Remote Viewing and the Body-Mind Connection

One of the biggest myths to evolve in the growing annals of new age lore is that psychic ability is the sole province of the mind. Our language reflects it in terms like "mental telepathy" and "mind reading". When we think of ESP (extra sensory perception), we generally think "beyond the senses". But what usually passes for extraordinary mental ability to see distant in time and space actually has an important physical component.

The Body's Story

So much emphasis has been put on "seeing" that we overlook the part that the body plays in communication. We, like all living things, are information processing organisms. The autonomic nervous system is a conduit for information passing through our field in frequency form. We can also choose to bring ourselves into contact with information that is beyond the scope of our external sensory organs.

Our bodies have a story to tell all their own. Sometimes our movements align with our words and sometimes not. In fact, our bodies are capable of bringing information to light that our brains can, at best, interpret with a mixture of "truth" and past experience. This is the juncture at which life usually gets complicated. It is the inclusion of this information which expands our conscious awareness.

The Labyrinth of Translation

It's the meaning (i.e. the translation) we give to the feelings we have that creates obstacles to understanding and dysfunctional relationships of all kinds. The side of psychic ability that is often ignored is that interpretive part - when it comes time to give words to that which cannot be seen or perceived with any of our external five senses in the moment. It's here that debunkers of such phenomena have their heyday.

It is precisely this piece that the protocol of Coordinate Remote Viewing addresses. This is what sets remote viewing apart from random psychic experiences, astral projection, channeling, out-of-body experiences, etc. The "roadmap" of CRV actually creates an experience of focus on two planes at once, the conscious and the unconscious. Our brains have difficulty telling the difference between what unconscious pieces it's remembering and what's happening in present time, between our story and accurate reporting of raw data. CRV presents us with some excellent coping tools for this phenomenon while also clearing the way for our psychic ability to function. It helps us embody a deeper ability to focus and discern what is truly happening "in the moment".

How Coordinate Remote Viewing Works

The viewer is given eight random numbers (coordinates) representing either a life form, place, specific object or an event (generally speaking). Those random numbers, which have been assigned by the person who created the target, carry the entire gestalt of the target, the overview of all the parts that create the whole. The viewer then follows a specific set of instructions leading him or her from the first broad encounter with the target - like a brief snapshot but rarely as clear - through gradually longer and more expanded explorations of the site.

For the duration of the session, the viewer is taught to cue a variety of sensory as well as abstractly holistic categories for the purpose of collecting as much descriptive information as possible. The trick is to learn to stay away from naming things and to expand our awareness of parts of the whole. In addition, information about emotions that may or may not be present, any aesthetically impacting characteristics as well as intangible qualities of the overall purpose of the site are woven into the required feedback.

Descriptive vs. Analytical

The protocol takes one from images to words and back again and again, crossing the chasm of the brain's hemispheres to eventually produce rendering or modelings of the target coupled with a verbally descriptive rendition of the experience. It is not the remote viewer's job to guess what the target is - only to record as much description as possible. Therein lies the challenge!

It soon becomes apparent that the information gleaned from the matrix needs the body to process it. In fact, a great deal of information that impinges on the nervous system and evokes a bodily response often goes unnoticed. In order for the remote viewer to truly learn to detect and decode information, he or she must become more and more aware of the body's responses during the session.

A Fuller Definition of "Mindfulness"

If we follow the system's path, all roads lead to mindfulness, a potent skill for day-to-day living. This newfound sensitivity to internal as opposed to external experiencing often finds the novice viewer at a loss for words. Not only does one discover how limited one's descriptive vocabulary is but how much of our communication is done in comparative form (i.e. it's like?white as snow, flowing like a river, child-like, etc.). Staying aware in the present moment is hard enough - using open, descriptive terms is harder. One discovers how much more familiar it is to jump to conclusions.

Venturing with whole body awareness into the paranormal realms has much to teach us about the way we humans process information. The truth is that most of us are eager to expand our knowledge of spirit but that quest is often equated with "leaving one's body" to explore higher realms. It's our grounding that allows us to soar.

Spiritual Connection At Our Fingertips

It's easier to make that spiritual connection than we imagine because the frequency of it is always with us. It's just a matter of locating the signal line and maintaining the focus by staying fluid. Flow is a dynamic process and so is remote viewing. The now of the universe is constantly moving. The body understands that. It's translating what actually comes through with a better than average degree of accuracy that is the most difficult task because words slow us down to survival's pace. We are constantly playing catch-up with creation.

Spirit asks us to remember that with connection comes a responsibility to take action on the physical plane. Psychic events are a means to that end. They are a whole-body experience. We were never meant to just "stay in our heads".

(copyright March 2005, all rights reserved)

Talia Shafir, MA, C.C.Ht., is based in Sebastopol, California and is the co-founder of the Center for Integrated Therapy, a haven for a broad spectrum of transpersonal, body-centered work. A regression therapist specializing in an embodied approach to acute trauma and long term post traumatic stress, she holds a masters from Columbia University. Talia works with clients both in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and internationally. She trained and also worked with several members of the former military "psychic spy" unit. She now trains remote viewers, consults in the corporate sector and lectures throughout the country, adding her insights for its use as a tool of expanded consciousness and personal growth. For more information, logon to http://www.soulview.com