Empirical Scientology: Weighing "Mental Energy" and "Mental Image Pictures"

[Kha Khan]

Unlike many, if not most, religions, Scientology makes testable, verifiable, and falsifiable hypothesis and predictions of fact. [Or at least hypothesis and predictions of fact that do not: (a) concern what radioactive carbon dating and the fossil record may reveal about the past; or (b) first require dying in order to test the existence of reincarnation, heaven or hell.]

Many, including the outcomes of training and auditing, while technically verifiable and falsifiable are, like the outcomes of psychological therapy and psychiatric treatment, as a practical matter difficult to evaluate because of problems concerning the placebo effect, control groups, objective evaluation of what it means to be "better," self-reporting of subjective psychological states, etc.

Others, however, are not difficult to evaluate. One such testable, verifiable, and falsifiable hypothesis and prediction of fact made by Scientology is that thoughts, or more precisely "mental energy" and "mental image pictures," have mass and weight that can be weighed on a scale.

In the most recent edition of the book Scientology - The Fundamentals of Thought, author L. Ron Hubbard explains:

Whether the facsimile in the mind is received while the thetan is awake or unconscious, the resulting mass of the "energy picture" is energy -- just as you see energy in an electric bulb or from the flames of a fire. At one time it was considered that "mental energy" was different from "physical energy." In Scientology it has been discovered that mental energy is simply a finer, higher-level physical energy.

The test of this is conclusive in that a thetan, mocking-up (creating) mental image pictures and thrusting them into the body, can increase the body mass. And, by casting them away again, can decrease the body mass. This test has actually been made and an increase of as much as thirty pounds (actually measured on scales) has been added to and subtracted from a body by creating mental energy.

L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology - The Fundamentals of Thought, (c) 2007 L. Ron Hubbard Library, at pg. 72 (emphasis added). (The Scientology term "thetan" is roughly equivalent to the word "soul." The difference is that in Christianity, for example, one would say that you have a soul. In Scientology one would say you are a thetan who happens to possess a body.)

Thus, it is clear that scientists can ask the Church of Scientology for reports and records of the tests that have "actually been made" that demonstrate that "an increase of as much as thirty pounds (actually measured on scales) has been added to and subtracted from a body by creating mental energy."

Moreover, because Mr. Hubbard established both that "mental energy" has mass and the protocol for adding, subtracting, and most importantly weighing such "mental mass," the Church of Scientology should be able to repeat such tests and experiments under scientific observation.

I will note that the 2007 edition of Scientology - The Fundamentals of Thought quoted above was published as part of the Scientology Golden Age of Knowledge (GAK).

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Personal Addendum: Some may recall that in an earlier post, The Day I Changed Scientology Forever, I referred to an almost identical passage in the 1982 edition of the Scientology book Understanding The E-Meter that was deleted from later editions after I brought the passage to the attention of Scientology management. I then asked the question, "Had I changed the Church of Scientology forever?" As it turns out, the answer to that question is, "Actually no, you really didn't."

[Dulloldfart]

This experiment Hubbard mentions took place over some weeks/months, I believe. He talks about it on a tape. That makes it meaningless as eating lots of doughnuts then dieting and getting exercise does the same thing.

However, I exchanged messages on the XSO list with someone who said he had done it with bathroom scales, a pound or so on and off over the space of minutes. I don't know if he can do it on demand. Or if his results were invalid because of the reading error when using regular bathroom scales.

I just went and stood on my bathroom scales. The reading wobbles around over the span of about a pound as I shift my balance slightly, or reads differently if I get off the scales and back on again. A proper scale would not show this effect, but I don't have one. A really good scale that shows small increments would be needed to test this out. Changes due to a normal volume of air going in and out while breathing would only be about half a gram, and one would have to hold the body awfully still!

Making the TA go up at will on an e-meter is relatively simple, but translating this into some kind of comparison to the body mass experiment is problematical.

Paul

[Kha Khan]

This experiment Hubbard mentions took place over some weeks/months, I believe. He talks about it on a tape. That makes it meaningless as eating lots of doughnuts then dieting and getting exercise does the same thing.

The idea that Hubbard would attribute a weight gain or weight loss that took place over weeks or months to "mocking-up (creating) mental image pictures and thrusting them into the body," "mental energy," or "mental image pictures" is just too funny.

Should we consider attributing any weight gain to, perhaps, increased calorie intake and/or lack of exercise? Xenu forbid.

Should we consider attributing any weight loss to, perhaps, decreased calorie intake and/or increased exercise. Xenu forbid.

This was Hubbard's idea of science?

[degraded being]

Yeah, the thing about you can increase your weight by mocking up mental mass.

It's like a nun on a clown's shoulders.

(virgin on the ridiculous)

[Kha Khan]

Yeah, the thing about you can increase your weight by mocking up mental mass.

It's like a nun on a clown's shoulders.

(virgin on the ridiculous)

I like that, "a nun on a clown's shoulders."

What I find interesting is why it didn't make a difference to me. What Hubbard wrote about "mental energy" and "mental image pictures" having mass and weight that can be weighed on a scale was not only wrong, but so obviously wrong as to be ridiculous. I read that passage early in my Scientology career but, as I've written elsewhere, stayed in (or came back).

Moreover, Hubbard was not merely mistaken, but clearly lying. There is simply no way that there were tests that had "actually been made" that showed "an increase of as much as thirty pounds (actually measured on scales) has been added to and subtracted from a body by creating mental energy." He had to be lying, but I missed it, or knew he was lying and stayed in (or came back) anyway.