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** It's actually portrayed a bit worse in the books, though you don't get to see it. Voldemort essentially destroys the mind of Bertha Jorkins through Legilimency (possibly combined with the Cruciatus curse) who had had a [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|Memory Charm]] placed on her, shattering her mind in the process. Then he kills her, because she has no mind anymore and thus is now worthless.
** But it can also be used in a way similar to the use of veritaserum, as a much less painful and more reliable alternative to torture.
* Partially subverted in the ''[[HammersHammer's Slammers]]'' series, particularly the story called ''Interrogation Team''. There, the mind probe is semi-painless and takes the form of a directed hallucination. BOTH the interrogator and the person being interrogated are given the drug, and a second interrogator asks questions while the first, in rapport with the victim, experiences his/her memories as the questions are asked. The drug in question is a combination truth serum and hallucinogen, and is described by the first interrogator as akin to a drug high. In this particular story, the interrogat-ee comes from a heavily defended town, a "red-pill target" - and when the authorization to nuke the town is given, the interrogator shares one last vision with the interrogated person - as he envisions his baby girl melted by the nuclear blast. Both the interrogator and the interrogated individual were disconnected from the machine when it happened. [[David Drake]] does not write ''nice'' stories - perhaps because he WAS a interrogator assigned to the 11th Cavalry during Vietnam.
* In ''[[Fingerprints]]'', Rae can use her [[Psychic Powers]] to mind-probe people by pressing her fingertips against theirs. The person on the receiving end only feels a slight tingle.
* The ''[[Tunnels]]'' series has the Dark Light, a device used by the Styx for interrogation. It also has a [[Mind Rape]] setting which is much less frequently used, as it leaves victims in no condition to answer their questions.
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* ''[[Star Trek]]'' has had a number of these, most notably the Klingons' mindsifter and a corrupted "therapeutic" device for the mentally ill. By [[The Next Generation]] the Romulans are well known for theirs (simply called Mind Probes).
* ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''. Homaged in the 'Captain Proton' holodeck program in "Thirty Days". The Twin Mistresses of Evil (played by the famous Delaney twins) have Buster Kincaid (played by Harry Kim) chained up so they can use the terrible Brain Probe, which they promise will turn him into their grovelling slave ("By the time we've finished, you'll be ''begging'' to tell us everything you know!"). Harry [[Too Kinky to Torture|does not seem particularly averse to the idea]].
* In the ''[[V (TV series)|V]]: The Final Battle'' miniseries, one of the heroes gets caught and put into a "Conversion Chamber" which pumps terrifying hallucinations into her mind with the purpose of brainwashing her. She nearly dies during the process, and is rescued before it can be completed. However, she notices some lingering after-effects (notably, her switch from using one hand to the other.) She's also highly susceptible to manipulation by the [[Big Bad]], who takes advantage of this fact to engineer an escape after being captured by the heroes.
** The trope is somewhat subverted with Diana noting that humans are proving resistant to the Conversion process, which makes it impractically slow to use beyond vital individuals they need under their control. When simple interrogation is called for, Diana is more than happy to use older methods like simple torture to get the job done.
* In ''[[Lost]]'' Ben uses some goggles on Alex's boyfriend to keep him under control and away from his daughter.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Some ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' cards seem to be based on this trope. Examples:[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=46582# Psychogenic Probe], [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=107254# Psychic Possession], [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=27171# Mind Extraction]
* In the ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'' Lords of Madness supplement the mind flayers have a device that will allow them to get truthful answers to any question they ask. They use their tentacles to make a hole, then stick the device in and start asking questions. Then when they take it out, there's a chance that the person they were questioning will go permanently insane. Definitely not fun.
** In [[Forgotten Realms]] lore active probe methods are known under rather evocative name "mind-reaming".
* ''[[GURPS]]'' actually calls this Mind Probe.
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[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]
[[Category:One With the Index]]
[[Category:Mind Probe]]▼
[[Category:Mind Manipulation Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Mind Probe{{PAGENAME}}]]
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