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==Trickery hypothesis==
==Trickery hypothesis==
Many individuals and organizations, such as the [[James Randi Educational Foundation]] and the [[Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims on the Paranormal]] (CICAP) express skepticism regarding the truth of these claims. It is claimed that the long preparation times and uncontrolled environments (such as hotel rooms) in which the experiments took place left much potential for trickery.<ref>{{cite web|first=Massimo | last=Polidoro | authorlink=Massimo Polidoro | url=http://www.cicap.org/en_artic/at101003.htm | title=Secrets of a Russian Psychic | publisher=[[CICAP]] | date=December 12, 2000 | accessdate=July 28, 2009 }}</ref> Skeptics have argued that many of Kulagina's feats could easily be performed by one practiced in [[sleight of hand]], through means such as cleverly concealed or disguised threads, small pieces of [[magnetic]] metal, or mirrors.<ref>[[Gordon Stein]]. (1996). ''The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal''. Prometheus Books. p. 384. ISBN 978-1573920216 "Nina Kulagina, Geller's Russian counterpart, used invisible thread to move matches across a table and to float Ping-Pong balls. The thread was manipulated by her husband in a side room. Any magician present would have recognized the method at once and simply passed a hand through the space where the thread went before Nina's husband could draw it out of the room."</ref><ref>[http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Kulagina,%20Nina.html Kulagina, Nina], ''An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural''. [[James Randi Educational Foundation]].</ref> and that the [[Cold War]]-era [[Soviet Union]] had an obvious motive for falsifying or exaggerating results in the potential [[propaganda]] value in appearing to win a "Psi Race" analogous to the concurrent [[Space Race]] or [[arms race]].
Many individuals and organizations, such as the [[James Randi Educational Foundation]] and the [[Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims on the Paranormal]] (CICAP) express skepticism regarding the truth of these claims. It is claimed that the long preparation times and uncontrolled environments (such as hotel rooms) in which the experiments took place left much potential for trickery.<ref>{{cite web|first=Massimo | last=Polidoro | authorlink=Massimo Polidoro | url=http://www.cicap.org/en_artic/at101003.htm | title=Secrets of a Russian Psychic | publisher=[[CICAP]] | date=December 12, 2000 | accessdate=July 28, 2009 }}</ref> Skeptics have argued that many of Kulagina's feats could easily be performed by one practiced in [[sleight of hand]], through means such as cleverly concealed or disguised threads, small pieces of [[magnetic]] metal, or mirrors.<ref>Bob Couttie. (1988). ''Forbidden Knowledge: The Paranormal Paradox''. Lutterworth Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7188-2686-4 "A piece of thread can be stretched between the hands and used to move objects across smooth tables. If, like the famous Russian psychic, Nina Kulagina, one works on a lighted table even a heavy thread will be lost in the glare, especially on film and photographs."</ref><ref>[[Gordon Stein]]. (1996). ''The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal''. Prometheus Books. p. 384. ISBN 978-1573920216 "Nina Kulagina, Geller's Russian counterpart, used invisible thread to move matches across a table and to float Ping-Pong balls. The thread was manipulated by her husband in a side room. Any magician present would have recognized the method at once and simply passed a hand through the space where the thread went before Nina's husband could draw it out of the room."</ref><ref>[http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Kulagina,%20Nina.html Kulagina, Nina], ''An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural''. [[James Randi Educational Foundation]].</ref> and that the [[Cold War]]-era [[Soviet Union]] had an obvious motive for falsifying or exaggerating results in the potential [[propaganda]] value in appearing to win a "Psi Race" analogous to the concurrent [[Space Race]] or [[arms race]].


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 02:54, 17 March 2014

Nina Kulagina
Born
Ninel Sergeyevna Kulagina

30 July 1926
Leningrad, SFSR
Died1990 (1991), aged 63
NationalityRussian
Known forReported psychic ability

Nina Kulagina, Ninel Sergeyevna Kulagina (Russian: Нине́ль Серге́евна Кула́гина) (aka Nelya Mikhailova[1][2]) (30 July 1926 – April 1990) was a Russian woman who claimed to have psychic powers, particularly in psychokinesis. Academic research of her phenomenon was conducted in the USSR for the last 20 years of her life.

Biography

Kulagina, who was born in 1926, joined the Red Army at 14, entering its tank regiment during World War II,[3] but she was a housewife at the time that her alleged psychic abilities were studied and she entered international discourse in the 1960s.[4][5] During the Cold War, silent black-and-white films of her appearing to move objects on a table in front of her without touching them, were produced. These films were allegedly made under controlled conditions for Soviet authorities and caused excitement for many psychic researchers around the world, some of whom believed that they represented clear evidence for the existence of psychic phenomena. According to reports from the Soviet Union, 40 scientists, two of whom were Nobel laureates, studied Kulagina.[6] In Investigating Psychics, Larry Kettlekamp claims that Mikhailova was filmed separating broken eggs that had been submerged in water, moving apart the whites and yolks, during which event such physical changes were recorded as accelerated and altered: heartbeat, brain waves and electromagnetic field.[7] To ensure that external electromagnetic impulses did not interfere, she was placed inside of a metal cage while she supposedly demonstrated an ability to remove a marked matchstick from a pile of matchsticks under a glass dome.[8]

Kulagina claimed that she first recognized her ability, which she believed she had inherited from her mother, when she realized that items spontaneously moved around her when she was angry.[9] Kulagina said that in order to manifest the effect, she required a period of meditation to clear her mind of all thoughts. When she had obtained the focus required, she reported a sharp pain in her spine and the blurring of her eyesight. Reportedly, storms interfered with her ability to perform psychokinetic acts.[8]

One of Kulagina's most celebrated experiments took place in a Leningrad laboratory on 10 March 1970. Having initially studied the ability to move inanimate objects, scientists were curious to see if Nina's abilities extended to cells, tissues, and organs. Sergeyev was one of many scientists present when Nina attempted to use her energy to stop the beating of a frog's heart floating in solution. He said that she focused intently on the heart and apparently made it beat faster, then slower, and using extreme intent of thought, stopped it. [citation needed]

In 1974 Jürgen Keil, of the University of Tasmania paid a surprise visit to Kulagina. According to Keil she was friendly and invited the scientist in without preparation and also asked them to stay for dinner. Kulagina performed without prior preparation and was filmed during the dinner. [citation needed]

In the late 1970s, a near fatal heart attack forced Kulagina to scale back her activities. According to a report produced by Dr. Zverev, her heartbeat was irregular, she had high blood sugar, and her endocrine system was disturbed. Over the long term, she suffered from pains in her arms and legs, could not coordinate properly, and experienced dizziness. The report said that these symptoms were the result of her paranormal exertions, and limited her ability to demonstrate psychokinesis under controlled conditions. [citation needed]

Trickery hypothesis

Many individuals and organizations, such as the James Randi Educational Foundation and the Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims on the Paranormal (CICAP) express skepticism regarding the truth of these claims. It is claimed that the long preparation times and uncontrolled environments (such as hotel rooms) in which the experiments took place left much potential for trickery.[10] Skeptics have argued that many of Kulagina's feats could easily be performed by one practiced in sleight of hand, through means such as cleverly concealed or disguised threads, small pieces of magnetic metal, or mirrors.[11][12][13] and that the Cold War-era Soviet Union had an obvious motive for falsifying or exaggerating results in the potential propaganda value in appearing to win a "Psi Race" analogous to the concurrent Space Race or arms race.

References

  1. ^ Chughtai, M. H. H. (1980). Life. Majlis-e-Milli. p. 190. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Ebon, Martin (1983). Psychic warfare: Threat Or Illusion?. McGraw-Hill. p. 70. ISBN 0-07-018860-2.
  3. ^ Buckland, Raymond (2003). The Fortune-Telling Book: The Encyclopedia of Divination and Soothsaying. Visible Ink Press. p. 317. ISBN 1-57859-147-3.
  4. ^ Randall, John L. (1975). Parapsychology and the Nature of Life. Souvenir Press. p. 185. ISBN 0-285-62177-7.
  5. ^ "Soviet stare gets action: Woman's look puts mind over matter". The Hartford Courant. 1968-03-18. p. 36. Retrieved 2008-09-11. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); soft hyphen character in |url= at position 12 (help)
  6. ^ Mishlove, Jeffrey (1975). "The Roots of Consciousness: Psychic Liberation Through History, Science, and Experience". Random House. p. 164. ISBN 0-394-73115-8.
  7. ^ Kettlekamp, Larry. (1977) Investigating Psychics: Five Life Histories William Morrow & Company, New York. 16-17. Reproduced, Understanding a Midsummer Night's Dream: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents by Faith Nostbakken. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. pp. 179-180. ISBN 0-313-32213-9
  8. ^ a b Parodi, Angelo (2005). Science and Spirit: What Physics Reveals about Mystical Belief. Pleasant Mount Press, Inc. p. 233. ISBN 0-9767489-3-2.
  9. ^ Bowater, Margaret M. (1999). All Woman Are Psychics: Language of the Spirit. The Crossing Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-89594-979-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Polidoro, Massimo (December 12, 2000). "Secrets of a Russian Psychic". CICAP. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  11. ^ Bob Couttie. (1988). Forbidden Knowledge: The Paranormal Paradox. Lutterworth Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7188-2686-4 "A piece of thread can be stretched between the hands and used to move objects across smooth tables. If, like the famous Russian psychic, Nina Kulagina, one works on a lighted table even a heavy thread will be lost in the glare, especially on film and photographs."
  12. ^ Gordon Stein. (1996). The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal. Prometheus Books. p. 384. ISBN 978-1573920216 "Nina Kulagina, Geller's Russian counterpart, used invisible thread to move matches across a table and to float Ping-Pong balls. The thread was manipulated by her husband in a side room. Any magician present would have recognized the method at once and simply passed a hand through the space where the thread went before Nina's husband could draw it out of the room."
  13. ^ Kulagina, Nina, An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. James Randi Educational Foundation.

Further reading

  • Paul Kurtz. (1985). A Skeptic's Handbook of Parapsychology. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-300-5
  • John Taylor. (1980). Science and the Supernatural: An Investigation of Paranormal Phenomena Including Psychic Healing, Clairvoyance, Telepathy, and Precognition by a Distinguished Physicist and Mathematician. Temple Smith. ISBN 0-85117-191-5

External links

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