Although the idea is usually reserved for science fiction, scientists have taken the first steps into the field of telepathic communication. We owe the breakthrough to the University of Washington and their use of brain-to-brain interfacing (BBI). They literally connected the brains of two people to see if one could send signals to the other.
HOW IT WORKED
Each phase of the study used two participants whose brains were connected using the brain interfacing system. Both sat at a computer, in separate places, with earplugs in to ensure they couldn’t hear anything. The first participant was shown an image with an object. The second participant then had to answer “yes” or “no” questions on the computer that the first had to answer. The first participant answered the questions by looking at the word “yes” or “no” on his computer screen. A yes created a stimulus strong enough to stimulate the second participant’s visual cortex, creating a flash of light, which in their eye resembled a blob, wave or line. The study was monitored with tremendous precision and they also used control groups. Once all the analyses were completed, it was discovered that the second participant was able to guess the object shown to the first participant 72 percent of the times. Scientists believe that the times the participants failed could have been due to uncertainty about the appearance of the flash of light. The team of researchers is now investigating ways in which a state of mind can be transmitted, such as sending signals from an alert brain to a sleeping brain.
PSYCHEDELICS AND BRAIN-TO-BRAIN COMMUNICATION
Although it is not a topic that will be explored by scientists anytime soon, the possibilities of psychedelics in this field are obviously very interesting. Psi research is a very serious field of study, with highly regarded institutions such as Princeton University, the Stanford Research Institute and Duke University all conducting their own highly controlled and scientific experiments. The results obtained, especially when it comes to things like LSD or mushrooms, are considerable. Blindfolded participants, for example, who received psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, were able to tell when people stared at them and when people did not. This may not sound helpful in and of itself, but it does show that we don’t yet understand everything about the brain or what the effects of psychedelics are on the brain. In fact, we know very little. Imagine if this brain-to-brain interfacing was extended so that a state of mind could be transmitted. Imagine being able to transfer the feelings of one spiritual journey to another, or the monumental insights it would give us about the way we view the world. This technology is still in its infancy, but the possibilities are endless!
