The Cromwell Institute

Just to clarify - I never considered that my sensitivity was in any way paranormal. My main concern was that I had no idea how the sensitivity worked.

Shadowy Man

I think people look at each other all of the time. So the fact that when you look up someone is looking at you, isn't, by itself, so intriguing. If you know who it is that is looking at you before you look up, then you might be on to something. Like you think to yourself, "the guy with the red tie in the corner is looking at me" then you look up and the guy with the red tie in the corner is looking at you.

There's also the idea that maybe you didn't think you knew someone was looking at you until after you saw them looking at you. Something like deja vu?

Jesse

On the people looking at you issue, it wouldn't be too hard to do a simple experiment here--just get a friend to sit behind you and stare at you on half the trials and look in another direction on the other ones, then see how consistently you are able to guess correctly whether you're being looked at or not.

ju'iblex

i understand what you mean, i do exactly the same thing. And something similar occured to me yesterday, my teacher threw a pen at me <well, she was too lazy to get off her arse and hand it to me> and i instantly just shoved out my right hand and caught it. I find it bizarre that i could figure out where it was going to land and when in a split second, especially considering i didnt have my glasses when she threw it and i actually couldnt see the pen until it was really very close.

But yes, i do the turn around duck thing as well, and the people staring thing.

Manta

Your mom's word on your hearing is WAY to subjective...basically the difference in what you WANT to hear versus what you actually hear. I'm really great at tuning my dad out

Enai

Bump!

The Cromwell Institute, did your ability prove real? How reliable is it?

A very curious Enai

Viti

The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker explains this ability and teaches how we should use it for our safety. It is written for women, but men can benefit from it just as well.

The Cromwell Institute

Enai: I now believe I have no unusual ability. When I started counting the misses, I started counting an awful lot - at least as many as hits, and often more. I think it is just sensitivity to audio, visual and air-movement cues that alert me to unusual events.

A non-mystical analogue of this "ability" can be achieved, IMO, by simply focusing on being alert to your surrounds and situation, and practicing observing minor details that you might not normally notice. That, and being aware of the people around you, what they are doing, how close they are to you, how they are behaving towards you, what their body languages says etc.

Oh and thanks for the tip, LadyShea. I will have to check that out.

Enai

Ah. Now I can sleep in peace again . I also think that these cues bring about my awareness of events I can't see.
On that note, I knew a girl who was very much into Jeet Kun Do (some martial art). She used to practice sparring in the dark to practice this ability. She says, it's possible to train fighting hand-to-hand in a pitchblack room. I think it's not too easy though.

The Insomniac

Jeet Kun Do (some martial art)

Some martial art that Bruce Lee invented, and taught to 3 people, only one of which trained other people. Sparring in the dark sounds like something Bruce Lee would advocate, although I see serious injuries occuring.

If I were you I wouldn't fuck with her.