Ganzfeld effect

A ganzfeld experiment (German: ganzfeld, "complete field") is a method used to study the effects of partial sense deprivation by using homogeneous, non-patterned visual and audio stimulation, based on early research by psychologist Wolfgang Metzger, and has been used extensively to test for the potential of ESP.

In an experimental setting, the subject is made to relax with halved ping-pong balls over their eyes and a red light shone over them (to produce a uniform field of color), while headphones play white or pink noise (to produce a non-patterned audio feedback), inducing a state of mild sense deprivation. The combination of an unchanging visual field and static audio feedback causes an amplification of "neural noise" as the brain attempts to locate novel sensory information, consistently producing hallucinations and other altered states.

For the purposes of ESP testing, the experiment subject, called a "receiver", is left in the state of sensory deprivation, while a "sender" attempts to psychically project target information to them. At the end of the sense deprivation session, the receiver is provided a set of possible targets (one of them being the target the sender projected), and selects based on the visuals they "saw" while in the ganzfeld state.

Resources

 * "Ganzfeld: Hack Your Brain the Legal Way" (instructables.com) &mdash; DIY instructions for reproducing the Ganzfeld effect.