Studying the Ganzfeld effect

No, she's not relaxing in a tanning booth--the woman in this photo is participating in a Ganzfeld telepathy experiment.  If you follow parapsychology news, you probably know that Ganzfeld (German, "whole field") tests have produced some of the strongest experimental evidence for psi over the past 35 years. ("Strong" is a relative term, but hey--we take what we can get.)

There are variations in the procedure, but generally the subject rests in a comfortable position in a semi-dark room.  Eye cups (classically made of halved ping pong balls) are placed over the eyes, and a red light shines, producing a blank, pink-tinted visual field.  Headphones play a constant hum of white noise.  In this state of mild sensory deprivation, the subject relaxes and tries to "receive" one of a randomly selected group of images (the "visual target").  So far, Ganzfeld studies have produced results statistically above chance, and also above other types of "random guess" psi experiments.  (The results are also stronger for individuals who have so called "psi-conducive" personal traits.)  The theory is that psi senses, if they exist, are so faint as to be buried in the barrage of ordinary sensory input--but they can be aided by shutting off the dominant senses of sight and hearing.

People who do scrying and certain forms of meditation will recognize the state that Ganzfeld conditions are designed to replicate--partial sensory deprivation that stimulates and amplifies inner vision.  Before there were ping-pong balls and white noise generators, the psychotropic properties of imageless space were already known to human beings.  Followers of the ancient Pythagorean sect went deep into caves to experience visions, and hallucinations have also been reported by trapped miners and snowbound polar explorers.  The human mind doesn't tolerate blankness for very long, and vision-seekers can exploit this tendency to their advantage.

Perhaps because Ganzfeld conditions are cheap and easy to produce at home, it's a popular experiment, even among people without any particular interest in the paranormal.  The "recreational" use of Ganzfeld technology can allow users to experience a temporary change in consciousness without taking drugs or doing extensive meditation practice.  (Instructables.com even has a step-by step tutorial for making your own Ganzfeld mask.)  For those who want to learn to scry but are having trouble getting into the right frame of mind, trying some of the Ganzfeld techniques may be a useful stepping stone into those necessary altered states.

What do you think?  Have you ever tried Ganzfeld for research, fun, or practice?  What was the result?