Make Someone Perceive a Touch Without Touching Them
Template:StubMany people report that when a sharp object is held close their forehead, they feel a strange, tingling feeling, but no one is sure why. It's possible that your brain anticipates the touch, or detects it because of subtle changes in pressure or air near your eyes. In the context of Hindu spirituality, it might be a good test of your "third eye" chakra.
Steps
- Find a pencil. If you can't find one, you can use your finger. Select a person who will be your test case.
- Inform the person to look you straight in your eyes while telling them to keep their head still. At the same time, make sure that both your head and his or her head are level with each other.
- Hold the pencil or your finger about one centimeter higher than squarely between their eyebrows or near their frontal lobe. Make it close enough so that the person cannot see the end of the pencil or your finger but not so close that you are touching the hairs on their forehead. Hold it parallel to the ground. The person should feel a strange (tingling) sensation. To find out, ask them what they're noticing (try not to lead them––avoid use of the words "feeling" or "touch").
- The "feeling" that the person may get is likely a simple anticipatory reflex, similar to flinching when someone acts like you're going to hit them. "The feeling" could be caused by the expectation of contact because when something is placed near the nerves in your forehead, the nerves automatically react and tense up because they're preparing to be hit, and the movement of eye muscles as the subject tries to focus on the object almost-touching them on the forehead.
- You may find that this also works on other parts of the body; the person may "feel" something if you hover the pencil over their hand for a few seconds, probably because they anticipate the pencil touching them.
Tips
- This should also work without shaking your finger back and forth.
- Try not to touch the person you are performing this trick on with the pencil or your finger.
Warnings
- This does not work on all people and might not work every time if not performed properly. Look for someone you know is highly sensitive.
- This trick may also stop working on people who know what is going on and who know that the pencil/finger isn't going to actually touch them.
- Be very careful not to actually touch their hair or forehead. This will ruin the trick.
- This will usually not work if you do it to yourself.
Things You'll Need
- A finger, a pen, or a stick
- Someone else to play the trick on
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