When does human consciousness become conscious? The ancient philosopher Plato described the human mind arising as a tabula rasa, a blank slate that is then shaped by its experiences1. Medical and scientific advances have since made it possible to study prenatal psychology in humans and animals, highlighting perceptual and learning abilities before birth2 and possible vulnerabilities to mental disorders2. However, due to the immature brain networks of a fetus and the sedation provided by its immediate environment, it has been hypothesized that human consciousness only really develops after birth3 or at earliest only after the formation of thalamocortical connections around 24 weeks of gestational age4. In general, scientific evidence provides little information concerning the consciousness of a fetus and debate remains5,6.

In contrast, many traditional worldviews claim fetuses are conscious and have7. In this worldview, intrauterine life goes hand in hand with an array of care and rituals designed to ensure not only the proper biological but also the proper social development of the gestating child. The human being would thus develop physically and emotionally, recognized and confirmed in its humanity by its understanding of symbolic acts. In a comparative analysis of 26 societies, Maurice Godelier8 demonstrated how each held assumptions that supernatural agents intervene in pre-conception, conception, and pregnancy influencing the prenatal consciousness. These different theories suggesting a more developed prenatal consciousness than accepted in the Western scientific tradition can lead to ideological and practical conflicts in sensitive situations such as abortion, obstetrical complications, and infant disabilities9. More generally, the idea that the fetus is already conscious can alter attachment styles by enriching the parent-infant interaction10.

Such ideas about consciousness during fetal life are not limited to non-Western societies11,12. Several Western works describe pre-incarnation experiences13, 14, 15, 16. These experiences have inspired explorations into adults’ pre-conception and pre- or near-birth memories as well as interventions to connect with prenatal consciousness17,18. These are based not only on prenatal psychology and medicine but also on allegedly subtle forms of interaction such as mediumship.

Mediums are individuals that are purportedly able to communicate with a deceased individual, suggesting that they can access that individual's consciousness. In a standard mediumship reading, a medium mediates communication between a client and an individual who has passed away. The scientific study of mediumship began in the mid-19th century when American spiritualism was in vogue and attracted the attention of many physicists, philosophers, and physicians19. Verifying phenomena such as necromantic practices that described interactions between the world of the living and the dead played a critical intellectual role in this period. Mediumship research has continued into the present, with modern-day experiments incorporating essential methodological refinements and finding significant positive results using triple-blind laboratory procedures20. Although debate still exists (e.g., Rock et al., 2021; Sarraf et al., 2021), these studies have provided evidence that information, at least some, as delivered by mediums is accurate regardless of the true source of that information23, 24, 25.

Studies have also shown that experiences of supposed communication with the dead can be spontaneous, facilitated, assisted, or induced26,27. In multiple worldwide surveys, 29 and 66% respondents report personally experiencing perceived contact with the dead28. In a bereavement context, subjective experiences of contact with the deceased have an estimated prevalence of between 47 to 82% depending on the study and culture29. These experiences are not always associated with pathological forms of grief and may even support the grief process and have health benefits26,30. Beliefs in the possibility of such contact are also very high. In the United States, 33% of adults believe that the living and the dead can communicate and 60% to 70% believe they will survive after bodily death31. Belief in reincarnation ranges from 20% to 37% in Western or South American cultures32. In addition, millions of people from all religious and spiritual backgrounds report conscious sensory, emotional, or cognitive memories while declared clinically dead or out of their body33. While these phenomena are largely considered hallucinations or other forms of pathology by contemporary medicine33, many agree that much remains to be discovered about these ubiquitous human experiences and that they are deserving of serious scientific investigations34.

Increasing research has examined end-of-life phenomena and communication with the deceased. However, to our knowledge, no research has evaluated the other end of the consciousness spectrum: the prenatal period. With verifiable reports of reincarnation, where consciousness persists from one life to another, and near-death experience survivors describing consciousness after death, then perhaps there is some consciousness level of a fetus that can be accessed. While the idea of prenatal consciousness is ubiquitous in many traditions and is based on widely held beliefs and experiences, it has yet to be systematically investigated. In many cultures, some practitioners claim to be able to communicate both with disincarnate and not-yet-incarnate entities. Thus, Western mediums may be interested in challenging the theoretically limited scope of their own abilities. Therefore, this study — using both quantitative and qualitative analyses — aims to test the hypothesis that mediums are likely to obtain information about a hypothetical prenatal consciousness and its family without obtaining any clues by ordinary means (i.e., through the traditional senses). We note that the parapsychological study of prenatal consciousness does not allow for direct statements about the prenatal consciousness level, but it may provide useful information for consideration in this topic's discussion.