This blog is one in a series of blogs around the paranormal. Naturally most people wouldn’t link Quantum Mechanics and the Paranormal together. However, there is some overlap between the experiments in both areas. Broadly, both question the assumptions around consciousness and human perception of space and time.

We have already discussed what is paranormal in other blogs so won’t I go into too much detail here. There are eight major topics in paranormal research each generally challenges the assumption around the human perception of space-time. Across different human experiences and experimental paranormal research, all seem to point to evidence that some humans can influence the surrounding environment by non-normal means that aren’t understood.

Quantum mechanics is the study of a mathematical/experiment description of the sub-atomic world. The focus is around energy and waves. Some of the concepts defy the human perception of the world, such as non-local information which shows particles can influence one another despite being separated by thousands of miles/km. The world of Quantum mechanics is often described as weird due to not fitting in with our perception.

One of the most recent cross overs between quantum mechanics and paranormal is the double slit experiment. The double slit experiment is the foundation of quantum mechanics, which demonstrates the interference pattern/observer effect. It is when an electron is fired, if it is observed, then it behaves like an electron. When it isn’t observed it behaves like a wave. Recent research suggests that if the observer meditates the effect is more substantial than a non-meditator.

At the heart of this debate is how consciousness appears to influence the behavior of electrons/waves without the human ever physically touching them (double slit experiment). Also, in paranormal research, people suffering from rare brain injuries can move objects without physically touching them. Our inability to define or adequately explain consciousness is part of the problem of not being able to explain the mechanics behind these effects. I discussed this in a previous blog (Blog 7 humans operating outside of space and time). Both quantum mechanics and paranormal research give insight into the nature of consciousness.

The other significant finding in quantum mechanics is non-local information. In the quantum mechanics world, it is demonstrated by two related particles, if one particle spins, it will always influence the other particle but will spin in the opposite direction. Therefore, there appears to be a contradiction in how we perceive space-time and non-local information.

In paranormal experimental research, one key question parapsychologists try to answer is if telepathy exists. Whether a person can communicate with another without seeing one another. In the primary telepathy studies (Ganzfeld), using meta-analysis (review of the studies across Ganzfeld protocol) show an effect that would be accepted in medical and social science studies. The next blog will look in more detail about telepathy. For this blog, what is interesting is the link between non-local experiments in quantum mechanics and paranormal research.
Both quantum mechanics and paranormal have interesting similarities. Firstly, the experimental results in both quantum mechanics and paranormal are suggestive that human perception of space-time may not be accurate. Secondly, it shows evidence for humans to be able to manipulate the environment by non-physical means. Both have a fundamental question of how consciousness operates, which remains a mystery. Quantum mechanics can provide a theoretical basis to study paranormal and to ask whether quantum mechanics can be applied to human consciousness.

I will be presenting a series of blogs around the paranormal: The next topic is “Does Evidence Exist for Telepathy.”
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Thanks for reading, Ian