Image Generation & Projection:
All Vulcans have a highly developed imagination. In other words,
they have the ability to spontaneously
generate images in their mind.
"Alter Ego" [VOY]
This ability is apparently used to generate images
which facilitate mind-melds and meditations.
Tarul-etek - A discipline which
uses disturbing images to provoke an emotional response to test how well
someone can suppress emotion. This was the
closest Vulcan parallel T'Pol could think of to the human
penchant for scaring themselves by watching horror
movies.
"Horizon" [ENT]
Meditation:
Vulcans meditate each night to control their emotions.
"Fusion" [ENT]
Meditation Aides:
Flame:
Candles -
Lamps - Janeway was with Tuvok when he bought his meditaion lamp.
The Vulcan who sold it to Tuvok
increased the price when he noticed their Starfleet insignia. Kes thinks
that
to a Vulcan it would have seemed the logical thing
to do. Kes was able to
make its flame increase and decrease. She
was able to manipulate the flame
at the subatomic level, and said that she was able
to see beyond the
subatomic into a new level of reality. After
her transformation, Tuvok put
the meditation lamp in his cabin window in memory
of her.
"The Gift" [VOY]
Tuvok is helping Torres to control her emotions
through meditaion.
"Barge of the Dead" [VOY]
Tuvok uses it to meditate in astrometrics in preparation
for mind meld with Seven.
"Night" [VOY]
Tuvok kept it in his quarters; Neelix: brings it to sickbay
after ba'neth attack .
"Riddles" [VOY]
He used it to try to teach Torres meditation.
"Juggernaut" [VOY]
Keethara - a Vulcan term approximately translated as "structure
of harmony". It is a meditational aid.
Building it requires precise balance and spatial acuity. It helps to focus
thought and refine mental control. While building
it one meditates and
recites the words "Structure. Logic.
Function. Control. The structure
cannot stand without a foundation. Logic is the
foundation of function.
Function is the essence of control. I am in control.
I am in control." A
special set of building blocks is used to build
the structure. The form of
the construction is not predefined but reflects
the state of mind of the
builder. Thus, it is different each time.
"Flashback" [VOY]
Kwi'lari - The Vulcan name for the
focal points of the body's bioelectric field, at the sides of the skull;
what
the ancient Indians on Earth called the chakras.
"The Muse" [DS9]
Fullara -
an obsolete Vulcan ritual where the memory of an event is repressed along
with the emotions
associated with it. The Fullara was performed
on T'Pol by an Elder at the Sanctuary of P'Jem in 2135 to
repress her memory of killing the renegade Vulcan
agent, Jossen, as well as her memory of having
undergone the ritual itself.
"The Seventh" [ENT]
Touch-telepathy - Many Vulcans have
an inherent telepathic ability. Almost all Vulcans are natural
touch-telepaths, though considerable training
is required to utilize this ability fully.
Non-contact telepathy - Occasionally
Vulcans have emerged whose telepathic abilities are stronger than the
norm and are capable of non-contact telepathy, usually
over short distances and in a limited fashion.
Spock once felt the death screams of 400 Vulcan
crew members of the Starship Intrepid across
interstellar
distances.
"The Immunity Syndrome" [TOS]
Emotional Compulsion - Through the
sharing of deep seated pain, coupled with psychic image projection,
people are influenced. Sybok had this ability
but its practice is considered a taboo in Vulcan culture.
"The Final Frontier" [ST5]
Psychic image projection - Sybok
also had this ability, also considered a taboo in Vulcan culture.
"The Final Frontier" [ST5]
Premonitions, lack of - It would
appear that the Vulcan esper capacity doesn't normally include
premonitions about the future.
"Fury" [VOY]
Mind-probe (also called Mind-touch)
- A lighter form of mind-meld. Phyysical touch is not necessary
in this form of telepathy although it does facilitate
the process.
It was used on Gill to enable him to speak and tell
his side of the story.
"Patterns of Force" [TOS]
Spock occasionally used his mind-probe skills to
provide a telepathic distraction to an adversary,
as at Eminiar
VII.
"A Taste of Armageddon" [TOS]
and the Kelvans. When mind-melding with the
Kelvan named Kelinda, Spock was able to glimpse
the apparently humanoid creature's true form: an
immense being with hundreds of tentacles.
"By Any Other Name" [TOS]
Spock performed a mind probe on Nomad to find out
about it, what made it operate and its compulsion
for
perfection.
"The Changeling" [TOS]
Mind-meld -
A small minority of Vulcans are born with the ability
to initiate a mind-meld (a very intimate form of
telepathy which gives them the ability to transfer
thoughts, memories, and emotions to others) but even
though only members of the minority can initiate
a mind-meld, all Vulcans can be the recipiant of one.
Melds are only practiced by a subculture, called
"melders". They are a small percentage of Vulcan's
population, who are considered to be genetic aberrations.
Vulcans take pride in containing emotions, and
the sharing of them is offensive so, in the view
of many Vulcans, mind-melds are an unnatural behavior,
neither condoned, tolerated nor sanctioned.
Anyone who chooses to perform a mind-meld is considered
worthy of contempt. Melders seem to defy everything
that Vulcan society stands for. They are seen as
a threat and are considered an undesirable segment
of Vulcan's population. The intolerance toward melders
has grown over time so that there is more intolerance
and prejudice toward melders in 2152 than there
was a thousand years before that. The
names of known melders were kept track of. And if it became
known that someone was a melder or approved of their
behavior, it could jepardize their position or career.
If one was in the military, and the Vulcan High
Command found out they were one, or approved of
melders, they could be recalled as being unfit for
duty. Many kept the fact that they are part of this
minority a secret. Dr. Yuris was one of these,
but when he admitted to his affiliation with the melders,
his position in the Medical Exchange program was
suspended.
"Stigma" [ENT]
It is an ancient Vulcan ritual in which two persons
are telepathically linked, sharing each other's
consciousness. Tolaris offered to use a "mind-meld" to help T'Pol
rediscover
repressed emotions, as opposed to "a more traditional
form of guided meditation"
which won't be as effective. T'pol is not
familiar with the mind-meld; Tolaris
explains it was a lost art "abandoned centuries
ago" but they'd "discovered it can
help us access our emotions."
Tolaris puts his left hand to T'Pol's face, and
begins the incantation: "My mind to your mind...
Your thoughts to my thoughts.
Our minds are merging. Our minds are becoming
one." T'Pol's anxiety and
emotions begin to break to the surface, causing
discomfort. She asks to break
the meld, but Tolaris refuses. T'Pol breaks
the meld herself, physically
pushing him away, and ends up in sickbay with possible
neurological damage.
"Fusion" [ENT]
It is an ancient Vulcan technique. It is not
hypnosis, but like hypnosis is used to probe into another's
mind. It's a hidden, personal thing to the Vulcan people, part of
their
private lives. It could be dangerous in that
it requires one to make
pressure changes in the nerves, and blood vessels.
It only affects the
person who is touched in this way. Physiological
readings are
affected first and then begin to stabilize, then
comes a feeling of a
strange euphoria, like the body is floating.
It is facilitated by the
subject opening their mind, so that the two minds
move together,
sharing the same thoughts. Spock's first time
using the mind-meld
on a human was in 2266 to determine the truth of
Dr. Simon Van Gelder's apparently wild claims that he
was the director of the Tantalus V penal colony.
(This
was the first time the mind meld was used.)
"Dagger of the Mind" [TOS]
The techique - The technique
for performing the mind meld varies depending on the persons performing
it and the circumstances surrounding the meld.
Sometimes it is done with one hand, at times the left and
other times the right, and many times with both
hands, and often with differing incantations.
Spock uses the mind meld on Kirk to help him remember
who he is.
"The Paradise Syndrome" [TOS]
Spock melds with Kollos (fusion), Miranda Jones joins
with Spock telepathically, guiding him and
helping him back to awareness and sanity.
Miranda melds with Kollos (fusion - true mind link).
"Is There In Truth No Beauty?" [TOS]
Spock has come to the conclusion that the events
they are experiencing are not real but are being
placed in their minds by the alien Melkotians. He
performs mind-melds with Kirk, Scotty, and McCoy,
convincing them of the lack of reality in the situation
and allowing them to believe that they will be
immune to the imaginary bullets. And indeed when
the shootout occurs, the Earps' gunfire leaves
them unharmed and the scenario around them disappears.
"Spectre of the Gun" [TOS]
During the fight between Cpt. Tracy and Kirk, Spock
uses mind control on a Yang female to make
her activate a communicator.
"The Omega Glory" [TOS]
Spock melded with the Horta.
"The Devil in the Dark" [TOS]
Spock melded with NOMAD.
"The Changeling" [TOS]
The Mirror universe Spock mind melded with Dr. McCoy.
"Mirror, Mirror" [TOS]
Spock melds with Kirk to help him forget Reyna. "Requiem for Methuselah" [TOS]
Spock mind melded with "Janice Lester" to find out
the truth about whether she was really the captain.
"Turnabout Intruder" [TOS]
The Vulcan master melded with Spock, and Spock melded
with V'Ger.
"The Motion Picture" [ST1]
Spock transfered his katra to McCoy. "The Wrath of Khan" [ST2]
When Sarek melded with Kirk he used his right hand
to the left side of Kirk's face and did not say
any incantation. Instead proceding directly
to Kirk's last memories of being with Spock.
"The Search for Spock" [ST3]
Spock melded with some whales. "The Voyage Home" [ST4]
Spock melded with Valeris against her will to find
out information about the conspiracy to kill the
Federation president.
"The Undiscovered Country" [ST6]
Spock melded with Picard to find out about his father.
"Unification, Part 2" [TNG].
In 2370, Sakonna unsuccessfully tried to perform
a mind-meld with Gul Dukat in an attempt to gather
information for the Maquis.
Dukat attributed his ability to resist the mind-meld to his Cardassian
training.
"The Maquis, Part II" [DS9]
The Vulcan mind-meld can be used so that one person
can hone another's skill. In 2371, Tuvok proposed
a mind-meld with Kes in
hopes of focusing Kes's telepathic abilities.
"Cathexis" [VOY]
In 2371, Tom Paris has been convicted under Banean
law of the murder of Tolen Ren, a Banean scientist.
The punishment was a brain
implant that caused Paris to relive Ren's death as seen from Ren's
viewpoint, every 14 hours
for the rest of his life. However, the implant and the mental experiences
were causing damage to Paris'
brain that would eventually be irreparable. As part of his investigation
to find if Paris was telling
the truth about his being innocent, Tuvok performed a mind-meld on him
to view the memories contained
in the neuroimplant. Tuvok then used these memories to determine
that Paris did not kill
Banean scientist Tolen Ren. In the mind-meld Tuvok noticed a series
of numbers
or symbols at the bottom
of the images, and realised that they were an enemy Numiri agent's means
of smuggling out top secret
weapons data to his superiors.
"Ex Post Facto" [VOY]
In 2372, Tuvok melds with Kes. "Cold Fire" [VOY]
In 2372, Tuvok mind-melded with accused murderer
Lon Suder, causing a neurochemical imbalance in the
mesiofrontal cortex of Tuvok's
brain, unleashing uncontrollably violent emotions.
"Meld" [VOY]
In early 2373, Tuvok melds with Janeway who acts
as his pyllora.
"Flashback" [VOY]
In 2373, in a hallucination which Janeway has, Tuvok
melds with Kes. "Coda" [VOY]
In 2374, Tuvok melds with Kes.
"The Gift" [VOY]
In 2374, Tuvok melded with B'elanna to learn more
of the moment when she was bumped into in
Nimiri marketplace and experienced the violent thought
that was considered a crime in that society.
Then later he melded with Guill to impart to him
violent thoughts.
"Random Thoughts" [VOY]
In 2375, Tuvok melded with Seven of Nine. "Infinite Regress" [VOY]
In 2375, Tuvok melded with Noss. "Gravity" [VOY]
In 2375, Tuvok melded with the Crew of a Hazari ship. "Think Tank" [VOY]
In 2376, Tuvok melded with Janeway and Seven of Nine
(bridging of minds). Janeway claims that
the last time she participated
in a mind meld, it resulted in a headache that lasted two weeks.
"Unimatrix Zero" [VOY]
In 2377, Unaware at first that he is doing so, Tuvok
forcibly mind-melds with Chakotay and several
Maquis, including B'elanna, Tabor, Yosa, and Jor. He implants
instructions for them to
take over Voyager. The instructions had
been implanted in Tuvok's
mind in 2371 by a Maquis fanatic, a
Bajoran vedek called Teero
Anaydis, shortly before Tuvok's
departure as an undercover
spy in Chakotay's Maquis raider.
After Tuvok successfully
struggles to overcome the Bajoran's
mind-control, he mind-melds again with Chakotay and the other
affected Maquis to restore
them to normal.
"Repression" [VOY]
In 2377, Tuvok melded with Seven of Nine.
"Workforce" [VOY]
In 2377, Tuvok melded with a member of his family
in the Alpha Quadrant. "Endgame" [VOY]
Bridging of Minds - A mind-meld
with two people where a third acts as a telepathic conduit. During
the
procedure, he is aware of both their perceptions. Tuvok never
tried the
procedure before but he once observed a Vulcan master
perform the technique.
He was successful in duplicating it.
"Unimatrix Zero" [VOY]
Fusion - A "true"
mind-link, to create a double entity. Each would enjoy the
knowlege and sensory
capabilities of both and function as one being.
One hazard is that there will be a tendency to lose
separate identiy. Dr. Miranda Jones studied
the Vulcan mental disciplines for 4 years in order to train
her how not to read minds, and to prepare her for
a mind link with Ambassador Kollos.
"Is There In Truth No Beauty?"
This type of mind-meld was used to permit Jean-Luc
Picard to provide emotional support to Ambassador
Sarek in 2366 when the ambassador
was suffering the debilitating effects of terminal Bendii Syndrome.
Sarek benefited from the
captain's emotional control, but Picard had to endure the fierce onslaught
of the
ambassador's unleashed emotions.
"Sarek" [TNG]
Katra -
A person's very essence; everything that is not of the body; everything
one was; everything one
knew; one's living spirit. It is not something that they speak of
openly,
but it is the Vulcan way when the body's end is
near to mind meld with
the last one to be with them, to entrust them with
their katra. When it
is given to a person, they are asked to bring the
katra back to Vulcan with
them to ensure the deceased person's "future".
Both the one who is alive,
and the one who is not, will be in pain until they
return with the katra to
Mount Seleya on Vulcan because only there can both
find peace.
"The Search for Spock" [ST3], "Innocence" [VOY]
Transfer of the Katra - Vulcans
are one of the very few races to have ever performed a synaptic pattern
displacement, or the transfer of one individual's
consciousness wholely into another person: in their case,
the transfer of the katra. Indeed, Dr. Bashir
was unaware of any other races having mastered this ability
until a criminal which had it was caught on DS9.
"The Passenger" [DS9]
Fal-tor-pan, ("The
Refusion") - An ancient Vulcan ritual that reunites a
person's katra to the body
if it is reanimated. In 2285, it was used
for the first time in centuries.
"The Search for Spock" [ST3]
It bears some resemblence to the Bridging of
Minds in that one person bridges the gap between two minds.
Mental Shields - Vulcans have certain
mental disciplines which enable them to maintain a protective
shield on their minds.
Spock was able to withstand a Klingon mind-sifter
set at force level 4 using his disciplines.
"Errand of Mercy" [TOS]
Healing Trance
- A form of self-induced hypnosis used ffor healing damaged organs.
It is a way to
concentrate all one's strength, blood, and antibodies
onto the injured organs. Low bioreadings are
normal during the trance. In a sense, the
subject remains conscious during this time, even though
there is no outward sign that they are. They
know when people are near and also what is being said,
but they can't afford to take their mind from the
tissue which they're fighting to heal. When the
bioreadings begin to fluctuate, someone must be
with the patient at all times. The injured person
must wait until the last possible moment, then fight
their way back to consciousness. At the first
sign of consciousness a trained physician should
be called. If the patient speaks, one should do
whatever they say. This often includes striking
them very hard since the pain helps them regain
consciousness quickly. This is imperative
since there is only a limited amount of time to regain
consiousness once the patient enters this stage.
"A Private Little War" [TOS]
Vulcan science is used to teach their bodies to produce
their own medicines.
"The Xindi" [ENT]
Neuro-pressure - Dr. Phlox asked
T'Pol to teach Tucker neuro-pressure to help him with his insomnia,
which was proving resistant to medication.
Vulcan neuro-pressure can be used to help people sleep,
but patience is needed to even get past the first
posture. Its instruction is a very intimate act.
Appropriate "neural nodes" are stimulated, some
of which are difficult to reach and may require
assistance. The appropriate nodes for relaxing
are located 3 cm on either side of the 5th (cervical)
vertebrae. They can be triggered by being
firmly pressed simultaneously and held for 10-15 seconds.
Tucker triggered the nodes for T'Pol. When
T'Pol returned the therapy on Tucker she presses
somewhere in the area of his lumbar vertebrae --
Assuming Vulcans and humans share a similar
skeletal structure, there are: 7 cervical (neck)
vertebrae, 12 thoracic (rib cage), 5 lumbar (lower back),
and then fused vertebrae that form the sacrum (hips)
and coccyx (tailbone).
"The Xindi" [ENT]
Before instruction in neuropressure T'Pol lights
candles in her quarters. Tucker enters, bearing a pot of
"Georgia peaches". They're an apology for
the two neuro-pressure sessions he's skipped (he slept like
a baby after the last (first?) one). At T'Pol's
direction, he doffs his shirt and (reluctantly) his shoes --
Some of the neural nodes triggered by Vulcan neuro-pressure
are located in the feet. Lying down,
Tucker asks if its safe and T'Pol admits it's never
been tried on humans, but "the risk of paralysis is
minimal."
"Extinction" [ENT]
Tucker wasn't anxious to try it again, not wanting
to "spend an hour in T'Pol's quarters".
"Anomaly" [ENT]
Many neural nodes are located on the soles of the
feet. Advanced Neuro-pressure places great
demands on the body. Tucker said that so far it
had been a piece of cake, but T'Pol told him that
they hadn't gotten to the "more challenging" postures
yet.
"Similitude" [ENT]
Tucker is now keeping up with his Vulcan neuro-pressure
regimen. Two of the postures are called:
khavorta - Tucker called it "that neck thing":
T'Pol placed her hands behind each side of his jaw and
pressed for about 30 seconds,
while Tucker regulated his breathing (which he had practiced). She
cautioned him not to speak,
but to relax his jaw.
surah'tahn - this posture wasn't demonstrated.
T'Pol suggested that they procede on to it after the
khavorta.
"Rajiin" [ENT]
T'Pol and Tucker have two sessions a week.
"Proving Ground" [ENT]
Neuro-pressure requires the proper breathing technique;
some postures begin with a deep breath.
Tucker began teaching MACO Corp. Cole neuro-pressure
relaxation techniques without telling T'Pol.
Amanda Cole said that after one such treatment,
it "felt like I've had twelve hours sleep. Cole later
complained of headaches. If misapplied, neuro-pressure
can cause nerve damage.
"Harbinger" [ENT]
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