distanceviewing

Distance viewing, often referred to as remote viewing, is a purported form of extrasensory perception in which a person describes or perceives information about a target that is distant in space or time and not accessible by ordinary senses. Practitioners typically conduct sessions under controlled conditions, sometimes with an interviewer or monitor guiding the process and concealing the target to prevent cueing. Targets may be remote locations, objects, or events.

The practice emerged in mid-20th-century parapsychology and gained public attention through studies at the Stanford Research Institute in the 1970s, led by Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ. Protocols such as controlled remote viewing (CRV) and later variants sought to systematize the process. Proponents claim that descriptions or drawings can reveal aspects of the target with accuracy beyond chance.

The scientific assessment remains skeptical. Independent replications have not produced consistent evidence of reliable predictive power, and concerns about methodological quality and publication bias are common. As a result, distance viewing is generally regarded as unproven and outside mainstream science, though it maintains a presence in parapsychology research and popular culture.

See also: remote viewing, parapsychology.