“Russell Targ is a senior research physicist at Stanford Research Institute, having joined their electronics and bioengineering laboratory in 1972.
Prior to that, he spent 10 years in laser and plasma physics research with Sylvania Corporation, developing gas lasers…
He is also president of the Parapsychology Research Group, Inc., in Palo Alto, California.”
(Mitchell, Edgar, Psychic Exploration, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1974, pg 522-3)
Partner with Hal Puthoff in the SRI remote viewing project (see SRI’s page for more details.)
“I have had dealings with Andrija Puharich intermittently since 1965..”
“I could remember back to my own activities at nineteen, when I was earning money performing magic..”
(Targ & Puthoff, 1977, pg 137)
Brother-in-law of former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer.
Interestingly, one of Fischer’s opponents, Boris Spassky, claimed he lost a match because he was being beamed with confusion rays.
(Becker, Robert and Selden, Gary, The Body Electric, Quill, 1985, pg. 322)
“In May 1982, Elisabeth Targ and I (R.T.) were invited to hold a workshop at Esalen Institute for a group of twenty-five professional men and women.”
This was part of a program with Stanislav Grof, who was studying non-chemical alternatives for altered states of consciousness.
The Targs’ goal was to show that psychic experiences did not require an altered state.
(Targ and Harary, pg 99)
In 1982, Targ left SRI and founded Delphi Associates with Keith Harary.
Delphi Associates was a consultancy which sought to apply psi to finding oil, gas, etc.
Using Harary as a viewer, they claimed to have successfully traded in the silver market.
(Targ and Harary, pg 176)
In Spring, 1982, Targ turned in a research report to his DIA contract manager at SRI, Jim Salyer.
Salyer and the DIA considered his work to be unprofessional, and they soon refused to pay his salary.
Under SRI rules, Targ had eight months to find new funding.
In early 1983, he left SRI, reportedly claiming that he left because he didn’t like the military applications of psychic research.
(Schnabel, Jim, Remote Viewers: The Secret History of America’s Psychic Spies, Dell, 1997, pg. 264)
Remote viewers: the secret history of America’s psychic spies – Anna’s Archive
After leaving SRI, he toured the world with Keith Harary, including travelling to many communist countries, which made some in the DIA very nervous.
Before officially leaving SRI, Targ, along with Harary and businessman Tony White, founded Delphi Associates.
Their first project was to develop a psi-related game for Atari, but Atari went under before the deal was completed.
Delphi then went on to ty to predict silver futures on the market.
After several reported successes, there were two misses, which scared off their investor.
Each blamed each other for the failure, and the argument went public during a lecture Harary gave at the Esalen Institute.
The feud continued into the 1990s.
(Schnabel, 1997, pg. 264-6)
Russell Targ is now apparently working with Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space Co., where his work deals with using lasers to determine wind patterns.
In April 1996, he co-chaired a session on “Advanced Sensor Technologies” at the Aerospace/Defense Sensing and Controls conference.
He is also identified as being with the Bay Research Institute, 1010 Harriet St., Palo Alto, CA 94301, and was involved with the Physics/Consciousness Research Group.
Author of:
Targ, Russell and Harary, Keith, Mind Race, Villard Books, 1984
Targ, Russell and Puthoff “Information Transmission Under Conditions of Sensory Shielding”, Nature, 10/18/74, v252, n5476, pp 602-607
Targ, Russell and Puthoff, Harold E, Mind-Reach, Delacorte Press, 1977
Mind-reach: scientists look at psychic abilities – Anna’s Archive
Targ, E., Targ, R., & Lichtarge, O. “Realtime clairvoyance: A study of remote viewing without feedback”, The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1985, 79, pg. 493-500
Targ, R. & Tart, C.T. “Pure clairvoyance and the necessity of feedback”, The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1985, 79, pg 485-492
Puthoff, Harold E., Targ, Russell, & May, Edwin C. “Experimental psi research: implication for physics,” The Role of Consciousness in the Physical World, ed. Robert G. Jahn, Westview, 1981, pp. 37-86
Targ, Russell (1994). “What I see when I close my eyes,” Journal of Scientific Exploration, 8,1 (1994), p. 117
Targ, Russell, “Remote-viewing replication: evaluated by concept analysis”, Journal of Parapsychology, 9/94, v58, n3, p271
Why I Teach Remote Viewing?
Abstract:
Since ancient times spiritual teachers have described paths and practices that a person could follow to achieve health, happiness, and peace of mind.
A considerable body of recent research indicates that any kind of spiritual practice is likely to improve one’s prognosis for recovering from a serious illness.
Many of these approaches to spirituality involve learning to quiet the mind, rather than adhering to a prescribed religious belief.
These meditative practices are inherent aspects of:
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- mystical Christianity
- Kabalistic Judaism
- Sufism
and other mystic paths.
What is indicated in the subtext of these teachings is that as one learns to quiet his or her mind, one is likely to encounter psychic-like experiences or perceptions.
For example, in The Sutras of Patanjali, the Hindu master tells us that on the way to transcendence we may experience many kinds of amazing visions, such as the ability to see into the distance, or into the future; and to diagnose illnesses, and also to cure them.
However, we are admonished not to become attached to these abilities – that they are mere phenomena standing as stumbling blocks on the path to enlightenment.
In this paper, I will describe my recent experience in teaching remote viewing at three workshops in Italy, in which we emphasize expanded awareness of who we are, rather than an ability to find car keys and parking spaces.
Our spiritual approach did not interfere with all three of these groups demonstrating highly significant remote viewing in a double-blind setting.
Russell Targ is a physicist and author who was a pioneer in the development of the laser, and cofounder of the Stanford Research Institute’s investigation into psychic abilities in the 1970s and 1980s.
He is co-author of Mind Reach: Scientists Look at Psychic Abilities and The Mind Race: Understanding and Using Psychic Abilities.
Targ recently retired from Lockheed Martin as a senior staff scientist, where he developed laser technology for peaceful applications.
During the past few years, he co-authored with Jane Katra Miracles of Mind: Exploring Non-local Consciousness and Spiritual Healing
Miracles of Mind: Psychic Abilities and Healing Connections – Anna’s Archive
and
The Heart of the Mind: How to Experience God Without Belief.
Russell is the President of the International Remote Viewing Association.
International Remote Viewing Association | IRVA