My question is then, do you see any merit or validity in LRH's way of conducting his research? If not, how do you explain the much better results when backtrack incidents are run?
lkwdblds
I see almost no validity in the way LRH "researched" - it seemed to be largely based upon strong assertion based upon very little research and then apparent confirmation of what was asserted. No testing appeared to be done to refine the assertion.
The scientific approach I was taught at school was one of hypothesis, testing, refining of hypothesis, re-testing, etc.
I think the laughter at the congress that you observed was probably laughter at the apparant paradox of what Ron says he observed. It was quite ironic and amusing.
From my extensive experience of giving Standard Danetic and New Era Dianetic auditing I observed the following:
New PCs often got the BD's and wide F/Ns when running a fairly early this lifetime incident. As they received more Dn auditing the needle and Tone Arm would tend to become less volatile until "past lives" were run when I would see the BDs and wide F/Ns that Ron predicted.
This appeared to validate Ron's assertion. But there is no "Double Blind" testing involved here where a control group would be audited without being given any expectation of past life contact.
One cannot discount the suggesitibility of PC's and Ron's quite open suggestions of the importance of running past lives. He was a strong charismatic confident-sounding individual, this comes over in his written works, so the power of suggestion cannot be discounted, even in those who never met him.
Nevertheless I did see the predicted meter and PC indicators when past lives were run.
Does this mean Ron's hypothesis was correct or does it mean simply that meter phenomena were accurately observed in the early "research"? Or were they wrongly interpreted as to meaning?
Read Cyril Vosper's book "The MindBenders" for experience of the original past life "research" done under Nib's supervision. You'll get an idea of the atmosphere of expectation amongst the participants. Peer pressure and guru suggestion cannot be discounted as an explanation.
So what else could explain the meter phenomena and PC indicators?
One hypothesis could be that the PC is expecting to run former lives, because it has been suggested to him that he will and should. Combined with the fact that this would "prove" his immortality, one would expect him to feel a degree of excitement and anticipation.
The auditor suggests or asks for an earlier incident and suddenly the PC sees a picture of a different life. His immortality is suddenly "proved" and he expects this picture or an earlier one to explain and be the cause of a this lifetime problem. The relief, and "charge" coming off would loosen the TA and the needle. The PC would start to feel better because he has been led to believe this is the source of his problem. He would brighten up, let go of mental images or trauma, meter blowdown and needle float.
So the meter and PC indicators could be reacting to expectation fulfilled, and anticipation realised, rather than truth revealed.
This could be simply tested by having two groups. One is told they should expect to contact former lives and that they need to do so to get beneift. The second control group is not told anything about what could or should happen.
Each participant would be interviewed before as to expectation and afterwards as to expectations fulfilled or not. The meter behaviour and PC indicators would be recorded during the sessions
Of course Hubbo never did any such thing. Remember too that per his admissions he believed his words had an hypnotic effect upon people and that he understood and could predict their emotions and psychology. It seems he might well have been correct!