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or visualization, prayer or effortless intentionality, and evocation of strong positive emotions. 32
The autonomic activity of the recipient was monitored (via electrodes connected to a computer system) when the influencer was using these techniques. The person being influenced did not know anything about the timing of the randomly interspersed influence or noninfluence periods.33
In fact, I (Jane) was an influencer in one of Braud's experimental series to see if one person could mentally affect another isolated person's electrodermal activity (GSR) from a distance. William Braud himself was the subject to be influenced. We had both realized that we had good rapport with one another during my initial intake interview. I had volunteered for the study, because I had been doing healing work off and on for ten years by that time, and had often experienced psychically merging my consciousness with another person.
Braud had asked me during the interview, "What does it feel like when you are doing healing?" I closed my eyes as I answered him, so that I could more precisely describe the vibrating light, heat, and colors that I experience during a healing interaction. I created an image of colored light in my mind's eye that was similar to what I would experience during what seemed like "a good connection" with a patient. Just as I started to describe the indigo and rose colors in the blue-centered target configuration that I was imagining, he asked me, "Are you seeing a target-like image, with dark blue in the bull's eye?" I was impressed, and answered yes. He asked again, "Is there pink around the perimeter?'' "Uh-huh," I agreed.
I was shocked, but then I gathered my composure, and thought to myself, "Of course, he knows all about this, he has hundreds of subjects in his research, it's entirely routine for him. . . ." So I said, "I guess this is all old hat for you. You probably do this with lots of people, all the time." And he surprised me by answering, "Oh, no. This is a first for me!" I was amazed. Then he told me that he would be the subject to be influenced in my experimental trials.
During the research sessions, Braud relaxed in a comfortable, overstuffed chair in a dimly lit room on the other side of the building from

 
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