Psychometry, also known as token-object reading, or psychoscopy, is a form of
extra-sensory perception characterized by the claimed ability to make relevant
associations from an object of unknown history by making physical contact with
that object. Supporters assert that an object may have an energy field that
transfers knowledge regarding that object's history.
Psychometry is commonly offered at psychic fairs as a type of psychic
reading. At New Age events psychometry has claimed to help visitors "meet the
dearly departed". Although the majority of police
departments polled do not use psychics and do not consider them credible or
useful on cases, some authors write that psychometry and psychic detectives were
used by law enforcement agencies on specific cases.
History Joseph Rodes Buchanan coined the word
"psychometry" in 1842. Buchanan came up with the idea that all things give off
an emanation. The Past is entombed in the Present! The
world is its own enduring monument; and that which is true of its physical, is
likewise true of its mental career. The discoveries of Psychometry will enable
us to explore the history of man, as those of geology enable us to explore
the history of the earth. There are mental fossils for psychologists as well
as mineral fossils for the geologists; and I believe that hereafter the
psychologist and the geologist will go hand in hand — the one portraying the
earth, its animals and its vegetation, while the other portrays the human
beings who have roamed over its surface in the shadows, and the darkness of
primeval barbarism! Aye, the mental telescope is now discovered which may
pierce the depths of the past and bring us in full view of the grand and tragic
passages of ancient history! Buchanan asserted that his particular
psychism would supersede empiric science. He wrote a comprehensive
treatise, Manual of Psychometry: the Dawn of a New Civilization, detailing
how the direct knowledge of psychometry would be applied to and affect the many
various branches of science. It also would elevate the various schools of
philosophy and arts thereby affecting wide social change and ultimately an
enlightenment of humanity: The thermometer measures caloric. The
barometer measures the weight of the atmosphere; the electrometer measures
electric conditions; the psychometer measures the soul. In the case of
Psychometry, however, the measuring assumes a new character, as the object
measured and the measuring instrument are the same psychic element, and its
measuring power is not limited to the psychic as it was developed in the first
experiments, but has appeared by successive investigation to manifest a
wider and wider area of power, until it became apparent that this psychic
capacity was really the measure of all things in the Universe.
Buchanan continued to promote psychometry throughout his life and his
followers believed that it would revolutionize science in a comprehensive
way as "the dawn of a new civilization". Others, such as Stephen Pearl Andrews
who promoted Psychometry along with his own new science of Universology, built
upon Buchanan's ideas. As a lecturer Andrews asserted that such inquiries, as
paraphrased by an 1878 New York Times article, "demonstrated that the sympathy
between the mind and body is an exact science".
In the later nineteenth century demonstrations of psychometry became a
popular part of stage acts and séances; with participants providing a personal
object for "reading" by a medium or psychic.
In fiction = Books=
The Goth series by Katie Maxwell features a psychometrist as the main
character, Fran. In the Maximum Ride book series, the
character Nudge has psychometric abilities.
In the Matt Turner series by Michael Siemsen, the protagonist is a troubled
psychometrist. In the Shamus Award Nominated mystery
series by William Mize, the main character, Denton Ward, is a
psychometrist. In Jenny Nimmo's novel "Charlie Bone And
The Time Twister", the character Gabriel Silk is a psychometrist who can
specifically feel emotions by wearing the clothes of others.
In the touch series, Deadly Little Lies, a novel by Laurie Stolarz, Ben is a
psychometrist. In the Raven Cycle series by Maggie
Stievater, a psychic named Calla specializes in psychometry.
In the novel The Witching Hour, the first of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
trilogy, protagonist Michael Curry receives the power of psychometry.
In the novel The Dead Zone by Stephen King, Johnny Smith uses his newfound
psychometric powers to help the police in solving many cases.
In the young-adult fiction Dark Visions Trilogy, by L. J. Smith, the character
Laurie Frost has the ability of psychometry.
In the Fingerprints series of youth novels by Melinda Metz, the character
Rachel "Rae" Voight can receive the thoughts and emotions of others by
touching the fingerprints left on an object handled by them.
The light novel series Katanagatari by Nisio Isin boasts a psychometrist by the
name of Kawauso Maniwa, one of the 12 Maniwa Ninja Corps Heads.
In The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan the characters Nynaeve al'Meara,
Aviendha, and Elayne Trakand can all handle magical artifacts and can
respectively sense the object's emotional history/future, magical use,
and design for recreation and imitation. Autobiography "My Life Across The Table"
[1] recounts actual readings by professional psychic Karen Page
utilizing psychometry In the "Mythos Academy" series by
Jennifer Estep, the main character, Gwen Frost, has psychometric powers.
In the Darkover novel "Traitor's Sun," by Marion Zimmer Bradley, it is
discussed by Katherine Aldaran and Marguerida Alton-Hastur as a possible
laran power. In the "Ultimate Book of Shadows for the
New Generation Solitary Witch", by Silver RavenWolf, she explains how
psychometry and dowsing are used sometimes for the experience of sensing
and manipulating energy rather than strictly for the idea of pure
divination. In the novel "Signs Point to Yes" by
Christopher Church, the main character, Mason Braithwaite, uses psychometry to
solve mysteries. ISBN 978-1-942267-00-3 = Movies=
In the 1988 movie Vibes, Jeff Goldblum plays a psychometrist.
In the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, articles of clothing that have
been in proximity to members of the Black Lodge effect personality changes
in the people who wear them. In the 1994 film, The Crow, Brandon Lee
plays a spirit of vengeance with psychometric powers.
The 2002 thriller film Frailty extensively depicts this psychic
phenomenon. In the 2009 action film Push, psychics
called Sniffs can relive a person's past and their location by touching or
sniffing objects. In The Meteor Man, Jefferson Reed gains
various superhuman powers from a meteorite, including the ability to
psychometrically and psychosomatically memorize by touch the contents of a
book. In the 2013 South Korean movie, The
Gifted Hands, Kim Bum plays a character who withholds the ability to see the
past by being in contact with objects which helps the police department solve
cases of child kidnapping. = Television=
In the 2008 television series Fringe, the entire show is based on such ideas,
with topics such as consciousness exploration being the center of the
show, with Psychometry specifically being named at the beginning of the 4th
season. In the 2003 HBO television series
Carnivàle, Professor Lodz can read thoughts and dreams through contact with
a person or object. Creating visions by touching objects is
also displayed in Charmed and Medium. On the superhero comedy-drama The
Greatest American Hero, the lead character possesses psychometric powers
when wearing his super-suit. Bun Waverly, a witch from the TV series
Eastwick has the ability to see the future and know all the past and future
information of an object by touching it. In the six-hour Stephen King television
mini-series Rose Red, the character of Pam Asbury was a psychometrist or
"touch-know;" one of a group of six psychics brought in by parapsychologist
Dr. Joyce Reardon to awaken the sleeping haunted Seattle manor known as Rose Red.
In the Canadian pilot Movie and Television show My Babysitter's a
Vampire the main character, Ethan Morgan, is a Seer, and possess
Psychometry. Through touch he has the power, to see the past, present or
future of an object/person, or their uses, intentions or true form.
In the American science fiction television drama Heroes, Sylar gains
this ability from a woman named Bridget Bailey. In the show it was called
Clairsentience. It was also mentioned in show Beyond
Belief: Fact or Fiction, in "The Secret of the Coins."
In the BBC television series Doctor Who: In the Episode "The Rings Of Akhaten"
Psychometry is used to assess sentimental objects as currency in the
marketplace. In the live action kids show Power
Rangers S.P.D. the Green Ranger,Bridge Carson has a form of psychometry and the
ability to scan and read auras and energy signatures. He has no control
over this ability, and consequently wears gloves most of the time. As the
series progressed, Bridge's power evolved to include tracking thoughts,
since, as he stated, thoughts are energy.
= Comics and anime= Kaos, the son of mad scientist Desty
Nova in Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita appears as a very unusual
psychometrist in that not only can he read the memories of objects but he can
also absorb the talents and skills necessary for their creation.
A number of comic book characters exhibit psychometric powers, including
Longshot, Adrienne Frost, and Terror, all of whom appear in books published by
Marvel Comics. Many field agents featured in Mike
Mignola's Hellboy series have this ability.
Characters appearing in Japanese manga and anime that possess psychometric
abilities include Chiba Mamoru from Sailor Moon and Oliver Davis from Ghost
Hunt. The Mass Effect franchise includes an
alien race called Protheans, who possess the ability to communicate and learn
things about a being through touch. In Psychometrer Eiji created by Masashi
Asaki and Yuma Ando - The main character, Asuma Eiji has the ability to
'read' pieces of information left from any object or person that he touch or in
contact with. In Toyko Babylon
Dark Horse Comics Jedi Master Quinlan Vos has this power as a member of the
Kiffar species. In Zettai Karen Children a manga by
Takashi Shiina, one of the protagonist Shiho Sannomiya has psychometric power
In the Sunrise anime, Witch Hunter Robin, STN-J agent Karasuma Miho has
psychometric ability. In the Ghost Hunt manga, it's revealed
that Naru has a psychometric ability among other abilities.
= Toys= In BIONICLE, a Toa of Water called
Helryx has a Kanohi mask called Mask of Psychometry.
See also Law of contagion
List of parapsychology topics Parapsychology
Retrocognition List of topics characterized as
pseudoscience References
Bibliography Colin Wilson: The Psychic Detectives:
The Story of Psychometry and Paranormal Crime Detection. 1984, ISBN
0-330-28119-4 { Lea Lind} : "Psychometry the Art of
Being a Psychic Detective" Self-Published
External links Psychometry Experiment, a project that
gave residents in Ontario, Canada the opportunity to participate in a
psychometry study Psychic Karen Page's autobiography "My
Life Across the Table" [2]