Although mind reading may seem like a super power, reading someone’s mind is actually a skill that can be learned. Predicting the needs of a customer, knowing how to approach your boss, developing an inner intuition about others’ values, can help you progress. In our technological age, face-to-face communication is becoming increasingly difficult. Sending text messages is less compatible with our body language and sensory awareness.
Understanding what someone wants to convey accurately without the added difficulty of a screen time lag is hard enough. Fortunately, you don’t always have to rely on what someone says to know what’s on their mind. The truth is, anyone can learn to read minds with careful attention and appropriate training. To understand how this is possible, you first need to understand the science behind mind reading.
Are We Naturally Inclined to Read Minds?
As humans, we attempt to read minds every day. We try to predict others’ feelings and reactions, and respond accordingly. This often works if someone shows their true emotions. But, how can we know if someone has a blank expression that does not show their feelings?
There are other skills and techniques that you can use to understand what is going on in someone’s mind by utilizing hints from facial expressions and body language.
Skills You Need for Mind Reading
To be honest, mind reading doesn’t require too many skills. The basic skills you need are the drive to take it all the way, the sensitivity to trust your instincts, and a willingness to learn.
Before you start mind reading, an important skill you need is mindfulness. This can be done through yoga or meditation. Clearing your mind of all other distractions is crucial for being able to detect others’ thoughts. Having an open channel for energy and thoughts makes mind reading much easier by giving your mind and soul the appropriate exercise and flexibility.
How to read someone’s mind
The tips I’ll discuss here will make quick progress with family members and friends who already know you well, but working with strangers may take a little longer. Be patient as you practice, and remember that with time and focus, you can learn to understand what’s going on in others’ minds.
1. Always Try to Keep Your Mind Open
First and foremost, you should try to keep your mind open. This means opening your energy to others around you and not closing it off to something else that isn’t serving you at the moment. This means being present and aware by taking in the energy given by those around you.
As I mentioned before, practicing yoga or meditation is a great way to start. It’s important to be consistent with your practice and to be alone in these moments for maximum concentration.
2. Choosing Someone to Read Minds
In this step, you must select the person you want to learn more about and read their mind.
Now, visualize that person. See them as they are, with their faces, features, posture, body language, and other details that you’ve learned about them.
Then, describe what you see. Create two columns in your mind: what they are and what they are not. Distinguish them from things like the chair they’re sitting in, the coffee they’re drinking, the couple talking in the background, and more.
Make sure that your focus is only on them. This way, you can be sure that you are receiving only the energy that they are producing. Otherwise, your perception may be diluted by the energy or distractions of other things.
3. Find Your Focus
Focus on the person’s face. Maintain eye contact with them for approximately 15 seconds. It’s important to measure this according to the situation, because holding it for too long can disturb their energy and break the connection, while too short may not establish the connection.
After eye contact, look away. Create a mental image of them. Focus on the energy that you receive from them during those seconds of connection. Try to sense their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This starts the real process of mind reading.
4. Being the Receiver
In this step, you are ready to gather more information about the person. What should you talk about? This is determined by the thoughts that immediately come to mind.
What you think about may be exactly what they are thinking about, so allow the conversation to be guided by your intuition. Regardless of whether they are dark, bright, scary, or hospitable, welcome the thoughts that come your way at this point.
Allow yourself to feel them, so that you can allow the other person to feel them too. Be open to the possibilities of the conversation for the other person to comfortably share with you.
During this time, what emerges may shock you, but you should stay open to everything that arises. This can be liberating for both you and the other person, so allow the right path to be taken.
Here are some tips for improving your ability to read people’s minds
Strengthen Your Emotional Intelligence
Try to guess what the other person is feeling. Most of the time, as humans, we are not very good at hiding our emotions. If they indicate they’re feeling a certain way, you can explore why they’re feeling that way.
Once the thought process is understood, you can continue to suggest solutions to either reduce or enhance the emotions in question.
Develop Your Listening Skills
Be a listening listener, not a listening responder. The other person can easily sense the difference and may shut down if they don’t feel their emotions and energies are being properly received. Listen more than you speak for maximum understanding.
Pay attention to emotions.
A way to better calibrate your empathy towards others is to first allow yourself to accept your own emotions.
Once you can accept your own emotions, you will be better at accepting others’ emotions. Empathy covers a long way in understanding others.
Reading Minds as a Journey
While mind reading may be something that anyone can do, only those who are patient and dedicated can be successful. As your ability improves, be careful not to use it for personal gain or to harm others.
Cognitive Awareness
You likely spend most of your time using your Cognitive Awareness by interpreting things and trying to understand situations and people by what you see and hear. There is much more to any interaction than just what people say and express in a perceivable manner.
Sensory Awareness
To fully hear and understand someone, you need to be aware not just of your mental activity but also your sensory reactions.
With sensory awareness, you can pick up on more than just what people are saying with their words.
Sensory awareness involves an internal awareness of your reactions during a conversation. Your reactions can give you a response to what they are saying.
You may also be reacting to the energy you receive from the people and world around you.
You can feel people’s desires, disappointments, needs, hopes, and doubts, even when they cannot express or feel these experiences themselves. This requires accessing your brain, heart, and intuition, the three processing centers of your nervous system.
Ask yourself how you feel.
Your emotions are partially a reflection of what others are feeling. You may need to learn how to distinguish your emotional reactions from what you pick up from others.
To help develop this ability, use the following Emotional Awareness exercise: Pay attention to when you feel uncomfortable with the emotions you are experiencing.
Activate your curiosity and see if you can release any attachment to the decision. Relax your muscles and your breath. Give more importance to this moment about yourself.
Test Your Intuition.
When you feel something in your heart or intuition, share what you might be feeling such as anger, disappointment, sadness, longing, etc. Accept the response of whether or not they agree with you.
If you’re wrong, your guess may help determine their feelings and behavior. Be quiet and patient with the responses; they may need time and space to think about what they’re feeling.
Don’t interrupt their thoughts or try to make them feel better. Catch this urge and return to listening. If they say they don’t want to talk about it, accept their request.
Don’t criticize yourself.
If you criticize yourself for not being fully aware, you distance yourself from that person.
Wrap it up kindly
Ask if there is anything they need in order to move forward now. You can ask if they would like to look at possible solutions. If not, thank them for sharing with you.
I know it can be easier said than done. Being aware and present with your feelings and what you are receiving can be painful, scary or unsettling. Staying present takes real strength.
Most people, especially when they are emotionally challenged, want to be seen, understood, and valued. When you share what you heard with your heart and intuition, they may appreciate that you deeply listened and cared. We all have the ability to read minds. We need patience and trust to believe what we read.
