RV / FLOW protocol
Double-blind experiment · FLOW-informed sessions

Describe first.
Look later.

A five-target blind test with session structure adapted from Daz Smith’s FLOW method: raw data first, interpretation clearly separated, and no feedback until every session is locked.

5sealed targets
The protocol

Five steps.
One reveal.

The aim is to reduce information leakage and unconscious influence. The images are selected and committed in advance, while the viewer sees only random codes during the sessions.

  1. 01

    Prepare

    The script selects five new images from Wikimedia Commons or a local candidate folder.

  2. 02

    Seal

    Each image receives a random code. The mapping is stored locally and kept hidden.

  3. 03

    Session

    Run the FLOW-informed sequence below for each code. Lock every page before continuing.

  4. 04

    Reveal

    Reveal only after every session is complete. The script verifies the commitment first.

  5. 05

    Match

    Compare every session with all five images and score without favoring the true pairing.

Daz Smith’s approach

Let the data build.

FLOW grew from Controlled Remote Viewing (CRV). Each stage widens the “aperture”: start with fast, low-level impressions, then add sensory, spatial, and conceptual detail without rushing to name the target.

STAGE 1

Ideograms & gestalts

Write the target code and continue directly into a fast, automatic mark. Decode only basic motion, feel, and broad gestalt. Repeat roughly 3–6 times.

STAGE 2

Sensory data

Record brief clusters for touch, smell, sound, sight, and taste. Add basic dimensional qualities, then note your aesthetic impact (AI).

STAGE 3

Sketch & probe

Sketch shapes, scale, density, and spatial relationships. Label parts, probe them for fresh sensory data, and use movement prompts when useful.

STAGE 4

Data matrix

Organise the flow under S2, D, AI, EI, T, I, AOL, AOL/S: sensory, dimensional, impacts, tangibles, intangibles, and overlays.

STAGE 5

Interrogate & mind-map

Select an important intangible or AOL and break it into smaller data clusters. Daz’s FLOW adaptation uses a mind map to expose the elements beneath a label.

STAGE 6

Model & summarise

Where useful, combine dimensional impressions in a simple 3D model while recording new data. End with a concise summary and your strongest sketches.

Describe; do not identify

Prefer “tall, hard, cool, echoing” over “church.” Naming the target too early turns description into analysis.

Declare analytical overlay

When a sharp image, noun, or guess appears, mark it AOL, pause briefly, and return to raw descriptors.

This is an independent experimental adaptation, not official training material. Primary reference: Daz Smith, FLOW — formerly Open Source CRV.

Before reveal · visible

Codes and commitment only

The image content and pairings remain unknown.

TARGET 1JW7-718
TARGET 2EF2-972
TARGET 3TL2-268
TARGET 4JL1-337
TARGET 5UW1-882
SHA-256: 23de4a5a1730286b…64e1bf
Before reveal · concealed

The secret mapping

Files receive generic .bin names, preventing thumbnails from accidentally exposing their content.

JW7-718landscape.jpg
EF2-972building.jpg
TL2-268water.jpg
JL1-337person.jpg
UW1-882object.jpg
sealed/f7a39d…b812.bin
Local script

Two commands.

Python 3 is all you need; no external packages are required. The script creates a hidden .rv_test folder next to itself.

Terminal
$ python rv_test.py prepare

  → record the five codes
  → complete and lock all five sessions

$ python rv_test.py reveal

Prefer your own images? Use python rv_test.py prepare --local /path/to/images. Provide at least five candidates.

Download rv_test.py
After the reveal

Score as a matrix.

Compare every session with every image. The diagonal matters only if the true pairings receive the highest independent score more often than expected by chance.

SessionImage AImage BImage CImage DImage E
JW7-71882132
EF2-97217322
TL2-26821921
JL1-33732162
UW1-88213228
Protocol hygiene

Four hard rules.

A clean procedure makes the result easier to interpret. Always record deviations; never hide them after the fact.

1

No interim reveal

Do not open any image until all five sessions are complete.

2

Lock every transcript

Save the date, time, and unedited text before the reveal.

3

Score blind

Ideally, the judge should not know the correct mapping.

4

Pre-register repetitions

Choose the number of rounds and scoring rule before seeing results.

Important: one striking round is not evidence of a paranormal effect. This design reduces some forms of bias, but reliable conclusions require repetition, pre-registered analyses, and an adequate sample size.