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EDITOR'S NOTE Skeptical Inquirer THE MACAZINI FOR SCIfNCC AND MASON Inquiry and Exuberance EDITOR Kendrick Frazier aul Kurtz, in the article beginning on the next page, describes the found EDITORIAL BOARD James E. Alcock ing of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Barry Beyerstein Paranormal twenty years ago, some of the highs and lows of our first two Susan J. Blackmore P Martin Gardner decades, concerns that motivated us, and principles that have guided us. Ray Hyman During much of that time CSICOP has been under various kinds of Philip J. Klass attack, often from those whose appreciation for scientific, skeptical examination Paul Kurtz of claims and the value of informing the public about scientific inquiry is some Joe Nickell Lee Nisbet what less enthusiastic than ours. But, as Paul says, CSICOP has engendered Bela Scheiber broad, worldwide support, the preponderance of scientific opinion generally CONSULTING EDITORS supports our positions, and all efforts to undermine the committee have failed. Robert A. Baker As he puts it, "CSICOP is alive and well and stronger than ever; and it is now a John R. Cole Kenneth L. Feder well-established part of the contemporary intellectual and scientific landscape." C. E. M. Hansel A large part of that success is due to Paul himself. "Heading CSICOP as E. C. Krupp chairman these twenty years has been exhilarating for me," he says. It's an David F. Marks Andrew Neher appropriate word, for in addition to his obvious intellectual and readership James E. Oberg attributes, Paul has always brought to the task a perhaps more surprising qual Robert Sheaffer ity about which he once devoted an entire book: Exuberance. That zest for life, Steven N. Shore that positive attitude, that optimism is, happily, contagious, and it has helped ASSISTANT IDrtOnS Thomas C. Genoni, Jr. carry us all through many difficult times. It has been a fun twenty years. Alice Loweecey CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lys Ann Shore PRODUCTION Traditional Chinese medicine has provoked widespread interest in America and. Paul Loynes CAITOONIST Europe. It's part of the newfound, often uncritical "acceptability" in many cir Rob Pudim cles of alternative medicine. Following up on our first CSICOP visit to China in 1988, CSICOP last year was invited to send another delegation to China—a PUBUSHERS REPRESENTATIVE physician, a neuropsychologist, and a medical journalist. They saw firsthand Barry Karr some of the practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, visited leading labo BUSINESS MANAGER ratories, and assessed their studies. The first part of their two-part report, which Mary Rose Hays draws upon not only their own observations and their understanding of the cul ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAOU Sandra Lesniak ture, but their examination of the published literature, appears in this issue. cwf F DATA orncu Richard Seymour FULFILLMENT MANAGES Michael Cione STAFF Elizabeth Begley Diana Picciano Alfreda Pidgeon Etienne C Rios Ranjit Sandhu Sharon Sikora Vance Vigrass Dana Walpole COHPORATE COUNSEL Brenton N. VerPloeg INQUIRY MEOIA PRODUCTIONS Thomas Flynn The SKEPTICAL INQUIRER is the official journal of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, an international organization. 4 July/Augus! 1996 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER .

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The Myth of Alpha Consciousness
The Myth of Alpha Consciousness Alpha brain-waves are marketed as a way to produce relaxation, healing, and meditative or occult states. In fact, they are related to activity in the visual system and have no proven curative or paranormal powers. Barry Beyerstein SYCHOPHYSIOLOGY SEEKS to understand how mechanisms in the nervous system mediate consciousness and behavior. Over Pthe years this hybrid field has seen many newly discovered brain processes reportedly linked with unique psychological states only to have further research reveal that the relationship is far more complex than suspected. Correcting these misinterpretations takes time, even in the pro fessional literature. Beyond the lab, it is even more difficult to retire obsolete notions about brain-behavior relationships when the popular press, profit motives, and a host of quasitheological beliefs conspire to perpetuate them. Alpha brain-waves and biofeedback are two areas in which such misapprehensions are legion: In the late 1960s a reawakened interest in altered states of conscious ness was buoyed by claims that patterns in the electroencephalogram (EEG) called "alpha waves" were indicators of meditative or psychic states. This, plus the understandable attraction of anything offering quick relief from anxiety and stress, spawned a multimillion-dollar industry aimed at teach ing people to maximize EEG alpha through a technique called biofeedback. This occurred despite a growing realization among psychophysiologists that the alleged benefits were based upon unsupported assumptions about alpha and despite growing reservations about the efficacy of biofeedback in general. Barry Beyerstein is in the Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia. 42 THE SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, Vol.
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COVER CENTERS FOR INQUIRY •• www.centerforinquiry.net/about/centerswww.centerforinquiry.net/about/centers CFI/BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA) Ormond Beach, Fla. 32175 DOMESTIC Ex. Dir.: Alejandro Borgo Tel.: (386) 671-1921 Buenos Aires, Argentina email: [email protected] CFI/TRANSNATIONAL Founder and Chair: Paul Kurtz CFI/CAIRO (EGYPT) CFI Community/ Ex. Dir.: Barry Karr Chairs: Prof. Mona Abousenna Fort Lauderdale PO Box 703, Prof. Mourad Wahba President: Jeanette Madea Amherst, N.Y. 14226 44 Gol Gamal St., Agouza, Giza, Egypt Tel.: (954) 345-1181 Tel: (716) 636-4869 CFI/GERMANY (ROSSDORF) Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Amardeo Sarma CFI Community/Harlem CFI/AUSTIN Kirchgasse 4, 64380 Rossdorf, Germany President: Sibanye Ex. Dir.: Jenni Acosta Rossdorf, Germany Email: [email protected] PO Box 202164, CFI/INDIA (HYDERABAD) CFI Community/Long Island Austin, Tex. 78720-2164 Ex. Dir.: Prof. Innaiah Narisetti President: Gerry Dantone Tel: (512) 919-4115 Hyderabad, India PO Box 119 Email: [email protected] CFI/ITALY Greenlawn, N.Y. 11740 CFI/CHICAGO Ex. Dir.: Hugo Estrella Tel.: (516) 640-5491 Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Adam Walker CFI/KENYA (NAIROBI) PO Box 7951, Ex. Dir.: George Ongere CFI Community/Miami Chicago, Ill. 60680-7951 President: Argelia Tejada Tel: (312) 226-0420 CFI/LONDON (U.K.) Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ex. Dir.: Suresh Lalvani Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, CFI Community/Naples (Florida) CFI/INDIANA London WC1R 4RL, England Coordinator: Bernie Turner Ex. Dir.: Reba Boyd Wooden 801 Anchor Rode Ave. 350 Canal Walk, Suite A, CFI/LOW COUNTRIES Suite 206 Indianapolis, Ind.
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“The Amazing” Randi
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