Anomalies Associated with a Brazilian Medium
Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.
Alan Watts Professor of Psychology
Saybrook University, Oakland, CA
Amyr Amiden, a Brazilian claimant medium, purports to have “made connections” with the “spirit world.” We can view “spirits” as a hypothetical construct and focus on the phenomena produced in the framework of this construct. My colleagues and I have published an article in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (JSE) about some 90 anomalous phenomena observed during a week of observation by a multidisciplinary team representing psychology, anthropology, medicine, and physics. Significant correlations were found between the degree of anomaly (measured by a 5-point scale) and both systolic blood pressure and geomagnetic activity as measured locally by a magnetometer. Such “apports” were produced as a pair of linked metal rings, small diamonds, perfume, and religious medallions. Videotaping of each session was attempted but the lm recorded nothing but a straight white line during each of the sessions. On a visit with Amyr the following year, I observed several additional “apports,” one of them occurring when I was in a separate room. In 2014 I revisited Brasilia and asked Amyr for a photograph. As soon as my ash went off, a mint Joan of Arc medallion appeared. I asked for an additional photograph and accompanying the ash was a small polished stone. Inside the City of Peace headquarters, two pools of perfume appeared on stone surfaces during our conversations. Several explanations for these phenomena will be explored, including sleight of hand, unconscious psychokinesis, and “spirit” manifestations.
Stanley Krippner is a co-editor of Varieties of Anomalous Experience.