Papers by Alessandro Ferrini
F1000Research, Sep 29, 2014
This study reports the results of a confirmatory experiment testing the hypothesis that it is pos... more This study reports the results of a confirmatory experiment testing the hypothesis that it is possible to detect coincidences of a sequence of events (silence-signal) of different length, by analyzing the EEG activity of two human partners spatially separated when one member of the pair receives the stimulation and the second one is connected only mentally with the first. Seven selected participants with a long friendship and a capacity to maintain focused mental concentration, were divided into two groups located in two different laboratories approximately 190 km apart. Each participant acted both as a "stimulated" and as a "mentally connected" member of the pair for a total of twenty sessions overall. The offline analysis of EEG activity using a special classification algorithm based on a support vector machine, detected the coincidences in the sequence of events of the stimulation protocol between the EEG activity of the "stimulated" and the "mentally connected" pairs. Furthermore the correlation of the power spectra of the five EEG frequency bands between each of the twenty pairs of data was analyzed using a bootstrap procedure. The overall percentage of coincidences out of 88 events was 78.4% and the statistically significant average correlations between the EEG alpha and gamma bands among the pairs of participants, confirmed the results observed in a pilot study. The examination of potential internal, external and statistical artifacts which might have caused these results, ruled out external and internal artifacts. However, the Open Peer Review Approval Status 1 2 version 3 (revision)
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015
With this pre-registered confirmatory study, we aimed at replicating the findings observed in two... more With this pre-registered confirmatory study, we aimed at replicating the findings observed in two previous experiments where the focused mental entanglement (ME) with a photomultiplier located approximately 7300 km far from the location of a small group of selected participants, showed an increase in the number of photons with respect to the control periods. In particular, we aimed at replicating the increase of approximately 5% of photons detected in the ME periods with respect to the control periods in the bursts of photons above 10. The results observed in this study confirmed this increase replicating what observed in the two previous experiments. We discuss the characteristics of these photons which energy is estimated in approximately 65 eV at 788 THz and how ME can generate them at distance.
SAGE Open, 2015
The possibility to induce real out-of-body experiences (OBEs) using hypnotic inductions, with the... more The possibility to induce real out-of-body experiences (OBEs) using hypnotic inductions, with the opportunity to interview participants during their experience, permits to investigate in depth the characteristics of different aspects of this particular state of consciousness from a first-person point of view. In this article, six selected participants report the description of another “body” we named “subtle body,” identified as an intermediate entity between the physical body (Pb) and their “Self” or “I-identity” that was named “psychic body,” and their relationships and characteristics. The “subtle body” was described as a sort of white silvered cloud surrounding the Pb, with a particular enlargement of its hands and feet that could move quickly like flying from one place to another even if less easily than the “psychic body,” and a vague sense of attrition was perceived when passing through walls. Similar to the “psychic body,” the “subtle” one too could move forward and backward...
F1000Research, 2015
This study investigated EEG correlates of social interaction at distance between twenty-five pair... more This study investigated EEG correlates of social interaction at distance between twenty-five pairs of participants who were not connected by any traditional channels of communication.Each session involved the application of 128 stimulations separated by intervals of random duration ranging from 4 to 6 seconds. One of the pair received a one-second stimulation from a light signal produced by an arrangement of red LEDs, and a simultaneous 500 Hz sinusoidal audio signal of the same length. The other member of the pair sat in an isolated sound-proof room, such that any sensory interaction between the pair was impossible.An analysis of the Event-Related Potentials associated with sensory stimulation using traditional averaging methods showed a distinct peak at approximately 300 ms, but only in the EEG activity of subjects who were directly stimulated. However, when a new algorithm was applied to the EEG activity based on the correlation between signals from all active electrodes, a weak ...
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
NeuroQuantology, 2014
We used a new method to test whether subjects could influence the activity of a distant random ev... more We used a new method to test whether subjects could influence the activity of a distant random event generator (REG). In a pilot study, participants selected for their strong motivation and capacity to control their mental activity were requested to alter the functioning of a REG, located in a laboratory approximately 190 km so as to achieve a deviation of ± 1.65 standard scores from the expected mean, during sessions lasting approximately 90 seconds. The predefined cutoff was achieved in 78% of 50 experimental sessions compared to 48% of the control sessions. This study was replicated with a pre-registered confirmatory study involving thirty-four participants selected according the same criteria as in the pilot study. Each participant contributed three sessions completed in three different days giving a total of 102 sessions. The same number of control sessions was carried out. The percentage of the experimental sessions which achieved the predefined cutoff was 82.3% out of 102, compared to 13.7% for the control ones. We discuss the opportunities for exploiting this method as a mental telecommunication device.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
Abstract With this pilot exploratory study we aimed at investigating if focused mental intention ... more Abstract With this pilot exploratory study we aimed at investigating if focused mental intention by selected participants could increase in the level of photons detected by a photomultiplier located in a very distant location with respect to the control conditions. Five participants selected for their long experience with hypnosis and mental control practices and their strong motivation toward this line of research, tried to increase the rate of photons detected by a photomultiplier located approximately 7330 km far from their location, both when in an Out of Body state of consciousness induced by an hypnotic suggestion and when in a normal state of consciousness. The comparison of ten experimental sessions with two types of ten control sessions revealed an average increase of approximately 20 photons per minute during the experimental sessions. These preliminary results suggest that the physical carrier of the mental interaction at distance can be the biophotons. Keywords: mental interaction at distance; biophotons; OBE; photomultiplier.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
ABSTRACT We used a new method to test whether subjects could influence the activity of a distant ... more ABSTRACT We used a new method to test whether subjects could influence the activity of a distant random event generator (REG). In a pilot study, participants selected for their strong motivation and capacity to control their mental activity were requested to alter the functioning of a REG, located in a laboratory approximately 190 km so as to achieve a deviation of ± 1.65 standard scores from the expected mean, during sessions lasting approximately 90 seconds. The predefined cutoff was achieved in 78% of 50 experimental sessions compared to 48% of the control sessions. This study was replicated with a pre-registered confirmatory study involving thirty-four participants selected according the same criteria as in the pilot study. Each participant contributed three sessions completed in three different days giving a total of 102 sessions. The same number of control sessions was carried out. The percentage of the experimental sessions which achieved the predefined cutoff was 82.3% out of 102, compared to 13.7% for the control ones. We discuss the opportunities for exploiting this method as a mental telecommunication device.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
The possibility to induce real Out of Body Experiences (OBEs) using hypnotic inductions, with the... more The possibility to induce real Out of Body Experiences (OBEs) using hypnotic inductions, with the opportunity to interview participants during their experience, permits to investigate in depth the characteristics of different aspects of this particular state of consciousness from a first-person point of view.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
ABSTRACT The hypothesis to detect a sequence of events by analyzing the EEG activity of two human... more ABSTRACT The hypothesis to detect a sequence of events by analyzing the EEG activity of two human partners spatially separated and connected only mentally, was explored sending to a member of the couple a sequence of silence-signal events and analyzing the EEG activity of the second member of the couple. By using a special classification algorithm and five couples of participants characterized by a long friendship and a capacity in maintaining a focused mental concentration, we observed an overall percentage of correct coincidences of 78%, ranging from one-hundred percent for the first two segments, to approximately forty-three percent of the last two. The percentages of coincidences of the first five segments of the protocol were above eighty percent.Furthermore a robust statistically significant correlation was observed in the alpha band in twelve out fifteen pairs of recordings.The observed results seem supporting the possibility to connect two brains at distance excluding conventional means, paving the way to devise a sort of mental telecommunication at distance.
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Papers by Alessandro Ferrini