The Science of Stephen King

Living in a time of primitive understanding of science, the early seventeenth century, Bathory came to believe that she had the key to prolonging her youth. She simply needed the blood of young women. There is legend that she would bathe in it, as well as use the blood on her face like a salve or lotion. While this is not verified, her act of drinking blood seems to be proven. All in pursuit of maintaining her alabaster skin! This habit is why she has often been referred to as the “Real Countess Dracula.” Her reign of torture began with torture and murder of female servants at her castle, eventually including women from nearby villages, as well as young teens sent by their parents to learn aristocratic manners from the Countess. “Bathory’s torture included jamming pins and needles under the fingernails of her servant girls, and tying them down, smearing them with honey, and leaving them to be attacked by bees and ants. Although the Count participated in his wife’s cruelties, he may have also restrained her impulses; when he died in the early 1600s, she became much worse. With the help of her former nurse, Ilona Joo, and local witch Dorotta Szentes, Bathory began abducting peasant girls to torture and kill. She often bit chunks of flesh from her victims, and one unfortunate girl was even forced to cook and eat her own flesh.”2

These accounts may seem too cruel and outlandish to believe, but dozens of mutilated bodies were found on Countess Bathory’s property. Despite her high connections, she was eventually discovered by local authorities. At trial she was convicted and although she murdered upwards of hundreds of women she was given the equivalent of house arrest. Elizabeth Bathory died three years later, at age fifty-four. There is no evidence to suggest her “trick” for eternal youth worked. Though, we have to guess the Countess would’ve most certainly joined Rose the Hat if it meant torture and less wrinkles!

While many point to maintaining youth as Countess Bathory’s motive, others believe her sadism was the true cause. Sadistic Personality Disorder is when the person derives pleasure from hurting others.

The pursuit of youth has undoubtedly caused people to go to extremes. Even today people are going under the surgeon’s knife to smooth their bumps. But what if we could do something even more astonishing? The concept of astral projection is key in Doctor Sleep, as it is how Danny and Abra communicate. So, what is it exactly? If you go back to the idea of the soul, as discussed on page 104, one has to perceive our existence as being separate from our body. It is when this soul can leave and observe, or perhaps even interact with an environment outside of their body, that astral projection has occurred. Now, the most vital point to first understand is that there is no proof that astral projection, or out-of-body experiences, actually happen. Neurologists believe these feelings of dissociation, often discussed in terms of near-death experiences, are because of misfiring in the brain. While many others in numerous cultures disagree. At Gaia.com, a website devoted to yoga and meditation, there is a page explaining how to make yourself project astrally:

There are dozens of methods to learn conscious OBE (out-of-body-experience) and astral projection. There are two approaches—one is to keep the mind awake while the body falls asleep. It’s tricky—the mind wants to do what the body is doing. The goal is to take the body into deeper and deeper states of relaxation without drifting into unconsciousness. Yoga Nidra is one method. Once the body enters the sleep state, practitioners simply “roll” out of their physical form.3

They also share the “Rope Technique” developed by Robert Bruce, founder of the Astral Dynamics movement;

Step 1: Relax the physical body by visualizing each muscle.

Step 2: From your space of relaxation, enter a vibrational state; this should feel like an amplified version of a cell phone’s vibration mode with pulsations coursing through the body.

Step 3: Imagine a rope hanging above you.

Step 4: Using the astral, or subtle, body, attempt to hold on to the rope with both hands. The physical body remains completely relaxed.

Step 5: Begin to climb the rope, hand over hand, all the while visualizing reaching the ceiling above you.

Step 6: Once you are aware of your full exit of the physical body, you are able to explore the astral plane.4

In the end, there is no proof in the scientific community that any of this is possible. In fact, another explanation for people believing they have actually left their body is the very real possibility of lucid dreaming. A lucid dream, experienced by nearly every human, is when the sleeper is aware they are in a dream.