SilverJeep
Padawan Learner
Ok this is my first THREAD on the board. Something I’ve seen referenced a lot is spirals. I’ve been looking for explanations to the experiences I’ve had with them only to find nothing. So I’m starting this thread to see if anyone can answer the question: Why a “right-handed” or downward spiral affects your strength (as in reduces) and a “left-handed” or upward spiral does not?
My first experience with this was from reading Harry L. Stine’s “Mind Machines You Can Build” Book back in the early 90’s. There are many interesting things in that book but for now lets talk about the spirals.
In one chapter he talks specifically about this. The experiment is to take two pieces of paper and draw right-handed spiral on one and a left handed spiral on the other.
Now you need two people. The subject looks at the left-handed spiral for a few seconds, then with one hand, holds the spiral against his/her chest. The subject then holds the other arm straight out to their side level to their shoulder. The experimenter then tries to push the arm down to the subject’s side while the subject resists. Most folks can resist pretty good, but the arm does get pushed down.
Now repeat the experiment with the other spiral. The results are dramatically different. The experimenter can push the arm down with almost no effort, and the subject cannot resist no matter how hard they try.
Now do it again with the original spiral and they can resist just fine and the results are the same as the first time. You can go back and forth as many times as you want and the results are the same.
Now, as a skeptic, I’ve tried this with people without telling them what was going to happen and the results were the same as described above. This ruled out “suggestion”. They expected it, so it happened.
I tried it with a guy that competed in weightlifting. I told him what would happen but did not tell him which spiral would do it. He laughed at me told me I was full of … well, you know. The left-handed spiral, I could not bring his arm down. I could practically swing from it like a monkey. He said “I told you so!” So we tried the right-handed spiral. I pushed it down, no problem whatsoever. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He couldn’t believe it. Then we went back to the other one. Again, I couldn’t push it down.
I’ve tried the experiment with either arm, same results. I’ve tried it telling them what would happen, not telling them what would happen. I even got it backwards by accident (by giving them the wrong spiral to hold) and didn’t realize it until I found my results were backwards and noticed my mistake.
I suggest you all try it. Then maybe someone can explain it to me. The summary of the book was that it was considered “Proto-science; something we can demonstrate, but not yet explain.”
OK, here’s the thing that will really get your head spinning. The same experiment can be done (with the same results) substituting Sugar and Sweet-N-Low for the spirals. The sugar will make you weaker while the Sweet-n-low will have no effect. The reason (the book gave) is that the molecule of sugar is in the shape of a downward spiral.
REALLY makes me wonder about ingesting sugar and the effects it has.
OK, your thoughts? Thanks, SilverJeep
My first experience with this was from reading Harry L. Stine’s “Mind Machines You Can Build” Book back in the early 90’s. There are many interesting things in that book but for now lets talk about the spirals.
In one chapter he talks specifically about this. The experiment is to take two pieces of paper and draw right-handed spiral on one and a left handed spiral on the other.
Now you need two people. The subject looks at the left-handed spiral for a few seconds, then with one hand, holds the spiral against his/her chest. The subject then holds the other arm straight out to their side level to their shoulder. The experimenter then tries to push the arm down to the subject’s side while the subject resists. Most folks can resist pretty good, but the arm does get pushed down.
Now repeat the experiment with the other spiral. The results are dramatically different. The experimenter can push the arm down with almost no effort, and the subject cannot resist no matter how hard they try.
Now do it again with the original spiral and they can resist just fine and the results are the same as the first time. You can go back and forth as many times as you want and the results are the same.
Now, as a skeptic, I’ve tried this with people without telling them what was going to happen and the results were the same as described above. This ruled out “suggestion”. They expected it, so it happened.
I tried it with a guy that competed in weightlifting. I told him what would happen but did not tell him which spiral would do it. He laughed at me told me I was full of … well, you know. The left-handed spiral, I could not bring his arm down. I could practically swing from it like a monkey. He said “I told you so!” So we tried the right-handed spiral. I pushed it down, no problem whatsoever. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. He couldn’t believe it. Then we went back to the other one. Again, I couldn’t push it down.
I’ve tried the experiment with either arm, same results. I’ve tried it telling them what would happen, not telling them what would happen. I even got it backwards by accident (by giving them the wrong spiral to hold) and didn’t realize it until I found my results were backwards and noticed my mistake.
I suggest you all try it. Then maybe someone can explain it to me. The summary of the book was that it was considered “Proto-science; something we can demonstrate, but not yet explain.”
OK, here’s the thing that will really get your head spinning. The same experiment can be done (with the same results) substituting Sugar and Sweet-N-Low for the spirals. The sugar will make you weaker while the Sweet-n-low will have no effect. The reason (the book gave) is that the molecule of sugar is in the shape of a downward spiral.
REALLY makes me wonder about ingesting sugar and the effects it has.
OK, your thoughts? Thanks, SilverJeep