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TELEPATHY EXPERIMENT
The purpose of this file is to serve as a guide for conducting
experiments in telepathy, or thought transferrence, over the BBS. First,
some general background material on the theory of telepathy is presented.
Then, the concept of the experiment is discussed. Finally, specific
details for scheduling, conducting, reporting, and analyzing the
experiment will be given. This file includes material adapted from books
titled, "How To Read the Aura, Practice Psychometry, Telepathy, and
Clairvoyance," by W.E. Butler, and "Natural ESP," by Ingo Swann.
In order for an experiment in telepathy to be successful, a necessary
condition is that the participants come to the subject with at least some
belief in its possibility. Our belief may amount to nothing more than a
mental endeavor to be neutral in our approach to the subject, or it may
be a firm faith that telepathy exists. But if a participant rejects out
of hand the possibility of psychic phenomena in general, or telepathic
thought transferrence in particular, it is guaranteed that the experiment
will not succeed. It is best if the participants not only believe in
telepathy, but actually WANT it to occur.
It is usually thought that it is necessary for the sender to
"concentrate" for a fair length of time on the thought image to be
transmitted. This is not so. The period of time in which the sender is
active need be only a fraction of a minute; indeed, hard concentration
over a considerable period of time may actually prevent any thought
transferrence.
The actual machinery of the telepathic faculty is in the subconscious
level of the minds of both the sender and the receiver. The image must be
transmitted from the conscious mind of the sender into his subconscious,
on the one hand, and on the other to transfer the image from the
subconscious to the conscious mind of the receiver. All that is required
of the sender is that he form as clear a picture as possible of the
thought to be sent, together with the emotion connected with it. It is
the lack of this emotional charge which so often causes the telepathic
sensitive to fail. However, it is also necessary for the sender to be
physically relaxed, and there are various techniques, such as breathing
exercises, to facilitate relaxation. Having attained the relaxed state
the sender is ready to transmit the message to the receiver. There should
be no straining to send the thought. All that is necessary is to have as
clear a mental picture as possible. This picture can be built up by
visualizing it clearly in one's mind.
Sitting in the relaxed conditionm, and asserting his intention to
transmit, the picture or image in his or her conscious mind will be
imposed upon the sensitive subconscious levels of the mind, and will be
open to the corresponding levels of the receiver's mind. From there it
will, when the conditions are right, emerge into the receiver's conscious
mind and be recorded by him or her. We have said when the conditions are
right, for there may sometimes be a curious time lag which is often
observed in this telepathic work. The message is received at the time it
is sent, but for some reason or other, it is delayed, or totally
suppressed. This has to do with the activities of the conscious mind of
the receiver. How this is done is largely a matter of psychological type.
It may be an inner voice speaking, or a visual image may be seen.
Sometimes it comes as a clear and definite knowledge -- without any image
at all. Sometimes it may be a strong mental impression. Yet again it may
not come into the receiver's conscious mind at all, but may emerge
through what is known as "automatic writing".
It is important to address the factor of distance. If the sender
transmits the message with the thought that the receiver is quite close
to him, it stands a better chance of being received. We are used to
regarding our surroundings as separated from us by space or distance,
and, of course, normal life on earth could not be carried out if we were
to ignore this factor of distance. The trouble is that we tend to project
the idea of physical distance into the non-physical area in which we are
conducting our telepathic experiments. We are used to thinking of
ourselves as encapsulated beings -- units of life that are separate from
all other units -- but experience in the use of the telepathic and
psychic faculties soon convinces us that there are aspects of our inner
nature that are always in some kind of actual contact with all other life
units. This being the case, if we think of the receiver as being
separated by distance from the sender, then the results we obtain will be
affected by that belief, the idea of sending the message over a distance
will cause us to think of it in terms of limitation, and we may inwardly
doubt whether we can project our thoughts so far. The subconscious mind,
ever willing to carry out the slightest suggestion from our conscious
mind, will, therefore, respond by limiting the results of the experiment.
If, on the other hand, we think of the receiver as being near us, then
the subconscious will again oblige, and will not allow the impression of
distance to interfere with the results.
It is important also to consider the physical environment of the
participants during the experiment. It is most important for the
participants to be as physically comfortable as possible, although not
lying in bed and on the verge of sleep. The overall environment should be
quiet and dimly lit or dark.
Finally, and most importantly, both the sender and the receiver should be
emotionally calm; there should have been no heated exchange of views
before the start of the experiment. This point is critically important,
for such emotional upset weakens the emergence of the psychic faculty,
or, if it does manage to appear, it may well pick up and transmit the
emotional ideas instead of the image which should have been sent. This
will still be an example of telepathy, but not an example of controlled
experimental work. We are not saying that such emotional telepathy is
wrong, since most spontaneous telepathy has an emotional content. What we
are saying is that in controlled experiments this emotion tends to
interfere with the results.
One of the most important conditions of experimental telepathic work is
patience. So many people who attempt to work in the field of ESP,
telepathy and psychic phenomena in general, fail to realize that results
are not, as a rule, obtained at the first sitting -- or the fifth, and
for this reason are apt to drop the whole subject in disgust. I heard it
stated recently, "Telepathy? Oh, yes, I've tried five experiments, but
got nothing. I doubt whether it ever happens." What such people do not
understand is that just as we have the physical organs of the senses, so
it may well be that there are similar super-physical organs through which
the mind receives, and reacts to, impressions derived from a
super-physical source. The physical sense organs have evolved over
millions of years, but perhaps the super-physical sense organs are not so
highly developed. Here and there, however, and in an ever-increasing
degree, people are emerging in whom these deeper senses seem to be
active, and even though, in some cases, these senses do not normally
surface in the waking mind, they need very little stimulus to do so.
Such people make the best receivers, and since the use of a faculty
strengthens and widens its scope of action, these natural sensitives
prove most useful. It is not always possible to say whether a particular
percipient is telepathic, only repeated experiment will give this
knowledge. One thing is clear, however, as has been found from long
experience in this field: these people will be found to be particularly
sensitive to outer conditions such as lunar, solar, atmospheric, and
emotional. This sensitivity to outer conditions introduces an element of
continual uncertainty as to results. Indeed, it may well prevent any
experiment from being successful, until it has been controlled. It is
very important that those who take part in these telepathic experiments
should realize that both those who send and those who receive are human
beings and are therefore liable to emotional reactions that can affect
the success or failure of the experiments.
For this reason, it is suggested that a series of twenty-five trials
should be made without either sender or receiver being told of the number
of "hits" or "misses." This will prevent their getting unduly discouraged
at the high percentage of misses common in the early stages of
experience. By using a unit of twenty-five trials at a time it is easy to
check the percentage of successes and failures. Usually the latter is
much greater, unless you have had the good fortune to get two people who
are strongly sensitive, and who are emotionally compatible. This
emotional sympathy is usually a sign of an inner psychic sympathy, or
rapport.
If possible, a team of three or four pairs of senders and receivers
should be chosen, and the various permutations should be worked out until
it is found which sender works best with which receiver. These two will
constitute the first line of research. It must, however, be remembered
that the faculty grows with use, so the other members of the team should
be paired off, and act as senders and receivers, in another set of
experiments. Their percentage of failures may be greater than those of
the first set of sensitives, but any faint telepathic reactions will be
strengthened by practice and a second team may be established. With time,
the second team may well become very successful, and again, the value of
patience is obvious.
It has been observed by those who have studied the results of psychic
experiments such as these, that the percentage of failures tends to
increase when the subjects become bored. This is always an uncertain
factor, since people vary greatly in their reactions. When the experiment
has lasted too long, or for other reasons they lose interest, the
mistakes begin to pile up, until there is practically no success at all.
If, however, the experiments are not carried on too long at any one time,
and if the subject matter of the messages is made interesting, the
percentage of successes begins to rise. When telepathic rapport between
two individuals has been developed and stabilized, however, the
percentages of success will normally increase, and with practice the
experiments will become more or less independent of the emotional and
other factors which formerly prevented their successful working. These
adverse factors will never be entirely overcome, but they will not get in
the way as they formerly did. Also, the way in which they affect the
results will have been found, and can be allowed for in any experiment.
The subconscious mind is primarily a "picture consciousness" and responds
far more readily to images of objects than to abstract ideas. By images
we do not, of course, mean visual images alone, but include those which
are built up by the other senses such as touch, taste, hearing and scent.
If the message to be sent contains more than one of these sense pictures,
it will have a much better chance of being recorded by the receiver.
Whatever picture is used for the development of concentration, it should
be as interesting as possible, and, like the messages of telepathy,
should preferably include some of the "picture" produced by the other
senses.
The same principle applies to telepathic transmission. An example would
be if the sender was told to send a picture of a rosebush in full bloom.
Not only should the visual picture be held in his mind, but also the
scent of the blossoms, the crispness of the leaves, the softness of the
petals, and the sharp prick of the thorns on the branches.
However, the pictures or objects used should at first be those that are
relatively simple and easy to recognize. The less information your ESP
faculty has to process, the easier the task will be. To our eyes, all
objects are more or less familiar and easy to recognize. But the
telepathic faculty processes bits and pieces of information, and the more
of these there are about the target, the more difficult the effort will
be. If you use a complicated target at first, you will probably
experience a confusion of bits and pieces of information. Also, since
this experiment is being carried out over a BBS, it would be helpful,
though not mandatory, to select targets that can be readily described in
words as part of a BBS message to the experiment Director. If the sender
is able, he should try to mail the target or a copy or photograph of it
to a P.O. Box that will be established for this purpose.
The sensory picture, which as a rule is the basis upon which the
telepathic impression is based, can be transmitted more effectively if it
is isolated from its surroundings. Otherwise, some of these surroundings
may be transmitted unconsciously, and, not being included in the image it
is desired to send, although they are received by the receiver, may
easily be dismissed as of no consequence, and the experiment deemed a
failure. In reality it may have been a decided success as far as
telepathy goes, even though the intended picture was not received.
One method of isolating the picture to be sent is to use the artist's
trick of putting the hands around the eyes so as to shut out all
surrounding images except the one you require. Another form of this is to
construct a hollow cardboard tube through which the picture is gazed at.
The sender concentrates upon the object or picture, examining it
carefully, with a deliberate intention to transmit it to the receiver. In
a quiet, relaxed way, he continues to look at it. There must be no strain
whatsoever, whether physical or mental. At the same time, he should
quietly assume in his mind that the receiver is actually in the room,
quite close to him. The stronger this assumption becomes, the better for
the success of the experiment. To assume the close proximity of the
receiver has a very real effect, as the doubts and inhibitions about the
projection of images over a distance will have been removed temporarily
from the sender's subconscious.
The procedure to be used by the receiver is slightly different. He should
be in the same relaxed condition as the sender. Maintaining calmness
might not be possible for the first few trials. We tend to anticipate, to
get worked up, feel that we are going to fail, or feel that we are "hot"
and will get the target right away. It might take a few trials to bring
about a detached poise, a sort of disinterest. When you can achieve this,
the telepathic process will work its best. This calming procedure doesn't
mean that you have to spend a half hour preparing yourself, trying to put
yourself into a semitrance. Try to conduct the trial like you would any
other task that involves all your attention for a few moments.
Now, for about five seconds, he deliberately reaches out to the sender,
with the intention of receiving from him the message being held in his
brain. Then the receiver should rest quietly and wait for any impressions
that may come to him. These he should describe aloud if possible, perhaps
into a small tape recorder. He should at the same time write down the
impressions, and make a drawing of any image he receives. He should also
record any sound, scent, taste or tactile impressions he receives as a
background of the main impression. The picture drawing is much more than
just a sketch of your conscious impressions. You will find that the
picture drawing sort of draws itself, frequently without any
decision-making characteristic or consciousness. It is not a matter of
actually focusing on the target material consciously. It is more a
function of just "spotting" the incoming information that is trying to
get along up the pathway. Sketch it out simply, even rather quickly.
The incoming telepathic information can get lost in the quagmires of
consciousness. It gets added to, manipulated, thwarted, occluded,
changed. The semiautomatic picture drawing undercuts all these
complications. The picture drawing provides both a record of your
experiments, and will show you which information your telepathic faculty
is coping with, and which information it is not.
To do all this will obviously take several minutes, and ten minutes to a
quarter of an hour may be allowed. The impressions arrive in one block in
the receiver's subconscious, but they take time to filter into his
conscious mind, and for this reason time must be given. Some impressions
may not come up until several hours later, and it is this delayed
reception that frequently complicates these experiments. Later on, some
of these dalayed impressions will emerge under some new conditions. So
the receiver should note down any irrelevant thought images which
suddenly pop up from nowhere, and because of the tendency for these
impressions to fade quickly, it is helpful if he writes them down as they
appear.
One of the drawbacks of conducting telepathic experiments in the
conventional way, that is, with face to face contact, is the risk that
the subjects and the coordinators may inadvertently and unconsciously
exchange information relating to the image to be transferred. That is,
through subliminal, nonverbal communication, data on the desired result
may be sent between the participants, invalidating the experiment. This
information must be initially unknown to the receiver. Another drawback
is that there must be a place to meet and to conduct the experiment, and
at least some of the participants must travel to that place, a
time-consuming and sometimes inconvenient chore. The use of a BBS
eliminates these problems, and allows the experiment to be conducted with
a maximum of convenience and a minimum of time. The sender and receiver
may even be anonymous to each other, completely isolating the thought
transferrence process from other factors.
Information on interested subscribers to this BBS will be collected and
experimental subjects will be paired off, identifying discretely to each
whether he or she is to be the sender or the receiver. A series of
twenty-five trials will be conducted for each such pair, each trial
lasting for five minutes and taking place during a separate day so as not
to tax the subjects. Although the subjects will not know each other and
will be in separate locations (their homes, nominally), it is critical
that the events be synchronized as closely as possible. Each subject is
asked to use a highly accurate (quartz) timepiece, and to call the
telephone time reference (844-2525) to set their timepiece shortly before
each experiment. The sender will attempt to transmit and the receiver
will attempt to receive during a pre-scheduled, precise five minute
interval.
The schedule of these sessions will be sent beforehand to all subjects
via this BBS. As soon as practicable after each session, the sender and
receiver should log on and send a PRIVATE message to the experiment
Director (Alf Erikson) describing in detail their impressions. A post
office box will be established to receive any drawings or other hard
material that the subjects wish to provide.
Senders should select the image or object to be telepathically
transferred, beforehand, and should inform the experiment Director what
it is, again using PRIVATE messages. . The image/object may be repeated
for several trials or may be changed from trial to trial, depending on
circumstances. Enough time will be allowed between trials to account for
subscribers' capabilities to log on to this BBS for sending and receiving
messages. We are not in a hurry.
After each set of twenty-five trials, experimental data will be analyzed
and posted on this BBS for all to see the results. Participants who wish
to continue will then be paired off with others, or successful pairs will
be continued, as appropriate.
Interested subscribers of this BBS are asked to inform the experiment
Director, via private message, whether they would feel more comfortable
as a sender or as a receiver, or as either. They should also specify what
dates, and what time frames during those dates, over the next 30 days,
they would be willing to devote to the experimental trials. For example,
a participant might say that she is available weeknights between 8 PM and
9 PM, and weekends from 12 noon until 5 PM. Senders and receivers will be
matched according as their availabilities overlap, and the experiment
Director will select five minute intervals within those overlaps and
inform each subject on the schedule for all twenty-five trials.
Participants are asked to be sincerely interested in telepathy, and to
reliably adhere to the agreed schedule. They are also asked not to
attempt to discern each others' identity before the trials. After all
trials are completed, they will be introduced to each other and
encouraged to compare notes. It is also important for participants to
maintain a postitive outlook, and to avoid thoughts or feelings of doubt
from other individuals with whom they may be associated, as this may
inhibit their telepathic response.
Results of this project will be made available to a wide audience.
To the experiment Director's knowledge, nothing like this has ever been
attempted before, and it is a unique "first" in the history of psychic
research. The potentialities of this sort of experiment are as boundless
as they are exciting.