A mind meld is a fictional, telepathic link that the character Spock was able to perform on other organisms to connect their minds. But could it possibly be a real ability? Might we be able to connect our thoughts with others across time and space? 

Introduction 

We have all at one time or another felt a connection between ourselves and something external. My wife and I, for example, sometimes take the thoughts right out of each other’s minds; we are so in tune with one another. And often, I’ll be thinking of something, when it suddenly manifests itself physically in front of me, or I’ll be remembering an old friend, when they contact me almost immediately, out of the blue. And sometimes, I feel a special connection to a place, or get an energy from a person I either like or dislike. They’re hardly a Vulcan mind meld, but these kinds of connections seem very real.

Over-active imaginations

However, it’s tempting to attribute some supernatural cause to these events because they appear to be so random, but they are usually nothing more than coincidence. In addition, due to human bias, we often emphasise the positive correlations while simultaneously downplaying the negative ones. More often than not, it is our active imaginations, making mountains out of molehills, rather than any spiritual power. And once we have weeded out the wheat from the chaff and eliminated coincidence, is there anything left at all? Are there any real, mental mind melds between things?

Everything is energy

Well, from a scientific point of view, everything is energy in motion. Atoms and electromagnetic fields underpin everything we know. Atoms vibrate, and they move kinetically; they make translational movements, and they move via diffusion. The movement of atoms underpins science, chemistry, and physics. It explains how substances behave, how heat and electricity are conducted, and the fundamental principles of chemical reactions. Atoms behave in ways we can predict, but they don’t behave in a supernatural manner. They don’t go about leaping from mind to mind, or from the past to the future, or between disparate places. Or do they?

Quantum woo woo

Certainly, sub-atomic, quantum particles behave like this. They can entangle, and so make connections between distant places almost instantly. In addition, some particles are able to influence their own past states. However, these are infinitesimally small quantum particles. It’s another thing entirely to say these same principles can operate on our atomic, physical level.

Harmonic frequencies 

That said, when energies with the same natural frequencies interact with each other, their frequencies harmonise and amplify, whereas opposite frequencies can cancel each other. In this way, perhaps it is possible that energy fields are able to connect in ways we aren’t familiar with yet. If a mind meld does exist, it is likely to be a harmony of cognitive frequencies.

The mind outside the body 

Speaking of minds, the energy created by our brain is not confined by our skulls, and can be recorded externally. Therefore, if similar frequencies amplify each other, and brain waves can be detected outside of our skulls, maybe we just might be able to connect minds in some way. After all, our hearts create an electromagnetic field 60 times greater in amplitude than the one created by the brain, and which can be detected several feet away from the body. While brain waves are very faint, perhaps with some forms of focus and concentration, such as with meditation, prayers, or yoga, connections can be made between minds that defy current understanding. Indian mystics and yogis, who practice deep forms of meditation and focus, are famous for their ability to perform almost supernatural feats. They have the ability to enter non-REM delta wave sleep while still being awake, and can slow their heart rate down using ancient breathing practices. Yoga interventions also seem to have neuroplastic effects on various structures in the brain. If anyone could do a mind meld, they could.

Willing it to be true 

Perhaps with some form of super focus and concentration, we may indeed be able to connect minds outside of our own heads. For now though, it remains a tantalising possibility, one which is very much a product of science fiction. As for my ability to connect with my wife, maybe that is just the product of familiarity and habit, or maybe our minds are so perfectly in tune that we can read each other. I’m plumping for the latter. My evidence for it is scant, but I am willing it in my mind to be true. 

Sources:

Brain waves recorded outside the head

Training attention for conscious non-REM sleep: The yogic practice of yoga-nidrā and its implications for neuroscience research.

Meditation and yoga associated with changes in brain

Yoga has positive effects on brainwave activity