity. But if these
effects are not mediated by "mind-to-mind contact" (i.e. by transmitting cognitive commands
converted top-down from the receiver's brain to his neuroendocrine system), then the only
remaining possibility is that distant intent works directly on the body's "transducer array" - that
is, either at the level of LC coherence (as per Ho), or on the somatic EM hologram postulated
by Gariaev. Although Ho's and Popp's studies have shown that the organism should
theoretically be able to amplify as little as one quantum of energy to the level of an effective
signal, we are still left with two puzzling questions: 1. How can we reconcile this exquisite
sensitivity with the body's necessary resilience in an environment saturated with EM frequencies
spanning almost the entire known spectrum (see Becker 1990 p 189). In other words, how
do we solve the signal-below-threshold problem? 2. How is the energy and/or information
transferred from subject to target in the case of shielded/distant interactions?
To answer the first question, let us turn to the conclusion of the Neurosciences Report
Program (Oschman 2000) regarding the signal-to-noise problem: "The existence of biological
effects of very weak electromagnetic fields suggests an extraordinarily efficient mechanism
for detecting these fields and discriminating them from much higher levels of noise. The
underlying mechanisms must necessarily involve ever increasing numbers of elements in
the sensing system, ordered in particular ways to form a cooperative organization and
manifesting similar forms and levels of energy over long distances." This is strangely
reminiscent of the "pattern theory" we described in Section III, and suggests that our current
view of sensory processing pathways is, if anything, in its infancy. The opportunities presented
by the body's ubiquitous liquid crystal arrays and their almost infinite configuration possibilities
make them a top candidate for the primary sensory receptors parapsychology has been looking
for. It is even conceivable that DNA phase-conjugation properties (see Popp and Chang 1998)
allow it to function as a multi-mode antenna, altering its function according to surrounding signal
fields and possibly acting not just as a regulatory program, but also an element of "extrasensory"
perception. The role played by the EM polarization parameter in Gariaev's model of genetic
regulation, and the confirmed ability of intent to modulate this parameter (see Yan Xin) are further
clues that a living organism is not a mere collection of specialized receptors and binding sites, but
(to complete Mae-Wan Ho's cellular analogy) a shimmering network of infinite plasticity and
possible functions. The existence of these specific "windows" of sensitivity can be seen in
numerous examples: for instance, in Becker's landmark dedifferentiation study, the red blood
cells did not exhibit any of the desired effect until the current was reduced to a billionth of an
ampere - an intensity which the experimenters had initially considered much too negligible to use,
although their calculations suggested it (Becker 1985 pp142). Another example is the brain tissue,
which has a maximum frequency sensitivity in the ELF range, between 6-20 Hz, and intensity
of 10^-7V/cm (Oschman 2000). Such "windows" may easily be a result of interference patterns
and series of "transducer grids" acting to filter out signals in a sequential, ordered way.
How about the second question? As we have argued before, the two central questions of
DMILS are those of target specificity and energy-versus-information transmission. It is
well-known, for example (see Li&al 1988, Yan&al 1988, Lin&Chen) that controlled studies
with external qi affect only the target samples, leaving other samples in their proximity relatively
unchanged. This strongly suggests that some form of entanglement between subject and target
is involved, either alone or in addition to the energy transmission. Pitkanen's TGD model offers
a possible answer to both of these critical aspects of DMILS: as we have seen in section VI,
the magnetic sensory canvas hypothesis provides a mechanism for "sharing qualia" associated
with distant points on the geomagnetic sphere - essentially a form of cognitive entanglement
between operator and target. (Incidentally, qigong masters also describe their preparatory
efforts as an attempt to make mental contact with the target, claiming that this becomes
increasingly more difficult as the target loses conscious characteristics: thus contact with another
human being is considerably easier to establish than with an inanimate physical system
(Lin & Chen)). Furthermore, p-adic to real (intent to action) phase transitions give rise to
massless extremals - vacuum currents which make quantum entanglement possible by
generating concrete oscillating bridges (coherent EM fields) between spacetime sheets
with identical topology. Thus, one clear advantage of TGD over other models of subtle
energy transmission is that the EM fields are not directly carried from sender to target,
but are simultaneously generated at the two locations by a vacuum (geometrical) current:
hence they remain coherent while bypassing the paradox of non-attenuation with distance.
These ideas are so audaceous at the moment that experimental protocols designed to test
them may not be easy to come by. As we have shown in previous reviews (Sidorov 2001,
2002), DMILS are often accompanied by unusual energy fluctuations in the vicinity of the
sender. This has generally been constructed as an argument that a "subtle energy field" is
mediating the information transfer - thus postulating the existence of a yet-undetected physical
field extending between the sender and receiver within our conventional 4-spacetime. In fact,
it is not at all clear whether these energy fluctuations represent the actual information transaction
(message), a 2nd or 3rd level by-product of the brain-body complex entering the pre-requisite
physiological state for non-local transmission/reception (i.e. antenna-tuning artifact), or, as TGD
seems to imply, these biophoton bursts represent a (potentially quantifiable) signature
of macroscopic entanglement - in which case we should expect to detect it in a broad
range of non-local phenomena, and possibly in the vicinity of inanimate targets as well
as that of the senders. If particle accelerators have been so instrumental in allowing us to
probe quantum-level structures and interactions, can we envision a day when non-local
"collisions" (entanglement) will be engineered under highly controlled conditions and predictions
tested on the basis of biophoton signatures? For now, it is worth mentioning one possible piece
of supporting evidence- namely the observation that the Laogong point temperature of distant
qi receivers increases during transmission (Chen & al 2001) - which may be a result of
Pitkanen's ME/EM bridge generation.
Are biophotons the currency of entanglement, or is the signal strictly informational, with the
resultant heat generation only an endogenous physiological response to this subtle contact?
Of course, the question of "energy generation at the receiver end" could more easily be
answered by using an inanimate object as target, but how would we establish the moment
of contact?
In a typical qigong/remote healing experiment, the truth is that we are most often unable to
distinguish between intervals of "state preparation/readiness" and intervals of actual contact
with the target - even assuming that a trivial time-line is involved. Alpha-wave entrainment
between sender and receiver has been suggested before as a possible contact signature
(Sidorov 2002), given that the onset-window is relatively narrow (10-17sec, according to
Yamamoto). Alternatively, other physiological parameters can also be used (i.e. heart rate,
skin conductance fluctuations, skin temperature, etc). However, most of these changes
were demonstrated as significant only on a statistical level, and their onset may not be nearly
as obvious on a case to case basis. Therefore we propose another method: a
psychophysiological approach to remote viewing in which full-body and target photon
emissions would be time-plotted against the subject's real-time account of their
perceptions, then analyzed according to a feedback hit/miss judgment scheme:
assuming that the data is reported almost simultaneously with the act of perception,
and that "hit elements" represent the hypothesized entanglement between subject
and target, it would be most interesting to see if particular photon emission patterns
can be discerned in conjunction with this entanglement in the vicinity of either subject
or target. Furthermore, we propose that a supplementary battery of tests be carried
out on the subject and analyzed against the same hit/miss scheme: parameters should
include not only functional brain imaging data, but also structural/configurational
changes in living tissues, such as might be observable under Ho's polarized light
microscopy technique (for example, choosing a small living target and placing it under
the microscope during the RV session, or observing the viewer's finger capillary bed
for possible increases in molecular coherence during "target contact/hit" intervals).
Another interesting parameter to follow might be the Laogong point biophoton emission - is
there a significant drop or peak associated with "hits"? Similar approaches could be taken with
respect to our earlier question regarding the physiological pathways of "normal" versus remote
viewing: for example, SQUID/fMRI/full body BPE tracings could be compared in the case of
conventional versus "remote" viewing of a simple target - say, a red circle. These studies might
offer some preliminary insights into the body areas that are most active during such perceptual
tasks and further indicate any overlaps in the neural pathways taken by such sensory versus
"extrasensory" inputs.
It would appear thus that the study of biomolecular conformation changes and biophoton
emission hold the clue to both anomalous cognition and distant healing, not to mention other
forms of PK. The fact that biophoton emissions have been shown to be so sensitive to
changes in metabolic and physiological states make this a particularly attractive area of
experimental investigation with respect to qigong effects on biological systems. At the same
time, it needs to be re-emphasized that such studies challenge both the limits of our intuitive
intelligence and those of the scientific community's tolerance for new modes of thinking: and
while further progress is inconceivable without such challenges, we are unlikely to surmount
either of them unless meaningful, sustained dialogue is initiated among all concerned workers
in parapsychology, physics and alternative medicine.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
VIII. FINAL REMARKS
The conclusion emerging from the above discussion is a remarkable departure from our
current paradigm: what it suggests is that Mind as the locus of perceptual processing is not
limited to the brain's activity, but is a state function of the entire organism, with the structural
configuration of endodermal and mesodermal tissues playing as relevant a role as that of the
neural system. The orientation of lipids in cellular membranes, the configuration of polypeptide
chains and the soliton excitations of DNA molecules by as little as one photon - all these
constantly fluctuating local parameters are echoed and amplified within the body's
electromagnetic control hologram, continuously modulating the organism's sensitivity to
exogenous and endogenous information. Super-sensitive (RV) and super-efficient states
(Bigu) are not merely the result of intellectual training, but the gradual molding of the entire
organism's structural, physiological and metabolic pathways into highly coherent,
information-transparent transducers.
The quest to understand our healing potential leads to inquiries into the nature and
organization of living systems (Becker, Popp); the desire to understand spontaneously
occurring psi phenomena leads to deep questions about the phase space of reality and
our ability to navigate it more intelligently (LaBerge, Pitkanen). Indeed, as Pitkanen suggests
throughout his monumental "Topological Geometrodynamics", the illusion of our locality
is perpetuated by the data fed to us by our senses - that is, those perceptions we are
habituated to pay attention to. Sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste: these are borders of our
Self, and the only senses we are willing to assign meaning to. Everything else that crosses the
horizon of our consciousness is neatly classified into fact, emotion, or fantasy - with the latter
two carrying practically no weight in our top information-processing center. Yet the examples
listed above are only a modest sample of the vast informational resources which lay hidden in
the unexplored manifolds of the mind-body continuum. In fact, with perception and visualization
occupying part of the the same neural processing pathways, can we tell with absolute certainty
that what we take for "meaningless" imagination is not, indeed, actual perception of entangled
realities? In the end, the study of nature and of our potentials become entwined - and at this
point we have to pause and ponder the direction of our future scientific exploration.
Swann suggested that the Mind may turn out to be something quite different from the meaning
currently assigned to it (as that part of the brain's activity which is responsible for reasoning,
memory, sensory integration and other high-level functions) - in fact that "many or most of the
attributes assigned to it in theory or hypothesis might better be allocated to some other
undiscovered or unacknowledged dynamic system within the overall human make-up."
(Swann 1999). Indeed, the arguments presented in this paper offer more than adequate
support to his contention.
The overarching question of human potential science is one of control hierarchy - what are
the driving principles and regulatory functions in living systems? The current dogma looks no
further than the stochastic rules of random molecular motion and stereoscopic compatibility -
but we have seen (Gariaev, Ho) that this is far from a compelling and sufficient model.
One level above that, the living tissue appears to consist of coherent solid state domains,
where properties like semiconductivity, piezo- and photoelectricity, coupled energy cycles
and attractive forces between molecules with similar vibration frequencies begin to account
for the sensitivity, responsiveness and energy efficiency of organisms.
The very structure and organization of living tissues is, however, itself regulated by that
master molecule, the DNA. The genetic system (consisting, to be more accurate, of an
equidirectional translation function which may start equally well with DNA, RNA or protein)
reveals itself as a complex, multidimensional code with both local (codon) and global (context),
material (nucleotide) and field-like (EM hologram) parameters, all of which are mutually
interdependent and at the same time subject to external, environmental influences (see
Becker's exogenous DC fields and neuro-epidermal junction currents, or Kangeng/Gariaev's
photon field localization).
The existence of a fourth level is prefigured by DNA experiments such as those of Yan Xin
and Glen Rein and by the extraordinary successes of Guo Lin and Binhui He's qigong
applications to late stage cancer (see Chen & He 2002), all of which suggest that the
mind can override and reverse genetic expression programs - perhaps via Becker's
digital -->analog (action potential -->perineural) interface, or perhaps via our hypothesized
LC-transducer structural modulations, or both. This is the level on which mind-body medicine
most probably works, and the one we should focus our attention on in the coming decades.
It's also interesting to remark that as we rise along this hierarchy, the control systems
become increasingly non-material (in other words, as the scale of their domain increases,
the actual substrate of the regulatory mechanism becomes increasingly abstract). It thus becomes
unavoidable to pose the question "what about a fifth hierarchical stratum?" Can we envision the
mind being modulated in turn by an overriding regulatory system? Up until recently this question
(easily disguised under the rubric of "free will") would have landed unceremoniously in the pile of
great but inherently rhetorical questions philosophers have been toying with for millennia. But as
we find ourselves increasingly drawn into the puzzle of complexity and self-organization, meaningful
answers are beginning to emerge from some very disparate fields of study.
Popp and Chang (1998) have shown that the DNA was able to tune into the nodal points of an
electromagnetic field (much like an antenna system or the phase conjugation effect of polarizable
matter), leading to an extension of coherent states. In a daring speculation, they suggest that this
may be the basis of evolution ("what we call consciousness is the process of 'tuning into' this
coherent field which exists within us as well as at least a part of the environment"), and that
"the boundary between the external world and 'I' may then be just fixed by the border
between destructive and constructive interference".
Computer scientist Peter Marcer has proposed a theory in which perception is arrived at
through a process of phase conjugation, whereby the interference pattern between the
perceiver's coherent wave-field and the reflected wave is converted to an image which is
coincident with the object itself. Furthermore, memory storage in such a model is
holographic, employing physical simulations of processes rather than the conventional
(and less efficient) coding sequences. In a similar vein, Laszlo's quantum holographic
universe model (Ho 1998, 1997) proposes that the activities of living organisms leave
traces (quantum interferences) in the zero point field, which become part of the collective
consciousness of all organisms - thus that our memories may be stored not in our brain,
but in a delocalized manner, in a collective holographic memory field. Taking these ideas
one step further, Ho suggests that the source of Marcer's coherent wave-field is the body's
own LC matrix, and that the coherence of our individual fields make it possible to view our
mind/body consciousness as systems capable of long-term entanglement - accounting, as
Laszlo proposed, for the puzzle of synchronicities. The entanglement of individual selves
into social aggregates places us in a greater environment of factorizable coherence which
reproduces the conditions of the body organization at a larger scale.
This fractal hierarchy of conscious aggregates is strongly reminiscent of Pitkanen's model:
if the basic principles of TGD ultimately prove to be correct, then the answer to "what
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