Psychic Projection (theory)

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Psychic Projection is a fan-created theory that claims an unknown property of the Island facilitates the transformation of the lostaways' thoughts into tangible objects. In this view, all visions, whispers, hallucinations, and improbable occurrences have been concrete and real. Any inconsistencies may be explained by an uneven effect across the Island.

Examples

• Magic box - Ben claimed that a man appearing to be Anthony Cooper came out of the Island's "magic box". --("The Man from Tallahassee")
• Sayid's Whispers - Danielle's description fuels his imagination.
• Kate's Horse - Sawyer's 'possession' by Kate's Stepfather (a delirium caused by the fever and Kate's presence and that of her mind) caused her thoughts to revolve around her crime and capture and hence the horse thus making it exist on the Island. ("What Kate Did")

• Christian Shephard - Jack's preoccupation with his father causes his father to materialize on the Island.
• Dave - Hurley's trial with his weight causes him to dwell on his time in the mental hospital. As Hurley accepts that Dave is imaginary, he is created as imaginary and only Hurley can see him. ("Dave")
• Polar Bears - Walt's comic books contained a storyline with a polar bear, causing bears to materialize on the Island

• Dead bird - Walt could be more powerful, thus the power exists outside the Island for him ("Special")
  • This is a tautaulogy, like saying that he is more powerful because he has more power which enables him to be more powerful.
    • On the other hand Walt might actually BE a person created by the wish fulfillment of his father. That would explain his powers and his connection with the island.
• Sickness - The projections (suggests not all subject to it as Danielle seems not to be affected or not to recognize it) OR not seeing projections (would explain how Danielle hears whispers and isn't sick)
• Medical conditions - Rose was apparently cured of cancer, and Locke no longer needs a wheelchair. Also Locke briefly lost the ability to walk on his legs in context that looked more like a psychological (i.e. thought) issue than a physical one.
• The medusa spiders unexpectedly seek and attack Nikki, after the scene's closeup on Paulo's face and glances. The spider attack was also accompanied by unusual sounds that were similar to those of the Monster. ("Exposé")
  • The medusa spiders come to where Nikki and Paulo are because as Arzt said the pheromones of female medusa spiders attract all the males. Why she was bitten is unknown.

Parallels

In The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin and Sphere by Michael Crichton, as well as the respective feature films and television films based on these novels (including the 1980 PBS adaptation of The Lathe of Heaven, which starred Bruce Davison), have similar storylines in which fantasies or thoughts of characters are manifested in the real world. In both, the change in physical reality is not an abrupt and jarring materialization of an object, but rather the entire universe and past timeline are changed so that "it has always been" like the new situation based on the thought.

It is worth noting that the giant squid of the Sphere novel has some common characteristics with The Monster.

There is also a similar device in the film Forbidden Planet. In this movie the alien "Krell" had a machine that created whatever they conceived of. This film was the basis for the use in Michael Crichton's Sphere of the sphere. The film is in turn, based on the Shakespeare play The Tempest, which, ironically enough, is about a group of shipwrecked sailors on a magical island. The Machine in the Forbidden Planet movie accidentally brings to life "creatures from the id" or the dark subconscious animal mind of humanity.

In the Andrei Tarkovsky film Stalker, there is a place called the Zone, a restricted, hazardous area that contains paranormal powers resulting from the crash of a mysterious meteorite, at the center of which is the Room, a place where one's wish or prayer is granted to whoever enters. Similarly, in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is a similar room known as the "Room of Requirement". If a character needs this room to be something (and walks past it thinking about this thing 3 times) the room becomes what is required. Similarly, in the same series is described the Mirror of Erised, a magic mirror that visually displays one's greatest desire.

In the fictional universe of Marvel comics titles, a Cosmic Cube allows any sentient creature to manifest thoughts into reality.

See also

• Carrie (book), a book seen in Lost about a girl with various telekinetic powers.

Theories Theory Policy v • t • e
Ontological	Dharma • Dreamtime • Last Humans • Pandora's Box • Rapture • Spiritual Evolution • Time Capsule
Psychological	Artificial Environment • Binary Code • Shared Hallucination • Social Experiment
Realist	Backwards Backwards • Black Hole • Doomsday Weapon Facade • Fall of DHARMA • Kelvin's Dam • Naive Realism • Saving the World • Valenzetti Island • Vile Vortices • Y2K
Literary	Breakthroughs • Garden of Eden • Lost Continent • Noah's Ark • The Tempest • The Wizard of Oz
Misc. Themed	Constellations • DHARMA Recruiters • System Crash • Gates of Hades
Already Debunked	Clones • Nanotechnology • Purgatory • Turbine Explosion (Caused by Monster)