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| Twins and ESP | |
Is it true that twins, especially identical twins, possess strong, natural psychic abilities, and that they have the most success in communicating telepathically? There are many impressive anecdotal accounts of twins sharing experiences that are, no doubt, psychic in nature. These are instances of twins, although separated by many miles, engaging in almost identical actions at the same time, sharing identical illnesses and pains, acquiring identical interests, and so on. Some of these correspondences may be due to similarities of early learning and early development and genetic commonalities. But some are probably true psychic events. Twins do possess "natural psychic ability," but probably not in any greater degree than other persons. Before concluding that twins are exceptionally talented natural telepaths, we should consider two other factors. First, since twins are so similar in appearance and sometimes in habits, it is possible that they are observed more closely than others in attempts to find psychic communication between them. Thus, we find more psychic experiences among twins because we look for them more closely. If we examined other non-twin groups as scrupulously, we might find high incidences of ESP in those groups as well. Second, we know that ESP does not function in a vacuum, but rather that it uses certain "tools" in communicating information into consciousness. Frequently, these "tools" or "vehicles" involve activation of memories or images or behavior patterns. Since twins share memories and experiences, it may be easier for ESP to activate similar memories or images in twins than in non-twins. Thus, the way ESP is manifested is likely to be more similar in twins and, therefore, more easily noticed. When we turn to laboratory evidence on this issue, we find that twins do have ESP, but not significantly more than non-twins. Several well-controlled studies have failed to show a psychic superiority of twins over non-twins. Certain psychological factors also enter the picture. There is a tendency for parents, relatives and other persons to treat twins — especially identical twins who are raised together — identically. One twin may be confused with the other. There is evidence that such twins may resent this pressure to be identical to another person and seek to establish their own unique identities — to be individuals. Thus, identical twins raised together may reject the psychically received thoughts of their twins — often unconsciously - as intrusions, as threats to their establishment of their own identities. They prefer to have their own thoughts, and their own emotions. So, natural ESP connections may be suppressed as twins grow older. On the other hand, fraternal twins or identical twins who are raised apart from one another do not have such pressures to be identical with one another, and need not suppress ESP as one of a number of means of declaring their uniqueness. Thus, we would predict greater manifestation of ESP in fraternal twins, or younger twins, or twins raised apart — in all of these cases, suppression of ESP would not be as likely. |
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