Psychics & The Phenomenon

Co-writer/director Darcy Weir’s Psychics & The Phenomenon (a.k.a. The Psychic Phenomenon) explores the long and controversial history of the government’s relationship with psychics, focusing on remote viewing and extrasensory perception (ESP). Actor Thomas Jane joins a range of experts and researchers in revisiting how the U.S. military and intelligence agencies once studied psychic phenomena, from CIA and DIA programs to astronaut Edgar Mitchell’s psychic experiments during the Apollo 14 mission. These accounts raise the central question of whether the mind possesses abilities far beyond what science has officially recognized, including the possibility of contact with alien or supernatural intelligences.

The documentary, co-written by Tom Thompson, illustrates the specific art of remote viewing, breaking it down into clear stages of ideograms, sensory impressions, and sketches that evolve into detailed perceptions of hidden targets. Magician Chris Ramsay shares his training and remarkable results. At the same time, historical cases highlight government and law enforcement programs that relied on remote viewers to locate drug smugglers, uncover secret facilities, and even perceive events across both distance and time. Those proficient in remote viewing achieved an 80% success rate, with 50% of the 700 missions yielding successful outcomes.

Weir’s purpose in making the film is to shed light on these overlooked and often underappreciated programs, while presenting the human stories behind them. By blending history, science, and first-person accounts, he challenges viewers to reconsider what is possible when it comes to the interaction of mind and matter. At its core, the film asks whether telepathy and psychic perception represent a new frontier in human understanding, one that could expand our sense of potential and connection to the wider universe.

“…illustrates the specific art of remote viewing, breaking it down into clear stages…”

Truth be told, I’m what you’d call a skeptic when it comes to the psychic arts, but I do love conspiracy stories. No matter where you fall in the range of belief and disbelief, Psychics & The Phenomenon is educational to say the least. What is true is that the government and the military dabbled with psychics decades ago, and some appear in the doc while the stories of others are brought to light through archive footage.

The documentary itself is dense with information. It took a few starts and stops for me to figure out what’s going on and to get the hang of the lingo. If you know nothing about psychics, you might find yourself lost in translation. For me, the most fascinating story was that of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell. He was the sixth person to walk on the Moon, and his stories of psychic experiments from space are fascinating. Although I believe experiments were conducted, I’m not entirely sure about the results, which is pretty much how I approached the entire document.

The narrative can be summed up by “You’re crazy. Explain yourself,” which the film does. In fact, we go deep down the rabbit hole. Ultimately, it’s not for everyone, but there is an audience for this subject matter. Whether you believe or not, Psychics & The Phenomenon invites curiosity about the untapped potential of the human mind and its possible connection to the unknown.

For more information about Psychics & The Phenomenon, visit the Occult Journeys site.