Here is another possible explanation for the phenomenon (I am not sure
how useful to you the following is but, fore whatever worth it is, here
it comes):
In one of the Castaneda books a related event is described (in front of
numerous audiance,a healer, using a sharp kitchen knive, pulls a sick
liver out of the patient's body, cleanses it physically, then put it
back and somehow removes all traces of the cut). Don Juan's (the wise
guy) explanations of the phenomenon were that the healer had enough
energy to move the "assemblage points" of all witnesses present so that
they would all "aligne" to the same, alernative reality. For those not
familiar with Castaneda, and in a few words, the theory is that the
assemblage point is a spot on the outer shell of the luminous body
(aura) where the reality such as we percieve it is assembled; if this
point -or rather disk - is moved into another area of the luminous body,
therefore assembling other of the luminous threadlike things forming the
aura, a new reality is formed. It is said that extreme fright, certain
drugs, prolonged fasts, and such abnormal states, or eneregy surplus,
discipline...and knowledge of this fact will loosened the assemblage
point from the reality we all learn to anchor ourself to, very early on
in life, and assemble a new reality!
If this concept were true, think a second about it's implications on our
concept of reality, science, objectivity, etc.
Cheers
Mathias