BLT Research -- ROBBERT van den BROEKE

Robbert van den Broeke is a remarkable young man who lives in the small rural village of Hoeven, in southern Holland. He first came to my attention in 1996 when he was about 16, because of a report from one of the BLT Research Team's colleagues in the Netherlands that a young boy there had witnessed light-balls and an "angel" which emerged from one of them at a crop circle site in the fields around Hoeven. I thought this was curious, but didn't take the report too seriously at the time.

The following year BLT was again contacted about this same boy who had, on August 2, 1997, along with his younger sister Madelon, witnessed a large, very bright, rotating light-ball right outside his bedroom which, when it disappeared, had left burn marks on the exterior wood trim and a strange white powder on the small balcony floor outside the bedroom. The burn marks, which were clear but not extensive, occurred both on the overhanging wooden eaves of the roof and on the outside of the balcony doors. Also, the metal roof of a birdhouse attached to the side of the home just below the balcony had also apparently been affected, with burn marks along its edges. Robbert's parents were quite concerned, and we were asked if BLT scientists could carry out an analysis of the white material.

White powder found on August 2, 1997 on Robbert's balcony floor following the presence of a "large, very bright" rotating light-ball.
Photo: R.v/d Broeke

Since Robbert had by now begun also to report "dreams" and other strange experiences to his parents -- during which he would often "know" (accurately) that a new crop circle was forming in the Hoeven area -- we felt that a closer look at his situation might provide information regarding our primary focus of interest (the crop circle phenomenon), and so we agreed.

Utilizing EDS (electron dispersive spectroscopy) we were able to determine that the white powder sample presented predominant amounts of magnesium and oxygen, some carbon and a trace amount of calcium. Subsequent IR (infra-red spectroscopy), carried out by analytical chemist Phyllis Budinger, confirmed the EDS results--further identifying the white powder as "basic magnesium carbonate," with possible trace amounts of calcium carbonate also present. The material's most unusual characteristic was the level of purity of the sample.

Why very pure magnesium carbonate would be left on Robbert's balcony following the presence of the ball of light is unknown. It is of interest that this material is often used in fire-proofing agents and for heat insulation.

The following year I met Robbert and his parents at a lecture I presented in Amsterdam and, since then, the v/d Broekes and I have become friends. For 10 years now (Robbert is now 27 years old) I have visited them repeatedly, staying in their home for several weeks on each occasion, and have personally now witnessed a wide range of indisputably strange events which constantly occur around Robbert--including my direct observation of two crop circles forming see:

Over the years the unusual phenomena around Robbert have increased and he is now known in Holland as a "medium," someone with extraordinary psychic talent. His ability to perceive aspects of reality unavailable to most of us is valued in the Netherlands, and he is taken quite seriously by many people there. Recently he has told me about an increasing ability to affect physical objects, which he thinks is related to intense focusing of his attention (a capability he believes is latent in many people) and, so, when I visited him in October, 2006, I documented and tried to photograph clearly some of Robbert's more recent capabilities to effect physical matter.

Robbert beginning to focus attention on one of
the stainless-steel kitchen forks.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006

The fork begins to bend. While taking this close-up from about 1 ft. away, my camera became quite hot, forcing me to move back.
Photo: N. Talbott, 2006.

Robbert continues to direct mental "energy" toward the fork. He does not touch the fork at any time during the 2-5 min. process.
Photo: N. Talbott, 2006.

"Control" fork (kept in separate room & not exposed to Robbert's concentration) at front; three others subjected to Robbert's focused attention.
Photo: N. Talbott, 2006.

As I had stood closer and closer to Robbert during this exercise (in an attempt to get as good a photograph as possible) I began to recognize that the front of the camera was getting hot — there was also enough heat on my face and on the hand holding the camera, to force me to instinctively step back. Robbert's intense concentration was somehow generating real heat as the fork began to soften and bend. We repeated the exercise many times so I could get clear photos and, by the end of that night, most of Mrs. v/d Broeke's stainless steel kitchen forks were ruined and we had to buy her a new set.

It is widely known that other people possess this ability to bend metal objects — most notably, perhaps, Israel's psychic Uri Geller who became a household name during the 1960s and '70s. Perhaps less well-known is the fact that Geller also had encounters with light balls, beginning at the age of 4 (about the same time that Robbert's parents began to notice unusual behavior in their young son), and that serious scientific research into some of Geller's abilities was conducted by Drs. Russell Targ and Hal Putoff at California's famous Stanford Research Institute -- the results of which were reported in a paper published on October 18, 1974 in the British science journal Nature (vol. 251, pp. 602-607).

Interestingly, the editors of Nature, in preliminary comments (see p. 559) regarding their decision to publish this "high-risk" paper, stated that they were "convinced… [that]… standard magical tricks" were not involved in the incidents reported upon by Targ and Putoff and, further, that the scientific community had now (because of this paper) been "put on notice that there is something worthy of their attention and scrutiny in the possibilities of extra-sensory perception." Another of the significant preliminary remarks made by Nature's editors raises the pertinent question as to whether--or if--science had yet developed the "competence to confront claims of the paranormal" (read the full text at:
http://www.uri-geller.com/content/research/nature.htm.
Indeed, this is a relevant question today, 33 years later.

Geller participated in a number of other scientific inquiries, notably in controlled laboratory experiments in 1998 with famed British physicist, Brian Josephson, winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in 1973. Dr. Josephson's results were described in The Geller Papers (1975, The Houghton-Mifflin Co.), edited by Newsweek science writer Charles Panati.

Although I was not previously acquainted with Uri Geller's history and thought that another relatively recent development in Robbert's case was unique, reading through the Geller literature now I find that this is not the case. Geller is reported to have also been able to influence compass needles, apparently in a similar manner to that which I witnessed in Hoeven with Robbert in October, 2006. Over a period of approximately 3-4 minutes Robbert would intensify his concentration and focus on the compass. In the beginning he would clench one hand into a fist, bringing his fist within 8-10 inches of the compass, which seemed to cause the needle to deviate slowly to the West; then, once the needle had begun to move, Robbert was able to remove his hands from close proximity and simply "hold" the needle in position with his mind. This effect would last for as long as Robbert desired.

Compass is functioning normally, with needle pointing North,
prior to any attempt by Robbert to influence it.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006.

During initial minutes of concentration, Robbert clenches his fist to help focus energy. Needle has just begun to move.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006.

3-4 minutes into the exercise, needle is now pointing West and
Robbert has removed his hands from the table.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006.

As Robbert continues to focus over another minute or so,
the needle moves about five degrees more.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006.

The blue on the right of the photos above is the leg of Robbert's jeans. He sat at the desk throughout this exercise, leaning in toward the compass as he began focussing his attention and then, as the needle began to move in whichever direction he desired, pulling his body back into the chair, with his hands just resting in his lap. It seemed that he used his hands only in the beginning of the effort, never touching the compass at any time and never bringing them any closer than is documented in these photos.

I noticed that when he wanted to pull the needle toward him (to the East) he used both hands for awhile, one partially clenched and the other open as if "directing" the energy, which he was somehow concentrating or intensifying in his other hand.

Robbert, now focused on pulling the compass needle toward him,
uses both hands for awhile.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006.

Robbert and I spent one whole night, for several hours, also repeating this exercise over and over so that I could get decent photographs. As his witness in this instance I am certain that there was nothing physical (no magnetic source) underneath the wooden desk-top which could have influenced the compass needle--nor anything at all in Robbert's hands or on his person, or in the room itself, that could have played a role.

Although I have known him now for 10 years — and witnessed many amazing things in his company — I continue to take seriously both his efforts and mine in documenting these events. And I continue to observe no indication of confabulation or deceit.

During this October, 2006 visit Robbert agreed to demonstrate another effect he's recently discovered he can exert on ordinary matter — again using some of his mother's stainless-steel dinner forks and several large, heavy (3 ounces, or 86 grams each) stainless-steel serving spoons. [Stainless steel is non-magnetic and, although it's clear to me that ordinary magnetism is not involved here, I did check the cutlery with a strong magnet anyway to be certain that these forks and spoons were not somehow magnetized.]

Once Robbert has established the necessary focus, stainless steel forks stay on his head. He can move around and even hold a conversation--the cutlery will not fall.
Photo: N. Talbott, 2006

I gathered the forks and spoons from the kitchen drawer and checked each of them to be sure they were clean, with no adhesive of any kind. We began with the less heavy forks. Robbert closed his eyes and concentrated for a few minutes before asking me to hand him first one, then another, and then another. It took about 5 minutes of concentration before he was able to make the first fork stay on his forehead, but once this was accomplished it took much less time for him to add on the others.

Robbert after about 12 minutes of concentratiion. Forks stayed on his forehead for up to 10 minutes/trial.
Photo: N.Talbott, 2006.

Soon he was adding forks to his chest and, while I watched, he was eventually able to keep 5 forks simultaneously "stuck" to both his chest and forehead for several minutes at a time. Although he had begun with his eyes closed, clearly focusing his mind intently, I was extremely impressed when only 15-20 minutes into the demonstration he opened his eyes and we carried on a conversation — with the forks staying exactly where he had placed them on his body.

He was able to walk all around the downstairs, from room to room for 5-10 minutes each time, and even laughed when I said something funny. It was amazing to me that he could keep the forks "stuck" to him as if glued for such long periods of time while his attention — or at least part of it — was involved in interacting in a totally coherent, conscious manner, with me.

Several times during this evening, after he had mentally "released" the cutlery and it would fall to the floor, I picked up the same forks and/or spoons he had been using and tried to make them stick to my head. Sometimes when I've been around Robbert for awhile I have the feeling that maybe I can learn to do these things if I try hard enough — but, so far, no luck. In my case, the forks just fell to the floor each time I tried.

Next Robbert started adding the much heavier spoons. As I handed the first one to him it was clear that again, at first, he had to focus his attention intently to keep the 3 oz. spoons from falling.

We spent one whole evening on this exercise and it was my impression that, on some level, Robbert had to expend more effort than he had during our previous evenings' demonstrations. Sometimes, if his focus was broken for some reason, the spoons/forks would fall to the floor. I took these opportunities to again check them for adhesive, but they were always as clean as when I had originally handed them to him.

Also perspiration was not a factor, as he did not noticeably perspire at all during the exercise. He did slap the spoons onto his chest fairly vigorously in the beginning, causing red marks to appear, but the skin in these areas was never wet. And after awhile he was able to simply place the spoons wherever he wanted, with no force at all.

Over a period of several hours we repeated the exercise so I could get many photographs. Robbert did seem to tire after an hour or two and, although we both enjoyed getting this new capability documented to some extent — and we both realize this new talent is indicative of Robbert's increasing capabilities — we were getting bored with what seems in some ways to be a frivolous exercise. Given the problems facing mankind, the value of being able to stick stainless steel objects to your body seems obscure. We both wish we understood better what these abilities portend and knew how they might be applied more usefully.

Having been right there I can come to only one conclusion: Robbert has developed an ability to manifest his intent/will upon our normal physical reality in a way that defies current understanding. And it is also clear to me, having known him for so long, that this ability is increasing as the years go by, and he continues to expend effort in this direction. It seems to me that whether one calls this a "psychic" phenomenon or a "spiritual" one, or thinks of it simply as a significant extension of "normal" human consciousness, terminology is not the major issue here. What is actually occurring — and how and why it is occurring — is what is important. I assume that all thoughtful people, and perhaps most particularly those with extensive scientific training, would find such events of genuine interest. After all, it is well-known that it is in the anomalies of nature where the greatest clues to the as-yet-unknown are likely to be found.