Planchette
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A planchette, from the French for "little plank", is a small, usually heart-shaped flat piece of wood equipped with two wheeled casters and a pencil-holding aperture pointing downwards, used to facili
Early British Planchette, 1850s–60s.
1891 Kennard Novelty Co. Ouija Board
"Mystic Hand" planchette
Ideomotor phenomenon
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The ideomotor phenomenon is a psychological phenomenon wherein a subject makes motions unconsciously. Also called ideomotor response and abbreviated to IMR, it is a concept in hypnosis and psychologic
Planchette
…simpler, non-writing pointing devices for ouija boards that eclipsed the popularity of their original form. Scientists explain the motion is due to the ideomotor effect, but paranormal advocates believe the planchette is moved by the presence of spirits or some form of subtle energy. Planchettes took on a variety of…
An example of table-turning in 19th century France. A circle of participants press their hands against a table, and the ideomotor effect causes the table to tilt in such a way as to produce a written message, in a manner similar to a ouija board.
The Charlie Charlie challenge relies on the ideomotor phenomenon to produce answers to questions provided by its participants — the breathing from the participants anticipating a result causes the top pencil to rotate towards an answer