It definitely does run in families (doesn’t even slow to a walk), but some actual science would have to be applied to confirm that it’s hereditary. If we’re lucky, they won’t be applying that science anytime soon. (Given the mental climate of the world today, you can’t imagine they’d be too happy to find out it’s proven that some people can untraceably read or influence the minds of others, among other things? No, that would not be in our best interests).
It’s less common for individual abilities to be present in the offspring of psychics than it is for the simple innate psychic ability itself to be present - people may have different abilities from those their parents had, but they most often have something, at least if both parents have some ability. With no real study done on this, how these traits might be inherited is just a guess. It appears to be that psychic ability runs stronger in some families than in others. It’s hard to say how much of this a genetic disposition and how much of this is just a familiarity with psychic ability. If you grow up without the negativity and superstition typically surrounding this ability you’re going to have an easier time of it than most people.
There are definitely personality and physiological traits that make it more likely that someone will be psychic. These include: heightened sensitivity of the senses, synesthesia, heightened emotional sensitivity, high intelligence, high creativity and a high tolerance for ambiguity.
Additionally, There are a lot of people who think they have psychic abilities, but they do not. Psychic or “paranormal” abilities do not exist. This has been exhaustively tested.
No one has ever displayed paranormal abilities when tested under controlled conditions. The James Randi Educational Foundation for many years offered it’s “Million Dollar Prize” to anyone who could manifest ANY paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. No one ever won the prize.
Most of the people that tried were frauds. They were quickly unmasked by the use of proper scientific protocols and the extensive knowledge of conjuring techniques by Mr. Randi and his associates.
Some were merely deluded. They sincerely thought that they had “powers”, and often maintained this belief even after spectacularly failing the test protocols, protocols that they themselves agreed to.
From the 70s through about the mid-80s, all manner of major universities had “Parapsychology” departments, or at least a lab and a “chair” to conduct research.
This was all spurred by the advent of the New Age thinking of the 70s, which was itself just a re-hash of the similar silliness that rose around the turn of the century with the “Golden Dawn” and Madame Blatavasky and others.
Try to find a parapsychology department now. Dried up and blown away… Nothing to see, folks, move on. People are prone to “magical thinking”. They see correspondences where there are none, and coincidences are treated not as coincidence but as evidence….
If anyone is interested in this area… Skepticism or skeptical inquiry, I recommend one single book above all others. The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan.
Sagan lays out the basic rules for critical thinking and the use of logic, in a very entertaining manner.
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