Electrokinesis
Information
Name	Electrokinesis
Other Names	Electricity Manipulation
Type	Psychokinesis
Pre-abilites	Telekinesis
Sub-abilities	Technokinesis and Magnokinesis
Uses	To manipulate and control electricity

Contents

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1. Electrokinesis
   1. Note
2. Make An Electrical Psi Wheel
3. Electrical Absorption
   1. Note
4. Training 1
5. Training 2
6. Beginning ability 1- Electro-ball
7. Beginning move 2- Electro-blast
8. Intermediate move 1- Electricity Strike
9. Intermediate move 2- Electricity Arms
10. Intermediate move 3- Force Field Generation
11. Intermediate move 4- Re-Directing Electrical Blasts
12. Training 1 - Electrical Absorption
13. Training 2 - Electric Transfer
14. Training 3 - Electric Generation
15. Training 4 - Electric Sense
16. Other Lightning Ball
17. Electric Finger Zap
18. Static Ball
19. Tips
20. Electrokinesis Subliminal

Electrokinesis

Electrokinesis is the psychic power to manipulate energies, electrical currents, and generate electricity with the mind. Users are able to conduct, generate and manipulate a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons) which give the user control over electric fields, electric charges, electric currents, electronics, and electromagnetism.

Note

This page, like most pages, is a collection of techniques written onto the page over the years, by many different users. As most of the techniques below have not been tested, if you had any success with them, it would be appreciated if you mentioned your experiences in the comment section below the page.

Make An Electrical Psi Wheel

This version of a psi wheel will help you test your electrokinetic power, even if it is very weak.
Take any magnet and place it underneath any metal base on which your psi wheel will sit. Place the psi wheel on your base as if you had made any other psi wheel and that's it! Now test it. Take a battery and put it close to the the wheel. What happens? The wheel spins! The electric field reacts with the foil to make it spin. Now use your own ability and force electric energy into your fingers. Move it toward the wheel. Even if you are a weak electrokinetic, the wheel will more than likely move and attract to your fingers! Notice: This may take some time if you find yourself tired stop and rest for awhile before continuing.

Electrical Absorption

Electrical Absorption is the power to conduct and store electrical energy within the body. One with this ability gains power by draining electrical devices and machines, can absorb ambient electrical energy like static in the air, and can withstand being struck by lightning (although the amount of electricity varies person to person). After enough has been absorbed, the electricity may or may not be released at will to charge small machines, attack foes and the like (if not released at will, it usually has negative effects on the user, like disorienting the thought process, speeding up the user's speech and generating static cling in the hair, etc. but never absorb too much electricity if you do you will have pain in your hands,shocks in your body until the the extra amount of electricity goes out of your body.

Note

If you try to get rid of the extra amount (for example: by your hand), your hand may have some burns.

Also, not all of this is "physically" possible. You can feel the energy of it, but you're not actually going to shoot electricity like Cole Macgrath.

Training 1

Alright, this takes a couple of weeks to learn, so don't get frustrated if you can't do it in the first couple of days. To learn electrokinesis, start out by just closing your eyes and visualizing electricity flowing inside and outside of your body, like sparks of energy. "See" them shocking, actually "hear" them crackling and popping. Do this for 10-15 minutes a day. If you can project it out of your hands, you can try to shoot it at your TV or radio, and see if it makes the reception a little messed up, or you could try to shock someone. Do this for a while, then if you want, try to make an Electro-ball (explained below).

What helps some people who have a bit more scientific knowledge is to visualize electrons separating from atoms and doing things you wish them to do with EM.

Training 2

The easiest time to do it is when you're lying in bed before you go to sleep. Close your eyes and visualize the electricity running through the body part of choice. Try to do all these things one after another or mix them. Visualize it running up say, your hand, in waves of electricity like the kind of waves old TV's get sometimes that go up the screen. Then after that, visualize it sparking and even arcing out of your finger tips and hands. Try to feel the sparks the best you can, sometimes your fingers will just go sort of numb and they will feel weird if you try to move them. Then open your eyes and do the same thing for a while...Eventually you should start seeing very faint pencil thin lines of electricity or round dot size sparks or both (this could just be psychological though). Another way you can achieve your goal is on a dry warm to hot day, go out into the sun and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and hold your hand towards the sun. This will cause you to use sun-charged electrons and be able to pull them out of the atmosphere. I've had a month of practice and this works for me especially. All you need to do is watch your aura, see the electrons running through it and concentrate on them moving towards the desired area.

Beginning ability 1- Electro-ball

This is basically a psi ball with electricity-like energy from electrokinesis added into it. To start, visualize the electricity flowing through your body. Then, make a normal psi ball, then picture the electricity bolts coming out of your hands and your fingertips, and merging with the psi ball, making little sparks and shocks around and inside the psi ball. Do this for about 5 minutes a day, along with just picturing the electricity flowing inside of you. Just keep practicing, and when you get the electro-ball, you will be able to shock people with it. But be warned, don't use a lot of power with this exercise on someone if you know that their power is less than yours and they won't be able to handle it, this ability can really injure someone when used with enough power.

Beginning move 2- Electro-blast

First, make a Ball of Electricity-like energy. Then add some Energy into it. Just practice that for a few days or at least a week until you get good at it. Then after you get good at that, start to compact Electricity and Energy into your arm. After you feel that your arm is compacted with enough Electricity and Energy, blast it out of your hand. Now the objective is to try and control the blast if you can. Remember to only use a little bit of Energy and Electricity if your opponent is too weak to handle your level of power.

Intermediate move 1- Electricity Strike

Close your eyes and visualize you standing in a field and all of a sudden electricity strikes your arm and electricity is running through your arm and it all of a sudden shoots out of your hand.

Intermediate move 2- Electricity Arms

Make an electro ball and visualize it shaping itself into desired weapon. Never get too attached to your weapon.
Melee- Usually easier than a ranged weapons. You just have to shape it and start whacking things/people.
Ranged- Program your electricity ball into being able shooting something or someone. It is better to start with less advanced weapons. From my personal experience, the max I shot was 7 times because every shot converts a part of the actual into ammunition. There might be a way to continuously add "psi electricity" to your gun.

Please note that this is electrically charged psi energy, and is not able to be physically seen very well. You will not be able to create literal weapons out of electricity.

Intermediate move 3- Force Field Generation

First create an electric ball. then add 3x the pressure and power into the ball. then try to shape it around you or the place you wish to field by visualizing energy being from your mind to the place. then compact energy into your entire body, then try to imagine the energy circling or shaping (use whatever shape you want , duck, cat, ball, square eg) around it, then add electricity to the target and release it but quickly after releasing add a blast to make it twice as powerful. try to experiment with this.

Intermediate move 4- Re-Directing Electrical Blasts

To re-direct a psychic electrical blast, one must create a channel of energy through the body down the non-dominate arm (the receptive arm), into the stomach area and up the dominate arm (the protective arm). one must absorb the psychic electrical attack and channel it through this path and possibly return to sender. one must also be careful that the electrical current does not pass through the heart or the charge could cause death, which is why the electricity is channeled in to the stomach area. while it may seem that this is stolen from a television show (yeah the avatar), this method is actually tried and true.
Another method of re-directing psychic electrical blasts is to create a energy ball, create a current of energy through the air that will direct the charge away from you, catch the blast in the energy ball and direct it down the energy current and away from you. this method is more difficult, takes more energy and is harder to perform. however it is the safer method of re-directing psychic electricity blasts.
These methods can also be used with any psychic energy blasts/attacks with the same warnings.

Training 1 - Electrical Absorption

Absorbing Electric Energy- get a battery or something that holds electricity and have your hand over the for example battery. Then visualize the electricity coming inside your hand, like two magnets. Too much can harm you. Stay positive and continue to try, you may be closer than you think.

Training 2 - Electric Transfer

Once you absorb the electricity touch something and visualize the vibrations traveling into the object you're touching and it should cause a shock or flicker (for a TV) or touch a battery and transfer the electricity to the battery and you should be charging it. When you get better you can just wave your hand over said battery.

Training 3 - Electric Generation

Take off your computer battery(make sure its fully charged) then focus and concentrate on it and it should be vibrating next visualize the vibration traveling around your whole body keep wasting the electricity in the battery until your whole body is strongly vibrating and anyone that touch's you should get shock real easily also your body would be able to resist electric so you won't be shock real easily plus your shock will be more strong if you try to shock some one. Side effects are you will be weakened in water or any other liquid and it will be a lot harder to do Hydrokinesis or any other water/liquid manipulation.

Training 4 - Electric Sense

This is kind of like energy sensing but for emergencies only. That means if you run out of electrical energy just recharge your self by finding the closest source of power. First you must scan the area you're in ex: a parking lot. Then visualize this place by feeling the electricity inside the objects around you. It's like looking. Then emit an electromagnetic pulse (You might need Magnokinesis). If some of these objects respond by glowing brighter or by vibrating a lot this means its a major power source.

Other Lightning Ball

To start out, just make a energy ball and charge it up. Next, start visualizing lightning striking down all around you. Actually hear the crack and sizzle of the lightning bolts. Then, visualize all little lightning bolts striking around your hands and striking into your energy ball and causing electric shocks inside and outside it. It will make it even better if you know how to perform some electrokinesis. You will know by the feeling you get in your hands if you have done this correctly. When it's made, blast away. Don't forget to have fun with it too and don't let having powers rule your life. "With Great Power, Comes With Great Responsibility"

Electric Finger Zap

To do this ability put your physical body's electricity into the tip of one of your index fingers constantly, and while doing this, use the electricity that is in the tip of the finger to zap an object. But before using this ability, practice it to see if it works. One way is to try zapping the tip of one of your fingers. If you succeed in doing this, then it works.

Static Ball

Just like there is energy coming off of you all the time, there's electricity coming off of you all the time as well. However, the electricity usually just goes off into the air and doesn't do much of anything. To make a static ball concentrate on your aura and feel the electricity tingling through it. Try putting your hand an inch or two above your arm and feel the tiny currents zipping between your hand and your arm. Once you're good and familiar with the static electricity on your body, cup your hands like you're making a energy ball. Try to suck that energy out of your aura and put it in your hands. You should feel a bit of numbness in the aura and then in your skin as the electricity pulses through and goes to your hand. If you hold the ball near delicate electronics it may disrupt them temporarily.

Tips

1. Always begin with the beginner techniques, once you are a familiar with the kinesis' basic training, move on to the more intermediate training exercises. (Even if you are an intermediate user, begin slow and work your way up.)
2. Don't give up, it takes time to have and notice any sort of progress.

AEROKINESIS

Aerokinesis is the psychic ability to manipulate, control, or alter air molecules, wind currents, and control air to an extent with the mind. Unfortunately, you cannot create general molecules of any kind.

With this ability, practitioners can manipulate the air around them to change the flow of current and even form gusts of wind. Not only does it require focus, but also it involves connecting with the wind. That is, creating and maintaining a conscious connection with the air.

Meditations

Now there's no exact way to meditate for this, you can sit down, or stand up, be outside or even inside. You can use the already existing winds from outside and try to manipulate it to an extent or use the air from the air conditioner inside your home, or your own breath, even a fan will do. In most things dealing with psionics it requires you to know how to link, which can be found: Here which is usually linking to a person, but some find it useful to visualize their energy linking to the air molecules now as I said earlier there is no particular way to meditate on this and finding what works for you, while still following the basic logic and limitations that apply.

Aerokinesis
Aerokinesis
Information
Name	Aerokinesis
Other Names	Air Manipulation
Type	Psychokinesis
Pre-abilites	Telekinesis
Sub-abilities	None
Uses	To control and manipulate air

HYDROKINESIS

Hydrokinesis
Hydrokinesis
Information
Name	Hydrokinesis
Other Names	Water Manipulation
Type	Psychokinesis
Pre-abilites	Telekinesis
Sub-abilities	Cryokinesis
Uses	To Manipulate and control H2O otherwise known as water

Hydrokinesis, (from Greek - Hudōr (Ουδόρ) "water", and Kinein (Κηνείν) "to move"), is the psychic ability to manipulate the properties of water.                                                                                                            

Contents

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1. Uses & Advantages
2. Getting Accustomed to the Water
3. Training #1
4. Training #2
5. Training #3
6. Training #4

Uses & Advantages

Hydrokinesis is the metaphysical psychic ability to control and manipulate the movement of liquid water using the power of the mind. Hydrokinetics are shown to be able to control, manipulate and alter the molecular state of water. They are also able to manipulate the surrounding water in the atmosphere, freeze water, or evaporate water into clouds ofmist, steam or fog.

People with hydrokinesis can control and manipulate water in all of its forms, whether that'd be solid, liquid, or gas. Hydrokinetics are also known to be able to control and manipulate shapes and mold water into desired shapes or forms.

Getting Accustomed to the Water

To do hydrokinesis, it's a lot easier to start off simple. Get a cup or a bowl or whatever you prefer and can see clearly, and fill it with water. Wait for the water to settle as you meditate for a few minutes, or until you can focus clearly. Now, without any real intention, just project your energy into the water. Focus, and it should start to vibrate a little bit. Barely noticeable by the human eye. It should vibrate more visibly if you have more experience in this field. Simple but effective training to get you started, if you can't move the whole body of water as in the next training.

If all else fails, focus energy into your finger, and touch the water barely, as not to make it vibrate due to the force of your finger. It should vibrate without the use of your finger if you did it right. Know how this feels, and try to eventually have a connection with the water so that you can make the water vibrate without having physical contact. Once you've done this, you're ready to move on.

Training #1

Once you think you're ready for hydrokinesis take a medium - large bowl and fill it with Water. If the bowl is glass, this may be easier because you can see all of the Water within. Now, place a cork or something similar which floats in the bowl and wait for it to settle. Once it has settled, close your eyes. Sense the water in front of you, feel its energy and merge it with yours. See in your mind's eye the link between you and the liquid. Feel its smoothness, its cool healing properties.

Now try to mimic those feelings within your own energies. You and water are one and the same. Just as you have control over your own energies, so too do you have control over water. Open your eyes, look at the substance within the bowl. You are a part of it, and it is a part of you. While keeping in mind your connection with it, will(command) the water to move, just as you would with your own energy. Make it start to swirl in the bowl, always getting stronger, always gaining speed. It is you. Continue to do this until you feel you have succeed or are in need of rest. Don't over do it on the first few tries. Have a mental rest after, you need it!

Training #2

If you have a pool or a sink, get something light that floats and try to move it by imagining water currents moving towards the object, pushing it like a riptide growing stronger by the second. After a couple of training sessions, it will start to move. Don't get discouraged if it takes long to learn this training.

This is also a good beginners training, you can learn hydro by pouring water into a glass and absorbing the energy of the element. Then, you can imagine the water pulling itself apart rapidly and coming back together.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Training #3

An easier way to absorb energy from the element water is to imagine that water is flowing throughout your whole body like your blood. Your hands and body are water with a hard smooth surface and rough interior flowing throughout you body constantly as if it is what keeps you alive and that every breath of air is adding water to flow in your body. It is replenishing the good water and clearing the bad water or blockages that stop the flow. Do this for 15 minutes or more everyday and you will master this skill. Before you know it, it will seem like water is flowing throughout your body constantly without having to even think of it.

Training #4

this is a technique on how to connect your conciousness and breath to the water in order to manipulate it. place your hands in a pool of water (just your fingers dont put your whole hand in) then take deep breaths and as you exhale use your intention and mental psi energy to connect your breath with the water be one with it. try to feel the water as part of yourself also as you do this try to extended your awareness past your hand and feel the flow of the water as clearly as you would your own heartbeat. if this method is done correctly you should clearly see ripples form in the water. NOTE:this is a very difficult technique to master and may take several weeks if not months to learn so commitment is needed.

Video for Hydrokinesis training:

PYROKINESIS

Pyrokinesis is an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind.^[1] There is no conclusive evidence that pyrokinesis is a real phenomenon. Alleged cases are said to be hoaxes, the result of trickery.^[2][3]

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Etymology
• 2History
• 3See also
• 4References
• 5Further reading

Etymology[edit]

The word 'pyrokinesis' was coined by horror novelist Stephen King in his 1980 novel Firestarter to describe the ability to create and control fire with the mind.^[1] The word is intended to be parallel to telekinesis, with S.T. Joshi describing it as a "singularly unfortunate coinage."^[4] King is the first person to give the idea a name as neither the term pyrokinesis nor any other term describing the idea have been found in prior works.^[5][6] Parapsychologists describe pyrokinesis as the ability to excite the atoms within an object until they generate enough energy to burst into flame.^[7] Science fiction works define pyrokinesis as speeding up the movement of molecules in order to increase temperature.^[8]

History[edit]

A. W. Underwood, a 19th-century African-American, achieved minor celebrity status with the purported ability to set items ablaze. Magicians and scientists have suggested concealed pieces of phosphorus may have instead been responsible.^[3] The phosphorus could be readily ignited by breath or rubbing. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell has written that Underwood may have used a "chemical-combustion technique, and still other means. Whatever the exact method — and the phosphorus trick might be the most likely — the possibilities of deception far outweigh any occult powers hinted at by Charles Fort or others."^[3]

The medium Daniel Dunglas Home was known for performing fire feats and handling a heated lump of coal taken from a fire. The magician Henry R. Evans wrote that the coal handling was a juggling trick, performed by Home using a hidden piece of platinum.^[9] Hereward Carrington described Evans hypothesis as "certainly ingenious" but pointed outWilliam Crookes, an experienced chemist, was present at a séance whilst Home performed the feat and would have known how to distinguish the difference between coal and platinum.^[10] Frank Podmore wrote that most of the fire feats could have easily be performed by conjuring tricks and sleight of hand but hallucination and sense-deception may have explained Crookes' claim about observing flames from Home's fingers.^[11]

Joseph McCabe has written that Home's alleged feats of pyrokinesis were weak and unsatisfactory, he noted that they were performed in dark conditions amongst unreliable witnesses. McCabe suggested the coal handling was probably a "piece of asbestos from Home's pocket".^[12]

In March 2011, a three-year-old girl in Antique Province, Philippines gained media attention for the supposed supernatural power to predict or create fires. The town mayor said he witnessed a pillow ignite after the girl said "fire... pillow." Others claimed to have witnessed the girl either predicting or causing fire without physical contact to the objects.^[13]

Sometimes claims of pyrokinesis are published in the context of fire ghosts, such as Canneto di Caronia fires and earlier Italian case of young nanny, Carole Compton.^[14]

Without some form of electromechanical device, such as a device to release several of the compounds that do spontaneously ignite upon contact with the oxygen in air (such assilane, a pyrophoric gas, or rubidium), or some form of triggering device located at the source of the fire, there is no scientifically-known method for the brain to trigger explosions and fires at a distance.^[7]

TELEKINESIS

Psychokinesis experiments have historically been criticized for lack of proper controls and repeatability.^{[7][8][9][10]} There is no convincing evidence that psychokinesis is a real phenomenon.^{[7][11][12][13]}

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Etymology
• 2Belief
  • 2.1Subsets of psychokinesis
  • 2.2Notable claimants of psychokinetic ability
  • 2.3Psychics
  • 2.4Metal bending
  • 2.5In popular culture
• 3Reception
  • 3.1Evaluation
  • 3.2Physics
  • 3.3Explanations in terms of bias
  • 3.4Magic and special effects
  • 3.5Prize money for proof of psychokinesis
• 4See also
• 5References
• 6Further reading
• 7External links

Etymology[edit]

The word 'psychokinesis' was coined in 1914 by American author Henry Holt in his book On the Cosmic Relations.^[14][15][16] The term is a linguistic blend or portmanteau of theGreek language words ψυχή ("psyche") – meaning mind, soul, spirit, or breath – and κίνησις ("kinesis") – meaning motion, movement.^[1][2]

The American parapsychologist J. B. Rhine coined the term extra-sensory perception to describe receiving information paranormally from an external source.^[17] Following this, he used the term psychokinesis in 1934 to describe mentally influencing external objects or events without the use of physical energy.^[17][18] His initial example of psychokinesis was experiments that were conducted to determine whether a person could influence the outcome of falling dice.^[17][19]

The word 'telekinesis', a portmanteau of the Greek τῆλε ("tēle") – meaning distance – and κίνησις ("kinesis") – meaning motion^[4] – was first used in 1890 by Russian psychical researcher Alexander N. Aksakof.^[20][21]

'Psychokinesis' in parapsychology, fictional universes and New Age beliefs refers to the mental influence of physical systems and objects without the use of any physical energy^[5][6] while 'telekinesis' refers to the movement and/or levitation of physical objects by purely mental force without any physical intervention.^[22][23]

Belief[edit]

In September 2006, a survey about belief in various religious and paranormal topics conducted by phone and mail-in questionnaire polled 1,721 Americans on their belief in telekinesis. Of these participants, 28% of male participants and 31% of female participants selected "agree" or "strongly agree" with the statement, "It is possible to influence the world through the mind alone."^[24]

Subsets of psychokinesis[edit]

Parapsychologists divide psychokinetic phenomena into two categories: macro-psychokinesis - large-scale psychokinetic effects that can be seen with the naked eye, and micro-psychokinesis - small-scale psychokinetic effects that require the use of statistics to be detected.^[6] Some psychic phenomena, such as telekinesis,^[22] psychic healing^[6]retrocausality^[25] and pyrokinesis,^[26] are considered types of psychokinesis.

Notable claimants of psychokinetic ability[edit]

Eusapia Palladino "levitates" a table while researcher Alexander Aksakof(right) monitors for fraud, Milan, 1892.

Spirit photography hoaxer Édouard Isidore Buguet.^[27] (1840-1901) of France fakes telekinesis in this 1875cabinet card photograph titled Fluidic Effect.

There have been claimants of psychokinetic ability throughout history. Angelique Cottin (ca. 1846) known as the "Electric Girl" of France was an alleged generator of PK activity. Cottin and her family claimed that she produced electric emanations that allowed her to move pieces of furniture and scissors across a room.^[28] Frank Podmore wrote there were many observations which were "suggestive of fraud" such as the contact of the girl's garments to produce any of the alleged phenomena and the observations from several witnesses that noticed there was a double movement on the part of Cottin, a movement in the direction of the object thrown and afterwards away from it, but the movements so rapid they were not usually detected.^[28]

Spiritualist mediums have also claimed psychokinetic abilities. Eusapia Palladino, an Italian medium, could allegedly cause objects to move during séances. However, she was caught levitating a table with her foot by the magician Joseph Rinn and using tricks to move objects by the psychologist Hugo Münsterberg.^[29][30] Other alleged PK mediums that were exposed as frauds, include Anna Rasmussen and Maria Silbert.^[31][32]

The Polish medium Stanisława Tomczyk active in the early 20th century claimed to be able to perform various acts of telekinesis, such as levitating objects, by way of an entity she called "Little Stasia".^[33] A photograph of her taken in 1909, which shows a pair of scissors "floating" in between her hands, is often found in books and other publications as an example of telekinesis.^[34][35]Scientists suspected Tomczyk performed her feats by the use of a fine thread or hair, running between her hands to lift and suspend the objects in the air. This was confirmed when psychical researchers who tested Tomczyk occasionally observed the thread.^[35][36][37]

Many of India's "godmen" have claimed macro-PK abilities and demonstrated apparently miraculous phenomena in public, although as more controls are put in place to prevent trickery, fewer phenomena are produced.^[38]

Magician William Marriott reveals the trick of the medium Stanisława Tomczyk's levitation of a glass tumbler. Pearson's Magazine, June 1910

Annemarie Schaberl, a 19-year-old secretary, was said to have telekinetic powers by the parapsychologist Hans Bender in theRosenheim Poltergeist case in the 1960s. Magicians and scientists who investigated the case suspected the phenomena were produced by trickery.^[39][40]

Swami Rama, a yogi skilled in controlling his heart functions, was studied at the Menninger Foundation in the spring and fall of 1970 and was alleged by some observers at the foundation to have telekinetically moved a knitting needle twice from a distance of five feet.^[41] Although Swami Rama wore a face-mask and gown to prevent allegations that he moved the needle with his breath or body movements, and air vents in the room had been covered, at least one physician observer who was present at the time was not convinced and expressed the opinion that air movement was somehow the cause.^[42]

Psychics[edit]

The Russian psychic Nina Kulagina came to wide public attention following the publication of Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder's best seller, Psychic Discoveries Behind The Iron Curtain. The alleged Soviet psychic of the late 1960s and early 1970s was filmed apparently performing telekinesis while seated in numerous black-and-white short films.^[43] She was also mentioned in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report from 1978.^{[44][ISBN missing]} Magicians and skeptics have argued that Kulagina's feats could easily be performed by one practiced in sleight of hand, through means such as cleverly concealed or disguised threads, small pieces of magnetic metal, or mirrors.^{[45][46][47][48]}

James Hydrick, an American martial arts expert and psychic, was famous for his alleged psychokinetic ability to turn the pages of books and make pencils spin around while placed on the edge of a desk. It was later revealed by magicians that he achieved his feats by air currents.^[49] The psychologist Richard Wiseman has written Hydrick learnt to move objects by blowing in a "highly deceptive" and skillful way.^[50] Hydrick confessed to Dan Korem that all of his feats were tricks "My whole idea behind this in the first place was to see how dumb America was. How dumb the world is."^[51] The British psychic Matthew Manning was the subject of laboratory research in the United States and England involving PK in the late 1970s and today claims healing powers.^[43][52] Magicians John Booth and Henry Gordon have suspected Manning used trickery to perform his feats.^[53][54]

In 1971, an American psychic named Felicia Parise allegedly moved a pill bottle across a kitchen counter by psychokinesis. Her feats were endorsed by the parapsychologistCharles Honorton. Science writer Martin Gardner wrote Parise had "bamboozled" Honorton by moving the bottle by an invisible thread stretched between her hands.^[48][55]

Boris Ermolaev, a Russian psychic, was known for levitating small objects. His methods were exposed on the World of Discovery documentary Secrets of the Russian Psychics(1992). Ermolaev would sit on a chair and allegedly move the objects between his knees but due to the lighting conditions a fine thread fixed between his knees suspending the objects was observed by the camera crew.^[46]

The Russian psychic Alla Vinogradova was said to be able to move objects without touching them on transparent acrylic plastic or a plexiglass sheet. The parapsychologistStanley Krippner had observed Vinogradova rub an aluminum tube before moving it allegedly by psychokinesis. Krippner suggested no psychokinesis was involved; the effect was produced by an electrostatic charge. Vinogradova was featured in the Nova documentary Secrets of the Psychics (1993) which followed the debunking work of James Randi.^[46] Vinogradova demonstrated her alleged psychokinetic abilities on camera for Randi and other investigators. Before the experiments she was observed combing her hair and rubbing the surface of the acrylic plastic. Massimo Polidoro has replicated the feats of Vinogradova by using an acrylic plastic surface and showing how easy it is to move any kind of object on top of it due to the charges of static electricity. The effect is easily achieved if the surface is electrically charged by rubbing a towel or a hand on it.^[46] The physicist John Taylor has written "It is very likely that electrostatics is all that is needed to explain Alla Vinogradova's apparently paranormal feats."^[56]

Metal bending[edit]

See also: Spoon bending

Uri Geller was famous for his spoon bending demonstrations.

Psychics have also claimed the psychokinetic ability to bend metal. Uri Geller was famous for his spoon bending demonstrations, allegedly by PK.^[43] Geller has been caught many times using sleight of hand and according to science writer Terence Hines, all his effects have been recreated using conjuring tricks.^[57][58]

The French psychic Jean-Pierre Girard has claimed he can bend metal bars by PK. Girard was tested in the 1970s but failed to produce any paranormal effects in scientifically controlled conditions.^[59] He was tested on January 19, 1977 during a two-hour experiment in aParis laboratory. The experiment was directed by the physicist Yves Farge with a magician also present. All of the experiments were negative as Girard failed to make any of the objects move paranormally. He failed two tests in Grenoble in June 1977 with the magician James Randi.^[59] He was also tested on September 24, 1977 at a laboratory at the Nuclear Research Centre. Girard failed to bend any bars or change the structure of the metals. Other experiments into spoon bending were also negative and witnesses described his feats as fraudulent. Girard later admitted that he would sometimes cheat to avoid disappointing the public but insisted he still had genuine psychic power.^[59] Magicians and scientists have written that he produced all his alleged psychokinetic feats through fraudulent means.^[57][60]

Stephen North, a British psychic in the late 1970s, was known for his alleged psychokinetic ability to bend spoons and teleport objects in and out of sealed containers. The British physicist John Hasted tested North in a series of experiments which he claimed had demonstrated psychokinesis, though his experiments were criticized for lack of scientific controls.^[61][62] North was tested in Grenoble on 19 December 1977 in scientific conditions and the results were negative.^[59] According to James Randi, during a test at Birkbeck CollegeNorth was observed to have bent a metal sample with his bare hands. Randi wrote "I find it unfortunate that [Hasted] never had an epiphany in which he was able to recognize just how thoughtless, cruel, and predatory were the acts perpetrated on him by fakers who took advantage of his naivety and trust."^[63]

"PK Parties" were a cultural fad in the 1980s, begun by Jack Houck,^[64] where groups of people were guided through rituals and chants to awaken metal-bending powers. They were encouraged to shout at the items of cutlery they had brought and to jump and scream to create an atmosphere of pandemonium (or what scientific investigators called heightened suggestibility). Critics were excluded and participants were told to avoid looking at their hands. Thousands of people attended these emotionally charged parties, and many became convinced that they had bent silverware by paranormal means.^[65]

PK parties have been described as a campaign by paranormal believers to convince people of the existence of psychokinesis, on the basis of nonscientific data from personal experience and testimony. The United States National Academy of Sciences has criticized PK parties on the grounds that conditions are not reliable for obtaining scientific results and "are just those which psychologists and others have described as creating states of heightened suggestibility."^[65]

Ronnie Marcus, an Israeli psychic and claimant of psychokinetic metal bending, was tested in 1994 in scientifically controlled conditions and failed to produce any paranormal phenomena.^[66] According to magicians, his alleged psychokinetic feats were sleight of hand tricks. Marcus bent a letter opener by the concealed application of force and a frame-by-frame analysis of video showed that he bent a spoon from pressure from his thumb by ordinary, physical means.^[67][68]

In popular culture[edit]

Psychokinesis and telekinesis have commonly been used as superpowers in movies, television, computer games, literature, and other forms of popular culture.^[69][70][71]

Notable portrayals of psychokinetic and/or telekinetic characters include the Teleks in the 1952 novella Telek,^[72] Sissy Spacek as the title character in the 1976 film Carrie,^[73]Ellen Burstyn in the 1980 healer-themed film Resurrection,^[74] the Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars franchise,^[75] the Scanners in the 1981 film Scanners,^[76] and three high school seniors in the 2012 film Chronicle.^[77]

Reception[edit]

Evaluation[edit]

There is a broad scientific consensus that PK research, and parapsychology more generally, have not produced a reliable, repeatable demonstration.^{[9][10][12][65][78][79]}

A panel commissioned in 1988 by the United States National Research Council to study paranormal claims concluded that "despite a 130-year record of scientific research on such matters, our committee could find no scientific justification for the existence of phenomena such as extrasensory perception, mental telepathy or ‘mind over matter’ exercises... Evaluation of a large body of the best available evidence simply does not support the contention that these phenomena exist."^[78]

In 1984, the United States National Academy of Sciences, at the request of the US Army Research Institute,^[ambiguous] formed a scientific panel to assess the best evidence for psychokinesis. Part of its purpose was to investigate military applications of PK, for example to remotely jam or disrupt enemy weaponry. The panel heard from a variety of military staff who believed in PK and made visits to the PEAR laboratory and two other laboratories that had claimed positive results from micro-PK experiments. The panel criticized macro-PK experiments for being open to deception by conjurors, and said that virtually all micro-PK experiments "depart from good scientific practice in a variety of ways". Their conclusion, published in a 1987 report, was that there was no scientific evidence for the existence of psychokinesis.^[65]

Carl Sagan included telekinesis in a long list of "offerings of pseudoscience and superstition" which "it would be foolish to accept (...) without solid scientific data".^[80] Nobel Prize laureate Richard Feynman advocated a similar position.^[81]

Felix Planer, a professor of electrical engineering, has written that if psychokinesis were real then it would be easy to demonstrate by getting subjects to depress a scale on a sensitive balance, raise the temperature of a waterbath which could be measured with an accuracy of a hundredth of a degree centigrade, or affect an element in an electrical circuit such as a resistor, which could be monitored to better than a millionth of an ampere.^[82] Planer writes that such experiments are extremely sensitive and easy to monitor but are not utilized by parapsychologists as they "do not hold out the remotest hope of demonstrating even a minute trace of PK" because the alleged phenomenon is non-existent. Planer has written that parapsychologists have to fall back on studies that involve only statistics that are unrepeatable, owing their results to poor experimental methods, recording mistakes and faulty statistical mathematics.^[82]

According to Planer, "All research in medicine and other sciences would become illusionary, if the existence of PK had to be taken seriously; for no experiment could be relied upon to furnish objective results, since all measurements would become falsified to a greater or lesser degree, according to his PK ability, by the experimenter's wishes." Planer concluded that the concept of psychokinesis is absurd and has no scientific basis.^[83]

PK hypotheses have also been considered in a number of contexts outside parapsychological experiments. C. E. M. Hansel has written that a general objection against the claim for the existence of psychokinesis is that, if it were a real process, its effects would be expected to manifest in situations in everyday life; but no such effects have been observed.^[84]

Science writers Martin Gardner and Terence Hines and the philosopher Theodore Schick have written that if psychokinesis were possible, one would expect casino incomes to be affected, but the earnings are exactly as the laws of chance predict.^{[85][86][87][88][89]}

Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey argues that many experiments in psychology, biology or physics assume that the intentions of the subjects or experimenter do not physically distort the apparatus. Humphrey counts them as implicit replications of PK experiments in which PK fails to appear.^[10]

Physics[edit]

The ideas of psychokinesis and telekinesis violate several well-established laws of physics, including the inverse square law, the second law of thermodynamics, and theconservation of momentum.^[78][90] Because of this, scientists have demanded a high standard of evidence for PK, in line with Marcello Truzzi's dictum "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof".^[10][91] The Occam's razor law of parsimoniousness in scientific explanation of phenomenons suggest that the explanation of PK in terms ordinary ways — by trickery, special effects or by poor experimental design — is preferable to accepting that the laws of physics should be rewritten.^[9][13]

Philosopher and physicist Mario Bunge has written that "psychokinesis, or PK, violates the principle that mind cannot act directly on matter. (If it did, no experimenter could trust his readings of measuring instruments.) It also violates the principles of conservation of energy and momentum. The claim that quantum mechanics allows for the possibility of mental power influencing randomizers — an alleged case of micro-PK — is ludicrous since that theory respects the said conservation principles, and it deals exclusively with physical things."^[92]

Physicist John Taylor, who has investigated parapsychological claims, has written that an unknown fifth force causing psychokinesis would have to transmit a great deal of energy. The energy would have to overcome the electromagnetic forces binding the atoms together, because the atoms would need to respond more strongly to the fifth force than to electric forces. Such an additional force between atoms should therefore exist all the time and not during only alleged paranormal occurrences. Taylor wrote there is no scientific trace of such a force in physics, down to many orders of magnitude; thus, if a scientific viewpoint is to be preserved, the idea of any fifth force must be discarded. Taylor concluded that there is no possible physical mechanism for psychokinesis, and it is in complete contradiction to established science.^[93]

In 1979, Evan Harris Walker and Richard Mattuck published a parapsychology paper proposing a quantum explanation for psychokinesis. Physicist Victor J. Stenger wrote that their explanation contained assumptions not supported by any scientific evidence. According to Stenger their paper is "filled with impressive looking equations and calculations that give the appearance of placing psychokinesis on a firm scientific footing... Yet look what they have done. They have found the value of one unknown number (wavefunction steps) that gives one measured number (the supposed speed of PK-induced motion). This is numerology, not science."^[94]

Physicist Sean M. Carroll has written that spoons, like all matter, are made up of atoms and that any movement of a spoon with the mind would involve the manipulation of those atoms through the four forces of nature: the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, electromagnetism, and gravitation. Psychokinesis would have to be either some form of one of these four forces, or a new force that has a billionth the strength of gravity, for otherwise it would have been captured in experiments already done. This leaves no physical force that could possibly account for psychokinesis.^[95]

Physicist Robert L. Park has found it suspicious that a phenomenon should only ever appear at the limits of detectability of questionable statistical techniques. He cites this feature as one of Irving Langmuir's indicators of pathological science.^[79][96] Park pointed out that if mind really could influence matter, it would be easy for parapsychologists to measure such a phenomenon by using the alleged psychokinetic power to deflect a microbalance, which would not require any dubious statistics. "[T]he reason, of course, is that the microbalance stubbornly refuses to budge." He has suggested that the reason statistical studies are so popular in parapsychology is that they introduce opportunities for uncertainty and error, which are used to support the experimenter's biases.^[79]

Explanations in terms of bias[edit]

Cognitive bias research has suggested that people are susceptible to illusions of PK. These include both the illusion that they themselves have the power, and that the events they witness are real demonstrations of PK.^[97] For example, the illusion of control is an illusory correlation between intention and external events, and believers in the paranormal have been shown to be more susceptible to this illusion than others.^[98][99] Psychologist Thomas Gilovich explains this as a biased interpretation of personal experience. For example, someone in a dice game wishing for a high score can interpret high numbers as "success" and low numbers as "not enough concentration."^[78] Bias towards belief in PK may be an example of the human tendency to see patterns where none exist, called the clustering illusion, which believers are also more susceptible to.^[97]

A 1952 study tested for experimenter's bias with respect to psychokinesis. Richard Kaufman of Yale University gave subjects the task of trying to influence eight dice and allowed them to record their own scores. They were secretly filmed, so their records could be checked for errors. Believers in psychokinesis made errors that favored its existence, while disbelievers made opposite errors. A similar pattern of errors was found in J. B. Rhine's dice experiments, which were considered the strongest evidence for PK at that time.^[100]

In 1995, Wiseman and Morris showed subjects an unedited videotape of a magician's performance in which a fork bent and eventually broke. Believers in the paranormal were significantly more likely to misinterpret the tape as a demonstration of PK, and were more likely to misremember crucial details of the presentation. This suggests thatconfirmation bias affects people's interpretation of PK demonstrations.^[101] Psychologist Robert Sternberg cites confirmation bias as an explanation of why belief in psychic phenomena persists, despite the lack of evidence:

"Some of the worst examples of confirmation bias are in research on parapsychology (...) Arguably, there is a whole field here with no powerful confirming data at all. But people want to believe, and so they find ways to believe."^[102]

Psychologist Daniel Wegner has argued that an introspection illusion contributes to belief in psychokinesis.^[103] He observes that in everyday experience, intention (such as wanting to turn on a light) is followed by action (such as flicking a light switch) in a reliable way, but the underlying neural mechanisms are outside awareness. Hence, though subjects may feel that they directly introspect their own free will, the experience of control is actually inferred from relations between the thought and the action. This theory ofapparent mental causation acknowledges the influence of David Hume's view of the mind.^[103] This process for detecting when one is responsible for an action is not totally reliable, and when it goes wrong there can be an illusion of control. This can happen when an external event follows, and is congruent with, a thought in someone's mind, without an actual causal link.^[103] As evidence, Wegner cites a series of experiments on magical thinking in which subjects were induced to think they had influenced external events. In one experiment, subjects watched a basketball player taking a series of free throws. When they were instructed to visualize him making his shots, they felt that they had contributed to his success.^[104] Other experiments designed to create an illusion of psychokinesis have demonstrated that this depends, to some extent, on the subject's prior belief in psychokinesis.^{[98][101][105]}

A 2006 meta-analysis of 380 studies found a small positive effect that can be explained by publication bias.^[106]

Magic and special effects[edit]

An advertising poster depicting magician Harry Kellar performing the "Levitation of Princess Karnac" illusion, 1894, U.S. Library of Congress.

See also: Mentalism

Magicians have successfully simulated some of the specialized abilities of psychokinesis, such as object movement, spoon bending, levitation and teleportation.^[107] According to Robert Todd Carroll, there are many impressive magic tricks available to amateurs and professionals to simulate psychokinetic powers.^[108] Metal objects such as keys or cutlery can be bent using a number of different techniques, even if the performer has not had access to the items beforehand.^[109]

According to Richard Wiseman there are a number of ways for faking psychokinetic metal bending (PKMB). These include switching straight objects for pre-bent duplicates, the concealed application of force, and secretly inducing metallic fractures.^[110] Research has also suggested that (PKMB) effects can be created by verbal suggestion. On this subject the magician Ben Harris wrote:

"If you are doing a really convincing job, then you should be able to put a bent key on the table and comment, ‘Look, it is still bending’, and have your spectators really believe that it is. This may sound the height of boldness; however, the effect is astounding – and combined with suggestion, it does work."^[111]

Between 1979 and 1981, the McDonnell Laboratory for Psychical Research at Washington University reported a series of experiments they named Project Alpha, in which two teenaged male subjects had demonstrated PK phenomena (including metal-bending and causing images to appear on film) under less than stringent laboratory conditions. James Randi eventually revealed that the subjects were two of his associates, amateur conjurers Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards. The pair had created the effects by standard trickery, but the researchers, being unfamiliar with magic techniques, interpreted them as proof of PK.^[112]

A 2014 study that utilized a magic trick to investigate paranormal belief on eyewitness testimony revealed that believers in psychokinesis were more likely to report a key continued to bend than non-believers.^[105]