Psi and the nature of abilities

Journal of Parapsychology, The, Sept, 1992 by Stephen E. Braude

Moreover, the phenomena of Home and Palladino were idiosyncratic in other respects. For example, Home, who had some modest normal musical ability (particularly on keyboard instruments), was apparently able to produce musical performances either on untouched instruments or on accordions held at the end of the instrument away from the keys. Palladino, however, had no apparent musical ability normally, and although she often seemed to produce sounds on untouched instruments, she produced no music. Similarly, in Home's case, witnesses often reported the production of written messages (frequently by disembodied hands). Eusapia, however, was illiterate, and although witnesses frequently reported touches, pinches, and so forth by ostensible limbs even while Eusapia was under the control of her investigators, I am aware of no reports suggesting that she was able to read or write mediumistically. In both cases, it seems, the mediums' normal range of abilities was mirrored in their mediumistic phenomena.

In fact (although this may be pushing things a bit), when Home and Palladino produced the same kinds of phenomena, those of Home apparently showed a degree of development and refinement in keeping with his overall character, whereas Eusapia's tended to be as crude or graceless as she normally was. For example, Home's disembodied hands were reportedly quite detailed and lifelike, and sometimes they were described as being beautiful or elegant. Moreover, their deformations and other distinctive features reportedly corresponded on occasion to those of the deceased communicator. By contrast, when Eusapia apparently produced visible limbs or appendages, they were usually described as knobby, ill-defined, and generally lacking in distinctive or clearly identifiable features. Similarly, Home's musical phenomena were frequently described in superlatives and were praised for their beauty and exquisite execution. By contrast, no phenomenon of Eusapia's was ever described in this way.

Similar observations hold for other cases of physical mediumship. For example, it may be that the ectoplasmic manifestations of Kathleen Goligher and Eva C. reflect the different ways their investigators influenced their beliefs and actions. Miss Goligher was studied primarily by an engineer, W. J. Crawford, and her extruding ectoplasm apparently raised tables in a way Crawford could well appreciate, namely, in the manner of a cantilever. By contrast, Eva C., under the scrutiny of biological scientists such as Richet and Geley, produced more organic sorts of manifestations (e.g., on one occasion Eva's ectoplasm reportedly grew into a miniature hand) (see Braude, 1986, for details of these cases). Although we cannot rule out the possibility of paranormal experimenter effects in these cases, it would not be unreasonable to suggest instead that the differences in the two mediums' phenomena parallel a more familiar and pedestrian situation, namely, the way in which the presence of others influences our behavior. We all know that different people and different situations elicit different sides of our personalities. That is why we tend to adapt our sexuality or style of humor to the company of different persons. In fact, the process of selectively revealing different aspects of ourselves to different persons is virtually automatic, and usually more instinctive than conscious.