Telepathy is the ability to enter the mind of another to read and control them. This is an ability that is most distinctly possessed by Immortals, Psychics, and Sirens; however, Witches have been shown to replicate this ability using spells. What differentiates telepathy from ordinary compulsion is its all encompassing nature to influence all species, with the exception of Supernatural Hunters of the Five due to advanced mental prowess.
Telepathy has not been shown to its possible climax of caliber in the novels, but has been shown to be used most notably by psychic, Bonnie McCullough as part of her priestly ancestral hierarchy.
List of Users[]
TV Series[]
- Immortals (Advanced)
- Original Vampires (Weak)
- Vampires (Weak)
- Witches (via Spells)
- Sirens (Advanced)
- Psychics (in general)
Novel[]
Among users of telepathy are Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert, Celestial Guardians and vampires, witches, psychics, werewolves and possessors of Power in general.
List of Uses[]
Having the power of telepathy allows the user to do, but not limited to, the following, depending on how powerful the user is:
- Mind Reading: Telepathy allows the user to read anyone's thoughts with only the use of psychological thought and will. Similarly, they are able to transmit information and project their thoughts onto others. Normally, this has a limited range and works in a tactile fashion to search through the minds of others and see their memories and experiences.
- Illusions: Telepathy allows the user to create realistic mental illusions. They can cast illusions from a distance to trick the minds of others into seeing/feeling things that aren't actually happening.
- Dream Manipulation: Telepathy allows the user to control dreams and the subconscious mind. It can be used to produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares and lucid dreaming, distort people's perception of reality and trap someone in their dreams.
Advanced Telepathy[]
- Mind Control: Inclusive of a wide range of effects, some limited to one species or another. Immortals possess one of the most advanced forms of mind control as their telepathy allows them to control, project and change the decisions and thoughts of other with only the use of the user's own mind. Though this can be weakened if blood is not consumed or the said immortal has not exercised their mental prowess. Sirens are yet another species that is capable of this form of telepathy and heavily rely on it just as much as Immortals. Their abilities allow them to enter the mind of another person in order to read their thoughts, to access and even change their memories, which can ultimately alter the victim's state of conscious and their personality. Furthermore, the victims of the siren are conscious of this interaction (unlike an Immortal's mind control) which creates a psychic rapport between them. This allows them to maintain a constant presence from within, such that should someone stray too far from a siren, they will be struck with psychic pain and suffer hemorrhages. Unlike Immortals, however, the Siren's abilities may have some limits; for example, being able to only control a few victims, while vampiric servants (e.g. Damon and Enzo) are able to provide some resistance to at least the Siren's ability to access their memories and psychic probing, but not from their control.
- Psychic Pain Infliction: Similar to witches with their pain infliction spells, Immortals are able to inflict illusory psychic pain on their victims, as shown when Silas attacked Klaus and Caroline with it. By extension of this power, Silas was also able to make Bonnie think she was suffocating to death by inflicting the same kind of illusory pain. Sirens are also capable of this, as Sybil was able to cause immense psychic pain that was so strong her victim manifested adverse physical symptoms such as nose bleeds and vomiting blood.
Trivia[]
- Vampires at the Salvatore School using telepathy have popularize the term "Head Dive" to enter the minds of others.