What is Retrocognition?

In the exciting, yet weird (and often unexplainable) world of psychic phenomena, there are different skills and abilities that are manifested by each gifted individual. Some have the ability to predict the future, while others have the power to unearth the past. Some even have the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead. But have you ever heard about “retrocognition”?  Let’s take a brief, but closer look at this type of psychic ability.

“Backward Knowing”

Retrocognition is a psychic ability which, according to its Latin roots, is referred to as “backward knowing”. This means that the person who has the power or retrocognition can easily pick up any information an individual’s past. The individual can discern or pick up the information through various means, usually by entering into a trance, and he or she can get the information in a spontaneous manner. This ability is also referred to by others as “post-cognition” and “past evocation”.

Déjà Vu

Many psychic researchers also consider the term “déjà vu” to be a simpler or milder form of retrocognition. What exactly is “déjà vu”? The term actually refers to an intense gut feeling that one has been to a certain place, witnessed a past event, or met a person. Some also consider retrocognition to be like “psychometry”, wherein the psychic obtains information about an object’s history, by simply touching it. 

What Are The Variations, Or Limits Of Retrocognition?

Retrocognition is also divided, or categorized into different forms or variations. One form would be “retrocognitive artistry”, wherein the psychic can describe past events through writing, painting or drawing them. Another variant is called “retrocognitive dreaming”, wherein the psychic can perceive past events through his or her dreams. Retrocognition however has its limits, or drawbacks. Some experts say that the psychic could be unable to notice present surroundings, and he or she could be unable to into the history of other realms or parallel universes. Retrocognition may also require physical contact, and the individual may at times, need to enter into a trance-like state or condition.

Is It For Real?

Although some people view psychics as crooks or scam artists, many however, have a firm belief that some individuals have that special ability to connect with the supernatural, or even with a parallel universe of sorts. True-blue psychic adherents and researchers though strongly believe that because everything, after all, is made up of  energy, it is believed that the energies of often-repeated or traumatic or incredible events, often remain recorded (or stuck) in the area or environment where they originally occurred, the psychic will often have the ability to hear, sense or “tune-in” to the  frequency of this residual energy, and thus be able to see or perceive (as well as experience) it.

And while modern science does not have a concrete explanation as to why this psychic ability exists, some theorize that this is caused when one side of the human brain is able to receive messages, a fraction of a second after the other. Some also think that this psychic ability could be a result of a memory mix-up that’s caused when “repressed memories surface”. The truth however, is that you may already have the ability to look into the past (or future), yet you may still need help in sharpening, and enhancing, these extraordinary abilities.

Retrocognition is basically used to refer to knowledge or awareness of events or things which have already taken place. It is a popular variant in the vast world of the paranormal where a psychic perceived things, people or events in the past through supernatural means. This phenomenon is also closely associated with a psychic ability called clairvoyance or clearly seeing things. A clairvoyant psychic could either see the future which is also known as precognition and seeing the past events also known to occur during retrocognitive experience.

The psychic term has been first coined in early centuries by Frederic W. H. Myers. It is also known as post cognition.

The exact words in this term were derived from the Latin words retro which means behind or backward and cognition which is translated in English as “knowing” or being aware of something. Consequently, the term is used to knowing or discovering a certain past event which is not possibly perceivable or inferred through normal means. Although it has not gained popularity and support among scientific communities, this term has been accepted as psi ability with diverse forms and modes of expression.  

Psychometry is also considered a practice which is influenced or developed with the help of retrocognitive experience. There are simplest or basic forms of retrocognition and outlets where it is manifested. For instance, a person or psychic could simply have a feeling of déjà vu which is recognising or getting familiar with a person, place or set of events or circumstances. This gut feeling or intuition could somehow help a person know what has happened in a particular situation. This is quite true in the case of clairvoyant psychics who have opened or active third eye or hypersensitive extra sensory perception or ESP. Thus, déjà vu is considered a basic or low level of having retrocognitive experience.

In other cases, there are more vivid and conscious awareness of the things which have previously happened. Some people who are experiencing post cognitive manifestations are usually aware of what has taken place particularly the details of certain events in the past. They have this kind of vision of visions which are like seeing a movie or motion picture. A clairvoyant psychic could actually go in a deep trance or still keep a conscious state of mind and see events and occurrences in the past. In most parapsychological researches, the authenticity and proofs of having a retrocognitive experience has been documented. However, it is imperative to note that this ability is not responsive to laboratory testing.

There are psychic approaches or methods which are strong and concrete manifestations of retrocognition such as past life regression or recall. A psychic expert or specialist helps the client go through a state of consciousness where he could perceive events in another lifetime or the far past. It could actually reveal events, people and objects which are not possibly perceivable through normal human means. Retrocognitive experiences could essentially help you understand your present and shape your future through discovering your past.

The realm of psychic phenomena continues to be a very popular, and hotly debated topic. Why? Because more and more people are becoming either interested, or baffled, at stuff like spirit communication, fortune-telling, Tarot cards, extra-sensory perception (ESP), and anything psychic-related. Well, have anyone of you ever heard of a psychic ability called "retrocognition? Let's further talk on what this psychic ability is all about.

The word retrocognition is derived from two old Latin words ("retro" and "cognition"), which  literally means "backward knowing". The term also refers to the knowledge of past events or occurrences, which could not have been determined or learned by using the five basic senses. And while modern science continues to frown on the validity of such psychic skill, a lot of independent tests and studies have already been done, and many have concluded that this particular psychic ability does exist.   

How Does It Work?

According to psychic phenomenon experts, retrocognition usually manifests, or shows itself, in the form of a dream (or dream-like apparition or vision). A psychic who has retrocognition abilities does not use his or her basic senses to obtain any information from the past. Instead, the information is sent to him or her through mental images, gut feeling and in dreams or visions. Many people often associate this ability with "déjà vu", which is actually described by many to be a form of retrocognition. It's also an intense "gut feeling", where the person strongly feels that he or she has already met someone, or has been to a certain place, even if they haven't been there yet (and even if they haven't met the person yet).

Are There Any Recorded Cases?

While there have been a lot of undocumented accounts of retrocognition cases noted over the decades, only a few have gained popularity, or have stirred much interest. Perhaps one of the most popular retrocognition cases is that of the exploits of Edgar Cayce. Cayce was a popular psychic, who was noted to have given a lot of information about the existence of the "Essene Society", a frugal and Spartan community, which thrived during the ancient times, somewhere in Jordan or Israel. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1951 however, did mention a lot about the existence of the Essene Society. In another case, Mrs. Irene Hughes of Chicago, Illinois, was believed to have helped local police solve a couple of murder cases, because she had the retrocognition abilities.

While the established scientific community still does not have a concrete explanation for the existence, or validity of retrocognition, some scientists assume that retrocognition could be the result of a mix-up of the person's memory, which can be brought about when "repressed" or hidden memories suddenly come out, or surface.  For veteran psychics however, retrocognition is just but a few of the hundreds (or even thousands) of other special skills that can be unleashed, if  the individual is able to connect, and tap into his or her intuition, or subconscious.  

References:

• Dale, L. A., & White, R. A. (1977),or in other words someone gets knowledge about the past life of someone else without the known or ordinary sources but with some kind of power of the brain. It is also considered sixth sense by some people. Glossary of terms found in the literature of psychical research and parapsychology. In B. B. Wolman (Ed.), Handbook of Parapsychology (pp. 921-936). New York, NY, US: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
• Rhine, J. B. (1977). History of experimental studies. In B. B. Wolman (Ed.), Handbook of Parapsychology (pp. 25-47). New York, NY, US: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

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