Tony Bassett Interview.(PART 2)

By: Malcolm Robinson.
Date: March 2001.

This is a follow on article to the one I wrote a short time ago for the London based TNT magazine and also the BUFORA (The British UFO Research Association) magazine. To re-cap for those who haven't read my article. It concerned a gentleman by the name of Tony Bassett who had invented a machine called a 'Bio-Energiser' which he claimed could induce an Out of Body Experience (OOBE). His device, he claimed, could transport one's consciousness to the past, present, future, indeed anywhere where one so desired. Big claims indeed, but could his invention really do what he claimed. Well after the interview there was only one way to find out, and that was to put his device to the test.

And so it was that on the evening of Saturday 17^th February 2001, some members of BUFORA and interested individuals met up at my home in Ealing London to put Tony's claims to the test. Those participating were, myself, Judith Jaafar, (Vice Chair of BUFORA), Robert Rosamond, Edward Gracie, Richard Conway (BUFORA), Simon Greenberg, Gloria Dixon, (Director of Investigations for BUFORA), David Moncur, and David Conway (a practicing clinical hypnotherapist) The anticipation in the room could clearly be felt as all those gathered waited with baited breath to see if anything would transpire. I (Malcolm) briefly explained before we started how I came to learn about Tony and mentioned various aspects of the Interview that both Judith Jaafar and I conducted at his Hamsted home several months before. That done, I turned the meeting and experiment over to Tony himself who went about explaining a little bit about himself and what one could expect once he had switched his device on. Looking around the room at the assembled people I could see the expectancy if not trepidation on the faces of those gathered and wondered if they really wanted to go through with this. However Tony quickly put them at ease and did say that anyone who wasn't comfortable in proceeding could leave the room, (no one did !) Thoughts raced through my own head as to what would happen, this was something new for me, I was well aware of what could happen during out of body experiences but not ever having one myself I wasn't entirely sure what I was letting myself in for, but being the typical researcher with the ever inquisitive mind I just 'had to know'. Reading about things of this nature is one thing, getting an opportunity to experiment was another.

Before the experiment started proper, Tony invited each and everyone of us to sample the power of his 'Bio-Energiser'. He invited everyone to come forward to the middle of the room where he had placed his device on a small table and carefully place their hand several inches about the device. At this juncture, with the individual's hand carefully placed above the device, he switched it on. The machine began to make a soft humming sound and I guess made the whole scenario look and feel even more dramatic. He then gently stroked the person on the ear and asked if they could feel anything, each and everyone felt a distinct tingling effect as their ear was being stroked, clearly something was happening !

After everyone had had a chance to experience this effect, the lights were then dimmed in the room and Tony asked everyone to be relaxed and sit with their hands either by their sides or resting gently on their legs. That done, he then asked us to close our eyes although he stressed that it wasn't specifically necessary to do this for the effect to take place. Nonetheless all in the room closed their eyes (I, Judith, was the last to close mine).

It was at this point that I (Judy) and David Conway looked ate each other and smiled. With both of us being involved in hypnotic practice and training, we recognised immediately what Tony Bassett was about to do, and we weren't disappointed. (JJ)

For a few moments all was silent apart from the soft hum coming from the machine, Tony gently broke into the silence and asked us all to imagine that we were standing in front of our own front door. He asked us to strongly look at the door, looking at it's colour it's panes of glass (should there be any) and focus intently on it. A few moments later, he then asked us to visualise us moving up from the door and moving onto the first floor looking at the window. After a short while he then asked that we move on from there and visualise us being on top of our house looking all around at the roof and the surrounding gardens and district. That done, we were then to visualise us moving on from there into space to look at the stars. During all this, he step by step asked everyone what they were experiencing

I (Judy) decided to go along with the guided visualisation technique of waking hypnosis that Tony was employing, willing to accept that perhaps with the aid of the box the process might in some way be enhanced. I easily rose up to the roof and looked around my garden and surrounding areas, but the minute I tried to move to locations that I did not clearly have a map of in my conscious mind, the process failed. For me at least, it was pure conscious visualisation. In my imagination, I tried to project myself into the stars with limited success, and then the whole episode was brought to an abrupt stop when a huge tidal wave appeared out of nowhere in my mind's eye. I couldn't get past this image, so opened my eyes (JJ)

Richard Conway, managed (like me) to rise above the roof of his house and position himself within the stars but somehow couldn't move on from there. Edward Gracie saw himself walking in a meadow whilst David Moncur saw himself floating above the roof of his tenement flat in Edinburgh. Moving on from there and finding himself above another building, he someone knew that the premises were haunted and that he just 'had' to Investigate it. Tony Bassett in an understanding and calm voice asked Dave to stay where he was and do some investigating and that he would return to him soon. As for myself, (Malcolm) I could clearly see the front door of my house, I then moved up from the door (as Tony Bassett had instructed me to do) and found myself on top of my roof. I was looking down intently at the tiles on the roof but this more in my 'mind's eye' rather than a clear and concise picture. Tony then instructed me to visualise myself rising up from the roof and moving into the stars. This I couldn't do, so Tony then asked me to visuliase a bright point in space and move towards it. Suddenly as he said this, I found myself racing away from above my rooftop and moving quite rapidly towards a bright point of light. I then, (much to my surprise), found myself encased in a tunnel of pure white light but not that bright that it hurt my eyes. The most surprising thing about this light was the fact that it was ribbed (just like being in the belly of a whale!!). Tony then asked me to try and touch the walls of this bright tunnel of which I then leaned over and moved my hand out towards the wall. I was intrigued as the wall gently parted as my hand touched it, it was just like moving your hand through a cloud ! I can't recall actually seeing myself in this tunnel, but I do remember my hand gently parting the wall of this bright tunnel.

It was what happened next which gave me the biggest surprise, for no sooner was I looking at my hand parting the wall of this bright tunnel, than I found myself sliding down the top of what appeared to be a slanted Roman edifice. This was something else ! I wasn't sliding down quickly, but very slowly as if I was somehow in control. This edifice was very bright and clean, it didn't appear to be a ruin in any way but it was as if it had just been built, (very bright, very clean). I then found myself turning around in the air and was moving down in front of this edifice in which I could clearly see that it was indeed Roman, and was pillared. There was a round 4 pillars in all supporting this slanting roof. The actual edifice itself, was only as described and there was only the one façade. This was quite a surprise to me because I wasn't expecting this at all. Admittedly when I found myself in this tunnel of light, my initial thoughts were that I was in the so called 'Heavenly Tunnel' which people who experience Near Death Experiences have found themselves in which lead them to what they claim is heaven. I, on the otherhand, did not find myself in Heaven, but strangely found myself on top of some kind of Roman structure !! No sooner had I found myself looking at the fluting on these large white pillars, than I opened my eyes, why I don't know, I didn't consciously want to. I closed them again, but found that I couldn't regain the image that was so clear in my mind.

David Conway after finding himself in the stars, couldn't (or decided not to ) pursue this any further and opened his eyes Gloria Dixon and Simon Greenberg also opened their eyes as they too were not getting anything out of it. By this time, Edward Grace had also opened his eyes. Tony, upon seeing that all assembled had now opened their eyes, asked everyone to relax and brought the session to a close. I then invited questions from those assembled as to what they thought of the session and what 'they' got out of it. The main consensus of opinion by those gathered was that the whole exercise was nothing more than over active imagination. I would tend to agree, but having said that, I cannot explain why I found myself in that tunnel and also being in front of that Roman structure.

Tony employed the tried and tested method of open-ended questioning throughout the guided visualisation, using the subject's own words and images to feed back to them and take them further into the trance state which he was either wittingly or unwittingly trying to induce. The whole experiment was so obviously based on hypnotic protocols that I must say I wondered what part the "Mind Machine" could possibly play, other than that of a convincer. We could all have had the same experience without the box being present. Some people are just better at producing internal imagery than others. I, as a trainee hypnotherapist, was somewhat concerned to note that David Moncur, who was last known to be in a haunted house in Edinburgh in the 1920's, according to him, was not brought back properly to London in the present in accordance with the very strict hypnotic protocols (JJ).

Tony explained to those gathered that he would require a number of sessions with those that felt that they had got something out of it (myself Malcolm included !) For one experiment doesn't reach any firm conclusions (I agree). He stated that we would eventually move away from what we felt was our imagination and move into a more clearer realm of vividness of which we couldn't deny. Judy, who actually has had an Out of Body Experience, told me that what she experienced with Tony Bassett's machine, bore no resemblance whatsoever, to her OOBE's. She informed me that on that occasions she sensed with all her five senses, and the quality of the experience was so real, and the information brought back (in some cases later corroborated) was so correct that there was no disputing that she had found herself in a completely different environment. The Tony Bassett experiment she felt, didn't even come close. Judy does accept however, that this one single experiment doesn't mean that Tony's machine doesn't do what he claims it can do.

All in all then, it had been quite an interesting night, some of us had got something out of it, and the others nothing. Was our imagination being stimulated by Tony's machine ? If we had have sat any longer would we have got something very striking ? There is no doubt in my mind that we have to continue with these OOBE Experiments, certainly until such times as I feel that there can be no justification in doing so. These are interesting days and the experiments will go on, and I shall no doubt be informing you of any further mind reaching experiences.

© Malcolm Robinson & Judith Jaafar, SPI (England) BUFORA.