In Short
SRI (Stanford Research Institute) was where the modern framework for Controlled Remote Viewing first took shape. Through government-backed research projects led by scientists and psychics, SRI laid the groundwork for what would become the structured CRV protocols used in U.S. intelligence “psychic spying” efforts.
SRI stands for Stanford Research Institute, a California-based research organization (now SRI International) that played a pivotal role in the early development of what we now call Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV).
- Early Government-Funded Research
- In the 1970s, physicists Harold (Hal) Puthoff and Russell Targ at SRI began conducting experiments into psychic phenomena, funded by U.S. intelligence and defense organizations (like the CIA and later the Defense Intelligence Agency).
- Their experiments included attempts to describe hidden objects or locations—what eventually became known as “remote viewing.”
- Ingo Swann’s Contributions
- Ingo Swann, a key figure in CRV’s history, worked closely with SRI researchers. He helped formulate a structured, stage-based approach to remote viewing protocols.
- His refinements were crucial in evolving the discipline from “just psychic experiments” into a more systematic, repeatable process.
- Focus on Structure and Validation
- Because SRI was a formal research institute, they placed heavy emphasis on methodology, data gathering, and experimental controls.
- This environment led to the creation of documentation, manuals, and test protocols that later shaped CRV methods in government programs like Project Stargate.
- Transition to Government Programs
- Although SRI pioneered much of the initial research, the government eventually relocated and re-labeled the efforts (e.g., from “Gondola Wish” to “Grill Flame” to “Stargate”).
- SRI’s methods, results, and protocols formed the bedrock for these later efforts, with continuing input from people trained at SRI.
- SRI’s Lasting Legacy
- The structured CRV approach that many remote-viewing practitioners use today still bears the hallmark of SRI’s earliest research practices.
- Much of the foundational material in declassified documents traces directly back to SRI experiments and processes.