Have you ever felt as if someone were watching you? Why is that?

The feeling of being looked at, known as scopaesthesia, is a phenomenon that, although it exists, lacks adequate empirical investigation.

Rupert Sheldrake, biologist and parapsychologist, took an interest in this phenomenon. He decided that people were able to consciously detect the unseen staring.

Although it would be easy to describe this sensation of been stared at as a form of telepathy, Sheldrake concluded that it was not a paranormal phenomenon but rather a normal part of our biological being. Because of his laidback experimentation methods, Sheldrake has been much criticized.

Many ridicule the idea of telepathy. I am not one of them.

Once, when people lived with clans or in small communities, non-verbal communication was easier. Vibes were more often used than words to communicate. But with the increase in demographics that changed as a standardized form of communication was needed. Vibes were thus replaced with words.

Before the evolution of language, these telepathic skills were once fundamental for survival.

If you don’t use it, you lose it. When we stopped using our telepathic skills, we lost them. Fortunately, many people still maintain traces of their telepathic skills.

I have no particular interest in parapsychology. Nevertheless, I don’t discredit it. The problem is that there are many charlatans out there in parapsychology just as there are in any other field. Like politics, for example.

Several years ago, I was alone on Paros. My daughter was supposed to arrive the next day so I was busy preparing for her arrival. Her bedroom was downstairs adjacent to a veranda. Normally, because the summer is so hot, people generally sleep with the windows opened but the shutters closed.

In all the years that I have been coming to Paros, I’ve never felt afraid. But for some reason, that evening I felt extremely anxious. I kept asking myself whether or not I should shut the glass doors as well—something I have never done before. Finally, I convinced myself to go close the doors.

There was a bright moon that illuminated the veranda. And from the shutter’s slats, I could see the form of a man right outside the door. He had a tool in his hand made specifically to lift the shutter’s inside latch so he could enter.

For 30 seconds I froze. Had I arrived a few minutes later, I would have found myself face to face with a thief. Then I felt the fear transform into rage and started yelling “Thief! Thief!”. The guy then, obviously, ran off.

The sensation I felt that provoked me into checking the doors was a telepathic experience.

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