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Firstly, I would begin by mentioning the ideomotor theory. This is also known as automatism and was apparently first proposed by William B. Carpenter in 1852. The theory appears to suggest that the body produces unconscious involuntary muscular movements in response to subconscious desires and is often used to explain paranormal activities, for example dowsing rods and crystals to name but two.
Similarly in the case of dowsing the suggestion is that the dowser knows via "normal" means, albeit unconsciously, the location of the target and via the ideomotor effect causes the dowsing rod to react accordingly. However, my personal thoughts on the issue of “knowing” could well perhaps be discounted to a certain degree. For example, if you are using dowsing for the purpose of investigating alleged haunted locations where something has occurred in the past and you have absolutely no knowledge of the given venue prior to going (which I personally believe is the best way to approach such given locations) and the dowsing tool utilised by an individual confirms certain aspects, then can this also be deemed as the ideomotor effect?
Dowsing, in general terms, is the art of finding hidden things. Supporters/believers say the dowser has a subliminal sensitivity to the environment, perhaps via electroception (the biological ability to create or detect electric changes), magnetoception (the ability to detect fluctuations in magnetic fields), or telluric currents (an electric current in the Earth - both land and sea). They include natural and man-made elements comprising a complex arrangement. These tellurics are extremely low frequency electrical currents that occur naturally over large underground areas at or near the surface of the Earth).
So, how does dowsing work? The quick answer is that no one really knows - not even experienced dowsers. Scientists have tried to understand the physical basis of dowsing; what factors link the movement of the rod in the dowser's hand to underground structures. No one has yet successfully explained the dowsing signal and for now it remains by chance - or another psychic tool.
On one front, the theory is that a psychic connection is established between the dowser and the given object or question being sought and the suggestion that all articles possess an energy force. The dowser, by concentrating on the hidden object, is somehow able to tune in to this force which gives rise to the object used for dowsing to move.
I don’t personally believe dowsing has to be brought down solely to the issue of an individual having psychic ability per se.
Perhaps this is open for debate on all levels of the belief scale.
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