ESP Trainer

UPDATE: Rob and I and Connie Cannon were interviewed on Whitley Strieber’s Dreamland about the unusual sighting her son had. We did a post on it here. The next link gives you the first 34 minutes of the interview. The rest of the hour is through subscription at Dreamland. The link to listen to it is here.

This little gizmo is a free iPhone app developed under a NASA program by Russell Targ at Stanford Research Institute. Targ, a physicist and a pioneer in the development of the laser, was also cofounder of the Stanford Research Institute’s investigation into psychic abilities in the 1970s and 1980s. ESP trainer helps in the development of psychic ability. From Targ’s website:

We have found that people are able to improve their ESP scores by using a machine just like this and get in touch with the part of themselves that is psychic. The player is presented with four colored squares. For each trial, one has been selected at random by the ESP Trainer. Your task is to choose the correct square. If you succeed, you will hear a chime, feel a vibration, and see a large color picture. Otherwise, the system lights up the correct square, and you proceed with the next trial. The score indicator at the top counts the number of correct choices. Words of encouragement appear as you achieve the scoring levels of 6, 8. 10, 12 or 14 hits. After 24 trials you may begin a new game.

The game offers multi-sensory feedback, reinforcement, and an opportunity to Pass, meeting all the requirements needed for learning this skill. ESP Trainer improves your ability to recognize your intuitive impressions, and it can bring you to a level of intuitive awareness beyond anything you’ve experienced before.

The purpose of the trainer is to allow you to become aware of what it feels like when you psychically choose the correct square. When you don’t have that special feeling, we encourage you to press the Pass button. (So this is not a “forced choice” test.)

The website notes that in a year-long NASA program with 145 people, many were able to significantly improve their scores. “Four of the subjects improved their scores at the hundred-to-one level or better. This approach has been used with surprising success on Wall Street.” If you continually score 12 or higher, then Targ wants to hear from you!

I downloaded it to my iPhone and Rob and I both gave it a whirl. He got 7 out of 24, I got 4 out of 24 🙁 on the first try. On subsequent attempts, I took more time. I discovered that when I held my fingers up close to the iPhone screen, but without touching it, I could sometimes sense which color held a photo, and did better than I had when I just quickly tapped away.

It’s a neat little app, something you can whip out while you’re waiting in line somewhere or just need a break from whatever you’re doing. I plan to practice until I can get 12 out of 24 – or better!