Results of
©2000-2002 by Craig R. Lang[i] CHt
As an anomaly researcher, one encounters many unusual phenomena, not
directly part of the phenomenon of study, but which seem to strongly correlate
with it. Examples of this are ESP, and
related psychic phenomena. An example of
such a phenomenon which I have heard described by many close encounter
experiencers is the human aura. Indeed,
there were enough references to it to make me quite curious as to its true
nature and reality.
The human aura is described in many texts, both ancient and modern[ii]. It is described both in biophysical terms,
and in terms of metaphysics and religion.
The actual mechanism behind the human aura, and indeed, whether it
actually exists, is not clearly established.
However, there appears to be enough evidence to suggest
As a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, I have participated in
a number of hypnosis experiments, during and immediately after which, several
people reported that they were readily able to see auras around other people in
the room. As a result, I and several
other hypnotists in the guild have become curious about this phenomenon, and
have been devising experiments to measure it.
This article describes a preliminary version of one such experiment
which I conducted at the June meeting of Minnesota MUFON.
The goal of this experiment was to have a group of five volunteers, who
indicated that they were able to see human auras, observe the aura of a test
subject and describe it in a standardized way.
The goal was to determine the degree of consistency between what each
observed.
The subject being observed was seated about 15 feet away from the
viewers, in a position such that he could be clearly seen against a featureless
white wall. The viewers were asked to
complete a short questionnaire with a description of the aura, which included 9
questions regarding determine its color, shape, intensity and time variation. On a second page was space for a sketch of
the aura.
In the literature, it is suggested that a person's aura is strongly
dependent upon his/her mental or emotional state. Thus, it was desirable to have the subject be
in a known state of mind at the time of the experiment. I therefore asked him to imagine a very
pleasant scene, known only to himself.
(Note: Since the subject being observed was an excellent hypnotic
candidate, I had earlier hypnotized him and given him a posthypnotic suggestion
to recall a pleasant memory on cue).
Immediately following the cue words, the five volunteers, plus myself
then viewed the aura of the subject, and filled out the questionnaire
All viewers indicated that they were able to see the aura. All but one made a complete set of
observations (the remainder simply filled out a detailed verbal
description). 1 person made 2 complete
observations on the same form.
The aura was observed by all to be brighter than the white
background. All described it to be white
or pale. (One person described a pale
yellow to greenish tint or overtone to the aura.)
All of the participants found it very easy to see the aura, reporting an
average = 7.8, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being easiest to see auras. All reported that they were toward the top
end of the scale. However, reports of
the strength/intensity of the aura, also observed on a scale of 1(transparent)
to 1(strong/solid) were evenly distributed across the entire range, with a
slight bias toward the lower-intensity end of the range. The average was 4.83.
The fuzziness/sharpness of the boundary was measured in a range of 1 to
10 with 1 being sharp and 10 being fuzzy:
An average of 6.38 was observed, with a wide cluster of observations
between 5 and 9. This suggests that the
boundary was largely diffuse. Viewers
reported that the width of the aura averaged just under 3 inches, with two
distinct groupings: from 1 to 2 inches, and greater than 4 inches. Several reported that there were actually two
bands of light, whose widths roughly corresponded to this grouping.
Generally viewers reported that the aura was a constant soft glow, with
very little variation. One stated said
that they observed a shimmer, while another described a dissolving appearance. The rate of variation on a scale 1 (rapid),
to 10 (constant) was an average 7.58, with all above 6. Degree of variation on a scale of 1 to 10 was
described as an average of 4.75, with all observations between 3 and 5. This indicates that the variation was small,
if any, and that the description of the variation was consistent between almost
all viewers.
Conclusion: In this limited
sample, there was a fairly high degree of consistency in color, width, and
stability of the aura. There was
considerable difference in the degree of intensity/transparency of the aura. The implications of this are unknown.
What an aura is, is not known.
Some suggest that it is nothing more than an optical illusion caused by
the retina's reaction to color contrast.
Others believe that it is an electromagnetic or related field phenomenon. Still others claim that there is actually a
more subtle metaphysical explanation.
Whatever the aura may be, six people in our experiment were able to see
something, with a moderate to high degree of consistency between them. This trial was the prototype for a number of
future experiments which we hope to conduct within the National Guild of
Hypnotists. It is hoped that these will
yield some very interesting data on a disputed, yet very fascinating area of
human perception.
Final Notes:
This experiment was the first in a series of preparatory runs for an
experiment to be conducted at the National Guild of Hypnotists in May of
2001. My heartfelt thanks go out to the
volunteers who participated in this experiment, both as viewers, and the subject
whose aura was being viewed. Their help
was invaluable. I hope that they found
this experiment to be as interesting as I did.
End Notes:
This article was published in The Minnesota MUFON Journal in July/August
of 2000, revised in Feb 2002.