Who knew? I just looked up the word psychoscope (which my spell-checker insists is not a word!), and found that Webster’s defines it as “a means of observing mental processes”, and the Oxford writes “OED’s earliest evidence for psychoscope is from 1885, in the writing of Frederic W. H. Myers, psychical researcher and essayist”.

Well, first of all, thank you Mr. Myers! And secondly, let’s get this word into common usage, because it sums up beautifully what I think meditation allows us to do.

Think of two of the greatest scientific inventions for a minute: the telescope and the microscope. Each of the instruments allowed us humans to see things (cells and distant galaxies) which are not visible to the naked eye. In other words, they make visible that which was previously invisible.

Now think of someone with a strong, consistent mindfulness meditation practice. This person, by virtue of having developed the “muscles”, the capacities for detached self-observation, concentration and open awareness, now is able to “see” what is going on in their minds with a degree of clarity that simply wasn’t available before they started practicing.

This person, with sufficient practice, is able to observe the arising and passing away of thoughts, without being caught up in or identifying with those thoughts. This person is able to witness their emotional states come and go without reactivity. And this person is able to be aware of their awareness. These capacities, which we all possess to some extent, have now been developed to a whole new level.

In other words, what was previously invisible is now visible. Or at least, what was previously barely visible, fuzzy and vague is now seen clearly, in technicolor (for those who remember that expression!)

Mindfulness meditation practices have been around for around 2,500 years, but like the early microscopes and telescopes, they were not widely accessible. Now, in 2024, pretty much everyone has access to these techniques and can get basic training from apps that are completely free, allowing them to get started on building their psychoscopes.

Of course, mastery takes time to develop, and a competent teacher can be invaluable, but even basic practices will REVEAL the activity of the mind to a whole new degree. In other words, these practices will make the invisible, visible. If that’s something that interests you, I’d say, jump right in and start building your very own psychoscope asap!