Telepathy - Revision history

GaryJJSpate: Migrate PhenomenonInfobox to InfoboxPhenomenon

2026-08-05T13:38:42Z

Migrate PhenomenonInfobox to InfoboxPhenomenon

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	{{~~PhenomenonInfobox~~		{{InfoboxPhenomenon
	\|name=Telepathy		\|name=Telepathy
	\|type=Parapsychological phenomenon		\|type=Parapsychological phenomenon

GaryJJSpate at 20:50, 3 August 2026

2026-08-03T20:50:51Z

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	[[Category:Parapsychology]]		[[Category:Parapsychology]]
	[[Category:Extrasensory perception]]		[[Category:Extrasensory perception]]
	~~[[Category:Society for Psychical Research]]~~
	~~[[Category:1882 introductions]]~~

GaryJJSpate at 13:30, 31 July 2026

2026-07-31T13:30:33Z

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GaryJJSpate at 13:21, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T13:21:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:21, 29 July 2026
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	In a typical ganzfeld session, a "receiver" sits in a relaxed, mildly sensory-deprived state — halved ping-pong balls placed over closed eyes with a red light shone on them, and headphones playing white or pink noise — while a separate "sender" in another room concentrates on a randomly selected image or video clip, attempting to mentally transmit it. The receiver describes any impressions out loud during the session, and is afterwards asked to pick the correct target from a small set of options.		In a typical ganzfeld session, a "receiver" sits in a relaxed, mildly sensory-deprived state — halved ping-pong balls placed over closed eyes with a red light shone on them, and headphones playing white or pink noise — while a separate "sender" in another room concentrates on a randomly selected image or video clip, attempting to mentally transmit it. The receiver describes any impressions out loud during the session, and is afterwards asked to pick the correct target from a small set of options.

	Ganzfeld studies have repeatedly reported "hit rates" in the region of 30–33%, against a chance expectation of 25% for a four-option choice — a small but, proponents argue, statistically meaningful effect across dozens of studies and dedicated meta-analyses. Critics, most prominently psychologist Ray Hyman, have argued that the results can be explained by methodological weaknesses such as "sensory leakage" (unintended cues passing between sender and receiver) rather than genuine telepathy, and independent replication under increasingly tightened controls has remained inconsistent.		Ganzfeld studies have repeatedly reported "hit rates" in the region of 30–33%, against a chance expectation of 25% for a four-option choice — a small but, proponents argue, statistically meaningful effect across dozens of studies and dedicated meta-analyses. Critics, most prominently psychologist [[Ray Hyman]], have argued that the results can be explained by methodological weaknesses such as "sensory leakage" (unintended cues passing between sender and receiver) rather than genuine telepathy, and independent replication under increasingly tightened controls has remained inconsistent.

	== Scientific perspective ==		== Scientific perspective ==

GaryJJSpate: Created page with "{{PhenomenonInfobox |name=Telepathy |type=Psychic ability claim |field=Parapsychology |also_known_as=Thought-transference |notable_case=The ganzfeld experiments (Maimonides Medical Center, 1970s–present) |status=Unverified }} '''Telepathy''' is the claimed direct transfer of thoughts, feelings, or impressions from one living mind to another, without using any recognised sensory channel. The term comes from the Greek ''tele'' ("distant") and ''pathos'' ("feeling"), and..."

2026-07-22T01:04:25Z

Created page with "{{PhenomenonInfobox |name=Telepathy |type=Psychic ability claim |field=Parapsychology |also_known_as=Thought-transference |notable_case=The ganzfeld experiments (Maimonides Medical Center, 1970s–present) |status=Unverified }} '''Telepathy''' is the claimed direct transfer of thoughts, feelings, or impressions from one living mind to another, without using any recognised sensory channel. The term comes from the Greek ''tele'' ("distant") and ''pathos'' ("feeling"), and..."

New page

{{PhenomenonInfobox
|name=Telepathy
|type=Psychic ability claim
|field=Parapsychology
|also_known_as=Thought-transference
|notable_case=The ganzfeld experiments (Maimonides Medical Center, 1970s–present)
|status=Unverified
}}

'''Telepathy''' is the claimed direct transfer of thoughts, feelings, or impressions from one living mind to another, without using any recognised sensory channel. The term comes from the Greek ''tele'' ("distant") and ''pathos'' ("feeling"), and was coined in 1882 by classical scholar Frederic W. H. Myers, one of the founders of the Society for Psychical Research — it quickly overtook the earlier term "thought-transference" in general use.

Telepathy is distinguished on The Vault from [[Clairvoyance]] (perceiving information about an object or place rather than another person's mind) and from [[Mediumship]] (communication specifically with the dead).

== The ganzfeld experiments ==
The most sustained and closely studied line of telepathy research is the ''ganzfeld'' technique (German for "whole field"), developed by parapsychologist Charles Honorton at the Maimonides Medical Center in the early 1970s and formally introduced by the American Society for Psychical Research in 1974.

In a typical ganzfeld session, a "receiver" sits in a relaxed, mildly sensory-deprived state — halved ping-pong balls placed over closed eyes with a red light shone on them, and headphones playing white or pink noise — while a separate "sender" in another room concentrates on a randomly selected image or video clip, attempting to mentally transmit it. The receiver describes any impressions out loud during the session, and is afterwards asked to pick the correct target from a small set of options.

Ganzfeld studies have repeatedly reported "hit rates" in the region of 30–33%, against a chance expectation of 25% for a four-option choice — a small but, proponents argue, statistically meaningful effect across dozens of studies and dedicated meta-analyses. Critics, most prominently psychologist Ray Hyman, have argued that the results can be explained by methodological weaknesses such as "sensory leakage" (unintended cues passing between sender and receiver) rather than genuine telepathy, and independent replication under increasingly tightened controls has remained inconsistent.

== Scientific perspective ==
As with the other subtypes gathered under [[Psychic Ability]], telepathy has not been demonstrated to a standard accepted by mainstream science. The ganzfeld debate in particular is often cited as parapsychology's best case for a small, statistically real effect — and, by critics, as an example of how a modest, hard-to-eliminate methodological flaw can produce a result that looks meaningful without actually reflecting the phenomenon being tested for.

== Related concepts ==
* [[Psychic Ability]], the umbrella page for this and related claimed abilities
* [[Clairvoyance]] and [[Mediumship]], the two other subtypes documented so far
* [[:Category:Parapsychology|Parapsychology]]

[[Category:Psychic and Tarot]]