Many people do not really understand what ?mental telepathy? means. This term basically refers to the communication that occurs beyond the five senses. Nevertheless it's a world of variation between trying to read some one thoughts and trying to delve in some one's mind without their knowledge. Mental telepathy encompasses a wide assortment of different types of techniques and skills which can be either simple or very sophisticated. Here we will try to give you a brief glimpse into the various types of mental telepathy.

NON-VERBAL OR KINESICS LEVEL

Parents use this kind of non verbal communication all the time between themselves so that they can communicate without their children knowing. Generally known as kinesics this type of non verbal communication uses the five senses. Hence people ?talk' using their body language, facial expressions and eyes. This mode of communication is at its best between people who are familiar or intimate with each other. Examples are parents and children, siblings, wives, husbands and even close friends.

There are some people who feel this kind of communication cannot qualify for mental telepathy due to the fact that here senses are being used and only the sound is excluded. In a way they are right. Nevertheless mental telepathy has a very significant part in this method of communication. The fact that their minds are so in synch with each other is the reason that non verbal communication is more effective in people who know each other well than strangers. Conversely people say that since the people in question know each other well or may be are used to the sign language between them, that's the reason why it is so effective.

EMPATHY

Using the ability to directly experience the emotions of others is known as empathy and it is another level of mental telepathy. Some people may not have any skills in this area while others are very good at being able to mentally understand how they must be feeling. Empathy is also a skill that can be increased with training and practice over a period of time. Actors can imitate the emotions of others, when the script calls for it, even to the point of being able to make themselves laugh or cry with real tears.

Sympathetic pain is another form of emotional mental telepathy, like feeling another person's pain as if it were your own. For example, you may experience a pain in your arm after witnessing someone close to you breaks their arm. Even though you know its fine, it is still an uncomfortable feeling. Overwhelming emotion, such as joy, grief, or depression, may cause you to feel the same emotion inside you, if it is somebody close to you. Long distance empathy or emotional mental telepathy is where a person suddenly knows or feels that someone close to them is in danger or is in pain, even though they are the person may be far away.

Again critics mock at such incidents and attribute them to imagination working overtime. Here, they may be partly right since it involves the other senses. If we did not know that our loved one is hurt, then would we still feel the pain? However, such critics cannot explain long distance empathy.

CONCRETE SYMBOL THOUGHT TRANSFERENCE

In this form of mental telepathy none of the five senses are used and the symbols and objects are transmitted between the sender and the receiver simply by thought. This kind of communication is accomplished by rigorous training and powerful focus and constant practice on both ends.

In this kind of telepathy easier concepts are easily communicated by mere thought. For instance, it's easier to transmit a shape or color rather than a bird.

Experiments in concrete levels telepathy use Zener cards to prove mental telepathy skills. They are simple, concrete black-and-white symbols (a circle, square, star, plus sign, and three wavy lines). Critics of the Zener cards have pointed out that with only five cards to choose from, there is a 20% chance of being right, even with random guesses. On the other hand, it may be easier for two people to send and receive thoughts if those are shared, known, and a limited set of concrete symbols. Although anyone can get a 20% success rate with enough guesses, there are success rates of 50% or higher in some cases.

NON-CONCRETE OR ABSTRACT THOUGHT TRANSFERENCE

More abstract concepts like ideas or names of relatives of unknown persons are harder to communicate through thought than simple symbols or colors. For telepaths to achieve this level of mental telepathy, there is a lower success rate and the experiments are too hard for the average telepath to master.

Science is not able to explain how it is that some animals appear able to communicate. Mental telepathy should not be ruled out and in some cases it appears animals are using abstract or non-concrete concepts, although they may be very basic. Since animal brains lack prefrontal lobes, ideas such as this would probably not go beyond simplistic impulses to express emotions such as ?danger', ?hungry', ?thirsty' or ?horny'.

Some people feel that in the olden ages humans were great telepaths who lost their power with the development of language and evolution. IF this is so then it may be possible to recall those telepathic abilities by the right kind of stimulation.

There are others still that theorize that having psychic powers such as ESP and mental telepathy are actually a "future" development in human evolution. If enough people develop these powers, humans in the future could become telepathic in communication as they evolve.