ESP and non-local consciousness

[psyreporter]

According to the CIA, ESP (Extrasensory Perception) and remote viewing are real which would imply that consciousness is non-local.

CIA program director of Stanford Research Institute:

In my experience and according to most other researchers, it appears that an experienced psychic can answer any question that has an answer. I cannot wait to see what the future holds when we fully open the doors of our perception! It is time to accept the gift of psychic abilities. The hardware is fine; it’s the software that must be upgraded—and quickly.

Source: https://www.watkinsmagazine.com/the-rea ... -abilities

As it appears, it would just involve asking the right question.

With ESP and remote viewing, time and distance appear to become non-local while conscious experience remains possible.

While some may be quick to dismiss the possibility of paranormal matters, a multi-million USD Government funded CIA remote viewing program has survived many subsequent administrations and the existence of a professional association for remote viewing that intends to secure proper use of remote viewing, provide a strong indication that ESP and remote viewing should be taken serious.

The following documentary film (2021) provides information about the CIA program.

third-eye-spies.jpg (25.62 KiB) Viewed 1280 times

https://thirdeyespies.com/ (free on YouTube)

International Remote Viewing Association | IRVA
IRVA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the responsible use and development of remote viewing.
https://www.irva.org/

An example book that addresses the subject:

reality-of-esp.jpg (23.22 KiB) Viewed 1280 times

The Reality of ESP
A Physicist’s Proof of Psychic Abilities. This book, detailing its author’s many successful investigations into the paranormal, should make those who deny the possible existence of such phenomena think again”.

Author Russell Targ, of Palo Alto, California, is a physicist, author, and retired senior staff scientist from Lockheed-Martin.

https://espresearch.com/
https://www.irva.org/

Anyone can do it

It is a logical idea that ESP, remote viewing or anything paranormal require something 'special', but the film Third Eye Spies showed that they recruited regular people from the military without prior experience with anything paranormal to perform professional remote viewing, and that the least experienced persons were sometimes better at the task. 'Anyone can do it', but there are people with talent.

There is even a remote viewing conference where regular people (public) can take part in remote viewing. It is showed in the film and as it appears, students and people without prior paranormal experience were able to perform 'paranormal' remote viewing.

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Scientific evidence

Russell Targ of Palo Alto, California, a physicist and retired senior staff scientist from Lockheed-Martin, mentioned the following on https://espresearch.com/

Scientists usually define proof as overwhelming evidence, so strong that it would be logically unreasonable to deny the supported argument. Proof establishes the truth of a conclusion—such as aspirin prevents heart attacks—in which case the evidence was so strong that the National Institutes of Health stopped the experiments to avoid killing off the untreated controls. The evidence for psi is ten times stronger than the evidence that aspirin prevents heart attacks.

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With non-local consciousness, both distance and time become non-local which would potentially mean that it would be possible to remote view a planet of an advanced civilization somewhere in the Milky Way or to remote view earth 10,000 years into the future.

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The film Third Eye Spies markets itself as 'a true story'.

Just in case that there is a grain of truth in their claims, if it could have led to advancements, for example for Cosmology, it may be considered a waste to not at least have been open for the possibility and allow investigation/exploration. As it appears, anyone can do it and one would merely need to be open for it (i.e. 'explore' it) and ask the right questions.

4 US Government administrations did believe in ESP. When it was cancelled, also the popular series X Files was cancelled. It could have been a decision based on a personal belief (e.g. atheism) or a short term profit motive. When ESP is possible, how plausible is the idea that mind originates from the brain? Big Pharma has a multi trillion USD interest in ESP not being possible, for example.

Further evidence: NDE

Near-death experiences (NDE) also provide evidence that consciousness may not originate in the brain.

The AWARE—AWAreness during REsuscitation study by Sam Parnia, director of the Human Consciousness Project at the University of Southampton may provide evidence that consciousness is independent from the brain.

(2019) Does Consciousness Continue After Brain Flat-line?
How can people brought back from death after cardiac arrest report having experienced lucid and vivid memories and recollections without a functioning brain? The study of near-death experiences is challenging the idea our consciousness originates in the brain.
https://www.sca-aware.org/sca-news/life ... eart-stops

Video interview about NDE and consciousness: https://www.closertotruth.com/series/wh ... ideo-49279

Further evidence: people with a tiny bit of a brain

There are people with only 5-10% brain tissue who lead a normal life with a wife and two children, work as municipal officials, and sometimes even have a high IQ and can obtain an academic degree.

A quote from a Belgian philosophy professor:

"Any theory of consciousness has to be able to explain why a person like that, who's missing 90 percent of his neurons, still exhibits normal behaviour," Axel Cleeremans, a professor philosophy of cognitive science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium"

tiny bit of a brain:
100%: ####################
5%: #

The French man the Belgian professor speaks of had only 10% brain tissue and lived a normal life with wife and two children. The condition was discovered at a routine hospital check at the age of 45. He had lived a full life with the condition, unnoticed.

There are many similar cases. Professor John Lorber has examined more than 600 cases. One is a math student with home it was discovered that he had merely 5% brain tissue.

Remarkable story of maths genius who had almost no brain
"I can't say whether the mathematics student with an IQ of 126 had a brain weighing 50 grams or 150 grams, but it is clear it is nowhere near the normal 1.5kg and much of the brain he does have is in the more primitive deep structures that are relatively spared in hydrochephalus".
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/remarka ... -1.1026845

1989) Boy Born Without Brain Proves Doctors Wrong
Doctors said he would never smile and would be lucky to live more than a few weeks, but a boy born without a brain is now 5 years old and laughs at Disney Channel programs, says his adoptive mother.
https://apnews.com/08099b98348a930469a232b9250f1509

(2018) Boy with 'no brain' stuns doctors as he learns to count and attends school in touching new documentary
Noah Wall was born with less than 2% of a brain - but he has amazed medics by growing into a happy, chatty little boy
https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/boy ... rs-9778554

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Questions:

1. What explains ESP and remote viewing where conscious experiences can exist at a distance?

2. Does ESP imply that consciousness is non-local on a Galactic scale, or is it possible that consciousness is merely semi-non-locally bound to the Solar system?

3. What use might ESP provide for human prosperity (i.e. what could be 'good' use of it)?

[Sculptor1]

According to the CIA, ESP (Extrasensory Perception) and remote viewing are real which would imply that consciousness is non-local.

CIA program director of Stanford Research Institute:

In my experience and according to most other researchers, it appears that an experienced psychic can answer any question that has an answer. I cannot wait to see what the future holds when we fully open the doors of our perception! It is time to accept the gift of psychic abilities. The hardware is fine; it’s the software that must be upgraded—and quickly.

Source:watkinsmagazine**the-reality-of-esp-a-physicists-proof-of-psychic-abilities

Your source is an advertisment for a coffee table book.
This is not a source.
ESP has been shown to be fake again and again.
There is a million dollar prize for anyone able to prove it exists.

[JackDaydream]

@PsyReporter

There are some possible explanations, such as Jung's theory of synchronicity, which is about people being able to tune into states of mind in which they are able to access 'psychic' experiences. Jung spoke of premonitions as 'meaningful coincidences', of people being able to see patterns imminent in nature and life.

Also, Michael Talbot in, 'The Holographic Universe', draws upon David Bohm's idea of there being an implicate order behind the manifest level of awareness, the explicate order. Talbot suggested, 'consciousness also has its source in the implicate, this means that the human mind and the holographic record of the past already exist in the same domain, are and a manner of speaking, already neighbours. Thus, a shift may be all that is needed to access the past. Clairvoyants...may simply have an innate knack for making this shift'

Many people are extremely sceptical about the existence of the paranormal, but many people have psychic experiences which defy many conventional explanations. Out of body experiences and near death experiences do also point to the possibility of there being more to consciousness than the neuroscientists acknowledge. As far as near death experiences, it is sometimes argued that the people who experienced them were not dead in that they came back to life. Therefore, the experiences may be due to biochemical imbalances. Nevertheless, there are altered states of consciousness, such as these and lucid dreams which could point more in the direction of thinking of Henri Bergson and Aldous Huxley, of the brain filtering down consciousness. Some individuals can access aspects of awareness beyond the ordinary, as Colin Wilson, spoke of as superconsciousness, including peak experiences. In terms of the localisation of consciousness it could be that the brain and body are the basis for mind, but that mind is not simply a product of this.

In terms of the use of psychic experiences for human prosperity it may vary. There is potential for use and abuse of such capabilities as remote psychic viewing However, in many cases psychics and those who have out of body experiences do not have these voluntarily and such experiences, such as premonitions of deaths are unpleasant. It is not as if those who have such experiences are always able to prevent the deaths. Yet, I have come across people have said they were able to come to someone else's aid as a result of a sixth sense of a person being in need. So, it may be possible to develop psychic abilities in a way to use them positively. Also, some people who have clinically died and had near death experiences have found them to be a source of inspiration afterwards.

[psyreporter]

@PsyReporter

There are some possible explanations, such as Jung's theory of synchronicity, which is about people being able to tune into states of mind in which they are able to access 'psychic' experiences. Jung spoke of premonitions as 'meaningful coincidences', of people being able to see patterns imminent in nature and life.

Also, Michael Talbot in, 'The Holographic Universe', draws upon David Bohm's idea of there being an implicate order behind the manifest level of awareness, the explicate order. Talbot suggested, 'consciousness also has its source in the implicate, this means that the human mind and the holographic record of the past already exist in the same domain, are and a manner of speaking, already neighbours. Thus, a shift may be all that is needed to access the past. Clairvoyants...may simply have an innate knack for making this shift'

Many people are extremely sceptical about the existence of the paranormal, but many people have psychic experiences which defy many conventional explanations. Out of body experiences and near death experiences do also point to the possibility of there being more to consciousness than the neuroscientists acknowledge. As far as near death experiences, it is sometimes argued that the people who experienced them were not dead in that they came back to life. Therefore, the experiences may be due to biochemical imbalances. Nevertheless, there are altered states of consciousness, such as these and lucid dreams which could point more in the direction of thinking of Henri Bergson and Aldous Huxley, of the brain filtering down consciousness. Some individuals can access aspects of awareness beyond the ordinary, as Colin Wilson, spoke of as superconsciousness, including peak experiences. In terms of the localisation of consciousness it could be that the brain and body are the basis for mind, but that mind is not simply a product of this.

In terms of the use of psychic experiences for human prosperity it may vary. There is potential for use and abuse of such capabilities as remote psychic viewing However, in many cases psychics and those who have out of body experiences do not have these voluntarily and such experiences, such as premonitions of deaths are unpleasant. It is not as if those who have such experiences are always able to prevent the deaths. Yet, I have come across people have said they were able to come to someone else's aid as a result of a sixth sense of a person being in need. So, it may be possible to develop psychic abilities in a way to use them positively. Also, some people who have clinically died and had near death experiences have found them to be a source of inspiration afterwards.

Thank you for your perspective and references. Carl Jung's Synchronicity theory is very interesting with regard ESP.

The concept Synchronicity was inspired to Jung by a patient's case that was in a situation of impasse in her treatment. Her exaggerate rationalism (animus inflation) was holding her back from assimilating unconscious materials.

One night, the patient dreamt of a golden scarab - cetonia aurata. The next day, during the psychotherapy session, a real insect hit against the Jung's cabinet window. Jung caught it and discovered surprisingly that it was a golden scarab; a very rare presence for that climate.

One generally speaks about coincidence in cases like this. But was it?

https://www.carl-jung.net/synchronicity.html

Do you view ESP as subjective experience and thus an illusionary experience? Do you believe that remote viewing can be explained by (natural capacity for) predicting patterns in nature?

Did you watch the film Third Eye Spies (free on YouTube)? If so, can you indicate on what basis you are able to argue that their claims are invalid and that your explanation necessarily (or most likely) applies?

[SteveKlinko]

Questions:

1. What explains ESP and remote viewing where conscious experiences can exist at a distance?

2. Does ESP imply that consciousness is non-local on a Galactic scale, or is it possible that consciousness is merely semi-non-locally bound to the Solar system?

3. What use might ESP provide for human prosperity (i.e. what could be 'good' use of it)?

This link is to the Inter Mind Model topic on ESP:
https://theintermind.com/#_Toc337459237

There are many possible paths with a Three Mind Model and the Connectist Perspective. The Conscious Mind exists in a separate Conscious Space. This Conscious Space is not a Physical Space but a Dimensionless Timeless Abstract Space. So Conscious Space is inherently nonlocal.

[JackDaydream]

@PsyReporter

I am more interested in understanding the nature of extrasensory perception and lucid dreaming as experiences rather than in terms of spying. That is because I have personal experiences of premonitions and out of body experiences. I try to think about these as to what they mean for philosophy but some and find some writers have come up with some useful ideas. Generally, I just view the topic of extrasensory perception and lucid dreaming as suggesting that consciousness cannot be fitted into neat boxes.

Of course, it is also probably important that people who have 'unusual' experiences are able to think about them critically. In particular, some people have visions or hear voices and take them literally at face value. This thinking can lead to psychosis if experiences are interpreted too concretely. As for whether they are subjective, the experiences are experienced subjectively. As to whether they are illusory, it is likely that some people regard all most experiences which are not based on external world as illusory but it can be argued that dreams and extrasensory experiences are of a different nature to our usual perceptions of waking consciousness.

[Dennis Blewett]

...

Questions:

1. What explains ESP and remote viewing where conscious experiences can exist at a distance?

2. Does ESP imply that consciousness is non-local on a Galactic scale, or is it possible that consciousness is merely semi-non-locally bound to the Solar system?

3. What use might ESP provide for human prosperity (i.e. what could be 'good' use of it)?

Answers (suspected answers):

1. ESP is involved with radio frequency genes and the ability to interact with them; I presume remote viewing is possible by an individual of whom has genes (possibly biology or "sociobiology") that may manipulate space-time fabric at a rapid rate to enable transmission of data for observation. Such reminds me of reading or hearing from somewhere that Speedsters that time travel have their genetics affected somehow, that they have time travel genetics or something.

2. I don't think so. I presume concsiousness is bound to the brain/body of an individual if but with those with the skill to "read" such from a distance.

3. Engaging in therapy of those with severe anti-social personality disorder and putting them back into society, perhaps.

[LuckyR]

If folks could see things remotely, Las Vegas casinos would have shut down long ago.

[psyreporter]

I am more interested in understanding the nature of extrasensory perception and lucid dreaming as experiences rather than in terms of spying.

Do you believe that spying or the use of ESP to serve political agenda's is a bad (evil) application of ESP? What about the use of ESP for forensics by police?

What would be 'good' applications of ESP?

Do you believe that ESP may hold a vital function for human evolution or prosperity or isn't it possible for ESP to serve a function since what it entails would precede anything that can be considered a function of ...?

Do you believe that humans and animals (and plants) can communicate meaningful experiences through ESP? Would ESP enable to communicate with whales and dolphins? Could ESP be used for advancements in animal ethics?

Would ESP enable to overcome the philosophical zombie theory that indicates that it is impossible to communicate meaningful experience and therewith to determine if another human is conscious?

I have personal experiences of premonitions and out of body experiences.

Would you be interested to share them or do you prefer to keep them private?

Of course, it is also probably important that people who have 'unusual' experiences are able to think about them critically. In particular, some people have visions or hear voices and take them literally at face value.

Yes, I would agree. When it concerns meaning that may be a priori ('before value'), it implies that reality does not need to correlate with a vision and one is best to adhere to a consideration of what is 'good'.

There are indications that a paranormal vision can be rendered meaningless by awareness. It would result in the question: was the paranormal vision meaningless or was the awareness that followed meaningful?

A key for change for 'good': philosophy and virtue.

[psyreporter]

If folks could see things remotely, Las Vegas casinos would have shut down long ago.

After the Government remote viewing spy-program became a success, the scientists involved in the project moved to Wall Street to start an ESP based investment company. In their first investment, Russell Targ (tasker) and Keith Harary (viewer) had 9 out of 9 correct predictions of silver futures and made $120,000 USD profit. The Wall Street Journal published an account of this. Then, subsequently, predictions started to fail and the project disappeared.

Did ESP fail or was the project moved out of sight for a different reason?

What if multiple competing parties use ESP? There are indications that the awareness that follows a paranormal perception can render that perception meaningless.

There have been more studies that indicate that ESP can be used to manipulate financial markets.

A study published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (Vol. 28, No. 1) in 2014 concluded that remote viewing provided accurate predictions resulting in 400% profit in two weeks time.

(2014) Stock Market Prediction Using Associative Remote Viewing by Inexperienced Remote Viewers
https://journalofscientificexploration. ... e/view/608
PDF: https://www.academia.edu/29470010/Stock ... te_viewers

The study was carried out as part of a class project (in a course entitled “Edges of Science”) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The ten ‘remote viewers’ were neophytes, nine of them being students and one a professor.

The study concluded that remote viewing “appears to be a reasonably accurate way to predict the future of binary outcomes… RV has dramatic implications for how we view time and our ability to perceive the future”.

The paper discusses some previous history, including a study conducted by pioneering remote viewing researcher Hal Puthoff in 1982, in which a series of 30 RV trials attempted to predict the outcome of the silver futures market. Financially, the trials netted a profit of approximately $250,000 for their investor.

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Is the use of ESP for such practices a 'good' use of ESP?

ESP may enable to communicate meaningful experience and if that would be possible, it may be vital that the human learns to master it's potential appropriately.

[LuckyR]

If folks could see things remotely, Las Vegas casinos would have shut down long ago.

After the Government remote viewing spy-program became a success, the scientists involved in the project moved to Wall Street to start an ESP based investment company. In their first investment, Russell Targ (tasker) and Keith Harary (viewer) had 9 out of 9 correct predictions of silver futures and made $120,000 USD profit. The Wall Street Journal published an account of this. Then, subsequently, predictions started to fail and the project disappeared.

Did ESP fail or was the project moved out of sight for a different reason?

What if multiple competing parties use ESP? There are indications that the awareness that follows a paranormal perception can render that perception meaningless.

There have been more studies that indicate that ESP can be used to manipulate financial markets.

A study published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (Vol. 28, No. 1) in 2014 concluded that remote viewing provided accurate predictions resulting in 400% profit in two weeks time.

(2014) Stock Market Prediction Using Associative Remote Viewing by Inexperienced Remote Viewers
https://journalofscientificexploration. ... e/view/608
PDF: https://www.academia.edu/29470010/Stock ... te_viewers

The study was carried out as part of a class project (in a course entitled “Edges of Science”) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The ten ‘remote viewers’ were neophytes, nine of them being students and one a professor.

The study concluded that remote viewing “appears to be a reasonably accurate way to predict the future of binary outcomes… RV has dramatic implications for how we view time and our ability to perceive the future”.

The paper discusses some previous history, including a study conducted by pioneering remote viewing researcher Hal Puthoff in 1982, in which a series of 30 RV trials attempted to predict the outcome of the silver futures market. Financially, the trials netted a profit of approximately $250,000 for their investor.

--

Is the use of ESP for such practices a 'good' use of ESP?

ESP may enable to communicate meaningful experience and if that would be possible, it may be vital that the human learns to master it's potential appropriately.

You are perhaps familiar with regression to the mean? That's why a brief unusual outcome eventually washed out (statistically) and ended up insignificant.

ESP is commonly measured with a form of playing cards. If it existed it wouldn't be seen on Wall Street, it would be seen in Las Vegas. Lots of folks make way more than $120,000 on Wall Street every day and none of them need ESP.

[psyreporter]

What do you think of the study published in Journal of Scientific Exploration (Vol. 28, No. 1)?

https://journalofscientificexploration. ... e/view/608

Whether it would be good to use ESP for manipulating financial markets or for gambling would be at question. But if it is possible, then that may be interesting with regard evidence for ESP.

The use of remote viewing (RV) for sports betting is a practice with quite some attention, books, dedicated websites et cetera.

[JackDaydream]

@PsyReporter

It is hard to know how to interpret some reports of ESP and a lot may come down to the motivations of the people who undertake the research. It is about whose interests they serve, like any other aspects of life. People have varying motivations and agendas, including governments and a lot is probably going on behind the scenes. But, apart from spies for the government, there is a danger of conspiracy theories too. The design of research and its interpretation is likely to vary according to the motivations of the individuals and their power allegiances.

If extrasensory perception is part of life the way I see it is that the biggest implication would be that it matters what each person thinks. That would be on the basis of people being affected by the power of thought and intention if telepathy is possible. That would imply that people could tune into vibrations of a negative nature, including hatred as well as positive ones of love and good will. But, even if there have been some studies suggesting support for extrasensory perception, it is difficult to understand how it works exactly because it involves aspects of the subliminal where it is hard to measure the role of causation. In some ways, the subliminal is an aspect of human interaction and intent. Advertising includes working with subliminal intent and persuasion and is also just as an important aspect of mind power as spying.

Subliminal aspects of perception may also not be simply about invisible aspects but, as Edward T Hall argued, about aspects of non verbal communication. It may not be that extrasensory is about the way in which so much which is taking place in communication is below the threshold of awareness because there are limits to any individual's attention. That means that people tune into different aspects, but that doesn't mean that they are not affected by subliminal aspects, and there is the question as to whether people are able to communicate mind to mind directly, or whether it simply a matter of synchronicities as patterns which are underlying nature and events. It is hard to know whether the thought of a person are the transmissions of others or the source of transmissions in a web of communication, and aspects of complexity of causation which are too complex to be observed in the filtering of perception of day to day awareness. It may be that thought and intent has more power than people realise in our own lives and in relationship with others. Each mind may be like a cell of consciousness with ripples of effects as each person is connected to other people and beings in the larger scheme of nature, and the interconnected processes of life.