If you turn left at the Pepperbox off the busy A36 from Southampton to Salisbury a rough track will take you to Privett Farm, high on Standlynch Down, with views southwards towards the little town of Downton sitting on the river Avon. It was to this isolated spot that the keen investigator into ‘ paraphysics ‘, Benson Herbert, came in 1966.
A trained physicist with a degree from Oxford University, Herbert, then in his mid fifties, was convinced that all paraphysical phenomena was caused by electricity in various forms. He had left his flat in London for a home that would allow him to pursue his research uninterrupted by unwanted electrical activity from the environment. At Privett Farm he set up the Paraphysical Laboratory, familiarly known as the ‘Paralab’, and it was here that he conducted a series of unconventional experiments, occasionally aided by leading paraphysicisal researchers from around the world. Many of these investigations were described in the Journal of Paraphysics, a photocopied publication founded by Herbert and edited by him until his death in 1991.
Paraphysics can be defined as measurable and observable physical phenomena which lie outside the realm of conventional physics. This might include telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation, ’direct voice’ phenomena, and psychotronics. Some investigators prefer not to use the term ‘paranormal’ because of its association with the discredited fields of ghost-hunting and spiritualism, but as a scientist Herbert was open-minded concerning most aspects of unexplained phenomena, including ghosts. In issue no. 4 , vol 3, of the Journal(1969), a copy of which can be found among the Haining archive, Herbert dealt with the telekinesis of objects shown on cine film, the ‘radiation’ from a finger and eye-gaze that caused floating objects to rotate on liquids, and the case of Maria Schnabel, who in 1923-4 was seemingly the cause of some extraordinary ‘poltergeist phenomena’ in Austria.
In a 1970 issue we find Herbert discussing the ‘ auras ‘ that some people detect around the frames of certain humans. He also refers to ‘our ‘ film, a documentary on the history of religious ritual entitled ‘Legend of the Witches’, that had opened at the Jacey Cinema, Charing Cross Road in March. But one of the figures who featured more frequently than most in the Journal was someone who had a twelve year association with Herbert and the Paralab. This was Susan Padfield, whose regular experiments in ‘ astral projection’ from her ancient ‘haunted’ home in Somerset included the successful drawing of a hexagonal teapot that had been placed on a window sill by Herbert in the Paralab.
In compiling the Journal Herbert was aided by Margaret Driver, who may have been the bystander who, after witnessing the arrival in 1955 of an alien space vehicle in Bexleyheath, became, as Margaret Fry, a devoted Ufologist . Herbert’s ‘research officer’ was Manfred Cassirer, who had escaped from the Nazis as a boy, later read theology at Oxford and became an Egyptologist. In 1963 he inherited the London antiquities gallery of his father Erich, a former academic philosopher.In his spare time from the gallery Manfred researched cases of the paranormal, the results of which were incorporated in the five books he went on to publish from the 1980s onwards. [R.M.Healey]
I have copies of the Jnl of Paraphysics produced at the Paralab. I spent a year or two attending the groups and typing the journal. It was a hand-to-mouth operation, but Ben worked hard analysing the results of the experiments and writing them up along with articles from others such as Dr Duplessis. I can scan them if you want copies.
Many thanks we do not need them at present but someone reading this may…
Dear Charlotte,
Very nice to make your acquaintance, and am glad to know that you have some copies of the Journal of Paraphysics put out by Benson Herbert’s ParaLab. Our USPA Library has some issues as well, but not a complete set, which we are trying to gether. Can you tell me what issues you have? If there are issues of this periodical or any others you would like to have, in the paraphysics field please let me know, since I may have them, and would gladly provide scans to you as well.
Best wishes always.
John
John H. Reed, M.D.
email: joreed43@gmail.com
Board Member: United States Psychotronics Association (USPA)
Vice President: Library, Archives, and Museum
Editor: USPA Journal and Newsletter
Johns Hopkins email address: joreed@jhsph.edu
Phone: 443-858-0757
Yes, I would love to receive scanned copies. I would also like more information on life at Privett Farm, which I visited last year. All information is welcome. Please contact me at R.Healey709@btinternet.com
Hi Charlotte, Are you still offering a copy of the journal? I would appreciate you could send me this on in the picture, vol.4.
I was delighted to come across this website. I’m finishing an academic history of the relationship between physics and psychic phenomena that focuses mainly on the period 1850-1930 but the conclusion bring things closer to the present day. I was fascinated to come across Benson Herbert and the Paralab. Would it be possible for Charlotte to send me scans of any issues of the Journal of Paraphysics that you have? Otherwise I will order them in the British Library or Cambridge University Library.
I very much appreciate the help,
Best wishes
Here is a reply posted a bit late in the day, many apologies. My intuition tweaked, due to a lot of research coming out into current ‘cosmic weather’ in reply to the controversial ‘climate change’ discussions. This is a fertile ground for anyone seeking to understand how planetary evolution goes through cycles of disturbance, leading to the development new evolutionary survival skills. So especially at this time, we mammals need to become better equipped to socialise and nurture, if climate events stir things up in our well ordered technological civilisation!
Sorry for the delay, I hope you have acquired copies by now. If not, here is a list of the copies I have. I was a co-researcher and writer of one or two articles during the 1980’s, basing my hypothesis on what I later studied for a PhD(Ed):’ Language for learning, and the social dimensions of cognition and learning’. My themes was that through becoming aware of the physical awareness (‘somatic brain’) we build social awareness, and within the synthesis of personal interaction, supported neurogenesis allows a great density of neurological connections. It is the basis of dermal-optics (seeing through the skin) which Ben and friends established with positive statistics in experimental data at Privet Farm. INT JNL PARAPHYSICS: VOL9 (ISSUES 4,5); VOL.12 (1,2); VOL.13 (1-4); VOL.14 (3,4); VOL15 (1,2); VOL.16 (3-6); VOL.17 (1-6); VOL.18 (1,2,5,6,); VOL.19 (1-4); VOL.20 (1,2,5,6). I have now researched articles regarding space weather and NASA data showing that more cosmic particles are hitting the earth, implying a major adjustment of eco-systems, volcanic activity, and combined with solar minimum in its cycle. A period of instability (climate change?) is indicated where electromagnetic fields are interrupted. I am testing a hypothesis that with additional stress, human neurological changes could take us into higher complexity of our neuro-wiring, and new skills of ‘refined perception’ of subtle energy. This quality of perception has been identified by data gathered by Ben Herbert and friends, with the suggestion that the brain has dormant infra-red sensing organ (remnant of the reptilian stage of evolution), where data results show subjects reporting ‘warmth’ when scanning tubes of haemoglobin compared to chlorophyl in the control test. Hence perhaps the sensory memory is mediating in the somatic feed-back wiring, in order to interpret subtle perceptions into dialogue using the language processors of the brain. A clue is in the ‘multisensory’ learning practices of some researcher educators who consider sensory synthesis and ‘dialogic’ psychological aspects of learning contexts serve to embed new cognition and integrate new contextual experience. This helps to build – with discernment and training – ‘refined perception’. More at a later date on request.
Richard,
I have copies of some of the Paraphysics Lab
Journals that Benson Herbert edited. You are welcome to have copies at no charge, if you would like. I would also like to talk with you about your research on and psychic phenomena. You can get to the website of the World Institute for Scientific Exploration, which I head via: http://instituteforscientificexploration.org.
Please send me an email at: joreed43@gmail.com
Best wishes. John
I had a friend, Deric James, now deceased, in Bournemouth who ran an occult magazine in his spare time. He took me to visit in December 1965. I was 19. There were some other visitors. We were shown a device called an octotron which consisted of four lathes of wood at right angels with a book sized piece of plywood on which to put one’s hand. It was positioned over a ouija board and supposed to be impossible for anyone to manipulate. It did produce messages.
Then we had a session of table turning. I had read about it but never seen it. It did demonstrate there are forces about which we know nothing.
Benson was a very pleasant gentleman.
Here is a reply posted a bit late in the day, many apologies. My intuition tweaked, due to a lot of research coming out into current ‘cosmic weather’ in reply to the controversial ‘climate change’ discussions. This is a fertile ground for anyone seeking to understand how planetary evolution goes through cycles of disturbance, leading to the development new evolutionary survival skills. So especially at this time, we mammals need to become better equipped to socialise and nurture, if climate events stir things up in our well ordered technological civilisation!
Sorry for the delay, I hope you have acquired copies by now. If not, here is a list of the copies I have. I was a co-researcher and writer of one or two articles during the 1980’s, basing my hypothesis on what I later studied for a PhD(Ed):’ Language for learning, and the social dimensions of cognition and learning’. My themes was that through becoming aware of the physical awareness (‘somatic brain’) we build social awareness, and within the synthesis of personal interaction, supported neurogenesis allows a great density of neurological connections. It is the basis of dermal-optics (seeing through the skin) which Ben and friends established with positive statistics in experimental data at Privet Farm. INT JNL PARAPHYSICS: VOL9 (ISSUES 4,5); VOL.12 (1,2); VOL.13 (1-4); VOL.14 (3,4); VOL15 (1,2); VOL.16 (3-6); VOL.17 (1-6); VOL.18 (1,2,5,6,); VOL.19 (1-4); VOL.20 (1,2,5,6). I have now researched articles regarding space weather and NASA data showing that more cosmic particles are hitting the earth, implying a major adjustment of eco-systems, volcanic activity, and combined with solar minimum in its cycle. A period of instability (climate change?) is indicated where electromagnetic fields are interrupted. I am testing a hypothesis that with additional stress, human neurological changes could take us into higher complexity of our neuro-wiring, and new skills of ‘refined perception’ of subtle energy. This quality of perception has been identified by data gathered by Ben Herbert and friends, with the suggestion that the brain has dormant infra-red sensing organ (remnant of the reptilian stage of evolution), where data results show subjects reporting ‘warmth’ when scanning tubes of haemoglobin compared to chlorophyl in the control test. Hence perhaps the sensory memory is mediating in the somatic feed-back wiring, in order to interpret subtle perceptions into dialogue using the language processors of the brain. A clue is in the ‘multisensory’ learning practices of some researcher educators who consider sensory synthesis and ‘dialogic’ psychological aspects of learning contexts serve to embed new cognition and integrate new contextual experience. This helps to build – with discernment and training – ‘refined perception’. More at a later date on request.
Best wishes,
C J Yonge PhD
Sorry for the delay, I hope you have acquired copies by now. If not, here is a list of the copies I have. I was a co-researcher and writer of one or two articles during the 1980’s, basing my hypothesis on what I later studied for a PhD(Ed):’ Language for learning, and the social dimensions of cognition and learning’. My themes was that through becoming aware of the physical awareness (‘somatic brain’) we build social awareness, and within the synthesis of personal interaction, supported neurogenesis allows a great density of neurological connections. It is the basis of dermal-optics (seeing through the skin) which Ben and friends established with positive statistics in experimental data at Privet Farm. INT JNL PARAPHYSICS: VOL9 (ISSUES 4,5); VOL.12 (1,2); VOL.13 (1-4); VOL.14 (3,4); VOL15 (1,2); VOL.16 (3-6); VOL.17 (1-6); VOL.18 (1,2,5,6,); VOL.19 (1-4); VOL.20 (1,2,5,6). I have now researched articles regarding space weather and NASA data showing that more cosmic particles are hitting the earth, implying a major adjustment of eco-systems, volcanic activity, and combined with solar minimum in its cycle. A period of instability (climate change?) is indicated where electromagnetic fields are interrupted. I am testing a hypothesis that with additional stress, human neurological changes could take us into higher complexity of our neuro-wiring, and new skills of ‘refined perception’ of subtle energy. This quality of perception has been identified by data gathered by Ben Herbert and friends, with the suggestion that the brain has dormant infra-red sensing organ (remnant of the reptilian stage of evolution), where data results show subjects reporting ‘warmth’ when scanning tubes of haemoglobin compared to chlorophyl in the control test. Hence perhaps the sensory memory is mediating in the somatic feed-back wiring, in order to interpret subtle perceptions into dialogue using the language processors of the brain. A clue is in the ‘multisensory’ learning practices of some researcher educators who consider sensory synthesis and ‘dialogic’ psychological aspects of learning contexts serve to embed new cognition and integrate new contextual experience. This helps to build – with discernment and training – ‘refined perception’. More at a later date on request. (P.S. we had some very funny jokes circulating at the time of our research, Ben’s sense of humour belied the stress of his very primitive living conditions, having no electriciy for the sake of avoiding EM blaneting of instruments.
Are you still open for visits
Sorry no. We are online only.