This is a tradecraft concept of harnessing the ability to sense or feel people watching you while they’re not within your direct view. For use in the field as an operational advantage.
Feeling Eyes Being Trained on You
TYPE // TRADECRAFT [ 0 02 8 23 ]
Having the actionable ability to feel when someone is watching you even though you can’t clearly see them is an advanced situational awareness skill.
This ability gives you a way to detect possible threats before they are able to act, allowing you the opportunity to prepare and respond accordingly.
Providing you with an extra layer of security that could prove invaluable in dangerous situations.
Proprioception
A sensory system that allows us to be aware of our body’s position and movements in space. This phenomenon is often referred to as the sixth sense because it allows us to detect subtle changes in the environment that we are unable to see or hear.
This ‘sixth sense’ is one way to “feel” when someone is intently staring at us, from behind and a distance.
When someone stares at us from behind, their eyes emit infrared radiation which causes an increase in temperature on the back of our neck. This subtle change in temperature stimulates activation in a certain area of the brain called the insular cortex, giving us a feeling of being watched or stared at.
In addition to detecting infrared radiation from someone’s eyes, proprioception may also help us recognize familiar faces without actually seeing them; this phenomenon is called peripheral awareness.
For example, if you’re walking down the street and you pass by a familiar face without actually looking directly at them, your body will still be able to detect their presence and you’ll instinctively turn around.
This intuition often helps us pick up on things we wouldn’t normally notice and make sure we stay aware of our surroundings at all times – like staring eyes.
Peripheral Vision
The second step in developing this ability is understanding peripheral vision. As opposed to our central vision, which allows us to focus on objects directly in front of us — peripheral vision helps us detect movement on either side of us.
While our central vision only covers up to 10 degrees of our clear visual field, our peripheral vision extends up to 180 degrees (or even more) but not clear field.
This means that if we train our minds and keep focused on what’s happening around us while also paying attention to any changes in environment or behavior, we will be able to sense when someone is watching us – even if we can’t clearly see them.
Sense / Skill Development
Most people already have this ability, to a minimal effect. But with enough repetition and mindfulness, eventually your brain will become wired to pick up on these cues as a controlled alternate sense, greatly increasing the accuracy and sensitivity.
Developing an awareness of one’s surroundings is essential for covert operatives. Of which being able to feel when someone is looking at you can give you a strategic advantage regarding any potential threats or opportunities in your immediate vicinity.
By deliberately feeling for “eyes” as a skill through practice over time, anyone can become adept at sensing when someone has their eyes trained on them, whether they intend harm or not.
[INTEL : Situational Awareness Meaning]