What is the 6th sense? Is sixth sense real? This concept has been a topic of fascination for ages. It is the idea that we possess an extrasensory perception beyond the five senses. But is there really such a thing as a sixth sense? Find out how you can enhance this skill, which might save your life.
Don’t confuse this mode of perception with the movie about seeing dead people presented in the movie called The Sixth Sense. If you want to see the spirits of dead people, I’m sure you’ve got some good reasons. But we aren’t talking about seeing dead people, ghosts, or spirits. We want to explore the ability to sense danger without the senses.
Perception occurs within the mind, not with the senses. The truth is that both scientists and the general public have widely debated this type of extrasensory perception. Some believe it is real, while others dismiss it as pure fiction. But let’s delve a little deeper and try to understand the sixth sense and whether it has a scientific basis. (1)
What is The 6th Sense?
It’s important to understand that the term “sixth sense” can refer to a broad range of phenomena. Some people use it to describe extrasensory perception (ESP), telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. Others define it as a heightened intuition or a gut feeling that helps people make decisions. Thus, it’s difficult to define it in a single way, which is partly why it has been so hard to study scientifically.
Scientists have conducted numerous studies on the sixth sense, attempting to determine whether it’s real or a myth. However, in most cases, the evidence has been inconclusive. One widely cited study was conducted by the US Government during the Cold War era, known as Project Stargate. The goal of the project was to investigate the possibility of psychic espionage.
Unfortunately, the results were inconclusive, and the project was ultimately abandoned. This lack of conclusive results has led most scientists to dismiss the existence of a sixth sense, stating that it’s simply a myth or the product of an overactive imagination.
On the other hand, some researchers believe that the sixth sense has a basis in science. They acknowledge that numerous phenomena are not yet fully understood, such as the ability to sense subtle changes in the environment or the ability to sense danger before it happens. They believe these abilities could result from an undiscovered sense that operates beyond the five traditional senses.
You may have had the experience when something doesn’t feel right, a feeling that something or someone is watching you. Yet, you don’t have any physical evidence to support this feeling? It might even trigger your fight, flight, or freeze reaction (3F response). Does this sound familiar?
So, is sixth sense real? Yes, many people have had this experience, so we would have to conclude this phenomenon has some merit. It is a warning signal that may save your life. Since this type of experience defies scientific validation, it is relegated to the domain of parapsychology (2).
“As scientists, the two men were contrasting types, Albert Einstein all calculation, Rutherford all experiment … There was no doubt that as an experimenter Rutherford was a genius, one of the greatest. He worked by intuition, and everything he touched turned to gold. He had a sixth sense.” — Chaim Weizmann
When you ask what is the 6th sense, most people link it to extrasensory perception (ESP) or second sight. Others see it as foreknowledge, foresight, or precognition. Regardless of how you classify it, the sixth sense is a heightened state of awareness that allows us to perceive potential danger without using the five senses. It’s a feeling that triggers our freeze, fight, or flight reaction. You may have felt this before and not understood it.
It’s a feeling that something is watching us, that danger is looming. We observe this type of cognition in wild animals. They react when something is hunting them, even if the animal or person hunting them is outside the range of their five senses. They respond instinctively and engage in the 3F response.
The sixth is an intuitive or instinctual function that enables a person to assess the environment without consciously using the five senses or normal cognitive processes. In parapsychology, it appears to be real, but it may not be. It is a modality of the mind we label extrasensory perception (ESP). Some consider this ability to be a part of the primitive mind.
“There are six senses: five are outer; they tell you about the world. I say something about the light; without eyes you will not know light. Ears say something about the sound; without ears you will not know anything about the sound. There is a sixth sense, the inner sense, that shows and tells you something about yourself and the ultimate source of things. That sense has to be discovered. Meditation is nothing but the discovery of the inner sense.” — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Osho
Is Sixth Sense Real or Just a Mind Game?
What is the 6th sense good for? In short, it can be a lifesaver. People who live in the wilderness or jungle are more accustomed to this ability. That’s because they are not subject to the level of cultural programming that people get in modern, so-called civilized cities. They know when wild animals or poisonous snakes may be near because they sense danger, not because they see, hear, smell, or touch them.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t reconnect with this innate skill even if we live in a modern metropolis. Many people have this ability but discount it because the cultural narrative does not reinforce it. For instance, you choose not to walk down a street or alley because it doesn’t feel right or safe. You have no evidence to support this intuitive judgment, but your feelings tell you that danger may be lurking.
So, is sixth sense real? Yes, when you understand what it is, as a heightened level of extraordinary perception. It isn’t a mind game, and it’s a skill you can enhance which might save your life.
Our ability to access this level of awareness starts with clearing the roadblocks to perception. We experience everything within the mind. We don’t perceive the environment directly. Our five senses provide a stream of limited data that passes through our worldview or paradigm.
To improve the sixth sense, we don’t need to improve our senses of hearing, sight, taste, smell, or touch. We need to clean the filter of our paradigm. Experiencing the subtleties of the external world starts with a deep dive into our worldview. Enhancing this inner sense is an inside job that takes serious inner work.
“Most creatures run when they sense danger. People grab a six-pack and a folding chair.” — Nenia Campbell
Inner Work
Our first challenge is learning the difference between fears programmed by the cultural narrative and those part of our genetic 3F response. The culture attaches its programming to these instincts to react to specific stimuli. All advertising has its roots in triggering our instincts.
How Is the sixth sense a tool that we can learn to activate? How can we remove all the debris that hides it?
Many people buy perfume because, according to the advertisement, it will make them more appealing to the opposite sex. We believe a lot of things because they trigger our sexual instinct. But, we buy other stuff too. We buy insurance because we fear something terrible will happen; that’s a self-preservation trigger. We buy clothes to keep up with the latest trends, a social instinct trigger.
The dominant cultural narrative distorts these fears, covering what we know is the sixth sense. So, we use some tools to identify the programming of the cultural narrative.
Many people have experiences we cannot explain, such as Déjà vu, synchronicity, or omens. These events are examples of the unique ability of the mind. They show us we are capable of accessing information beyond the five senses.
The Enneagram Personality Profile
The Enneagram is a powerful tool for inner work. It can identify the mechanisms of personality and instinct. We recommend using this tool to identify the elements of your thinking and values. When you conduct research using the following tools, you can see how your Ego is affected by these external forces. The fact is the programming from the cultural narrative can have a drastic negative effect on the Ego.
Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis is a tool that helps us compare concepts of our belief system with other systems. Seeing what we hold dear and unique in other belief systems gives us a new perspective.
“One man’s myth is another man’s religion.” ― Joseph Campbell
Everyone wants to believe what they hold dear is original and genuine. So, when you see similar or identical religious doctrine in earlier belief systems, it’s a clue that perhaps your beliefs aren’t authentic or valid. Therefore, it may be superstition and mythology you should remove.
For example, say you have afterlife beliefs in heaven. Heaven is a concept that stretches back to the mystery religions of ancient Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Persian. If you accept your afterlife beliefs in heaven, you must also acknowledge that the concept comes from the superstition and mythology of these earlier inventors. Religion is the sixth sense enemy.
We suggest you start with some common topics for this level of research. We already mentioned the afterlife. You can add your beliefs about a higher power. Defining the attributes of your higher power is an excellent place to see comparisons between mythologies and superstitions.
How to Use The Data From Inner Work
Once you complete the Enneagram Personality Profile and at least two or three comparative analysis studies, you will have a good snapshot of your worldview or paradigm. You can use this data to make positive changes that will affect your life and everyone in your circle of influence.
The more religious beliefs you have, the more likely you are to have programming that prevents you from accessing your intuition. There is an inverse relationship between the amount of cultural programming and your ability to perceive the world. We know that our external senses are limited and that the act of cognition happens within the mind. So, the more interference between the true observer and reality, the less in touch we are with the input from all other sources.
Is Sixth Sense Real, or is The Sixth Sense a Mind Game?
We must each answer this question. Many people overlook synchronicities, omens, and warnings of impending danger. The more trash you remove from your mind, the clearer you perceive it. The concept of the 6th sense remains a topic of fascination and debate. While some people believe it’s real, others see it as pure fiction. The truth is that we still have much to learn about the human brain, and there may still be hidden senses waiting to be discovered. Until then, the debate over its existence will continue.
References
(1) “Sixth sense” may be more than just a feeling
(2) Parapsychology, Wikipedia