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Close encounters in the liminal zone: experiments in imaginal communication part I
1Transpersonal Studies, Atlantic University, Virginia Beach 23451, USA.
The Journal of Analytical Psychology
|January 1, 1996
Summary
This study explored psychic contact between individuals using guided imagination. Participants reported the imagined connection felt real and intimate, suggesting a shared liminal space can be observed experimentally.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Parapsychology
- Consciousness Studies
Background:
- Phenomenology of interpersonal psychic experiences is poorly understood.
- Previous research lacks experimental methods for observing subjective inter-mind connections.
- The concept of a 'liminal zone' between individuals requires empirical investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the phenomenology of psychic contact in a dyadic interaction.
- To explore the subjective experience of imagined mental connection.
- To determine if the transitional space between individuals can be observed through imagination.
Main Methods:
- A novel dyadic interaction protocol in imaginal space was developed.
- Participants (in pairs, eyes closed) were instructed to imagine mental contact for three minutes.
- Internal experiences were reported and analyzed for themes of reality, intimacy, and projective identification.
Main Results:
- Imagined psychic contact was reported as feeling real and intimate by participants.
- The experience evoked ambivalences typically associated with intimacy.
- Phenomena suggestive of projective identification were observed, indicating intersubjective effects.
Conclusions:
- The liminal zone between individuals can be experimentally observed via imagination.
- Subjective experiences of psychic contact possess qualities of reality and intimacy.
- This study provides a foundation for further research into transpersonal interactions.