There is a great deal of evidence–some reliable, some not so reliable–that the mind is much more than merely the central processor for sensory information.
We know that sensory processes are all local, i.e., they depend on local transmission of information. However, extrasensory processes may be non-local, i.e., they may depend on non-local correlations between two minds or between a mind and an event that is remote, either spatially or temporally. Nevertheless, whether the extrasensory processes are local or non-local, we shall refer to all of them as non-local mind.
Russell Targ and Jane Katra in their 1998 book, Miracles of Mind, list a few of the extrasensory abilities that have been demonstrated:
Telepathy: Direct mental communication between one mind and another.- Remote viewing: Obtaining a mental image of a remote target object at which an accomplice is located. This is different from telepathy because the image often contains details not noticed by the accomplice.
- Clairvoyance: Obtaining a mental image of a remote target without the aid of an accomplice.
- Precognition: Precognition refers to the ability to know or predict events or information from the future. The term is often used in the context of paranormal or psychic phenomena, but there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of such abilities. Some people claim to have experienced precognition, either through dreams, visions, or other forms of extrasensory perception, but these experiences are often difficult to verify and may be influenced by personal biases or expectations. In general, it is not possible to accurately predict the future with any degree of certainty, and relying on precognition as a source of information can be unreliable and potentially dangerous.
- Distant hypnosis: Inducing hypnosis of a person at a distance.
- Psychic healing: A type of remote viewing and healing in which the healer actively transposes intuitive impressions into thoughts and specific healing actions in a patient’s body to remedy a perceived problem.
- Spiritual healing: Remote healing in which the healer is in a receptive, aware, nonjudgmental state which allows his or her consciousness to be used as a conduit for healing by nonlocal, universal mind.
Energy healing: Healing in which the healer directs his or her attention to the patient and concentrates on replenishing or manipulating the patient’s vital energy flow. Examples are reike, therapeutic touch, laying on of hands, pranic healing, and Qi Gong.- Intuition: Intuition is often described as a feeling or a gut instinct that helps guide decision making and problem solving. It is a way of knowing or understanding something without having to consciously think about it or analyze it.
Some people believe that intuition comes from a person’s subconscious mind or from a spiritual or psychic source, while others believe it is a result of past experiences and knowledge that is stored in the brain. Regardless of its source, intuition can be a useful tool for making quick decisions or solving problems, but it should not be relied upon exclusively and should be used in conjunction with other forms of information and analysis.
The existence of extraordinary abilities attained through the practice of yoga is well established and documented in the literature of yoga,
- Knowledge of past and future; understanding of the sounds made by all creatures; knowledge of past lives; knowing what others are thinking; prior knowledge of one’s death; the attainment of various kinds of strength; perception of the small, the concealed, and the distant; knowledge of other inhabited regions; knowing about the stars and their motions; knowledge of the interior of the body; control of hunger and thirst; steadiness; seeing the adepts in one’s own interior light; intuition; understanding of the mind; entering the bodies of others; lightness and levitation; brightness; control of material elements; control of the senses; perfection of the body; quickness of the body.
The Transcendental Meditation (TM) organization has conducted several demonstration projects to show the effects on the surrounding community of a large number of people meditating in a group. This project occurred in Washington, D.C. between June 7 and July 30, 1993 and involved up to 4000 people meditating in a group. An independent group of scientists approved the research protocol and analyzed statistically the results.
The report showed that homicides, rapes, and assaults decreased by 23% in D.C. during the period and reverted to norms afterwards.
Thom – Interesting piece. Many of the areas addressed resound as a part of a bigger picture some call quantum physics. I am convinced that our inward thoughts and emotions affect our universe in ways that are more far-reaching than we can imagine.
Put me on your mailing list. Great work