THE THIRD EYE PHENOMENON: Inside the Controversial Programs Teaching Children to See Blindfolded

From Germany to India to suburban England, thousands of parents are paying hefty fees for courses that promise to awaken their children’s “third eye” – but what are they really teaching?

In a quiet suburb of Essex, England, something unusual is happening. Children wearing thick blindfolds are riding bicycles down tree-lined streets, playing games in backyards, and sitting at kitchen tables reading their favorite books – all without using their eyes. Travel across the English Channel to Stuttgart, Germany, and you’ll find adults claiming they can read license plates through multiple layers of eye coverings, their faces showing excitement about newfound abilities. Meanwhile, in California temples and Indian ashrams, young students stand before audiences, demonstrating what their instructors call miraculous powers.

These scenes aren’t from science fiction novels or stage magic shows. They’re happening now, in real communities around the world, in programs that promise to unlock hidden human abilities through what practitioners call “third eye awakening” or “seeing without eyes.” Parents are paying thousands of dollars to enroll their children in these courses, hoping to give their kids an advantage in a competitive world.

Ancient Claims in Modern Packaging

The concept of a third eye has traveled through human history, rooted in Hindu and Buddhist traditions where it represents spiritual perception and the gateway to enlightenment. For centuries, mystics and spiritual seekers have meditated on this metaphysical concept, understanding it as a symbol of inner wisdom and transcendent awareness. But recent decades have seen a transformation. Today’s commercial programs have taken this ancient spiritual metaphor and turned it into something literal and lucrative.

What skeptics call “an age old scam” has been repackaged for the modern era, dressed in the language of neuroscience and quantum physics. The practitioners have given it various names to stay ahead of criticism: “midbrain activation” sounds scientifically plausible, “brain balancing” suggests therapeutic benefits, while “wellness activity” fits into contemporary self-improvement culture. Some reach back into ancient texts, calling it “Gandhari Vidye” after the blindfolded queen in the Mahabharata epic, lending an air of tradition to what critics argue is clever deception.

These programs demand thousands of dollars from parents, promising results within days or weeks – far from the years of meditation and spiritual practice traditionally associated with opening the third eye. The modern wave began gaining momentum around 2015, spreading from Asia through Europe and into the United States, carried by viral videos and testimonials.

In Germany, a program called “See Without Eyes” run by Evelyn Ohly and Axel Kimmel attracts participants from various backgrounds, including individuals who are legally or completely blind. The program’s founders claim to teach “Direct Informative Perception” – a method they say allows people to perceive their environment without using their physical eyes, as though consciousness itself could bypass the biological mechanisms of sight.

The Essex Academy

One widely publicized Western program operates from an ordinary suburban home in Essex, England, where the ancient town’s Roman history provides a backdrop for claims of miraculous abilities. Nicola Farmer has established her ICU Academy there, teaching children between five and twelve through what she describes as “fun and revolutionary exercises to help children assimilate information by accessing expanded states of awareness.”

The scenes at Farmer’s academy would seem impossible to anyone who hasn’t witnessed them. Children run around the garden with confidence, their eyes covered by specially designed blindfolds. They sit in circles reading books aloud, their fingers never touching the pages to feel raised ink. They play board games, draw detailed pictures, and thread needles – all while wearing masks that supposedly block out light.

The training unfolds over ten to twelve sessions, during which children work one-on-one with their teacher. They wear a Mindfold eye mask, a device engineered to create complete darkness even when the wearer stands in direct sunlight with eyes wide open. According to the program’s materials, once their practice is established, the children come together in pairs or small groups to play, their abilities allowing them to interact normally.

The program claims benefits beyond blindfolded demonstrations. Parents report academic improvements across their children’s lives. One pupil, according to testimonials, progressed two years in literacy skills over six weeks. Children who struggled with mathematics suddenly excel. Shy students transform into confident leaders.

When documentary filmmaker Frank Elaridi visited the academy and asked the children to explain their abilities, their responses were both innocent and concerning. One young student explained that she was “seeing through my third eye.” She described how “everyone has a light of their third eye,” speaking as though explaining something ordinary.

Another child, when asked whether this was a superpower, shook his head seriously. “I wouldn’t say it’s a superpower,” he said. “I’d say it’s an ability. Because everyone can do it. They just need to learn it.”

The Guru and His Empire

The story becomes darker when we trace these programs to one of their most influential and controversial proponents. Swami Nithyananda, a self-proclaimed godman from India, has built a global empire around third eye programs, attracting thousands of devotees from Silicon Valley executives to European spiritual seekers. With flowing robes and a cultivated image of mystical authority, Nithyananda claims to have discovered over 400 siddhis, or paranormal abilities, that humans can express. He says he has initiated disciples into 60 such powers, including kundalini awakening and third-eye activation.

Nithyananda’s “Inner Awakening” program, which includes third eye activation, costs approximately $10,000 for 21 days – nearly $500 per day to learn what he claims is an innate human ability. He later asserted he would open the third eye for anyone, free of charge by 2021, claiming successful initiates would see through smog, walls, and other physical barriers.

Nithyananda’s legal troubles cast a shadow over his teachings. Following charges filed in Indian courts – including rape, fraud, and criminal intimidation – Nithyananda fled India and has remained in hiding since 2019. The charges stem from complaints by former devotees, including a U.S.-based woman who alleged he raped her several times over five years. Police launched a manhunt for him in 2019 following additional complaints of child abuse in his ashram.

Despite being a fugitive, Nithyananda announced the creation of his own nation called “Kailaasa,” which he claims is on an island purchased by wealthy followers off the coast of Ecuador – though the Ecuadorian government clarified they’ve neither granted him asylum nor is he in their country. The mainstream press has described this supposed nation as a fictional “fake country” and an outright scam. Yet representatives of this non-existent nation have appeared at United Nations meetings in Geneva and briefly established sister-city agreements with municipalities, including Newark, New Jersey, before officials realized they’d been deceived.

The Stuttgart Experience

The story of “seeing without eyes” takes a different form in Stuttgart, Germany, a city known for precision engineering and luxury automobiles. Frank Elaridi, an Emmy Award-winning journalist from Los Angeles, investigated these claims firsthand by enrolling in Evelyn Ohly’s week-long intensive course.

From his arrival at the training center, Elaridi noticed the unexpected atmosphere. The program didn’t begin with mystical teachings. Instead, participants spent their first hours walking around the room, offering genuine compliments to one another. The room filled with laughter and warmth, creating an environment of trust that would prove crucial to what followed.

The instructors emphasized celebration at every step. When participants put on blindfolds and attempted to identify colors or read words, they were told to smile constantly. Every attempt, successful or not, met with encouragement and applause. The message was clear: doubt and skepticism were enemies of success. Faith and joy were keys to unlocking hidden abilities.

Among the participants was Tom, whose story seemed to offer evidence for the program’s effectiveness. Legally blind with only 5% vision, Tom had lived his life in a world of shadows and blurred shapes. When Elaridi met him, Tom could make out general forms – he could tell Elaridi wore a red sweater and had black hair – but couldn’t see facial expressions or read normal text without extreme magnification.

When Tom put on the blindfold and demonstrated the technique, he correctly identified written words and described images with accuracy that seemed impossible given his visual impairment. When asked if he was using his physical eyesight, Tom’s answer was revealing. He explained the technique was “very tiring to use” – but the exhaustion wasn’t in his eyes. It was in his brain, requiring concentration that left him drained after minutes of practice.

Harold, completely blind and vice president of a blind association, performed tasks during the course that should have been impossible without sight. He prepared tea with casual efficiency, rebuilt block patterns from memory after feeling them once, and played billiards, sinking balls with surprising accuracy.

The Mechanics of Deception

Skeptics and professional magicians investigating these programs have identified common techniques that allow participants to see while appearing blindfolded. The truth, they argue, is mundane – and troubling in what it reveals about how these programs operate.

The most frequent method involves “nose peeking” – using the gap that naturally forms between a blindfold and the bridge of the nose. Many people discover this technique accidentally as children while playing games. By tilting the head back or adjusting posture, practitioners can create a line of sight that allows them to see objects placed in front while maintaining the appearance of being blindfolded.

Professional magicians have long used similar techniques in stage performances, but there’s a crucial difference: magicians present these as entertainment, as skillful illusions. They follow an ethical code that, while not revealing exact methods, doesn’t claim supernatural powers or charge thousands of dollars to teach psychic abilities.

Evidence against these programs becomes damning under controlled conditions. In Kerala, India, journalists tested these claims simply. When children demonstrating blindfolded reading were asked to hold materials behind their heads instead of in front, they couldn’t perform. At press conferences designed to showcase these abilities, children cried when they couldn’t perform under controlled conditions, their tears showing the pressure to demonstrate impossible abilities.

Magician Nakul Shenoy, who has spent years investigating these claims, suggests tests parents can use to verify what’s happening. Try taping eyelids shut under the blindfold, forcing eyes to remain closed. Check objects for hidden marks, patterns, or perfumes that could provide clues. Use your own materials rather than those provided by trainers, who may have prepared special props.

The Cost Beyond Money

The true cost of these programs extends beyond enrollment fees. Critics like magician Gopinath Muthukad argue these programs are “nothing but magic tricks” that “can mislead our future generation.” The programs target parents’ desires and fears – the hope their child might be special, the fear of falling behind, the dream of unlocking hidden potential.

Financial exploitation reaches staggering levels. The French government has sought Nithyananda since 2019 to answer fraud charges from a former devotee who claimed the guru cheated him out of approximately $400,000. Many programs operate through multi-level marketing, offering commissions to parents who recruit families, turning believers into salespeople and creating communities with vested financial interest in maintaining the illusion.

The most troubling cost is what these programs teach children about truth. Whether children consciously understand they’re peeking or believe they’ve developed supernatural abilities, they’re learning to participate in deception. They see adults endorsing something that isn’t real. They feel pressure to perform, to justify the thousands of dollars invested, to be the special child everyone believes them to be.

Children become invested in maintaining false abilities, fearing disappointment if they admit they can’t see without eyes. They learn certain dishonesty is praiseworthy when wrapped in spiritual language and makes people feel good.

What Science Says

The scientific community’s position is clear: no evidence exists for a functional third eye allowing vision without the optical system. The human visual system is understood, from light entering through the cornea to the optic nerve carrying signals to the visual cortex. There’s no alternative pathway for visual information to reach the brain.

Child psychologist and brain development researcher Devika Radhakrishnan states directly: “It doesn’t give you supernatural powers, these claims are absurd.” She notes that while the brain is capable of remarkable things, seeing without eyes and the optic system isn’t one of them.

The pineal gland, sometimes called the third eye in mystical traditions, is a real brain structure. It’s a tiny endocrine gland, about the size of a grain of rice, located in the center of the brain. Its actual function is producing melatonin, regulating sleep-wake cycles and circadian rhythms. It has no photoreceptive cells, no connection to visual processing, and no capacity for sight.

Programs attempt credibility by referencing historical figures. They cite Louis Fraigoule, who reportedly taught “seeing without eyes” in France in 1919 and received an award in Edinburgh in 1927 for supposedly teaching blind people to see. But researchers find no rigorous scientific documentation, no peer-reviewed studies, and no reliable evidence that Fraigoule’s methods were anything beyond the tricks used today.

A Legitimate Experiment

Not everyone experimenting with blindfolded perception engages in supernatural deception. Nat Lawson, a teenage mentalist from Camden Hills Regional High School in Maine, offers a counterpoint to third eye programs.

Lawson, already recognized for mentalism performances, proposed something unprecedented: spending nine days completely blindfolded to develop enhanced sensory techniques. His parents weren’t shocked. “I haven’t been normal for about 10 years now,” he joked.

Working with his father, Lawson built a dark room in their basement, sealing windows with plywood. He constructed three elaborately layered blindfolds – for sleeping, showering, and walking. He began his experiment on a Portland radio show, with videographers documenting the experience for a film called “BLIND.”

Unlike third eye programs, Lawson was transparent about goals and methods. He wasn’t claiming supernatural sight but exploring legitimate sensory enhancement. Through holding someone’s hand and detecting motor responses, he developed “micro contact reading” – discerning thoughts through physical cues.

By placing a finger against someone’s neck and detecting carotid pulse variations, he learned to determine truthfulness, becoming what he calls “a human polygraph machine.” These are real skills based on observable phenomena, not mystical powers.

In the final days, Lawson experienced visual hallucinations – Charles Bonnet syndrome, documented in people deprived of visual input for extended periods. Rather than claiming mystical insights, Lawson recognized this as a known neurological response.

Lawson acknowledged failures with successes. He admitted he “messed up the first 12 performances on the street” before improving. He conducted a genuine experiment, not selling a product or belief system. His honesty contrasts with programs claiming perfect success rates.

Patterns of Exploitation

Examining these programs reveals disturbing patterns. They target children between 5 and 12. While programs claim children haven’t developed logical thinking that blocks abilities, critics argue children this age are more susceptible to suggestion and less likely to question authority.

Programs follow predictable trajectories when scrutinized. The Advertising Standards Council of India upheld complaints against advertisements for blindfolded seeing, requiring removal. Medical professionals who endorsed programs withdrew support after investigations. Ophthalmologist S.R. Patil initially supported claims but retracted after complaints were filed with the Karnataka Medical Council.

When exposed, programs change names and marketing. “Midbrain activation” becomes “intuition development” when attracting negative attention. That becomes “third eye awakening” or “quantum speed reading” – terms designed to stay ahead of criticism and searches revealing skeptical investigations.

Programs create self-reinforcing believer communities. Parents who’ve invested thousands need to believe the investment was worthwhile. They share testimonials, recruit families, and create social circles where questioning effectiveness becomes betrayal. Children see their parents’ investment and feel pressure to validate choices through performance.

The Impact on Children

While proponents tout improved confidence and academic performance, psychologists and child development experts worry about lasting impacts. Children learn complex lessons about truth, authority, and their place – but not the lessons parents intended.

Consider a child who realizes they’re peeking but continues performing because everyone believes in their special ability. They face an impossible choice: admit truth and disappoint believers, or continue deception and receive praise. Neither option maintains integrity while meeting expectations.

Some children might never consciously realize they’re using normal vision, especially if young when starting. They might believe they’ve developed special abilities, facing disappointment when discovering truth. Others might suppress doubts, engaging in motivated reasoning – explaining away contradictions rather than facing uncomfortable truth.

Programs potentially harm children with genuine visual impairments. Rather than teaching legitimate techniques – echolocation, enhanced tactile reading, assistive technologies – programs promise miraculous cures that won’t materialize. Blind children who could learn real navigation skills are taught to pretend they can see, potentially delaying proper support.

There’s also the question of critical thinking lessons. In an age where distinguishing truth from misinformation is crucial, programs teach children to accept extraordinary claims without evidence, to trust authority figures making impossible promises, and to participate in communities that punish doubt.

The Continuing Spread

These programs’ influence spreads through social media, viral videos, and testimonials. Parents share videos of children’s abilities on social platforms, not realizing they’re perpetuating what critics call massive fraud. Documentary makers create films presenting abilities as genuine mysteries rather than investigated claims.

Programs have developed strategies for handling skeptics. They claim negative energy blocks abilities – convenient for why demonstrations fail under controlled conditions. They argue Western science hasn’t advanced enough to understand ancient techniques. They misrepresent quantum physics to suggest consciousness directly affects reality in ways allowing eyeless sight.

Some programs gained temporary legitimacy through institutional association. Representatives of Nithyananda’s fictitious Kailaasa appeared at United Nations committees and established sister-city relationships before officials realized deception. Nicola Farmer’s work appeared in documentaries on Netflix and Gaia TV. These associations, however brief or discredited, provide marketing material seeming to validate claims.

Programs adapt to local cultures. In India, they emphasize ancient Vedic traditions. In Europe, they focus on unlocking potential and enhancing academic performance. In the United States, they stress intuition and creativity development. Core claims remain identical, but packaging shifts to appeal to local values.

Moving Forward

The story of third eye awakening programs continues. As long as parents fear children falling behind, hope for simple solutions to complex challenges, and believe in hidden human potential, these programs will find customers. The question isn’t whether programs will continue – they will, in various forms. The question is how society responds.

Education is the strongest defense against these deceptions. When parents understand the tricks creating illusions, know what tests to perform, and recognize exploitation red flags, they’re less likely to become victims. But education requires overcoming the emotional appeal of believing children are special, that human potential is limitless, that ancient wisdom holds secrets science hasn’t discovered.

Children in these programs deserve compassion, not judgment. Whether conscious participants in deception or genuine believers, they’re victims of adult exploitation. They need support understanding what happened, processing guilt or confusion, and learning to value truth over comfortable fiction.

For blind and visually impaired individuals drawn to programs with sight promises, the need is greater. They deserve access to legitimate adaptation training, technologies that genuinely enhance lives, and supportive communities without demands to pretend abilities they lack.

Investigation into these programs reveals something profound about human nature – our desire to transcend limitations, to believe in something beyond what we can measure. That desire isn’t foolish. It has driven humanity to achievements, pushed exploration of the unknown, inspired reaching beyond the possible. But when that desire is exploited for profit, when children become pawns in elaborate deceptions, when spiritual seeking becomes commercial fraud, we must find courage to see clearly – with our actual eyes wide open.

References

NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is NOT an AI voice.