August Remote Viewing News

August's Remote Viewing group meeting was unusually amazing.  One of the things that fascinates me is how, despite years of "unbelievable" experiences in my work with the Rhine Research Center, I continue to be surprised when something unexpected occurs.  You'd think I'd get used to it, but fortunately I don't, I still get impressed. Last night was one of those events. 

At our monthly meetings we try to  mix it up and experience the many facets of the Remote Viewing experience.  We do this by trying out various modes of intuitive information gatherings such as dowsing, or we practice different flavors of RV such as ERV, WRV, CRV, etc.  We also try different data gathering scenarios with outbounder targets, picture targets, experiential targets, multiple sensory targets, things like that.  In other words, each RV group meeting is a new experience and never boring, always educational and fun.  So last evening we decided to try again some Remote Viewing and analysis of our sessions. 

Analyzing information from viewers is a whole different kettle of fish from gathering the data, but it is just as essential, and some would argue much more important to the RV process than the raw data.  In doing the analysis of the information, it provides viewers with a new and useful perspective on the quality and value of the data they gather as remote viewers.  I also wanted us to have the chance to quantify our sessions, to be able to say "This data applies to that tasking", so we did sessions that did just that. 

We divided ourselves into groups of 3 members, and gave each of our groups a name.  Before the meeting I had put together some target sets, 4 envelopes per set with a photograph inside each envelope.  In each group of envelopes there would be one chosen as the tasked envelope.  I did not look at the photos in the envelopes, I just randomly chose them from a box full of envelopes before the meeting.  I asked each group, while holding up their set of envelopes, to describe on paper the photograph/event depicted in the target envelope.  Again, each group gets its own set of 4 randomly chosen, unknown to any of us, envelopes.  One of those envelopes is the tasked target for them to Remote View.  They do not get to touch the envelopes until AFTER the sessions and analysis and feedback are provided.  They go off, each group to a separate room to do their RV session however they see fit to do  that.  I hang back with the sets of envelopes, and while they are silently doing their sessions, I flip a coin twice to chose the one envelope from the set of four.  Two coin flips provides 4 possible options.  I then write down the envelope number for each set and put that piece of paper in my notebook where it won't be seen.  Then the groups come back at a certain time and I give the pack of envelopes, still closed up, and the paperwork of the viewers sessions for that target, to a different group for analysis.  What I ask them to do is to open the envelopes and lay the photos out on a table, then take the writing and drawings done by the viewers and rank each of the 4 photos from closest match to the data to least match to the photo.  So each group analyzes another group's work, deciding which of the potential targets is most accurately described by the remote viewing session data.  They write down their ranking of most described (#1) to least described (#4) and we all get back together.  Then I shuffle the now closed envelopes in each set, and pull out the envelope that was the tasked target for each set, and I compare that number with the ranking numbers the analysis groups provided.  Of the 3 groups of viewers, we had 2 #1's and 1 #2.  In other words, two of the groups hit the nail on the head, and the other group was off by one.  We did this same type of viewing/analysis/ranking many months ago and did not have such stunning results.  This time was different, their success surprised me.  This was not a controlled experiment, but you have to be impressed with their work.

What "caused" the group to do so well?  Was it my exciting and informative Powerpoint presentation at the beginning of the meeting discussing the Remote Viewing experience?  Probably not.... Was it our review of the many different CRV courses/process that have evolved since the Government RV program was declassified?  Doubtful.  I think a lot has to do with the group dynamic that has been evolving over the many meetings, where we are getting to know and trust and rely on each other as we share our experiences and our knowledge.  Its an environment that is as laid-back as it is serious about what we are up to, whether or not we had success in our RV sessions, we still had a valuable time at the meeting for a dozen other reasons.  If this is something you want to participate in, I hope you will join us at the next meeting on September 21st.  If you want to be on the Remote Viewing mailing list, drop me a line a benton@rhine.org.  I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope to see you at our next get-together.
-- Benton Bogle

Dowsing and Remote Viewing

Dowsing and Remote Viewing are close cousins, many of the former government RVers are dowsers, too, and many of the techniques and skills used in dowsing can be applied to Remote Viewing. So its natural that the Remote Viewing group decided to look into this dowsing phenomenon to see what we could learn. A couple of the members of the group prepared and presented us all information on the history, skills and application of dowsing at the most recent RV meeting. We just scratched the surface of all that we could learn about this ancient skill, but it was surely enough to whet our appetites to learn more.


Like other practices that are working with intuition and “non-conscious” information, dowsing requires a lot of practice and experience to become a useful tool. We were interested in learning more about dowsing because it is so similar to Remote Viewing, and can be applied to Remote Viewing. Discussing dowsing also was a great stepping off point for lots of valuable discussion within the group on the nuances of working with intuitive information. As usual, it was the shared insight on experiences and practices that made our meeting worthwhile for those of us there. We discussed pendulum dowsing as well as the use of dowsing rods. We were able to practice this skill, and many of the techniques required were presented.

My point here is to encourage you to come join our monthly Remote Viewing group, it’s a place to learn about the how-to and the experiential parts of the practice you just are not going to get off the internet or on your own. Over the years, I learned a ton of information from reading and gleaning what I could off the internet, and I attended lectures and workshops on Remote Viewing. But having a regular get-together with folks you can rely on, who know what you are talking about but also have read and experienced other things that you can learn from, makes a world of difference. I am regularly impressed with new information and ideas that I did not know was out there, and I come away from each meeting better informed, energized to try new things, and with another addition to that growing pile of “must read” books. Most folks in the group come from other interests, and want to learn about Remote Viewing to add another tool to their toolbox. I encourage you to do the same, and we look forward to seeing you at the next meeting on July 20th.
-- Benton Bogle

A Weekend with Paul Smith

Paul Smith is a Remote Viewing trainer, wrote the Military's RV manual, and was a central member of the Government's Remote Viewing program during its heyday.

Mr. Smith paid the Rhine Center a visit last Friday and Saturday, and if you had a chance to come hear him talk, you know he had a lot of fascinating things to say. He was a very engaging speaker, and on Friday night he talked about Remote Viewing in general and some of his adventures in the now declassified Stargate program.


On Saturday he went into detail on the theories and mechanics of Remote Viewing, and the group who attended got to practice RV with Mr. Smith as their instructor. It was fascinating and fun, and even though I haved learned a lot about remote viewing over the years, he still had some new insights to share. He really delved into the big questions remote viewing presents us with, and we had a great time discussing the hows and whys of the experience. Everyone there seemed to get a lot out of it, and we are looking forward to having him back. Do yourself a favor and check out his website http://www.rviewer.com/.

Remote Viewing Group Update

The monthly meeting of the Remote Viewing group occurred on Wednesday the 17th, and we covered a lot of fascinating ground.

We have started setting aside some time in every meeting to share information that others in the group might benefit from. This includes discussing books, websites, movies, online education and videos, tweets, journal articles, experiments and even personal experiences related to PSI. Frankly, this sort of sharing was happening anyway and everyone got a lot out of it, so making it a planned part of the meetings made good sense, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

After that, I talked a little about getting PSI info related to other senses beyond the viual stuff we usually focus on, and I brought along a page of the CRV manual showing an example of CRV Stage 2 paperwork where multi-sensory data is gathered, such as smells, sounds and tactile info in addition to visual data. You can read and/or download the CRV manual.


Then we did a remote viewing session with an odor as the target. This was an unusual challenge that proved to be quite an eye opener, if you'll excuse the play on words. It forced the viewers to approach data differently, and pointed out the limitations of one's olfactory vocabulary. Amidst a bit of head scratching, we got into a discussion of how we normally put into words sensory and/or intuitive information, and what this tells us about how we use the data we get, whether it is visual or from our other senses.

We did not leave the Rhine Center with all the answers, but we did leave there with some new and important questions. No doubt, by next meeting on December 15th we WILL have all the answers, so you will want to make sure to be there. If you have any questions or comments, or want to be on the group's mailing list, drop me a line at Benton@Rhine.org. I look forward to hearing from you.
 
--Benton Bogle

Can Consciousness Comprehend Its Own Mechanics?

I wrote previously about the difficulty of studying a phenomenon with the phenomenon itself, in other words, "Can consciousness comprehend its own mechanics?".

We have to say "Yes" or else pull up stakes and move on to some other subject, but otherwise we really have to get a handle on how we work with the limitations inherent in this subject. My point in my last blog was that our ego-mind is designed to do one thing, and it is not naturally going to adapt to a multi-consciousness model of how perception works.

But from what I have seen, and many parapsychologists agree, along with most psychologists, that there are multiple consciousnesses at work in each of us. I have come to understand that the other consciousness seems to have different senses, what JB Rhine would describe as an Extra Sense. And again, we lump all these PSI phenomenon together as perhaps manifestations of one "Superpower of the Biomind" as Ingo Swann would call it, but in fact there may be multiple other senses in use by these other consciousness. So you are probably rolling your eyes at this point but that is precisely my point from the last blog, even suggesting such a mechanical structure for your mind is absurd, because the ego-consciousness cannot tolerate the idea. And that's as far as such speculation gets in most people.

Keeping in mind of course it could be a stupid notion, too. These blog entries of mine do not reflect the opinion of the RRC, and if you have any insight or concern you wish to provide regarding what I have written, please drop me an email at bbogle@triad.rr.com.

I could be barking up the wrong tree regarding sensory modalities for other consciousnesses. Take a look at the evidence, then place it in a multi-consciousness model, and see how it fits. Please resist the temptation to take the "black box" of Parapsychology and try to fit in it black boxes from other sciences, all that does is make a bigger black box. We will be having a guest speaker at our next Remote Viewing meeting on October 15th at 7pm. This person has been developing a data gathering website for PSI testing, and will be presenting the findings as well as the ideas that the evidence has suggested. This will be a great example of studying PSI with the data of the phenomenon, and I hope you can all be there.
-- Benton Bogle

A Report on Joe McMoneagle's visit to the Rhine from Benton Bogle

Joe McMoneagle visited the Rhine Center last weekend (June 4th and 5th) and it was once again an amazing event. Joe is considered by many to be the finest Remote Viewer alive, having been tested hundreds of times and having appeared on numerous live TV programs displaying his talent. He does not do a lot of appearances and virtually no training, but occasionally he visits the Rhine Center to enlighten us with his knowledge and fascinating anecdotes from his lifetime of work in the highest levels of military intelligence. Joe was a "psychic spy" for the military for almost 20 years, and helped develop what we know as remote viewing today.

The first thing you notice about Joe is that he's a friendly guy who is eager to help you learn about Remote Viewing. He's direct and thorough, so you learn from him that discipline and practice is centrally important in improving your RV success. He talked about his own method, and how important it is for each of us to find our own process, and to dedicate ourselves to it.

Like any other skill, RV is something you have to make a part of your life, you need to care deeply about it and pursue it. If you are interested in learning about how Joe does Remote Viewing, you will do yourself a big favor by reading his book, "Remote Viewing Secrets" where he spells it all out. The book Joe recommends you read to put it all in perspective is his book "The Stargate Chronicles: Memoirs of a Psychic Spy". Like his talks, it is full of stories from the development and application of the Military/Government program that flourished in the 1970s through the mid 1990s. Fascinating reading, and Joe shared many stories from those years that did not make it into the books, and follow-ups to impressive viewings.

He spent a lot of time answering the questions of the audience members in his Friday night talk, and did the same on Saturday after putting us through our paces with numerous Remote Viewing sessions. He worked with us as viewers and monitors during the sessions, and emphasized where we were getting it right, and where we needed to improve.

I had the good fortune to have Joe as my monitor on a few sessions, and he really kept me on task and guided me to use effective strategies to get the information I was looking for. You could tell from the chatter on breaks and afterwards that everyone there got a lot from the day's education, and we took a lot of great training home with us to apply to our future Remote Viewing.

The Rhine Center will be posting a video of the Friday evening program if you are interested in hearing what went on. If you have the opportunity in the future to go hear Mr. McMoneagle speak, its a great experience. Anyone interested in Remote Viewing as a practice, or the exciting stories of its application in the intelligence/political field, should pick up a copy of Joe's books and give them a good read.

Memoirs of a Psychic Spy - A Radio Interview with Joe McMoneagle

Friday, June 04 2010 by Frank Stasio and Lindsay Thomas

For years, Joe McMoneagle was known as “Remote Viewer No. 1” during his involvement in a top-secret military program called The Stargate Project. The multi-million dollar federal program was set up to determine the potential for military use of psychic phenomena like ESP and remote viewing, the ability to gather information about unseen places or objects. The idea seems implausible, but the research project ran from the 1970s through the mid-1990s. McMoneagle has documented his experiences as a remote viewer in the book “The Stargate Chronicles: Memoirs of a Psychic Spy” (Hampton Roads/2002) and this weekend, he’ll speak to audiences at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, NC. First, he joins host Frank Stasio to talk about psychic experiments in the military and how remote viewing is used today.
Click Here to Listen

Remote Viewing Group Update - Judith Morse Teaches Meditation Skills

The remote viewing group was excited about our guest on Wednesday night. Judith Morse dropped by to teach us about Meditation. If you have done much remote viewing, or been to any of the workshops of folks like Joe McMoneagle or Russell Targ, you know regular meditation is something that can really benefit a remote viewer. Both skills require practice, patience, and learning to control your attention. The same skills that make a good meditator make a good remote viewer. So Judith described some of the important types of meditation, she walked us through what we would experience, and then she helped us do some meditation there at the meeting. Meditation is at the same time simple and very involved, and Judith did a great job of explaining the fundamental process and the great potential this simple skill provides.

We had a pretty good crowd there, and from the discussion after the meditation training, it was clear that Judith's teaching had a real impact. Most of us had some experience with Meditation in the past, to others it was new, but all the comments were positive, and we had a great conversation as a group on how to work with our attention, how to quiet some of the mental noise that interferes with Remote Viewing, and of course the many benefits of Meditation. Though this meeting was unusual for us, I can see that we will need to bring Judith back periodically because of the value these skills have for people serious about remote viewing. Like all of our meetings, it was fun to see people learning new things, sharing their exciting experiences, and leaving the meeting with a sense of adventure.

As promised, at our next meeting we will be doing an outbounder session, as one of our group will be vacationing in Peru and will act as our outbounder "sender". If you aren't familiar with Remote Viewing jargon, an outbounder session was one of the first types of Remote Viewing developed by the early SRI/Military researchers. It involves a sender/outbounder and viewer (in our case, viewers). The outbounder goes out to a location that the viewers have no knowledge of, and at a certain time, the viewers do a session to get information on the location/experience of the outbounder person at that time. Normally, the viewer would later visit the same location that was viewed, but its doubtful we will fly the entire group to Peru (translated: ain't gonna happen). But our outbounder will take lots of notes and photos, and present this data to us later for feedback. In any case, it should be a lot of fun.

We will be meeting on May 12th in the library of the Rhine Research Center at 7pm, do not be late.

Russell Targ's Wonderful Presentation on Remote Viewing

Russell Targ's recent weekend visit to the RRC was absolutely fantastic and all you'd expect it to be. We had a huge crowd out for the Friday night event where Mr. Targ gave us a wonderful presentation on Remote Viewing and his history in the development of this skill. It was great to hear anecdotes of his experiences in the SRI and military programs, and how he interacted with some of the more famous viewers. He shared some of his insights into the nature of the phenomenon, and took lots of questions from the audience there. He showed a great sense of humor and a love for the science he talked with us about, which made his talk all the more enjoyable. Mr. Targ emphasized the way Buddhist thought sheds light on the PSI events we witness, and how important the reality of our connectedness is to our understanding Remote Viewing.

Then on Saturday Russell talked with us about the dynamics of Remote Viewing, and led us in a number of practices over the course of the day. Those of us attending received instruction from a person instrumental in the very creation of the Remote Viewing field. The different targets selected, and the varied procedures used highlighted the important considerations in any remote viewing session. We discussed the process and shared feedback on our experiences. As always in these group sessions, the shared knowledge of fellow viewers was a real boon to our learning. Russell added his own insights, gleaned from decades of experience in working with the best remote viewers in the world.

The members of the remote viewing group that meets monthly at the RRC, the staff on hand, and all the visitors from across the country in attendance shared a wonderful few days of Remote Viewing education. Mr. Targ's scientific knowledge and practical Remote Viewing skills, as well as his joy in exploring the non-local connections we share added up to a marvelous experience. Hopefully we will have him back for another visit in the future, and the Rhine Center is very grateful for the learning event he provided us. We are likewise looking forward to other Remote Viewing events in the near future, such as the PSI games on Friday, and visits from Joe McMoneagle and Dale E. Graff later this summer. Please contact the RRC soon if you are interested in these events.

- written by Benton Bogle

Remote Viewer's Group Report from Benton Bogle

Last night's Remote Viewer's meeting was once again a thrill. I arrived good and early, and after a brief altercation with the security system, I plopped down my equipment to get ready for the meeting. I had brought along a target for Remote Viewing practice. We like to try at least one target per meeting. The Remote Viewing meetings usually consist of a short presentation on one of a wide range of topics, some discussion about the topic, a remote viewing session, and then reflections and observations on our experiences in the session. It's extremely helpful and fun to be able to sit with other viewers and share insights, knowledge and experience regarding our Remote Viewing.

Anyway, before anyone arrived, I placed the target ( a small box containing one of my work gloves) on top of some other boxes there in the library where we have the meeting, out of sight of the meeting area. Then I went back over to the table and set up the laptop, projector and screen. I greeted folks and chatted with them as they entered, and at the designated time we started the meeting. The presentation was on "Relating to the Subconscious" and I talked about many things I had learned about relating and interacting with the subconscious, and we all shared strategies and ideas about this topic. Then we did our Remote Viewing session. Keep in mind no one there knew what or where the target was. Earlier things we had remote viewed at other meetings included vacations, photos of famous events, objects there in the building, a wide range of targets. We took about 20 minutes to do our session, and when we finished everyone put down their pens and paper and I retrieved the box. I opened it and poured out the glove onto the table in front of the group. The participant to my right gasped and held up the session notes. The first two words on the page: Box, Glove. The next participant to the right started their session with Appaloosa horse, and embossed on the back of the workglove was a horse. The other participants got bits and pieces of the information on the target, and everyone was excited about the results. And of course, it was a lot of fun.

I am very much looking forward to our next meeting on February 10th at 7pm in the Alex Tanous Library there at the RRC. I hope to see you there.

The Remote Viewing Group meets on the second Wednesday of every month. It is open to the public.

Remote Viewer's Group Report from Benton Bogle

We had a relatively small turnout at the Remote Viewer's group last night due to the holiday season, but it turned out to be a good thing since we were able to each share our perspectives and styles of Remote Viewing with each other. Having a group meet and being in the same room together is really turning out to be a great boon to our individual efforts to learn and develop our Remote Viewing.

Normally at meetings we will have some sort of short presentation, do a remote viewing session and then set aside some time to talk with each other about our experiences, but last night's meeting was dedicated soley to talking about our processes and our "theories" on what is going on with RV. As always, the energy in the room was amazing, and the feedback and insights the various viewers had to share, as well as the encouragement, was extremely helpful to all of us. We got into the nitty-gritty of the way we access and handle information, and shared ideas about how to improve our sessions and our attitude toward the experience. Being able to get feedback and suggestions from other people face-to-face really can't be replaced, and I found the evening to be a strong boost to my efforts, and the other folks there said the same thing.

I've been learning and practicing RV for years, have read dozens of books, been to countless workshops and presentation, and done lots and lots of sessions, but getting immediate feedback with new ideas and perspectives, being reminded of useful techniques, having some of my assumptions and habits questioned and examined was unbelievably helpful. Being in a safe and sympathetic environment and learning from the wide-range of experiences of like-minded people makes a huge difference. Can you tell I thought the meeting went well?

If you are interested in Remote Viewing, you will do yourself a favor in the new year by attending our next Remote Viewing group meeting the 2nd Wednesday in January.

Remote Viewing Group at the Rhine

The Remote Viewer's group had another fantastic meeting last Wedensday.

Rich Krankoski, who was trained by Paul Smith and has worked as a Remote Viewer, led the group in a review of the fascinating history of Remote Viewing since the end of the US military program, and showed us some of his Remote Viewing sessions. He also shared with the group a video of an impressive Remote Viewing demonstration, and he discussed the film "The Men who Stare at Goats" which is currently in theaters. He also led us in a practice session for the group, and it went really well.

We then spent some time discussing our session and the processes we use in remote viewing. As always, it was a lively and enthusiastic group that included folks with a great deal of knowledge of RV as well as newcomers. If you would like to be on the group's email list, to keep informed of our meetings and other RV related news, please drop me a line at bbogle@triad.rr.com.

Remote Viewing Expo online!

It's time for the first-ever REMOTE VIEWING EXPO online!

July 2009 is TKR's sixth anniversary! To celebrate, they are bringing together online some of the coolest events, people and 'stuff' in Remote Viewing. All free of course, for all viewers of course, check it out!

TKR WELCOMES GARY LANGFORD * JOSEPH W. MCMONEAGLE * DR. RICHARD BROUGHTON * DR. EDWIN C. MAY * DR. DEAN RADIN * DR. CHARLES T. TART * DR. JESSICA UTTS * NANCY MCMONEAGLE * STEPHAN SCHWARTZ * RUSSELL TARG

VISIT THE EXPO HOME

* WE HAVE NEW INTERVIEWS! * WE HAVE RV TASKING! GO VIEW! PRIZES TOO!
* WE HAVE LIVE CHAT CONFERENCES! * WE HAVE GROOVY NEW VIDEOS! *


First Up: GARY LANGFORD Very seldom seen in public in this field (in fact, this may be his first-ever 'appearance' besides some previous talk on TKR's forum!), we are honored to host Gary Langford for some Q&A. Gary provided remote viewing for science research from the 1970s until the 1990s, and was a key participant in projects now collectively known as STAR GATE. Gary is in LIVE CHAT CONFERENCE July 2nd at 10:00pm Eastern at the Dojo Psi

Remote Viewing Chat

Come tell Gary hello, ask questions if you've got them!

You can find Gary's RV EXPO page here
Over the next week his page will acquire more info like an email interview,
some archived notes from him, plus a transcript, so check back.

TKR is a field-wide free community project "by viewers, for viewers" and
welcomes folks of all backgrounds, psi methods and philosophies.

TEN THOUSAND ROADS REMOTE VIEWING AND DOWSING PROJECT

TKR HANDS-ON REMOTE VIEWING
TKR REMOTE VIEWING DISCUSSION FORUM

The International Remote Viewing Association Questions Details of Twitter Remote Viewing Experiment

June 7, 2009

In just the past few days, parapsychologist and skeptic Dr. Richard Wiseman has launched an innovative experiment on the Internet-based social networking service Twitter which aims to test the reality of the ESP-based phenomenon known as remote viewing (RV). In the tradition of similar mass experiments such as that conducted by Stephan Schwartz’s Moebius Group via Omni magazine in the 1980s, Dr. Wiseman hopes to enlist the aid of everyday humans in creating a large statistical sampling that will either tell for or against remote viewing.The International Remote Viewing Association, founded in 1999 by prominent former military and civilian members of the remote viewing community to disseminate information about and responsible investigation into remote viewing, applauds the imaginative way Dr. Richard Wiseman is using Twitter to explore the existence of this interesting phenomenon. We find the premise behind the experiment’s structure to be interesting and generally sound, and wish Dr. Wiseman well in demonstrating a successful outcome once all results are calculated.We do, however, have some reservations about details of the experiment, and are concerned that they may act to dampen the full success a mass experiment model of this sort might otherwise promise. These concerns are (in no order of importance):

1. That there may be too much similarity among some of the five targets in each of the four sets. To have the clearest chance of success, a remote viewing experiment of this sort requires there to be as much difference between the targets and as little similarity as possible (in technical terms, the targets should be as “orthogonal” as possible). However, in several of the target sets chosen for this experiment there is much overlap in composition, shape, color, and content which will likely make it harder for viewers to discriminate between them during the judging phase, when they must decide which of the targets they perceived during their remote viewing attempts.

2. The photos of the targets may perhaps be too narrowly cropped to minimally capture surrounding detail that might be perceived by would-be viewers. RV is a largely perceptual and minimally cognitive process, so the realities of human perception must be taken into account when selecting the targets to be used in the sets. Further, remote viewing is not a telepathic process. Thus, a viewer’s attention may not necessarily be drawn to the same things the experimenter chooses to focus on, but rather to some other attention-getting object or scene in the vicinity. Obviously, too wide a focus would include too much, making deciding between targets harder in a different way. There is a happy medium between too wide and too narrow which, though difficult to specify with precise selection rules, can easily be learned through experience or in consultation with someone who has such experience. It goes without saying that to maximize chances of success, each target location should be selected to be as uniform within the respective target area itself as it is different from other target settings.

3. Testing a large body of naive subjects may not demonstrate a strong effect, as initial success will vary dramatically across individuals with no or little prior remote viewing experience. Strong results produced by some individuals may be canceled out by the statistical noise of others who don’t yet “get” how to do remote viewing.

4. In line with point 3, the absence of even rudimentary instructions on how one might do remote viewing leaves it up to naive viewers to try to figure out how to do it themselves. This may have a further dampening effect on results, as many novice viewers may not have a grasp on how to put the process into effect, and will find their efforts frustrated and unsuccessful. One would not, for example, present a bicycle to someone unfamiliar with the principles of bicycle riding and then conclude that bicycle riding was impossible if the person fails to successfully ride the bike. Future remote viewing experiments such as this might recommend, or even borrow from, simple remote viewing procedures such as those outlined on the Association’s website at http://www.irva.org/

5. It is unclear in the experimental design what measures have been taken to guarantee that all responses will be authentic (that is, unique and individual). It is technically feasible for groups or persons disenchanted with the purpose of the experiment to “spam” the results with large numbers of randomly chosen responses. This would have the effect of diluting or even completely submerging any real effect that might otherwise emerge. Such a strategy can only work to adversely affect the experiment – it cannot produce artificially inflated results, since that would require a large number of votes for the correct choice, which is not known (other than via ESP) for each trial until after it has been closed and no further responses are possible. In order to avoid this, the website and voting process must be constructive to eliminate the possibility of automated randomized or “spoofed” votes.

One final note related to the experiment but not having directly to do with its conduct: Dr. Wiseman’s statistical assessment (if accurately represented in media articles) that three “hits” of four in the series would yield odds against chance of 1 in 125 may inadvertently overstate the case. After consulting with statistician and IRVA board member Professor Jessica Utts, it seems the actual statistical consequence of three “hits” would yield a more modest (but still significant) odds against chance of 1 in 36. As Dr. Utts observed, "The odds against chance of 1/125 would be appropriate if 3 hits were required in just 3 trials, rather than at least 3 hits in 4 trials."Nothing said here is meant to criticize Dr. Wiseman for undertaking this commendable effort to demonstrate a remote viewing effect. We are pleased to see such research being conducted and stand ready to contribute advice or assistance when invited. We hope our comments above will be useful to future experiments, even if this one should turn out not to be as successful as we might like.
Paul H. SmithPresident, The International Remote Viewing Association
http://www.irva.org/

Twitter's Psychic Experiment

In the first scientific experiment to be conducted via the social messaging service, experts will investigate "remote viewing" - the psychic ability to identify distant locations.

Members of the public will be asked to "tweet" their impressions of a randomly chosen spot in the UK visited by one of the researchers. Then they will vote for which of five photographs on a website shows where the visitor was standing. The trial will be repeated with visually different locations four times. If at the end of the experiment the votes correctly identify at least three targets, it will support the existence of extra-sensory perception.

Study leader psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire, who specialises in investigating psychic phenomena, said: "Personally, I'm sceptical, but three hits would be against odds of one in 125, which would be quite impressive."

He hopes as many as 10,000 people will take part in the research, being conducted in collaboration with New Scientist magazine. Prof Wiseman will travel to each target location and send a message to thousands of participants to "tweet" their thoughts about his surroundings.
Twenty minutes after sending this message he will transmit another containing a website address on which participants can view photographs of the actual location and four decoys. They will then cast their votes.

"I have staged several mass participation studies over the years, but this is the first to use Twitter," said Prof Wiseman. "The instant nature of tweets allows thousands of people to take part in real time, making it perfect for an extra-sensory perception experiment. If the effect does exist then having so many people participate will help detect it."

Prof Wiseman is not the first scientist to investigate remote viewing. At the height of the Cold War in the 1970s, the CIA spent $20 million (£12.5 million) conducting remote viewing experiments in a real-life case of the "X-files". The "Stargate Project" was aimed at conducting "psychic spying" missions against the Soviet Union.

"The Russians were doing the same thing, and there was evidence from laboratory studies that suggested there might be something going on," said Prof Wiseman. "The CIA just thought it was worth a try and ran the programme for about 10 years."

Remote viewing has been linked to astral projection and telepathy, but no-one knows how it might work. Unlike the CIA, Prof Wiseman will be looking for a group effect rather than individual ability. This is a phenomenon known as "the wisdom of the crowds".

"If you have a jar full of jellybeans and you want to know many are in it, you get the most accurate estimate by averaging a number of different people's estimates," said Prof Wiseman.

The results of the experiment should be known on Friday. Sumit Paul-Choudhury, online editor at New Scientist, said: "There have been mass participation experiments since the start of mass communication and this is the next step.

"If we find some sort of effect then we can get into speculating about how it works."
Anyone can take part in the experiment by visiting the site.

Visit Richard Wiseman's Blog for more details about the experiment which began June 1, 2009. Tune into Twitter at 10am EST to participate in the experiment.

Remote Viewing Anyone?

Remote viewing is a controlled form of PSI funtioning that can be learned. Similar to much earlier research on "thought transferrence" by the Rhines, Rene Warcollier and the Sinclairs, what we call Remote Viewing was developed by the US military as a response to similar programs in the Soviet Union. A secret program was created to bring together scientists in the field to develop defenses against foreign "psychic spys" and to establish our own data gathering abilities.

Scientists and military personnel who had been screened for "psychic abilities" were established as a team, and over the decades from the 1970s through the mid 1990s, and under various names and funding sources, the group established protocols for gathering information and for training such skills. Since the projects ended in 1995, and due to declassification of much of the information on the program, many of the former government Remote Viewers have written books, started training programs of their own, and have discussed the science of Remote Viewing in the public media.

Remote Viewing is something you can learn to do, and its a lot of fun. Training is of course available, but free information from books and websites is plentiful, and with some practice you can develop your own Remote Viewing skills.

Benton Bogle works regularly with a website dedicated to learning Remote Viewing, and he says he is shocked almost on a daily basis by the incredible Remote Viewing skills shown by the participants there. The science of Remote Viewing is still quite young, and much is yet to be learned about it, but the techique and process of Remote Viewing is something you can learn with practice.

You can visit the site at Remote Viewing and Dowsing Community RV Web Forum (not affiliated with the Rhine Research Center), or if you are interested in a more hands-on experience, Benton Bogle is organizing a small group of remote viewers to meet regularly for practice at the Rhine Center. See the notice below.

Interested in Remote Viewing Practice?
The Rhine Research Center is considering sponsorship of a Remote Viewing Practice Group. This group would meet regularly at the Rhine Center to do outbounder and other types of Remote Viewing that involve interaction. It would not be necessary to be trained as a Remote Viewer or to follow a particular method to participate. If you are interested in practicing Remote Viewing as a part of a small group of viewers and / or have questions, please contact Benton Bogle by email at bbogle@triad.rr.com. Meetings for the group would be free of charge for RRC members, $10 for non-members.