What Is Remote Viewing?
RV stands for Remote Viewing — a practice in which an individual attempts to perceive or describe details about a distant or unseen target using mental faculties alone, without any direct sensory input or prior information about the target. Remote viewing differs from other claimed psychic abilities in that it was developed within a structured, protocol-driven framework specifically designed for repeatability and scientific testing.
The Stargate Program
Remote viewing gained significant credibility through its association with the U.S. government’s classified Stargate program, which operated from the early 1970s through 1995. Funded by the CIA and DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) and initially based at SRI (Stanford Research Institute), the program investigated whether remote viewing could be used for intelligence gathering purposes. Over its two-decade lifespan, the program employed multiple remote viewers and produced thousands of sessions targeting foreign military installations, hostage locations, and other intelligence objectives.
How Remote Viewing Works
In a controlled remote viewing session, a viewer is given a target — typically identified only by a random coordinate or reference number to prevent front-loading of information. The viewer then enters a focused mental state and records their impressions, which may include visual imagery, sounds, textures, emotions, spatial layouts, and other sensory data. The process follows specific protocols — the most well-known being CRV (Coordinate Remote Viewing) developed by Ingo Swann and ERV (Extended Remote Viewing) — designed to minimize analytical overlay and imagination-based contamination.
Evidence and Results
The Stargate program produced a body of results that remains debated. A 1995 review by the American Institutes for Research concluded that remote viewing demonstrated a statistically significant effect in laboratory settings but that the intelligence product was too unreliable and vague for operational use. Proponents counter that specific operational sessions produced actionable intelligence, citing documented cases involving the location of a downed Soviet bomber and the description of a previously unknown Soviet submarine design.
Remote Viewing Today
Following the declassification of the Stargate program, remote viewing moved into the civilian sector. Former military viewers established training programs and organizations, and the practice developed a dedicated community of practitioners and researchers. IRVA (International Remote Viewing Association) serves as the primary professional body, and remote viewing continues to be studied in academic parapsychology programs. The practice has also attracted interest from private sector organizations exploring non-conventional intelligence and decision-making methods.
Related Terms
Remote viewing is connected to ESP (Extra-Sensory Perception), PSI (Parapsychological Phenomena), SRI (Stanford Research Institute), IRVA (International Remote Viewing Association), OBE (Out-of-Body Experience), and the broader field of consciousness research studied at institutions like IONS (Institute of Noetic Sciences).