Discover the Science Behind the Story

Presentiment
Our Bodies Know Before Our Minds Do

What it is

Presentiment refers to the body’s unconscious ability to anticipate future events before they happen. Unlike precognition, which involves conscious awareness, presentiment shows up as subtle physiological changes, such as shifts in heart rate, skin conductance, or brain activity that occur seconds before unpredictable, randomly chosen events.

IONS research

• Seeing the Future: Exploring Presentiment with Eye Gaze and Pupillary and Eye Dilation.
  
• Intuition through time: what does the seer see? (Radin & Borges, 2009).
  
• Predicting the unpredictable: critical analysis and practical implications of predictive anticipatory activity (Mossbridge, Tressoldi, & Utts, 2012).

What research shows

Dozens of laboratory studies, including multiple meta-analyses, have found reliable presentiment effects. Every day accounts mirror these findings, for example, a sudden feeling that prompts hesitation just before an accident occurs. Such cases suggest our unconscious mind, as reflected in physiological activity, may sometimes register what is about to happen before the events occur.

References: Mossbridge, Tressoldi, & Utts, 2012; Mossbridge et al., 2014; Mossbridge & Radin, 2017; Radin, 2023; Yount et al., 2026 (in preparation).

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Precognition
Knowing the Future

What it is

Precognition is the ability to gain information about future events before they happen. Unlike presentiment, which is unconscious, precognition involves conscious impressions and insights.

What research shows

For more than a century, laboratory studies have tested precognition. Early forced-choice guessing tasks and later free-response designs both found above-chance results. Implicit precognition studies, including Daryl Bem’s well-known work, suggest that even simple reaction times can be influenced by future events. Historical and cross-cultural accounts also show that premonitions and prophetic dreams have long been part of human experience.

IONS research

IONS has explored laboratory contexts of precognition, including studies where participants attempt to predict future targets or events. While not always replicating across all conditions, these studies contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that glimpses of the future may be possible.

References: Honorton et al., 2018; Storm, Tressoldi, & Di Risio, 2012; Mossbridge & Radin, 2017; Storm & Tressoldi, 2020; Bem, 2011.

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Telepathy
Mind-to-Mind Communication

What it is

Telepathy is the direct exchange of thoughts or feelings between people without using the ordinary senses. Many people report such moments in daily life—knowing who is calling before answering the phone, or sharing the same thought with a friend at the same time.

What research shows

Experiments have repeatedly tested this phenomenon. In “telephone telepathy” trials, people guessed callers at rates above chance, especially when the caller was familiar (Sheldrake, 2015). The ganzfeld technique—where one person “sends” information while the other is in a reduced-sensory state—has produced some of the most reliable telepathy findings in parapsychology. Dream-ESP studies also show that information can be shared between sender and receiver during sleep.

IONS research

IONS has conducted large-scale studies testing whether participants could sense who was about to call them. In trials where the caller was chosen beforehand, accuracy was significantly above chance, particularly when participants sent positive intentions toward the caller. In trials where the caller was chosen afterward (a precognition condition), accuracy did not exceed chance. Genetic relatedness predicted higher accuracy, suggesting family bonds may strengthen telepathic effects (Wahbeh et al., 2024). Ongoing studies are testing highly connected pairs—including twins and bonded couples—as well as new ganzfeld experiments with updated methods.

References: Sheldrake, 2015; Storm, Tressoldi, & Di Risio, 2010; Baptista, Derakhshani, & Tressoldi, 2015; Krippner, 2005; Storm & Rock, 2015; Storm et al., 2017; Wahbeh et al., 2024.

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Remote Viewing
Seeing Beyond Space and Time

What it is

Remote viewing is the practice of gaining information about distant or hidden targets, or future events, without using the ordinary senses. Popularized by the U.S. government’s Star Gate program (1972–1995), remote viewing is a term associated with a training program, but the phenomenon is nearly identical to the more traditional term, clairvoyance. Clairvoyance is a broad category of psychic sight, while remote viewing could be considered clairvoyance, it distinguishes itself with specific often structured techniques and practices.

What research shows

Declassified documents from Star Gate report that 89% of remote viewing missions produced actionable intelligence (May & Marwaha, 2018). Meta-analyses and independent studies of laboratory studies show robust above-chance accuracy, with effects independent of distance or time (Targ, 2019). Applications range from archaeology to finding missing persons to financial forecasting.

IONS research

IONS is advancing remote viewing research through the OMNI (Open Multidimensional Normed Images) Dataset, developed by IONS and colleagues, with nearly 3,000 images rated on 18 characteristics. It is designed to provide a way to systematically test which image features are associated with accurate viewing. This target set will help to develop more efficient remote viewing experiments and may reveal insights into the underlying mechanisms.

References: May & Marwaha, 2018; Targ, 2019; Baptista, Derakhshani, & Tressoldi, 2015; Cardeña, 2018; Dunne & Jahn, 2003; Milton, 1997; Schwartz, De Mattei, & Smith, 2019; Smith, Laham, & Moddel, 2014.

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Near-Death Experiences
Glimpses Beyond Life

What it is

A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound event sometimes reported by people who come close to death or are medically resuscitated. Common features include leaving the body, traveling through a tunnel, encountering beings of light or deceased relatives, and experiencing overwhelming peace and interconnectedness. Surveys suggest that 10–20% of people revived from cardiac arrest report an NDE.

What research shows

NDEs have been documented across cultures and often share strikingly consistent features. Prospective medical studies have investigated whether NDEs include verifiable perceptions during periods of little or no brain activity—with some intriguing but not yet conclusive results. People who undergo NDEs often describe lasting transformations in personality and attitudes, such as reduced fear of death, greater compassion, and a deeper sense of meaning.

Why it matters

Because they occur in medical settings where brain function is severely compromised, NDEs are among the most widely discussed evidence for the possibility that consciousness is not confined to the body. They also rank highly among academics and the general public as persuasive evidence for survival of consciousness.

References: Greyson, 2000, 2010; van Lommel et al., 2001; Parnia et al., 2014; Wahbeh et al., 2022.

NDEs are one of several lines of evidence suggesting that consciousness may persist beyond death.

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Survival of Consciousness
Does Awareness Continue After Death?

What it is

The question of whether consciousness survives physical death is one of humanity’s oldest and most profound. Across cultures and traditions, people have reported experiences suggesting ongoing awareness—such as near-death experiences (NDEs), after-death communications (ADCs), mediumship, and reincarnation memories.

What research shows

Studies across these domains converge on a consistent picture: survival-related experiences are common, often verifiable, and deeply meaningful. NDEs provide one compelling line of evidence, while mediumship research shows above-chance accuracy under blinded conditions. Children who recall past lives have provided historical details later verified. Surveys reveal that large portions of the population—sometimes more than 40%—report after-death communications.

IONS research

At IONS, survival of consciousness is a core research theme. Our work includes:

• Comprehensive reviews (e.g., the BICS Survival Essay) synthesizing evidence from NDEs, mediumship, reincarnation, and ADCs.
  
• Belief surveys showing that survival beliefs are widespread, with cultural and experiential predictors (Wahbeh & Radin, 2025).
  
• Academic perspectives research, which found that NDEs, mediumship, and reincarnation are seen as the most persuasive forms of evidence (Wahbeh, 2023).
  
• Controlled mediumship studies showing above-chance accuracy and distinct brain activity patterns (Delorme et al., 2013, 2018, 2020).
  
• Mechanism-focused research exploring whether survival-related phenomena point to consciousness as more than an emergent property of the brain (Wahbeh, 2022).
  

Looking ahead

While no single line of evidence is definitive, together they invite a serious scientific reconsideration of whether consciousness might continue beyond the body.

References: Stevenson, 2001; Beischel, 2012; Delorme et al., 2013, 2018, 2020; van Lommel et al., 2001; Parnia et al., 2014; Wahbeh, 2022; Wahbeh & Radin, 2025.

Near-death experiences are one of the strongest examples of survival-related phenomena.

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Dreams
Windows Into Future Possibilities

What it is

Dreams are among the most common ways people report accessing noetic information, insights that seem to reach beyond ordinary time and space. Precognitive dreams, in particular, occur when elements of a dream later play out in waking life, often producing a powerful sense of déjà vu. Surveys and historical accounts show that such experiences have been reported across cultures for centuries.

What research shows

Dreams appear especially conducive to precognition because the sleeping state reduces the filtering of subtle impressions. Eleanor Sidgwick, a pioneering 19th-century researcher, found that two-thirds of precognitive impressions in her sample arose during dreams. Meta-analyses of “dream ESP” laboratory studies confirm that dreamers can describe randomly chosen future images at rates above chance (Storm et al., 2017). IONS research further supports that precognitive elements are widespread in dreams, with hundreds of spontaneous cases reported through the Noetic Experience Archive (NEXA).

IONS research

The Noetic Signature Inventory (NSI), developed at IONS, shows that dreaming is a distinctive pathway for receiving noetic information, with high variability across individuals. Ongoing work explores how dream-based intuition relates to other forms of channeling and precognition. IONS continues to collect dream reports through NEXA, building a growing dataset for scientific study.

References: Sidgwick (in Alvarado, 2008); Mossbridge & Radin, 2017; Storm et al., 2017; Wahbeh et al., 2022; Wahbeh & Kriegsman, 2023.

Lucid Dreaming
Awareness Within the Dream

What it is

Lucid dreaming occurs when a person becomes aware they are dreaming while still in the dream state, often with the ability to influence the dream’s events. This occurs because parts of the brain responsible for self-awareness and decision-making remain active during REM sleep. Techniques like dream journals, reality checks, and the “wake back to bed” method can increase the likelihood of experiencing a lucid dream. Surveys suggest that over half of people have had at least one lucid dream, while a smaller percentage experience them regularly. Traditions such as Tibetan dream yoga have long explored lucid dreaming as a pathway for insight and transformation, and modern science is beginning to investigate its therapeutic potential.

What research shows

Lucid dreams most often occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and are associated with increased activity in brain regions linked to self-awareness and executive control. Laboratory research has shown that lucid dreamers can perform intentional actions, such as eye movements, that can be measured during sleep. Clinical studies indicate that lucid dreaming practices may reduce nightmare frequency and distress, and early trials suggest possible benefits for depression and anxiety as well.

IONS research

IONS has pioneered work testing lucid dreaming as a healing tool for people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a pilot study, participants in a six-day online lucid dreaming workshop reported significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, nightmares, and negative emotions, along with improvements in well-being. A subsequent randomized controlled trial confirmed these findings, showing sustained benefits at one-month follow-up. Interestingly, symptom improvements were not solely explained by achieving lucid dreams, suggesting that the combination of dream practices, mindfulness, group support, and psychoeducation contributed to healing. Future research will refine the workshop, expand to larger populations, and develop therapist training modules. With its accessibility and low cost, lucid dreaming may one day become a practical tool in mainstream trauma care.

“Decreased PTSD symptoms following a lucid dreaming workshop: A randomized controlled study“, published in the European Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.

References: LaBerge, 1985; Voss et al., 2009; Holzinger et al., 2020; Sackwild & Stumbrys, 2021; Yount et al., 2023; Yount et al., 2025.

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Out-of-Body Experiences
Awareness Beyond the Body

What it is

An out-of-body experience (OBE) is the sensation of one’s awareness existing outside the physical body. People often describe floating above themselves, seeing their body from another perspective, or traveling through environments. Surveys suggest that between 8–50% of people worldwide report at least one OBE in their lifetime. Such experiences can be deeply transformative—reducing fear of death, increasing compassion, and fostering a sense of interconnectedness.

What research shows

OBEs have been documented across cultures and in diverse circumstances, from near-death experiences to deep meditation. Neuroscience research suggests that OBEs may involve shifts in brain activity at the temporo-parietal junction, an area responsible for integrating sensory information about the body and self. Experimental studies have successfully induced OBE-like states in the lab using methods such as sensory deprivation, vestibular stimulation, and immersive virtual reality. Notably, one VR-based study found that inducing an OBE reduced participants’ fear of death compared with control conditions (Bourdin et al., 2017).

Looking ahead

Most OBEs occur spontaneously, so they are difficult to study in the lab.  But advances in virtual reality and neuroscience are providing new ways to study them systematically. This emerging research points to OBEs as not only intriguing windows into consciousness but also as potentially valuable tools for enhancing psychological well-being and fostering greater empathy.

References: Gabbard & Twemlow, 1984; Blackmore, 1984; Blanke & Arzy, 2016; Bourdin et al., 2017.