Archive for Derren Brown

Derren Brown Strikes Again!

June 1, 2010 alan beliefs, Derren Brown, EVP, ghost hunting, Lou Gentile, Possession, Psychogenic, scepticism, Seizures, skepticism. science

Last night, Channel 4 Derren Brown investigated ‘Ghost Hunting” and spent some time with self-styled demonologist and ‘ghost hunter’ Lou Gentile. Again our cerebral hero did a great job. He was calm, rational and I believe genuinely open to the possibility of finding some good evidence.

There is no question in my mind that the (now late) Lou Gentile believed everything he was saying, I was particularly interested in the fact that he did not charge for his ‘spiritual services’, although I suspect was able to earn an income from his talks and presentations on the topic – and why shouldn’t he… no quibble from me there.
As always when rationality meets with and questions belief there are problems. This episode of Derren’s latest series proves this point admirably.
We saw the video of a ‘possessed’ biker being exorcised and then, later in the programme were given an alternative explanation. Psychogenic seizures are well documented. Just because they originate within the mind of the individual does not make them any less real. They are intense, scary and show all the signs of what can be called ‘possession’. I think I’m also correct in saying that they can happen to someone who does not have any sort of history of seizure. I have worked with someone who suffered these seizures – they are emotional-stress related in the broadest possible way and are completely overwhelming and debilitating frequently accompanied by amnesia and a feeling of being ‘taken over’.
Notice that Derren Brown did not say that Lou’s possession case WAS a psychogenic seizure, but that it was another ‘possibility’.
Lou then introduced us to a woman who believed her house needed some form of ‘exorcism’ and ‘spiritual cleansing’. Again I, like Derren, have no doubts in my mind that this lady was experiencing what she said she was experiencing – and as a result was in some distress. However much we are willing to accept the experience and its effects we can, and I believe need to, question the explanations of causality. It would not escape even the most casual of viewers that this lady probably had a pre-existing interest (before the ‘haunting’) in the gothic and possibly paranormal. Her house had all the tell-tale signs of someone interested in gothic-occult imagery. From the demon (or perhaps Green Man) on her mail box; through to the furnishings and nic-nacks placed around the house and her ow body art. This is not a judgement, indeed you could look at my house and make a similar set of observations, but a recognition that her experiences were possibly being interpreted against the background of familiar iconography, beliefs and interests. 
This, I suggest is an important consideration… in a very real sense we ALL interpret our experiences in terms of personal associations, personal histories and internal belief systems. The fact that, in this case, Lou Gentile supported the ‘analysis’ of the experiences within the framework of his own beliefs actually served to reinforce supposed causality and, of course, the efficacy of the ‘solution’ that was being offered.
So that brings us to the EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) evidence. I will write at length about EVP at some point (or possibly make it part of my planned podcast series) but lets say that if we look for voices and sounds with static then we will probably hear them. Our minds are ‘hard wired’ to understand language. Upon hearing sounds our brains will work to identify, associate and recognise what is being heard. Auditory illusions are daily occurences for all of us. In fact the amount our mind ‘makes up’ from the sensory input it receives is quite amazing. (but that’s another blog topic).
When Lou was presented with another possible explanation for the EVP evidence he had collected he again did what many (most? all?) believers do and that was to reject or ignore the possibility. In the programme he was heard to do so most colourfully.
SO where does that leave us?
It was obvious that the people in the documentary were coming from a place of personal integrity. Their personal experiences had allowed them to construct a firm, full and satisfying belief system. It also kept them from considering possibilities and explanations outside of their dogmatic world view. There need not be a problem with this UNLESS you are claiming to be some kind of investigator.
The question always has to be about the nature and quality of the evidence being offered…. note that it is the evidence and not the post-hoc rationalisation (personal interpretation presented anecdotally) that is important.
Almost every skeptic (rationalist) and many scientists I know would like to find evidence of the paranormal. Many have stopped actively looking because they were being constantly bombarded with low quality, spurious evidence. Evidence, which when the question honestly, leads to accusations of them being  ’closed’, ‘prejudicial’, and ‘denialist’….. the irony never escapes me.
This latest series of Derren’s models the rational/skeptical process perfectly…
  • What is your claim?
  • Show me some evidence (the best you have)
  • Let’s explore the evidence and a RANGE of possible explanations
Here’s where the believers can start to get twitchy…
  • Let’s question interpretations of the evidence
  • Let’s discount any evidence that can have multiple, possible explanations
  • What evidence are we left with
And this is where most, if not all of the current ‘evidence’ of the paranormal falls apart and so we rarely get passed this point. It is here where dogmatic, prejudicial and closed minded believers or ‘experiencers of the truth’ either get aggressive, vocal, dismissive or back away from the ‘research’ claiming that the process is ‘unfair’ or that the ‘scientists are just too closed’ – or worst still simply say “I know I’m right – I know what I’ve seen, heard or felt… it IS REAL… I’m not mad…. so YOU must be wrong!”
The certainty of belief; the malleability of the evidence and the complexity of subjective experience leading to emotional and personally held attitudes and values. 
Questions at this level and it can be interpreted as a personal attack and not as a quest for wider ‘truths’.
Alan
  
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Jaw Dropping – Derren Brown and Bronnikov

May 18, 2010 alan Brian Dunning, Bronnikov Method, Derren Brown, ESP, Psychic Development, skeptoid






“The method has undergone large number of examinations and scientific validation and is considered as an established scientific practice”


I watched tonight’s Derren Brown investigates with an ever dropping jaw and a sickening feeling rising in the pit of my stomach. Suffice to say I was amazed at Derren’s poise and ability to keep his cool as the apparent insanity and exploitation unfolded around him.

The teenager with cerebral palsy was, for me the last straw. Despite Bronnokov seniors assertion that the method was not about ‘healing’ there had been numerous references to ‘diagnosis’ and ‘improving abilities’ (with a direct implication that there could be an improvement in sight for blind people) in the discussions filmed in the early part of the documentary.

Whilst I for one am happy to accept ‘seeing clearly’ as a metaphor for learning and personal development it seems that The Bronnikov Method is happy to promote itself in an ambiguous manner – implying improvement in sight.

Perhaps Bronnikov is being misrepresented and what he is talking about is the ‘metaphor of seeing’ through the development or extension of human perception… this being the case the marketing needs to be a lot clearer and rely less on targeting people desperate for ‘cures’ to physical ills. 




“Teaching the blind to see with Alternative Vision occurs within the first 3 stages of the program.  Imagine the potential when the brain, instead of the eyes, sees”


The repeating theme in Derren’s documentary was the inability of the Bronnikov tutors or students to provide evidence to support their claims…. and yes they do make specific claims of extrasensory perception – an ability to see the ‘material world’ without using the eyes directly.

The ‘large number’ of ‘examinations’ and the appeal to scientific validation are not easy to find. There is one endorsement on the main website; no academic references in “pubmed” (an on-line repository of peer reviewed research) and some unreferenced or spurious (unfocussed) quotes on the ‘official’ website (www.bronnikov.org).

As I have written elsewhere quotes taken out of context, or references from ‘scientists’ have little value unless we know the provenance of the opinion. I would expect to find quotes and research from neurophysiologists, neurophysiologists and possibly psychologists to support some of the claims made in the documentary and in their literature.

NATALIYA PETROVNA BEKHTEREVA (the key reference on the Bronnikov’s site) published several papers on neurophysiology including one which makes reference to ‘the Method’. The paper in question, published four years before Bekhtereva’s death in 2006: HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY Vol. 28 No. 1 2002 ) was, and I quote:-



“a strictly qualitative pilot study not pretending to discover any quantitative patterns”

It was a study featuring 7 students who were partially sighted and the ‘blindfold’ method was used. There is NO reference to whether these blindfolds effectively restricted all possibility of seeing (any magician worth his or her salt can perform a fairly convincing sightless vision act). 

Clearly this study does not represent a large number of examinations or scientific validation.

Just so we can give the Bronnikov Method a fair shakedown, let’s remind ourselves what the first stage of the training is:-

…..an algorithm of 18 techniques, derived from144 energetic Tibetan techniques.  The 1st stage conveys an alternative holistic non-invasive means by which the energetic structures that govern the human body realign.  
It is the realignment and harmonization of the energetic structures of the human body that accelerates and optimizes the person’s restorative and regenerative system.

That clear now??

I think it must win a prize for the most meaningless scientific sounding drivel I’ve read in recent months.I particularly like the appeal to ‘ancient wisdom’ with what is the mandatory techniques from a revered culture – in this case the Tibetans, who no doubt were of the Shangrila variety. I wonder if you remember a TV series called The Champions. Three secret agents crashed their aeroplane in the Himalayan mountains; they were ‘healed’ and given ‘super powers’ so they could continue to fight crime and secure freedom for the crime-ridden West….. sounds about as plausible as the Bronnikov Method!


Alan


If you’re interested in developing your critical thinking skills then can I recommend this excellent DVD produced by Brian Dunning of Skeptoid (a great podcast).


See : www.skeptoid.com



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