Comments for Charles T. Tart

Comment on Ideal science and Real Science: Don’t You Dare Question My Objectivity! by Dr. Charles T. Tart

Dr. Charles T. Tart — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:15:15 +0000

The English translation software is very interesting, but I may not fully understand all you said.
But going to the final question, people, including scientists committed to Materialism, want very much to explain OBEs and NDEs “away,” that is be able to say they are not what they seem, there is no “soul” that leaves the body and looks at things from outside.
So in general I find the comparisons of OBEs and NDEs to ketamine experiences interesting, but the similarity is very rough, far too inconclusive to call it a good explanation. Also you would have to take ketamine or marijuana directly yourself for it to produce an OBE-like experience in you, unless you are extraordinarily sensitive to extremely tiny amounts of these drugs which might reach you through the air. So I don’t know why this happened to you, but that’s generally true about these phenomena, we don’t know a particular cause.
Being frightened while they happen is also natural, it’s startingly different, but just because you feel afraid of something does not necessarily mean it’s actually dangerous. So you might relax. Chances are it will never happen again, but if it does, stay calm and observe what happens. The beauty might be worth a little fear…..

Comment on Ideal science and Real Science: Don’t You Dare Question My Objectivity! by OBE0101

OBE0101 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:46:45 +0000

helo Dr.Tart
I not find your email,your contact link on your homepage not work.
after all, can I ask you here

My name is Szes Istvan from Hungary(EU).

Please help me.
My english is bad,sorry,i use english translator software.
I had a spontaneous near death experience in 1995.
I do not use drugs ..full spontaneus
Himself competent person in REAL OBE experiment theme.
My experience is Not hallucination ,100% REAL experience(s) with typical near death experience “effects”.

Were more since then but not full(i frightened and not allow),only full in 1995 dec.
The “main” NDE happened in 1995 with typical effects,like in Dr.Moody books.
But the first “NDE approach” happened to 3 weeks before it(only feeling and sound effects) but i frightened.

The MAIN experience in 1995 december:
I not sleep,see my wall of room and possible closed my eyes for a moments but not sleep.
and from the first sounds i will immediately alert and i watch the procedure.

1.Noises (in my head) come from “far”

2.Then easy wight feeling with vibrant energybody feeling 0,5m from the body with strengthening rumbling

3.Big explosion from the body(tunnel effected sound,i create hobby time musics,i tried the channel effect)

4.I am an exterior observer,my psysical body under me on the bed 3,5 -4-5m from me and everything shows in beautiful unspeacable color ,possible blue with green and little smoke or clouds float under me,possible these clouds refract the light what is light from my back, because of this so indescribable his colour.I swim in a spacious maximal dark emptiness above my bed in silence.

5.I frightened and rehearse to look at around and somebody does not allow it that let me look up or i frightened maximal.

6.My frightened attains the maximum and i “say” in my head(soulhead) “go back” “go back” and i down exploded back to my body

All in morning awake state in bed,i feel(and hear), if the NDE/OBE/ is “present”, depends on me allow or not the begin of “typical NDE sequence with all sound effects”.
I did not want it for a long time but now in 2011nov24 i allowed and occurred again but was not “full”
(i not go out to “out of body” perspective to “tunnel”/dark place/)But i was able to observe (FEEL) my astralbody(“I the thinker” like in the MAIN NDE,in second point:FEEL vibrant enerybody)HOW RECURS TO MY BODY from 0,5m.The astralbody(or “I the thinker” the soul …..) is BLIND in this state.
I see after the full separation only,3-4-5-6 metre from the body.

I am thinking about him 16 of his years,and nowi have found the ketamine and other drug “theory”.
I read and disturbs me the communicated hallucinogene experiences.This teory confuses many men than me.

My question not REAL or nor REAL.
The NDE 100% real NO DOUBT.

But why?

A have a theory(99%).(I am afraid to say it incredible)

Questions come out,possible anybody smoking Ketamine or other drugs in my enviroment in early day?

Perhaps in the first time my brother also was sleeping in the room.

-I do not know in those years he used it the drugs(marihuana) or in a next year started it?

-Possible he smoked marihuana beside me in room when i slept /in the first NDE happening/???
I questioned it and said it: not

-I do not know this people smoked clear marihuana or PCP Ketamine mixture?
I questioned it “what kind of “smoke type” drugs used” and not said itnly marihuana

I started reading in the ketamine or another drug theme and I was looking for someone to say:”real adventure happened to him from drugs”

But i not find.

And i got to your studies projects/homepge/blog.(Mis Z? and the sucessfull spontaneus OBE test,an i read your “marihuana” studies,but the subjects reports is inconclusive,nowhere in the internet information or report real OBE from marihuana,like wikipedia etc…would be a big world sensation)

You in whole life researching from REAL OBE.
You’re certainly looking for any solution to prove that the phenomenon.And you know the all informations(studies,tests,projects) in this theme.

My questions:

-The ketamine or other drug consequence is real out of body experience?

-Why there are no studies?,you know similar experiments,like your precise OBE experiments,but with DRUGS?

Like this:
I thought up a precise test:

a/.The patient lies down onto the bed
b/.His eye is tied up
c/.A figure or an object are placed near(outside his visual field)
d/.Takes the ketamine or any drug
e/.If real the drug experince then the patient see the figure or object from out of body perspective

This it’s very simple experiment and explains everything
the drugs gives a real experience this or hallucination.

I do not find a source in the internet from a real test like this.

I know(i read from information) from work of Dr Rick Strassman,Ronald K.Siegel,Stanislav Grof,Karl Jensen…..

But so far have not found information from REAL DRUG OBE tests.

Thank you from your time.

Best regards
Istvan
istvan0101szs@gmail.com

Comment on Meditation, Monasticism, Buddhism, Materialism – Preliminary Thoughts by Lloyd

Lloyd — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:16:15 +0000

Prof. Tart,
My apologies for passing his request for journal articles about ESP on to you. I realized after I pressed “send” that I could easily have handled it myself, by merely turning to the reference section of your book already! But then I was too embarrassed and pressed for time to send a postscript saying so…
In any case, my main point, which I obfuscated by bringing up the issue of journal articles, was how to answer his question about why ESP can’t be researched on no money, like anything that is TRUE can (huh????). I have come up with some of my own answers for that one, too:
1) Once you get beyond establishing that Jupiter has moons with an amateur telescope, you can’t do much in astronomy either without tons of money. Does that make astronomical discoveries (his scientific domain) invalid?
2) Would he really accept casual ESP data? There’s a reason why you need (expensive) equipment that allows instant feedback in a separate (and possibly shielded) room.
3) I remember my master’s thesis. It required tons of time. It wasn’t something I could do “after lunch”. Why should paradigm-shattering ESP research be less involved?

Sigh. I must admit I’m getting tired of this, too. But it was fun in that moment when I was debating with him, before other people in the room put a damper on both of us and politely but pointedly changed the subject or walked away…

What’s really more important, I’m thinking now, is getting the word out to those whose stress is increased by the current paradigm, and who would be open to another point of view.

Anyway, thanks again for the work you are doing.

Comment on Ideal science and Real Science: Don’t You Dare Question My Objectivity! by Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:33:35 +0000

Thank you for that letter Dr Tart. I’m still not sure if what I’m doing with PK is hard science or just plain hard. But I’m doing the best I can with it.

I’m actually on a break from graduate school. I would like to return and finish the doctorate at some point, but I have a lot of stuff to sort through first. Part of what I need to sort through is exactly what kind of scientist I want to be when I grow up. Thanks for providing me with some food for thought in that regard.

Comment on Meditation, Monasticism, Buddhism, Materialism – Preliminary Thoughts by Dr. Charles T. Tart

Dr. Charles T. Tart — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:03:47 +0000

This is a more rational response from your relative than from 95+% of pseudo-skeptics, who wouldn’t waste their time actually reading the relevant scientific literature. But if I asked him about something in his field from a position of complete ignorance, like, say, an undergraduate student, he would most likely tell me to find the relevant literature myself rather than taking time to educate me. So, similarly, I refer him to The End of Materialism which is full of leads to the basic scientific literature. Until he reads much of it carefully, his response is philosophy, not science. I know this is a little harsh, but I’m tired after more than 50 years of pseudo-scientific objections to ESP……

Comment on Meditation, Monasticism, Buddhism, Materialism – Preliminary Thoughts by Lloyd

Lloyd — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:58:05 +0000

I read a passage from “The End of Materialism” to a skeptical relative today, a trained (physical) scientist. It was about the revised ESP experiments you conducted with talented subjects, that gave them instant feedback. You followed up a passage reporting highly statistically significant results — which didn’t drop off with repetition as the early Rhine experiments did — by saying you didn’t have the funds to continue with your experiments. His response was, why can’t you just do a session with a talented person every day “after lunch”? You can let go of a ball and watch it drop multiple times a day. You can do one such “gravity” experiment every class period if you are a teacher. What’s so expensive and complicated, then, about an ESP experiment with a screened and talented subject, if there really is something to it? He dismissed the stats as intriguing but ultimately frustrating because you “couldn’t repeat them” consistently. I tried to explain that there have been many replications of ESP work. I described Dean Radin’s experiments with synchronistic emotional reactions between personally close people in different rooms, etc. But he kept saying it should be as repeatable, in an everyday sense, as a classroom science experiment if there was anything to it. He did ask for journal articles, which I would love to look up and produce for him, but I’m not made out of spare time just now. Would you have any journal articles to suggest? Any thoughts?

Comment on Meditation, Monasticism, Buddhism, Materialism – Preliminary Thoughts by MindyBlock

MindyBlock — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:38:03 +0000

I have finished reading end of materialism and now will eventually get into state of consciousness. I’m not very good at experimental psychology. I’m more of a systems thinker. I wish you had as much money as the physicists have for experimental testing of the invisible.

For amusement and interest I learned of this. About 20 minutes in, there is a very good meditation, actually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f.....2aR6Ek8Fw#!

Comment on Experiences of Peace – or Was It Resting in the Nature of Mind? by Bob D.

Bob D. — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:37:20 +0000

Wonderful post Dr. Tart. Incredibly useful. I know of no one else who writes so regularly (and lucidly) about their direct experience with transpersonal practices A true gift. Thank you!

Comment on Experiences of Peace – or Was It Resting in the Nature of Mind? by brozkeff

brozkeff — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:31:49 +0000

Dear Mr Tart,

your introduction to the approach offered by Shinzen Young reminds me the instructions to “four chog-zhags” present in the Dzogchen teaching:

“The chog-zhag of the body is: whatever the position of the body is the correct one for integration with rigpa. The chog-zhag of the eyes is: wherever the eyes are looking is where they are looking. The chog-zhag of the focus of the eyes is: wherever the eyes focus is where their focus is found. The chog-zhag of the Mind is: whatever arises in the Mind is already integrated with rigpa. This is an example of the teaching of the four chög-zhag. The implicit instruction is that there is nothing either to change or to alter. There is nothing to do, nowhere to go, no practice to follow. If this is not immediately understood, questions are useless – there are no answers beyond direct communication of the four chög-zhag. There is nothing to ask because there is nothing to do beyond recognising that you have never been anywhere other than the state of rigpa. If the practitioner is in the non-dual state, then of course there is nothing to do, and nowhere else to go.”
(http://aroencyclopaedia.org/shared/text/s/semde_ar_eng.php).

Very similar to this is the explanation presented by C. N. Norbu.

Comment on Emotional Intelligence versus Emotional Seizures by Dr. Charles T. Tart

Dr. Charles T. Tart — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:10:15 +0000

I wish just intellectually getting the idea of different kinds of intelligence was enough to develop those other kinds! But you have to work at each of them on their own terms. But it certainly helps to intellectually know, that way intellect can remind itself “Hey, I’m not the only thinker on the block and it’s silly of me to automatically reject any other opinions….”

Comment on Emotional Intelligence versus Emotional Seizures by dave95694

dave95694 — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:29:44 +0000

I like this bit of data, that there are different types of intelligence. It seems everyone is a different mix, and that is part of what makes us interesting and unique as people.

I am probably more intellectually intelligent, very low emotionally intelligent, and moderately physically intelligent. This makes others with their own blend seem so different even though the same species! For example the stereotype “jock”, or “woman”, as examples of physical and emotional intelligence.

I fully understand the “emotional hijack” notion! Perhaps now that I have noticed and had the idea of various intelligences reinforced, I will raise by triangular IQ?

Comment on Do Mysteries in Science Point Us to God? by Dr. Charles T. Tart

Dr. Charles T. Tart — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:46:50 +0000

Don’t know why the original paragraph breaks disappeared, but I’ve put them back. You’re right, it’s much easier to read with them in!