4 / ue wu Ww as PardxpyppomeshFondReteasien2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R00040023900 4-Secember 1988 where a materialized entity writes or talks in a language perfectly unknown to the medium holding the séance. To underline this peculiar event, the author presents some documented examples. The article starts with the phenomenology of Laura Edmonds obtained during her s€ances in New York. She was able to talk fluently in languages she absolutely did not know, so that the researchers considered the possibility of an outside posses- sion. We read about Major Tudor Pole who was able to talk and understand Persian, a language absolutely un- known to him. The article describes Thérese Neumann who, during her mystic raptures, used to talk in Aramaic, perfectly recognized as the real Christ language by the scholars who had the possibility to assist her. “Nephentes" materialized herself during the séances held by E. D'Esperance. She was able to write a message in the memo book of a researcher assisting in the séance. In the end of the article we read of an ancient poem corrected for a better comprehension by the “Confucius” entity. This request came from Doctor Whymant during a sitting with the medium Valiantine, The author ends the article by saying that during his life he had the opportunity to at- tend many xenoglossy manifestations where many languages and dialects were spoken. He is sure that such languages were unknown to present people, and for this reason he is perfectly sure of the autonomy of the entities. - DA 03049. Ravaldini, Silvio. In memory of Gastone De Boni. Luce e Ombra, 1987 (Jul/Sep), 87(3), 205-208. On the 23rd of September 1986 Gastone De Boni left us, having finished his human experience. Only after having put in order all the material he left us will we fully understand the importance of his wide knowledge. De Boni’s aim was knowledge of the psyche-that defined by Myers as “the subliminal self" and evidenced in his book, Human Persqnality and Its Survival of Bodily Death. We must uot ‘forget that Myers was considered a teacher by De Boni. In fact, he wrote: "In this psychic microcosm we only can catch a glimpse of the power and shining of psychic macrocosm.". As a follower of Jung’s thought, he rationally examined the possibilities of the psyche under its different appearances, and he once said: “Our position makes us fight in favor of an idea, which, even if it grows and finishes under the control of pure thought, must and will have an important place in human life" - DA 03050. Giovetti, Paola. Near-death experiences in other cultures. Luce e Ombra, 1987 (Jul/Sep), 87(3), 209-213. Dr. Giorgio Fonzo is a medical doctor who for many years worked for the World Health Organization, being constantly in touch with Moslem people. On several occa- sions he had the opportunity to deal with persons who were near death and to listen to their impressions. They reported experiences that were very similar to the ones reported by so many people of different religions, which have been collected all over the world in recent years. Dr. Fonzo’s patients reported out-of-body experiences and “tunnel experiences," visions of beautiful places and of a marvelous light, encounters with dead friends or relatives, etc, Those who are familiar with the specialized literature will recognize in Dr. Fonzo’s material some transcultural clements of great interest. - R.A.W. 03051, Tannuzzo, Giovanni. Studies of the history of parapsychology in Italy from 1982 to 1986: A report and a critical revision. Luce e Ombra, 1987 (Jul/Sep), 87(3), 214-225. 46 refs; 1 table ; After a detailed review of the most important Italian 15 parapsychology journals in order to better analyze the way scientific research has been carried on from 1982-1987, the author thinks more scholars are interested in pursuing studies in this field. His research examines the quantita- tive data at our disposal that specifies which research areas are the most studied, and he suggests a way to im- prove such researches qualitatively. - DA 03052, Ravaldini, Silvio. Daniel Dunglas Home. Luce e Ombra, 1987 (Jul/Sep), 87(3), 226-244. 54 refs It is not easy to discuss all the different phenomena Daniel D. Home produced during his life, especially the physical ones. Therefore the author has put in evidence only three of them: the telekinetic phenomena produced on an accordion, those concerning levitations, and the fire- immunity ones. The accordion was playing while the medium was holding it on the side with no keys, but it was playing as well as when anybody was touching it. This peculiar phenomenon was fully described by trustwor- thy people. In addition, a journalist for the Times was not able to find any trick. Home’s ability to hold burning coals in his hands was confirmed by scholars such as Sir William Crookes and Charles Richet. The author describes Home's levitations in more detail, especially the one at Ashley House where Home went out one window and came back in another. In considering every side of the problem, the author thinks these phenomena actually took place. He proposes that the phenomena Home produced are still happening nowadays, for example, those produced by Roberto Setti, the Florence medium. - DA/R.A.W. 03053. Heim, Albert. Death from falls. (Trans. by Paola Giovetti.) Luce e Ombra, 1987 (Jul/Sep), 87(3), 245-252. This article was written in 1892 by the Swiss geologist, Dr. Albert Heim, and published in the Bulletin of the Swiss Alpine Club. The author describes his per- sonal experiences and those of several persons who nearly died because of mountain falls. Their sensations and vi- sions were wonderful: They felt no fear, no pain. Sensa- tions of peace, well-being, and beautiful visions were com- mon. This is very similar to modern near-death ex- periences, and in this sense Dr. Heim’s analysis is really a pioneer one and worthy of note. - DT/R.A.W. 03054, Giroldini, William. Parapsychology and research. Luce e Ombra, 1987 (Jul/Sep), 87(3), 253-259. 7 tefs The author critically debates the proposal many researchers have advanced to reevaluate the study of spon- taneous ESP-PK phenomena. Many believe that spon- taneous phenomena are more repeatable and of a “superior quality" thaa the results obtained in the laboratory using the traditional experimental criteria derived from the nor- mal sciences. Giroldini thinks that all the existing studies of spontancous cases overlook the problem of chance coin- cidence, Because of this, it is not possible to know if the collected events are mainly “true” or "spurious." Therefore, the study of spontaneous events runs the risk of being worthless because of this underlying ambiguity. The author proposes that the study of spontaneous events must be made following a method which makes it possible to evaluate the probability of chance coincidences. The phenomena that seem most suitable could be hallucinations in connection with the death of a relative. If this proposal is accepted by scholars, then it would be possible to increase our knowledge of paranormal phenomena by concentrating the study on the less polluted phenomena in- stead of the spurious ones. - DA/R.A.W. Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400230001-8
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000400230001-8 chologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologie, 1972, 14(4), 244-251. 33 refs In a survey of the literature concerning parapsychic phenomena and drugs, the author concludes that obviously only the use of so-called hallucinogens (such as LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, and, with reservations, hashish and marijuana) is associated with parapsychic abilities, whereas the use of opiates (such as opium, heroin, and morphine) does not seem to touch this field. It is hypothesized that because of the different pharmaco-psychological functioning of hallucinogens, intoxication by these substances might be rather suitable for stimulating the aggressive and instinctive parts of man, They seem to be a characteristic feature of psi abilities also. Opiates, on the other hand, do not seem to affect this sphere because these substances are mainly narcotizing. The effects of cocaine, amphetamines, tranquilizers, and soporifics cannot be judged on the basis of the surveyed literature. It ts shown that the possible relevance of drug use to parapsychology is completely ignored by most textbooks dealing with drugs, the authors of which are mainly medical men, psychiatrists, or pharmacologists. —G.H. 01396. Schmidbauer, Wolfgang. On the psychology of the oracle. Zeitschrift fiir Parapsychologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologie, 1972, /4(4), 222-234. [Originally published in Psychologische Rundschau, 1970, 21, 88-98.] 30 refs The author describes various practices of oracles with reference to ethnographic reports and attempts to sketch a model that optimally includes psychological aspects in these reports. The function of trance within the oracle and its sociopsychological moorings (shamans) are pointed out. An analysis of oracular practices with principles derived from projective tests shows certain structural similarities with the situation in which a person seeking advice finds himself. — DA/R.A.W. ITALIAN LANGUAGE LUCE E OMBRA (Editor: Paola Giovetti) 01397. Di Simone, Giorgio. The “Entita A.” case. Luce e Ombra, 1985 (Jan/ Mar), 85(1), 22-29. 8 refs After a long preamble mostly dedicated to the historical and technical aspects of the seances of “Mister X” (a trance medium whose name he is not allowed to mention), the author underlines the great importance of the revolutionary contents of these seances, which took place in Naples more than 30 years ago (about 1950-1980). These contents are extremely logical, rational, and coherent, and the author collected them in several books, first of all Rapporto dalla dimensione X, (Roma 1973/84). The author mentions also the experiments he organized (1971 and 1974) in order to check the independence of the supposed communicating “entity” (Entita A) from the medium (comparative analysis of the voices with the “voice-print” method and an EEG of the medium, awake and during his speaking-trance). — DA 01398. lannuzzo, Giovanni. Parapsychology and anthropology: A note. Luce e Ombra, 1985 (Jan/ Mar), 85(1), 30-34. 18 refs The author analyses the connections between parapsychology and anthropology, and asserts that these connections should be of different kinds: accounts of psi phenomena should be evaluated according to both parapsychological and anthropological patterns, and accounts of psi phenomena also should be evaluated only from the parapsychological point of view (a “parapsycographical” pattern). Experimental methods, utilized in some field researches, are considered insufficient. The author suggests a new methodo- logical approach in which “pnaranormality” is considered a cross- cultural event, According to this model, it seems to be necessary, in psychical research, to utilize the methods and conceptual patterns of the “human” sciences. — DA 4 01396-01401 01399. Ravaldini, Silvio. A pioneer of psychical research: Alex- andre N. Aksakof. Luce ¢ Ombra, 1985 (Jan/ Mar) 85(1), 43-54. 8 refs The author describes the life and work of one of the pioncers of psychical research, Alexandre Aksakof. His activities were directed at establishing the reality of paranormal phenomena. His early work was published in Germany, due to the censorship exerted in Russia by religious and lay authorities. Aksakof was an alert experimenter and had the occasion to be present in the seances of two great mediums: D.D. Home and Florence Cook, In the year 1874, Aksakof founded in Germany the journal Psychische Studien, which later had a great importance for both theoretical study and for practical experimentation. Later he published (1 890) his important book, Animism and Spiritism, which can be considered a positive answer to the book, Spiritism, of E. von Hartmann, which practically denied the physical phenomena. Aksakof devoted nearly all his life to promulgating spiritualistic ideals in a world where materialism was dominant, and left an important legacy, both as man and as researcher. — DA/R.A.W. 01400. Giovetti, Paola. The possession case of Siano (Catanzaro). Luce e Ombra, 1985 (Jan/{ Mar), 85(1), 55-59. 1 ref. The author interviewed Dr. Pericle Assennato, a retired magis- trate who long ago (1936) was present when an exceptional case of possession took place in a little village of South Italy, Siano near Catanzaro. Three years earlier the dead body of a young man, Giuseppe Verardi of Catanzaro, had been found under a bridge. The investigation concluded that it was suicide. Three years later, Maria Talarico, 17, a young girl of Siano, passed over the bridge and had a sudden and strange metamorphosis that lasted 36 hours: Her voice changed and became that of a man, she insisted that she was Giuseppe Verardi and acted as if she were. She did not recognize her parents, but she did recognize the ‘mother of Giuseppe and revealed that Giuseppe did not commit suicide but was killed. She mentioned the names of the killers, as well. The population of the whole village assisted in uncovering the facts. After 36 hours Maria went under the bridge, took the position the dead body of Giuseppe had had, and “awakened” without remembering anything. After that, a new investigation concluded for a case of murder. Dr. Assennato gives his interpretation of this interesting casc. — DA METAPSICHICA RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PARAPSICOLOGIA 01401. Crosa, G. Report of the First International Congress on Parapsychology of the Italian-Swiss Center for Advanced Studies. Metapsichica Rivista Italiana di Parapsicologia, 1969 (Jul Dec), 24(3/4), 109-116. Thanks to the hospitality of the Italian-Swiss Center for Advanced Studies (Campione d'Italia), the First International - Congress on Parapsychology of Campione d'Italia was held on March 29, 1969. The general topic was Mysterious Psychic Phenomena. Introductory speeches were made by Mr. F. De Baggis, Mayor of the host town; Dr. Naegeli-Osjord, President of the Schweizer Parapsychologische Gesellschaft; and Mr. E. Men- goli, President of the Associazione Italiana Scientifica di Meta- psichica. In this report we have the main features of the papers presented by four M.D.s and psychiatrists (Crosa, Granone, Naegeli-Osjord, Cassoli) and the theologian Resch are summarized. During the evening session some slides about hypnosis (with commentary by Granone) and one about Ted Serios were pro- jected, followed by a discussion masterly directed by Prof. Beonio Brocchieri. In addition to the previously mentioned speakers, presentations were made by two medical doctors, Inardi and Buscaino; a newspaperman, Altavilla; and a theologian, Pisoni, who cleverly aroused the participation of the public. The Proceed- ings have been published by Silva of Rome. — DT/R.A.W. Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA;RDP96-00792R000400230001-8