The concept of Psychic projection, and experiments testing that concept and if it's actually possible or not, have certainly gained prominence over the last decade or so.
I first heard mention of the psychic projection experiment that's probably the best known one currently via a friend's blog (thanks, Ashley!) and, curious as to whether or not it might work, I decided to give it a go.
I've tried it on a few investigations, and also on some "Investigation Tours"- public events I've run..and although I've not had any affirmative results so far, I'll continue to try it because I do find it interesting..and the time I decide not to try it would possibly be the time it would actually have worked, knowing my luck!
There is nowadays one main commonly-recognised method used with psychic projection experiments, but I do think there may be other possible angles of approach that could be worth exploring, and this is mainly due to a couple of rather interesting experiences I've had. I'll tell you about those shortly..but first I should run you through the basics.
WHAT IS PSYCHIC PROJECTION?
Psychic Projection experiments delve into the realm of Parapsychology and Psi, namely Psychokinesis (or PK). The experiments explore the possibility that we may be capable of psychically projecting our thoughts onto a recording device of some type, generally an audio recorder.
As our thoughts, emotions, and intent emit detectable and measurable energy- as shown by Harold Saxton Burr in his experiments with L-fields, and Leonard Ravitz with his series of related experiments, documented in his book "Electrodynamic Man"- I do feel the concept entirely possible, and I have a greater consideration of that now too, due to those previously mentioned personal experiences- but more on that later..for now, let's look a bit closer still at the topic.
EXPERIMENTS IN PSYCHIC PROJECTION
The currently best-known form of experimentation involves the possibility of projection onto audio recording devices, and was devised and made popular by Brian J. Cano, a paranormal investigator, and the star of the T.V. series "Haunted Collector".
The method behind the experiment is simple- a group of people selects a word containing two or more syllables- this is a requirement as often single-syllable words can be ruled out as being false positives which have been perhaps caused by exhaling or inhaling of breath, or also by general movement, clothing rustling or feet shuffling..
An audio recorder is set up, switched on, and the experiment commencement and the word chosen are "tagged" (labeled). The group then sits in silence for a short while- around one minute, all the while focusing their thoughts and intent on that one word, and on "sending" it to the audio recorder.
After the allotted time has passed, the experiment's completion is tagged, and the audio recorder is then switched off. The audio is reviewed afterwards, to see if the chosen word appears.
On his "Paralosophy" website, Brian Cano does mention that over the 9 years he's been conducting this experiment he's had only a limited amount of success..this could perhaps be due to a few factors though, I think- the level of focus of the participants, and how easily distracted they may be..or perhaps even due to biological or psychological factors..gender perhaps, or perhaps religious beliefs, or maybe personality type..or (most importantly for my mind) the effect of those beliefs, intents, and expectations, and the effect that any of the above- singularly or in a multi-factored combination- may subsequently have on us and on our energetic output..therefore, there's a long list of reasons as to why success may be limited with such experiments!
I do think the experiment is an interesting one to keep trying though- after all, the more we repeat an experiment, the more data we can perhaps gather and cross-reference, which is always a beneficial thing!
Although Brian Cano's experiment is possibly the only one that may spring to mind for lots of people, I feel there's another one that's maybe related- some previous attempts that were made at projecting thoughts psychically onto a device, long before the currently popular experiment was devised. The medium of recording- the device- was different, but the underlying philosophy was perhaps similar.
TED SERIOS AND "THOUGHTOGRAPHS"
One notable series of experiments that comes to mind for me is one that was conducted in the 1960's, by a psychiatrist and psychical researcher, Jule Eisenbud.
He was fascinated by the claims made by a man named Theodore "Ted" Serios, who was at the time an unemployed former hotel bellhop (porter), living in Chicago.
Serios had publicly come forth with claims that he was capable of psychically projecting images onto the favoured photographic medium at that time, the newly-created Polaroid "instant" camera.
Serios had originally started experimenting with "Box" cameras, but had now moved to this new medium, and the resultant projected images were what he called "thoughtographs", which was actually a term coined several decades earlier, in around 1910, by a Japanese psychology professor, Tomokichi Fukurai.
Eisenbud, curious as to the truth of the claims, contacted Serios, who agreed to have a series of trials run upon his purported ability.
These trials became an ongoing series- Eisenbud supervised thousands of them, between May 1964 and June 1967, and the trials were witnessed by at least 100 different observers- mostly scientists and academics, but also some experienced conjurers (magicians) too.
The trials yielded around 1000 unexplained (or unusual) photos, and all of those still reside in the "Special Collections" section at the library in the University of Maryland, in Baltimore County. You can also find some examples online too.
Of the thousand or so thoughtographs produced by Serios in the trials, apparently more than 400 contained specific images. These were often of buildings, and were often blurry or distorted, but were still recognisable.
Eisenbud did apply some controls to the trials, although they wouldn't be considered stringent by today's standards- sometimes he, or another observer, selected a photo of a target image beforehand, but concealed it from Serios by sealing it in an envelope. They were attempting to find out if he could psychically identify the target and then project his impressions onto blank film.
There's a lot more I could tell you about that series of trials, and there was even a book written by Eisenbud, called "The World of Ted Serios".
If you were to visit the website of the Society for Psychical Research, and look at their Psi Encyclopedia, and the article about Ted Serios, you'll find much more to consider regarding that (slightly abbreviated) information I've given you there too!
I've digressed enough, though..I wanted to tell you also about my own strange experiences, and what made me wonder if we may be capable of projecting our thoughts, intents or expectations onto other devices aside from audio or photographic ones, such as the "talking" devices- Ovilus, Spirit Boxes and such, and the "light-up" devices such as K2 meters and REM pods.
MY OWN EXPERIENCES WITH THIS, AND MY SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS
The first of my two thought-provoking experiences occurred at a location beloved to me, and one I spent around 6 years investigating repeatedly- the Old Castlemaine Gaol, in my home state of Victoria (Australia)..actually, both of my strange experiences occurred there, but I must start at the beginning, of course!
The first "eye-opener" for me occurred on a winter night in 2015, when myself and a fellow core team member, Michael, were accompanied at the gaol by a friend of ours, Adam (who coincidentally owns a hotel nearby that the team has investigated, and is also possibly a little bit psychic himself). Adam also brought a friend with him that night- out of respect for her privacy I'll address her only by her surname, Murphy.
There were just us four in the gaol that night, and Murphy had accompanied Michael on a wander around the external exercise yards of the gaol. Adam and I were alone in the main body of the location.
I had at hand an Ovilus III device, and Adam had a "phone app" that purports to do the same as an Ovilus. As a side note, at that point in time I had not long had my Ovilus, and was yet to fully comprehend its' workings..and I had yet to even consider psychic projection- I was still quite a grass-roots investigator and was yet to explore Parapsychology, Psi, and any associated concepts and considerations, as I have since stepped into.
There's a backstory here too- Murphy had just (a day or two before) been diagnosed with cancer, and was due to plot a course of treatment in coming weeks with her doctor. Adam mentioned this to me at a time when both our devices were switched off..and not long after that we got down to the business of attempting "communication" and switched them on, still standing side-by-side.
The series of words that presented themselves soon after, on BOTH our devices at once (yes, both, I did check!), leaves me puzzled to this day. It went thus..
"Murphy"
"Cancer"
"Doctor"
"Strength"
"Drain"
Adam and I both had a "jaw-drop" moment (I also call them W.T.F. moments..I hope I don't need to explain that acronym- but just in case I do, it's short for what the f**k!)
..And I wonder these days, given the amount I've read about Psi since that now-distant winter night, if Adam's and my conversation, and the then-current focus of our thoughts (Murphy), and the collective energy those thoughts might have generated, may have somehow thus ended up projected onto the Ovilus devices.
There's a second W.T.F. moment too, and it happened during an "Investigation Tour" I was hosting at the gaol, about 2 years later.. I was explaining to the tour guests the importance of context and relevance regarding the replies the Ovilus might give- and gave the example that if we were asking "them" the question "could you introduce yourself? what is your given name?" and the reply happened to be something like "supper", or "run", or "table", then there's no relevance, and the answer can be discarded..By the way, the Ovilus was still switched off at this time too!
My next words in my spiel that night- and I still remember them precisely because they preceded that other W.T.F. moment- were these: "but if, for instance, we ask that question and get a name, let's say Thomas, then there may be something more to consider" (my long-deceased father's name is Thomas, incidentally).
I'd never previously heard the Ovilus mention that name, Thomas.. I'd heard it say Carol, and Paul, many times, but never Thomas..but guess what the first word it said was when it was switched on? Yep, it was Thomas!
It was that second experience, and also what I'd learned about Psi and its surrounding possibilities since the first experience, that really made me start to wonder about possible psychic projection onto our devices..Can our thoughts, our intent, and our expectations- or our hopes, or perhaps those of others around us- be strong and focused enough that they can be projected onto, and thus detected by and reacted to, by our devices? Was it the case in this instance that my thoughts had been projected? Or those of one of the tour guests perhaps? After all, guests on a tour are quite often brimming with expectations and hopes- they are often there to try to "find a ghost", after all!
What are we truly picking up on when our devices respond, and man-made, electrical, or environmental interference has been ruled out as a situational consideration? Communication with a surviving personality? Energetic residue? Or the psychic projection of our own thoughts, intents, hopes, and expectations?
Our thoughts, our feelings, carry energy: electricity borne of chemical processes in the brain that is both measurable and detectable, and extends outwardly of our physical bodies. If we can indeed project that energy outwardly of ourselves, beyond the confines of our bodies, are there truly limits as to what device we may be able to project it onto? I have no definitive conclusion to state..as always happens with this field, I'm only ever left with more questions! That in itself is one of the reasons I love what I do!
I do wonder what might be happening though..could our own energy be responsible for the responses of our devices?
I don't think it can be ruled out! And I think through experimenting with these devices, and with that possibility in mind, we could perhaps get some interesting results!
Maybe we need time to learn to focus our energies before results may be achievable..perhaps we may never see results, but does that mean it's not worth trying?
What do YOU think? Is the concept a valid one? It's one I think may be worthy of testing- after all, who knows what we may find?
Do tell me your thoughts in comments..or if you've any further ideas you might wish to contribute regarding experiments around psychic projection, I'd love to hear those too!