When Psychics' Brains "Check Out": What Neuroscience Reveals About Altered States
After scanning over 25,000 brains, you think you've seen everything. Then you map a psychic's brain during a reading, and the data stops you cold.
I've now mapped five different people who claim psychic abilities—a pet psychic, Tyler Henry (the Hollywood medium), and others with various approaches. They all show the same striking pattern when they "go to work." Their brains suddenly look like they're asleep or dissociating, even when they're fully engaged and animated.
This isn't about whether psychic abilities are real. It's about understanding a fascinating neurological state that challenges our assumptions about consciousness and brain activity.
The Paradox: Active Mind, Sleeping Brain
Picture Tyler Henry during a reading. He's scribbling notes, talking rapidly, moving his hands, sweating, red-faced, completely animated. His heart is pounding. He's clearly present and focused.
Meanwhile, Dr. Drew Pinsky and I are watching his brain waves in real-time from another room. What we see looks impossible: massive, slow brain waves as if he's passed out or in a dissociative state. The EEG signature resembles someone on the verge of unconsciousness.
This is the central mystery. How can someone be cognitively active while their brain appears to be offline?
The Neuroscience of "Checking Out"
The brain patterns I observed suggest these individuals are entering a specific altered state characterized by:
Dominant slow-wave activity: Large amplitude, low-frequency waves typically associated with deep sleep or unconsciousness Reduced cortical arousal: The thinking brain appears to downshift dramatically Maintained physiological arousal: Heart rate, sweating, and physical engagement remain high
This creates a neurological paradox—a dissociation between brain state and behavioral state that shouldn't be possible under normal circumstances.
Training the Brain to Change States
What impressed me most wasn't the strange pattern itself, but the consistency and control these individuals demonstrated. The pet psychic I mapped showed the same brain signature on two different days using two different techniques. She could reliably shift into this state and modify it based on different cognitive exercises.
This is remarkable because brain mapping typically picks up traits, not states. We measure relatively stable patterns that reflect how your brain typically functions. The fact that she could rapidly change her neural signature suggests an unusual degree of state control.
The Default Mode Network Connection
While I can't definitively explain the mechanism, this pattern likely involves the default mode network (DMN)—a collection of brain regions active during rest and introspection. The DMN includes:
- Medial prefrontal cortex: Self-referential processing
- Posterior cingulate cortex: Autobiographical memory and future planning
- Angular gyrus: Conceptual processing and meaning-making
When these regions become hyperactive, they can create states that feel like "checking out" or dissociating from normal awareness. The massive slow waves suggest the cortex is entering a state similar to REM sleep, where the brain is active but disconnected from external processing.
States vs. Traits: A Critical Distinction
In neurofeedback, we distinguish between brain states (temporary conditions) and traits (stable patterns). Most people can't rapidly shift between dramatically different states. These individuals appear to have trained an ability to:
- Enter altered states on command
- Maintain these states while behaviorally active
- Modify the states based on different tasks
This represents an unusual form of neural flexibility that goes beyond typical state control.
The Broader Implications
Whether or not you believe in psychic abilities, these findings reveal something important about consciousness and brain states:
Consciousness is more flexible than we assumed: The brain can maintain awareness while entering states that typically correlate with unconsciousness.
State control can be trained: With practice, some individuals can develop remarkable control over their neural states.
Our measurement tools have limitations: Standard EEG interpretation may not capture the full complexity of altered consciousness states.
Training State Control
While I can't teach you to become psychic, the underlying skill—state control—can be developed through:
Neurofeedback training: Learning to recognize and shift brain states using real-time EEG feedback
Meditation practices: Developing awareness of different states of consciousness
Biofeedback: Training autonomic control alongside brain state regulation
The key is developing awareness of your internal state and practicing deliberate state changes.
The Honest Limits
Let me be clear about what we don't know:
- Sample size: Five individuals isn't definitive
- Mechanism: I can describe the pattern but not fully explain it
- Reproducibility: This needs replication in controlled settings
- Causation: Does the brain state enable the claimed abilities, or is it just correlated?
This is clinical observation, not controlled research. But it's consistent observation across multiple individuals with similar claims.
What This Means for Brain Training
The broader lesson isn't about psychic abilities—it's about the brain's capacity for state control. These individuals have somehow trained their brains to enter and maintain unusual states while remaining behaviorally active.
This suggests possibilities for training other states: deeper focus, enhanced creativity, or better stress management. The principles of state awareness and deliberate state change apply regardless of the specific state you're targeting.
The Bottom Line
After thousands of brain scans, the most surprising finding wasn't pathology—it was the human brain's remarkable flexibility. These psychic readings revealed that consciousness and brain activity can dissociate in ways we don't fully understand.
Whether you're interested in altered states, meditation, or just better focus, the core insight remains: your brain is more trainable and flexible than you might think. The question isn't whether psychic abilities are real—it's what other states of consciousness we might learn to access and control.
Dr. Andrew Hill is a neuroscientist and brain optimization expert with over 25 years of experience in neurofeedback and brain training. He has conducted over 25,000 brain scans and specializes in peak performance training.