Extended mind is a phrase used by Rupert Sheldrake, the Oxford biologist, to explain all kinds of paranormal phenomena. He believes that this mind stretches out beyond us and accounts for the way some of us know when another person is looking at us.

Try watching people on the street as they walk past from a high window. The number who suddenly look up directly at you shows that they “know” they are being “pinged” by you. The only way it could happen is if there is a continuity of “mindstuff” between the two people.

Sheldrake conducts many experiments in this field, with remarkable results. His book, The Sense of Being Stared At, is a classic of the genre. As an accredited scientist, his experiments are always well designed and hard to fault.

Deepak Chopra also writes widely about the extended mind, which he calls the “non-local mind”. In his book, SynchroDestiny, he outlines a way of being in contact with this mind, and a series of exercises to improve perception of it.

Unlike the scientific methods of Sheldrake, Chopra uses ancient Indian techniques, often from Vedanta. The two sides of this coin give us an interesting contrast : the extended mind seen from modern science and from ancient spiritual systems.

Chopra’s book is out of print, but can often be found in library stacks. To check on the best price for Rupert Sheldrake’s The Sense of Being Stared At, click here.