By
Dan Cassino
Arizona Daily Wildcat
About 60 people, mostly UA students, spent their Friday afternoon bending flatware.
The "spoon-bending party," hosted by University of Arizona psychology professor Gary Schwartz, resulted in one small group of students and their utensils being marked for further study of psychic phenomena.
Schwartz began the session in the "Swede" Johnson building by referring to spoon-bending, and psychokinetic phenomena in general, as being "an area which is extremely controversial."
He told the group that he had first learned that spoon-bending might be real about three years ago, but that he remains an agnostic about it.
"I have seen some amazing things," he told the participants. "I have read some amazing things. I have met some people who have showed me amazing things."
Preparing the participants for the meat of the session, in which they would attempt to focus their mental powers to bend metal flatware, instructor John Alexander, who has an extensive background in psychic phenomena, told them what he expected would occur.
Alexander told the group that during the first part of the session, they would be using a combination of physical and mental force, though they would move on to the use of purely mental force later on.
However, before starting the group in its initial exercise, Alexander addressed some of the skepticism present in the public about psychokinetic phenomena.
"Scientists say it can't be done because we don't have a good theory for why it happens," he said. "Engineers just use what works."
After even the first exercises, Alexander told the audience that they would be able to perceive that a change had taken place.
"It gets soft," he said, "and then, suddenly the brakes come off."
To make the changes happen, Alexander told participants to close their eyes and visualize an infinite amount of energy. They were then told to visualize the energy condensing, getting smaller, more focused and stronger. Then, the participants were told to move the energy down their arm, into the spoon, and, as a group, shout "bend" three times.
Afterward, they were to just stroke the spoon and feel it for a while. Furthermore, they were told not to just sit quietly, as Alexander told them that "excitement and having fun is a part of this."
Kristen Crabtree, an undeclared sophomore, was successful in bending several spoons in the initial part of the session.
Crabtree had bent several spoons into wildly contorted positions, while Heather Peters, a psychology sophomore who was sitting next to her, had not yet succeeded in bending any of her flatware noticeably.
"Maybe it's my mood," she said. "My car just died, so I had to walk all the way over here."
Crabtree explained that the bending of the spoon seemed to have to do with her state of mind.
"If you question it, it hardens up right then," she said.
Soon, Peters began bending her spoons with gusto.
"I got a little carried away," she said, after bending two utensils entirely in half.
Though the participants did have physical contact with the spoons during this part of the session, Peters said she didn't believe that this was fully responsible for the bending.
"I couldn't bend it while it was just sitting there," Peters explained, though she had achieved success in bending the spoons with the aid of the visualization techniques.
Once much of the group had gotten results with the help of some physical force, Alexander announced that it was time to move on to the "grad school" portion of the session. Each participant chose two matching forks, making certain they were identical, and that their tines matched up perfectly. They were to hold both forks only at the base, one in each hand, and apply no physical force.
After repeating the visualization exercise, Peters began seeing results. She noted that one tine on one of her forks seemed to be moving forward. Others sitting near Peters, including Crabtree, also saw bending.
"I came into it pretty skeptical," said Tiffani Nakajima, a chemical engineering sophomore. "But then, watching people's spoons bend, it was pretty cool"
After Peters, Nakajima and Crabtree, as well as others sitting near them, were done with their forks, the forks were collected, boxed and labeled. Schwartz told them that the forks would be sent to Pennsylvania State University, where Rustum Roy, a materials science professor, would study them.
The goal in this is to see if there had been any physical change in the forks since they were bent that could be analyzed. Alexander told the participants that spoons that had been bent in session such as this appeared, when analyzed, to have been melted by heat of 1300-1400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Alexander said friction coming from handling or rubbing the utensils can only account for two to three degrees Fahrenheit.
The people that had success in bending the spoons without the use of physical force were also invited to participate in further analysis. Their names and contact information was collected so they could later be brought into a laboratory setting, where they would try to replicate their feat in a controlled environment for Schwartz.
Schwartz said the laboratory tests would commence within the next couple of weeks.
Peters is planning another demonstration of her newfound abilities.
"I'm going to go home and show my boyfriend," she said.
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA psych prof, psychic expert guide students through utensil-bending exercises
About 60 people, mostly UA students, spent their Friday afternoon bending flatware.
The "spoon-bending party," hosted by University of Arizona psychology professor Gary Schwartz, resulted in one small group of students and their utensils being marked for further study of psychic phenomena.
Schwartz began the session in the "Swede" Johnson building by referring to spoon-bending, and psychokinetic phenomena in general, as being "an area which is extremely controversial."
He told the group that he had first learned that spoon-bending might be real about three years ago, but that he remains an agnostic about it.
"I have seen some amazing things," he told the participants. "I have read some amazing things. I have met some people who have showed me amazing things."
Preparing the participants for the meat of the session, in which they would attempt to focus their mental powers to bend metal flatware, instructor John Alexander, who has an extensive background in psychic phenomena, told them what he expected would occur.
Alexander told the group that during the first part of the session, they would be using a combination of physical and mental force, though they would move on to the use of purely mental force later on.
However, before starting the group in its initial exercise, Alexander addressed some of the skepticism present in the public about psychokinetic phenomena.
"Scientists say it can't be done because we don't have a good theory for why it happens," he said. "Engineers just use what works."
After even the first exercises, Alexander told the audience that they would be able to perceive that a change had taken place.
"It gets soft," he said, "and then, suddenly the brakes come off."
To make the changes happen, Alexander told participants to close their eyes and visualize an infinite amount of energy. They were then told to visualize the energy condensing, getting smaller, more focused and stronger. Then, the participants were told to move the energy down their arm, into the spoon, and, as a group, shout "bend" three times.
Afterward, they were to just stroke the spoon and feel it for a while. Furthermore, they were told not to just sit quietly, as Alexander told them that "excitement and having fun is a part of this."
Kristen Crabtree, an undeclared sophomore, was successful in bending several spoons in the initial part of the session.
Crabtree had bent several spoons into wildly contorted positions, while Heather Peters, a psychology sophomore who was sitting next to her, had not yet succeeded in bending any of her flatware noticeably.
"Maybe it's my mood," she said. "My car just died, so I had to walk all the way over here."
Crabtree explained that the bending of the spoon seemed to have to do with her state of mind.
"If you question it, it hardens up right then," she said.
Soon, Peters began bending her spoons with gusto.
"I got a little carried away," she said, after bending two utensils entirely in half.
Though the participants did have physical contact with the spoons during this part of the session, Peters said she didn't believe that this was fully responsible for the bending.
"I couldn't bend it while it was just sitting there," Peters explained, though she had achieved success in bending the spoons with the aid of the visualization techniques.
Once much of the group had gotten results with the help of some physical force, Alexander announced that it was time to move on to the "grad school" portion of the session. Each participant chose two matching forks, making certain they were identical, and that their tines matched up perfectly. They were to hold both forks only at the base, one in each hand, and apply no physical force.
After repeating the visualization exercise, Peters began seeing results. She noted that one tine on one of her forks seemed to be moving forward. Others sitting near Peters, including Crabtree, also saw bending.
"I came into it pretty skeptical," said Tiffani Nakajima, a chemical engineering sophomore. "But then, watching people's spoons bend, it was pretty cool"
After Peters, Nakajima and Crabtree, as well as others sitting near them, were done with their forks, the forks were collected, boxed and labeled. Schwartz told them that the forks would be sent to Pennsylvania State University, where Rustum Roy, a materials science professor, would study them.
The goal in this is to see if there had been any physical change in the forks since they were bent that could be analyzed. Alexander told the participants that spoons that had been bent in session such as this appeared, when analyzed, to have been melted by heat of 1300-1400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Alexander said friction coming from handling or rubbing the utensils can only account for two to three degrees Fahrenheit.
The people that had success in bending the spoons without the use of physical force were also invited to participate in further analysis. Their names and contact information was collected so they could later be brought into a laboratory setting, where they would try to replicate their feat in a controlled environment for Schwartz.
Schwartz said the laboratory tests would commence within the next couple of weeks.
Peters is planning another demonstration of her newfound abilities.
"I'm going to go home and show my boyfriend," she said.
