Telepathy, the claimed transfer of thoughts or feelings between minds without known sensory channels, has long inspired practice exercises in parapsychology and New Age literature. This entry presents ten commonly described steps, framed as exercises in relaxation, focus and intuition, together with the history of telepathy research and a clear account of why mainstream science has not found reliable evidence for it.
Ten Steps to Master Telepathy at a glance
| Term coined | 1882, by Frederic W. H. Myers |
|---|---|
| Associated body | Society for Psychical Research (founded 1882) |
| Classic test tool | Zener cards (five symbols), used by J. B. Rhine from the 1930s |
| Later method | Ganzfeld experiments, from the 1970s |
| Scientific status | No reliable evidence under controlled conditions; considered unproven |
About Telepathy
The word telepathy, from the Greek tele, "distant," and pathos, "feeling," was coined in 1882 by Frederic W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research in London. The society collected reports of apparent thought transference and conducted early experiments. In the 1930s J. B. Rhine at Duke University popularized card-guessing tests with Zener cards, and later researchers developed the ganzfeld procedure, in which a relaxed receiver in mild sensory isolation tries to describe a target viewed by a distant sender.
Telepathy is related to other claimed abilities such as precognition and psychometry, and earlier to the mesmerist idea of animal magnetism.
A Note on the Evidence
Before any practice, readers should know where the science stands. Despite more than a century of research, telepathy has not been demonstrated reliably under controlled conditions. Positive results reported by some laboratories have generally failed to replicate independently, and critics have identified problems such as sensory leakage, inadequate randomization, selective reporting and statistical errors. Meta-analyses of ganzfeld studies remain disputed. The mainstream scientific view is that there is no good evidence telepathy exists. The exercises below are best understood as training in attention, relaxation and self-observation, and as a way to test claims honestly, not as a proven method.
Famous Experiments and Controversies
Several episodes shaped the debate. In the late 19th century, early investigators of the Society for Psychical Research reported striking results with the Creery sisters in guessing games, but the sisters were later caught using signals, a lesson in why sender and receiver must be separated. Rhine's card-guessing results in the 1930s drew wide publicity but also criticism of his methods and statistics, and other laboratories generally could not reproduce them.
The ganzfeld experiments, developed by Charles Honorton and others from the 1970s, led to an extended exchange with the skeptical psychologist Ray Hyman, who identified procedural weaknesses. Later automated versions and meta-analyses produced claims of small effects, which critics attribute to flexible analysis and publication bias. These controversies are the reason the steps in this entry emphasize recording, randomization and chance baselines.
Steps One to Five: Preparation and Focus
The following sequence reflects exercises commonly described in parapsychological and New Age manuals.
- Relax the body. Sit comfortably in a quiet room and release tension from head to toe. Most manuals begin here, since calm attention is the goal of every later step.
- Quiet the mind. Spend several minutes on slow, steady breathing or simple meditation, letting passing thoughts go without following them.
- Choose a willing partner. Work with a friend who agrees to take part. Decide in advance who will be the sender and who the receiver, and agree on a time.
- Start with simple targets. Use a basic color, a shape, or one of a small set of pictures. Simple targets make results easier to record and evaluate.
- Let the sender visualize. The sender looks at the target and holds a clear, calm mental image of it for a minute or two, without speaking or signaling.
Steps Six to Ten: Reception and Honest Testing
- Receive without forcing. The receiver, ideally in another room, notes the first impressions that arise, whether images, colors or feelings, rather than reasoning toward an answer.
- Write everything down. Record each impression before learning the target, with the date and conditions, so memory cannot adjust the result afterward.
- Use a chance baseline. With five equally likely targets, such as Zener symbols, random guessing yields about one correct answer in five. Only a consistent excess over this rate across many trials would be notable.
- Remove hidden cues. Choose targets randomly, keep sender and receiver apart, and avoid any feedback during a session. These controls separate genuine effects from inference and subtle signals.
- Practice regularly and evaluate honestly. Keep short, regular sessions and review the record over time. Many practitioners find that the process sharpens concentration and awareness of intuition, whatever the results show.
Why People Believe and What Practice Offers
Experiences that feel telepathic are common: thinking of someone just before they call, or finishing a close friend's sentence. Psychologists explain many such experiences through shared knowledge, subtle nonverbal cues, coincidence and memory bias, since striking hits are remembered while misses are forgotten. Anyone who follows the steps above with careful records is in effect running a small experiment and can see these effects for themselves.
For those interested in the subjective side, related practices on this site address developing intuition through reflection and attention. Such exercises can support calm focus and empathy in relationships, which many people value regardless of the question of paranormal abilities.
Curious to try a reading yourself? Our free psychic reading draws three tarot cards at random and interprets them for your question, with no email or signup. Want the evidence first? Read are psychic readings real?
Related entries
On The Mystica today: How to develop intuition · Psychic ability test
Frequently asked questions
Is telepathy scientifically proven?
No. Although researchers have studied telepathy since the 1880s, it has not been demonstrated reliably under controlled conditions. Positive findings have generally not replicated independently, and critics point to methodological flaws. The mainstream scientific consensus is that there is no good evidence that telepathy exists.
How do people practice telepathy?
Typical exercises described in parapsychology and New Age books involve relaxation and meditation, working with a partner, using simple targets such as colors, shapes or Zener cards, recording first impressions, and comparing results with what chance would predict. Careful controls help distinguish real effects from guessing and subtle cues.
What are Zener cards?
Zener cards are a deck of 25 cards showing five symbols: a circle, a cross, wavy lines, a square and a star. They were designed by psychologist Karl Zener for J. B. Rhine's experiments at Duke University in the 1930s. Random guessing produces about 20 percent correct answers.
Sources and further reading
This entry replaces an article from the original Mystica encyclopedia (online since 2001). It was rewritten from the sources above by The Mystica Editorial Team under our editorial standards. Last reviewed: September 30, 2026.