The History of TRUE Telepathy

The History of TRUE Telepathy

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

• Hans Berger’s personal experience of a “spontaneous telepathy” event inspired his scientific quest, ultimately leading to the discovery of the Electroencephalogram (EEG), laying the foundation for understanding brain activity.
• Modern Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) like Neuralink represent a significant leap towards functional telepathy, allowing individuals like Noland Arbaugh to control digital devices with thought alone.
• Non-invasive technologies such as MIT’s AlterEgo enable silent, internal communication by detecting subvocal signals, facilitating thought-to-speech interaction with both humans and AI.
• The journey from mystical telepathy to scientific reality is marked by continuous advancements in technology, moving from weak surface signals to precise, high-fidelity neural interfaces.
• As these technologies advance, it becomes crucial to engage with the ethical dimensions, including privacy, consent, and the potential societal impact of mind-reading and thought-controlling devices.

• From Premonition to Brainwaves: Hans Berger’s Quest
• Mind-Machine Fusion: The Rise of Brain-Computer Interfaces
• Silent Communication: Non-Invasive Paths to Telepathy
• Embracing the Future: Actionable Steps
• FAQ about TRUE Telepathy

For centuries, the concept of telepathy—the direct communication of thoughts between minds—has captivated humanity. From ancient myths to science fiction, it represented the ultimate connection, a bridge built not of words but of pure thought. Often dismissed as supernatural or purely coincidental, the idea of genuine mind-to-mind transfer seemed destined to remain in the realm of fantasy. Yet, a remarkable journey, rooted in a near-death experience and fueled by scientific curiosity, has brought us to the cusp of achieving what was once considered impossible: true telepathy, not through magic, but through groundbreaking technology.

From Premonition to Brainwaves: Hans Berger’s Quest

The scientific pursuit of telepathy traces an unexpected path back to a pivotal moment in the late 19th century. Our story begins with a German scientist whose personal experience ignited a lifelong quest:

“In 1893, while serving in the German army, Hans Berger experienced a near-fatal accident that would forever change the course of neuroscience. His horse suddenly bolted, throwing him in front of a horse-drawn artillery carriage. The driver managed to stop just in time, sparing Berger’s life by mere seconds.

At that very moment, his sister, who was miles away at home, was suddenly overcome by a deep sense of dread — a feeling that something terrible had happened to her brother. She insisted that their father send a telegram to confirm whether he was safe.

Most people would have dismissed this as a coincidence, but Berger was not most people. Before his military service, he had studied mathematics with the ambition of becoming an astronomer and devoting his life to unraveling the mysteries of the universe. Yet this strange experience convinced him to turn his curiosity inward — toward the mysteries of the human mind.

Years later, in 1940, he described the event in his own words:

“It was a case of spontaneous telepathy, in which, at a time of mortal danger, as I contemplated certain death, I transmitted my thoughts, while my sister, who was particularly close to me, acted as the receiver.”

After returning home, Berger earned his medical degree in 1897 and devoted his life to uncovering the physiological foundations of what he called “psychic energy.” For years, he conducted meticulous experiments, seeking measurable evidence of mental activity.

Eventually, his persistence paid off. In 1924, Berger became the first person to record the electrical activity of the human brain, producing what we now know as the electroencephalogram (EEG) — a term he himself coined.

He discovered that the brain emits faint electrical signals that vary depending on a person’s state of mind — whether awake, relaxed, or asleep. Yet these signals were far too weak to account for the kind of long-distance telepathic connection he had once experienced with his sister.

Berger remained cautious, even skeptical, about his own findings. He waited five years before publishing his results, fearing that his peers would dismiss them. And indeed, his fears proved justified: the German scientific community met his work with skepticism and ridicule. Many considered him a dreamer rather than a serious scientist.

Eventually, in 1934, two British electrophysiologists — Edgar Douglas Adrian and B. H. C. Matthews — confirmed Berger’s pioneering observations. Their experiments reproduced the same characteristic brainwave patterns that Berger had recorded, providing the validation he had long awaited.

By 1938, electroencephalography had gained widespread acceptance among leading neuroscientists, and practical applications began to emerge across the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The EEG quickly became an indispensable tool for studying brain function, diagnosing epilepsy, and understanding sleep.

So, while Hans Berger never solved the mystery of telepathy, he discovered something far more profound — a window into the living human brain.”

Berger’s foundational work, though met with initial skepticism, laid the essential groundwork for understanding the brain’s electrical language. It would be many decades before technology advanced enough to truly interpret and leverage these signals for direct communication.

Mind-Machine Fusion: The Rise of Brain-Computer Interfaces

The dream of connecting minds found its modern incarnation not in psychic energy, but in sophisticated brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Eighty years after Berger’s death, a significant milestone was reached, bringing us closer than ever to functional telepathy:

“A little more than eighty years after Berger’s death, in 2024, a new milestone in human–machine communication was reached when Noland Arbaugh became the first person to receive a Neuralink brain implant.

Arbaugh had been paralyzed from the shoulders down following a diving accident in 2016. Thanks to the Neuralink implant, however, he regained an extraordinary kind of control — not over his body, but over the digital world. Using only his thoughts, he could move a computer cursor, write tweets, play games, and even operate a robotic arm or a drone.

In a sense, Arbaugh had achieved what Berger once sought: true telepathy, and even a limited form of telekinesis — though not through psychic power, but through science and technology.”

Neuralink represents a quantum leap from Berger’s EEG. While both measure brain activity, Neuralink’s precision is unparalleled. Where Berger’s instruments captured weak surface signals, Neuralink detects precise, high-fidelity signals directly from neurons using microscopic, flexible electrodes. This is akin to moving from hearing a distant hum in a ballroom to listening to specific conversations up close. Traditional invasive BCIs, like the Utah Array, offered similar functionality but with more rigid and less precise implants.

“Neuralink’s approach is far gentler and more sophisticated: its electrodes are ultra-thin flexible threads, each thinner than a human hair, capable of reading from or stimulating individual neurons with remarkable precision. The Neuralink implant itself is a sleek device about 2 centimeters in diameter and 1 centimeter thick — roughly the size of a small coin. From its edges extend dozens of ultra-thin polymer threads, each about four times thinner than a human hair. These threads are delicately inserted into specific regions of the brain, allowing flexible placement of electrodes instead of the fixed grid used in the older Utah Array design.

Such precision is beyond the capability of human hands, so Neuralink uses a surgical robot capable of inserting each thread with microscopic accuracy, avoiding blood vessels and minimizing damage to brain tissue. The implant’s onboard electronics perform initial signal amplification and filtering, then wirelessly transmit the processed data to a nearby computer. Once the device is in place — replacing a small piece of skull bone — it is completely invisible from the outside. In a sense, one could say that Neuralink is the Tesla of EEG technology: elegant, high-performance, and built on cutting-edge engineering.”

Beyond simply reading neural activity, Neuralink can also stimulate neurons, opening possibilities for restoring senses or aiding movement. This technology brings us incredibly close to what was once imagined as telekinesis or direct sensory input from a machine.

Silent Communication: Non-Invasive Paths to Telepathy

While invasive implants offer profound capabilities, the idea of brain surgery gives many pause. Fortunately, non-invasive alternatives are emerging, bringing thought communication surprisingly close without requiring a single incision.

“One of the most fascinating examples is AlterEgo, a project developed at the MIT Media Lab and first unveiled in 2018. Now operating as its own startup, AlterEgo uses electrodes similar to those in EEG systems — but instead of being placed on the scalp, they are positioned around the jaw and the sides of the face.

The key insight is that even when we don’t speak aloud, the brain still sends faint electrical signals to the muscles responsible for speech when we “think” words internally. AlterEgo’s sensors detect these subvocal signals, allowing a computer to interpret them and translate thoughts into words — silently.

When paired with a bone-conduction earpiece, which transmits sound directly through the skull, the result is almost indistinguishable from real telepathy. You think the words you want to say, and the listener hears them — not through air vibrations, but as a voice inside their own head.

Beyond human-to-human communication, AlterEgo is also perfectly suited for interacting with AI. Imagine holding a silent, seamless conversation with ChatGPT or any other language model — not through typing or speaking, but by simply thinking.

The entire interaction happens privately, inside your own mind. You “speak” your thoughts through tiny neural signals in your jaw, and the AI’s responses are transmitted directly to you through bone conduction — as if the voice of the assistant lived within your thoughts themselves.”

While AlterEgo’s current appearance might be striking, its potential for silent, private communication with both humans and AI is revolutionary. Future iterations promise more discreet designs, perhaps even integrated into everyday fashion, making telepathic communication as common as using a smartphone.

Embracing the Future: Actionable Steps

The journey from Hans Berger’s profound curiosity to today’s sophisticated BCIs highlights humanity’s relentless pursuit of understanding and extending our capabilities. True telepathy, once a mystical concept, is now a technological horizon. As this future unfolds, here are actionable steps you can take:

• Stay Informed: Follow reputable science and technology news outlets that cover advancements in neuroscience, BCIs, and AI. Understanding these developments is crucial for grasping the societal impact.
• Consider the Ethical Dimensions: Engage in discussions about the ethical implications of mind-reading technologies. Privacy, consent, and potential misuse are vital considerations as BCIs become more prevalent.
• Explore Non-Invasive Applications: Look for opportunities to experience nascent forms of BCI. While not full telepathy, devices that use EEG for focus training or even some gaming applications can offer a glimpse into controlling technology with your mind.

The real-world examples of Noland Arbaugh controlling digital devices with his thoughts, or AlterEgo enabling silent conversations with AI, demonstrate that the bridge between thought and action is rapidly being built.

“The poetic beauty of this story lies in its full circle: our journey toward artificial telepathy began with a scientist who was trying to understand the real thing. Although Hans Berger never discovered how his sister sensed his accident so many years ago, his curiosity and persistence opened the path that ultimately made such communication possible — not through magic, but through science. Berger’s dream of connecting minds has finally begun to materialize. Sadly, he never lived to see it…”

From a life-altering premonition to neural implants and silent thought interfaces, the history of true telepathy is a testament to human ingenuity. It reminds us that today’s science fiction is often tomorrow’s reality, driven by a persistent desire to connect, understand, and transcend our perceived limitations.

FAQ About TRUE Telepathy

Q: What inspired Hans Berger’s research into brain activity?

A: Hans Berger was inspired by a near-fatal accident in 1893, where his sister, miles away, experienced a premonition of danger. He considered this a “spontaneous telepathy” event and dedicated his life to finding physiological evidence for “psychic energy,” which led to his discovery of the EEG.

Q: How does Neuralink differ from traditional BCIs like EEG?

A: While both measure brain activity, Neuralink is an invasive BCI that uses ultra-thin, flexible electrodes inserted directly into the brain to detect high-fidelity signals from individual neurons. Traditional EEGs are non-invasive, measuring weaker electrical signals from the scalp surface. Neuralink offers significantly more precision and the ability to stimulate neurons.

Q: What is AlterEgo and how does it enable silent communication?

A: AlterEgo is a non-invasive device from MIT that detects faint electrical signals sent to speech muscles when a person “thinks” words internally (subvocalization), even without speaking aloud. It translates these subvocal signals into words, enabling silent communication with humans (via bone-conduction earpiece) and AI without needing to type or speak.

Q: What are the ethical considerations surrounding modern telepathy technologies?

A: As mind-reading and thought-controlling technologies advance, crucial ethical considerations include privacy of thoughts, ensuring consent for data collection and manipulation, and preventing potential misuse or unauthorized access to neural data. These aspects require careful public and scientific discussion.