History Main / MentalFusion

* During the ''ComicBook/XManCounterX'' run, [[ComicBook/XMan Nate Grey]] ends up doing this with his Earth-998, a mildly insane mutant shaman. He goes from being a HotBlooded loner trying to live a more or less normal life to a CrazySane BarefootLoon who embraces the fact that he's an outsider and never shifts beyond TranquilFury (and is all the more frightening for it).

* ''Literature/InCryptid'': The process of solving the dimension-hopping [[FormulaicMagic equation]] normally [[MySkullRunnethOver burns through the mind]] of the Johrlac doing it. To avoid this happening to Sarah, [[spoiler:Artie tells her to use his mind, Antimony's, James's, and Mark's, plus all the cuckoos surrounding them, as "[[WetwareCPU data banks]]" to offload some of the equation]]. This results in [[spoiler:all the cuckoos except Sarah, Mark, and the children being reduced to {{Empty Shell}}s, but in the process she accidentally deleted her friends' and family's memories of her to make room for the equation]]. Later, when performing the equation to return home to Earth, [[spoiler:Sarah uses as many "husked" cuckoos as they can round up, plus a little of everyone's mind, to avoid melting her mind ''again'']]. [[spoiler:Mark and Artie give up their minds so she has more space and processing power, but she's able to recreate Artie's memories from everyone else's memories of him (and the mice's PerfectMemory), and Mark appears to be undergoing the same metamorphosis that Sarah did after book 2.]]

** [[CombiningMecha Gestalts]] use this as well, although the product more likely than not will be less than the sum of its parts. As in, the only things their minds can process are things all the parts agree on. Most of them end up as DumbMuscle that'd be hard-pressed to produce a coherent sentence.

This trope can be pulled off many different ways. A common one has mystics and magicians use SuperEmpowering to give one among them their combined power. {{Telepath|y}}s may subsume themselves into a group entity for greater psychic power and reach. {{Technopath}}s can [[UnusualUserInterface "plug in"]] directly to a greater ArtificialIntelligence or a group of other technopaths.

This comes in a few flavors: Usually, a single person is "elevated" and made first among equals. The other magicians, telepaths or what not give the first the full benefit of their individual powers and [[SpiritAdvisor telepathic advice]], etc. while they meditate and stay immobile. While in this weakened state, enemies can attack these powerful Mental Fusions by going after the supporters. An equally common variant has the "mob", where the group has no [[TheFace one mouthpiece]] but moves with perfect synchronicity and jointly use their powers and combat skills in perfect teamwork to devastating effect. The downside to these is that they usually severely drain everyone once the spell is over.

* In ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'', Lady Oyakata transforms into a giant plant monster and then absorbs Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Ruby. The girls are fused with Oyakta both physically, as they become part of her body, and mentally, since their minds get linked to hers.

* Happens in ''Manga/SoulEater'' with the Soul Resonance, a link between a meister and his or her [[EquippableAlly weapon]]; and the Chain Resonance, a link between all the individuals (both meisters and [[VoluntaryShapeshifting weapons]]) of a team. This resonances not only increase the power of the group overall but also increase each individual's power and, in the case of Soul Reasonance, it's a prerrequisite for certain attacks.

** [[CombiningMecha Gestalts]] use this as well, although the product more likely than not will be less than the sum of its parts. As in, the only things their minds can process are things all the parts agree on. Most of them end up as DumbMuscle that'd be hard pressed to produce a coherent sentence.

** It is explained that when Cybertronian Combiners combine, both their bodies and their minds merge into a single entity. However, this is ultimately a double edged sword, for while Combiners are extremely powerful, the combined mind ultimately reduces it to a DumbMuscle.

* In ''Literature/TheObernewtynChronicles'', farseekers are able to form a mindmerge to increase their range. The traditional method uses a group of farseekers pooling their energy to boost the signal of one member, and is limited by the number of minds the sender is able to link with simultaneously (Rushton's one Talent is the ability to combine many minds in this way, although he can't farseek himself). Then Aras comes up with a new method whereby trios of farseekers link to each other then to two other groups, forming a conduit for an unlinked mind to 'slide' along without using up their own energy. In this way, Elspeth is able to farseek all the way from just outside Obernewtyn to Sutrium, half way across the Land.

** In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', the cloned Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth is able to do this with vast swaths of the crewers of the Imperial Fleet, picking things out of each mind in the process. He can essentially control them with this, making for around thirty percent increase in efficiency and also making a ridiculous degree of synchronicity possible. Crewers released from his control are generally exhausted and somewhat horrified; unsurprising, since C'baoth is insane. At one point in a power-grab he does this to the ''entire Imperial fleet'' except for Thrawn and Pellaeon, who are in a [[PowerNullifier ysalamiri field]]. C'baoth, sent after that stunt to Wayland to be put under guard, does a one-person version where he basically [[MindRape destroys the mind]] of an officer, making him into a sort of puppet that dies not long after they are mentally separated. We don't find out if he's right, but Thrawn has a theory that the Emperor was doing this at Endor, and the sudden loss of his influence instantly threw the Imperial forces into chaos. He recruits C'baoth in the first place to utilize the ability, but limits using it to a few critical battles.

** Fusions combined the minds of their components, but required immense concentration on their part to keep the combination up. Some involuntary merges, such as Takutanuva (the temporary fusion of the good [[SixthRanger Takanuva]] and evil Makuta [[BigBad Teridax]]) were different: when recalling the event, Takanuva considered his and Teridax's minds to have merely occupied a shared mental space rather than actually merging into one -- their minds ''chose'' to work together.

** Inverted by the Makuta's [[TheAssimilator assimilations]]: these only merge the bodies but not the minds, so in order to retain the control over their fused bodies, Makuta have to repress and destroy the minds of those they consume. As Teridax puts it, they make quite literally disagreeable meals.

* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'' has the Ethereal and Celestial Songs of Unity. The first just allows skill sharing among a group. The second creates a full-fledged mental fusion of the "mob" type -- each body can act separately, and the mass mind can use all their skills and abilities (although it can only take one ''supernatural'' action at a time) and can see, hear and so on from the point of view of all bodies simultaneously. The problem with the Song is that if the participants don't get along, the massed entity created from them may dither and delay due to the conflict. Also, the participants' memories of the actions taken by the mass mind will be sketchy.

* In ''VideoGame/ArTonelicoIIMelodyOfMetafalica'', the various modes of the [[KillSat Infel Phira]] amounts to this. Replakia combines dozens of spellcasters to boost the damage of attack spells to an impressive level, while Metafalica is a more through mental fusion that is used to get enough power to create a FloatingContinent. A few other modes are used for mind control instead.

** The [[MechanicalLifeforms geth]] function similar to this, on two levels: each of the flashlight-headed robot guys is a hardware "platform" for 100 or so programs which work together to control it. A single program only has a limited intelligence, but several operating in parallel can collectively have the intelligence of a sentient. Also happens in groups of geth via a wireless network, they combine their programs' computing power to think and strategize by load-balancing their processes across all the platforms, allowing for less redundancy of thought and more time to think a plan through. This has been described as less of a collective consciousnesses and more of a "collective unconsciousness". [[spoiler:When not occupying "mobile platforms" for combat, maintenance, or construction, the geth exist in large servers which host large numbers of individual programs. This is called the "Geth Concensus" and is the closest analogue they have to a government. Their long-term goal is to construct a server vast enough to hold all geth programs simultaneously, this being their own version of TheSingularity.]]

* In ''Franchise/StarCraft'', this is the basis of the Protoss religion, called the Khala. Protoss are universally psychic, and evolved a super-powerful collective consciousness that manifests as magic-like abilities. Communion with this "Khala" is actually touching all the minds, thoughts, and emotions of the Protoss race at large. However, there is a small group of heretic Protoss who fear that this will, one day, completely subsume their personalities, and take steps to sever themselves from it permanently (they evolved their own culture). "Sever" is rather literal in this case, since they accomplished this by cutting off their hair-like nerve cords. [[spoiler:It turns out that this communal mental link was nothing more than Amon's leash. When he is revived, he psychically dominates most of the Protoss barring those whose nerve cords were severed.]]

* In the ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'' episode "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueUnlimitedS2E12DividedWeFall Divided We Fall]]", Lex Luthor fuses with [[spoiler:Brainiac]]. The latter is initially hesitant since his experiences with Darkseid gave him trust issues, but Luthor assured him that if they're truly one, then trust won't be an issue. Both parties are pretty pleased with the result: Luthor gets [[spoiler:Brainiac]]'s vast power and knowledge, and [[spoiler:Brainiac]] gets Luthor's ambition.

* In ''VideoGame/ArTonelicoIIMelodyOfMetafalica'', the various modes of the [[KillSat Infel Phira]] amounts to this. Replakia combines dozens of spellcasters to boost the damage of attack spells to an impressive level, while Metafalica is a more through mental fusion that is used to get enough power to create a FloatingContinent . A few other modes are used for mind control instead.

** In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', the Vulcan Mind Meld provides a useful plot device to communicate with aliens who are [[StarfishAliens too alien]] for the [[TranslatorMicrobes universal translator]] or to undo the mind-whammy some less friendly telepath put on one of the team. The procedure is explicitly stated to be risky, and while Spock never shows any signs of lasting damage, on more than one occasion a sufficiently alien mind has given him a PokeInTheThirdEye. Examples include "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E25TheDevilInTheDark The Devil in the Dark]]", to find out why a rock monster is attacking humans, "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E3TheChangeling The Changeling]]", with the robotic probe NOMAD ([[FridgeLogic how this works is not explained]], but Spock has trouble breaking the connection, possibly because he is dealing with an artificial mind this time, and one which actively attacks "organic units" like himself), and "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E5IsThereInTruthNoBeauty Is There in Truth No Beauty?]]", in which Spock mind-melds with a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Medusan]] to save the ''Enterprise''.
** This doesn't come up as often in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', but one prominent example of how risky the procedure can be comes up in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E23Sarek Sarek]]" when Captain Picard volunteers to meld with legendary Vulcan diplomat and negotiator Sarek (Spock's father), who is suffering from a form of Vulcan dementia called Bendii Syndrome that affects emotional regulation. Sarek gains enough stability to complete a particularly delicate treaty negotiation, while Captain Picard spends most of a day confined to his quarters suffering [[MoodSwinger rapid, violent mood-swings]].

->'''Helios''': We are Daedalus. We are Icarus. The barriers between us have fallen and we have become... our own shadows. We can be more if we join... with you.\\
'''JC Denton''': And if I do? What becomes of me?\\
'''Helios''': You will be who you will be. We are our choices. And we can choose to lead Humanity away from this... darkness.\\
'''JC Denton''': This is what I was made for, isn't it? This is ''why'' I exist? (beat) All right, let's do this.

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[[quoteright:318:[[Webcomic/SequentialArt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SA_0493_small.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:318:[[ScrewballSquirrel Don't bother translating. It's Squirrel Squeak.]]]]

This trope can be pulled off many different ways. A common one has mystics and magicians use SuperEmpowering to give one among them their combined power. {{Telepath|y}}s may subsume themselves into a group entity for greater psychic power and reach. {{Technopath}}s can [[UnusualUserInterface "plug in"]] directly to a greater AI or a group of other technopaths.

This comes in a few flavors: Usually, a single person is "elevated" and made first among equals. The other magicians, telepaths or what not give the first the full benefit of their individual powers and [[SpiritAdvisor telepathic advice]], etc. while they meditate and stay immobile. While in this weakened state, enemies can attack these powerful Mental Fusions by going after the supporters. An equally common variant has the "mob", where the group has no [[TheFace one mouthpiece]], but moves with perfect synchronicity and jointly use their powers and combat skills in perfect teamwork to devastating effect. The downside to these is that they usually severely drain everyone once the spell is over.

Compare AssimilationPlot, where the goal of ThePlan is to create this on a universal scale. Compare HiveMind, which is when a usually involuntary and permanent version of this happens and all sense of self or individuality is lost. If one dies while in the link is in effect it's a PsychicGlimpseOfDeath. May coincide with FusionDance. See also MindLinkMates and TwinTelepathy. [[SideEffectsInclude Side effects may include]] creation of a LivingMemory inside participants' minds, speaking in unison, GlowingEyes, BattleAura, PowerFloats, and drowsiness.

* In ''Franchise/DragonBall'', fusions created by the Fusion Dance and Potara Earrings combine the personalities and memories of the fusees, as if both are on the mental driver's seat in harmony. When the two defuse they retain their fused memories, including those of ''different'' fusions (for example, in the [[Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly Super Broly movie]], Gogeta remembered when "he" was Vegetto). The Namekian fusion method meanwhile also combines the two fusee's personalities to a certain degree (with one fusee dominant, as Piccolo was in both his fusions), with the main gains being knowledge and an increase in power. Buu's absorption also gives him personality traits of the people he absorbs, such as Gotenks's cockiness or Piccolo's smarts and cunning.

%%* Several characters from ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'' do this.
* The [[{{mons}} Enterrans]] in ''Anime/{{Shinzo}}'' turn to cards when killed and can be absorbed for power, or can do it voluntarily to give another Enterran SuperEmpowering, returning to normal afterward. Sago and Kutal would later on do this to give Mushra enough power to enter his [[OneWingedAngel (near)]] [[SuperMode final form.]]
* Happens in ''Manga/SoulEater'' with the Soul Resonance, a link between a meister and his or her [[EquippableAlly weapon]]; and the Chain Resonance, a link between all the individuals (both meisters and [[VoluntaryShapeshifting weapons]]) of a team. This resonances not only increase the power of the group overall but also increase each individual's power and, in the case of Soul Reasonance, it's a prerrequisite for certain attacks.

* In Franchise/TheDCU, ComicBook/{{Checkmate}} Rooks are injected with Starro DNA in order to create this. It has to be used carefully, or there's a fair risk Starro itself will start listening...
* During the ''ComicBook/XManCounterX'' run, [[Characters/MarvelComicsXMan Nate Grey]] ended up doing this with his Earth-998, a mildly insane mutant shaman. He went from HotBlooded loner trying to live a more or less normal life to a CrazySane BarefootLoon who embraced the fact that he was an outsider and never shifted beyond TranquilFury (and was all the more frightening for it).
* Near the end of his ongoing solo, after a lot of CharacterDevelopment, the mutant multiple personality Legion learns to trust himself enough that he starts merging with his personalities rather than forcibly draining their powers. Eventually he effectively cures his DID by merging with them all.

* In the ''{{Transformers}}'' comic books, Headmasters are Transformers who have mentally fused with a human (or Nebulan) partner. The combined minds work in tandem, usually giving Headmasters [[SuperReflexes faster reflexes]] and/or better tactical assessment skills. They are usually depicted as a single entity, though sometimes the two personalities will discuss and argue with each other as the story requires.

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: The Saturnians create large group mental links while using their invisibility cloaks in order to communicate without being overheard. These links seem to have one dominant member who directs the others, and overall individuality is not fully sacrificed.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' fanfiction, [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX San and Vivienne Graham]] in their first two [[TwoBeingsOneBody hybridized forms]] share their body by way of MultipleHeadCase, but once they transform into their [[spoiler:single-headed]] final form, they apparently experience [[FusionDance The Composite]]. [[spoiler:Their voices now speak in unison and refer to themselves with singular first-person pronouns instead of plural, although either personality can still exhibit prominence over the other and they can have separate mental reactions to the same thing. According to the author, Viv and San now consider themselves to be more a single being which has two personalities inside of it than separate beings sharing a body]].
* In ''FanFic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'', the Stradroid Sunstar has this ability. He performs one on Bass, seeing into his mind and briefly powering him up. It also let Bass see into his mind.
* In ''Fanfic/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace'', [=TuMok=] performs a Martian Mind Mash with Buster Kincaid by [[RuleOfFunny headbutting him in the face]].

** Jaune and [[spoiler:Cinder]]'s [[MindlinkMates soul bond]] allows them to bolster each other's Auras as well as [[spoiler:combine their Semblances to bring forth the black flames of [[DispelMagic Ruin.]]]]
* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. Captain Janeway and Tech Lieutenant [=TuV'k=] use the Martian ''melding-of-minds'' to communicate with Nee'Lix [[UniversalTranslator as they lack a common language]]. By sharing memories they also create a shared sense of empathy, avoiding the instinctive UncannyValley [[FantasticRacism reaction that occurs]] when making FirstContact with an alien race. For example when the first humans landed on Mars, it created a psychic HatePlague that caused every Martian in the area to massacre them--which also demonstrates the danger of this trope, the creation of a [[HiveMind psychic gestalt]] causing the individual to lose their sense of self in favor of the Overmind.
* Like ''Star Trek'' Vulcans, Psyches in the ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' series can also meld with other people's minds to see what's in their memories, as Polaris Psyche did with Vanity in "The High Cost Of Smurfing" to see who it was that gave him pixie dust as a drug. Empath himself can link with the multiple minds of his fellow Smurfs to create a mindlink that gives him additional power. During this mindlink, the Smurfs can know what their fellow Smurfs are thinking at the moment.
* This happened by accident in ''Fanfic/TowerOfBabel'', a ''VideoGame/NieR'' fanfic when [[spoiler:Gestalt and Replicant Nier]] attempted possession. Later, a way to deliberately replicate this process for others has been found.
* ''Fanfic/CodePrime'':
** It is explained that when Cybertronian Combiners combine, both their bodies and their minds merge into a single entity. However, this is ultimately a double edged sword, for while Combiners are extremely powerful, the combined mind ultimately reduces it to a DumbMuscle.
** [[spoiler:Unlike Combiners, when the Black Wyverns gain the ability to form the Hercules thanks to the Enigma of Combination, their minds do not merge into a single entity, but instead become synchronized thanks to Lelia’s Geass, which allows them to better coordinate against Devastator.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'': The Martian Manhunter [[KissDiss turns down a kiss]] from Rose Wilson, but only because a MindMeld is more effective for both to express their feelings and history. When they're finished they're in a HeadbuttOfLove.

* Of a fashion in ''Film/PacificRim''. The dual pilot system used by most of the Jaegers has both pilots neurally linked in order to heighten synchrony (also, as said by Guillermo himself, because the neural strain of directly controlling a body twenty five stories tall would be too much for a single human). One pilot controls the left side, the other the right. The Chinese Jaeger ''Crimson Typhoon'' bucks the trend by using ''three'' pilots to control its three arms. Only two pilots in the world have ever managed to run one solo and not be horribly brain-damaged.
* Used by Old Spock in ''Film/StarTrek2009'' to deliver {{Exposition}} to Jim Kirk. Young Spock mind-melds an unconscious Romulan for directions.

* The premise of Sharon Green's ''The Blending'' series. In the [[PsychicPowers Psionics as]] [[MagicByAnyOtherName Magic]] world of ''The Blending'', everyone has at least a little bit of magic and every 25 years the Fivefold Throne can be won through a contest. A team of adepts, persons with middling to high levels of magical power, try to see if they can psychically join together to combine and amplify their individual specific power into one whole known as a Blending, with the strongest Blending contestant being the winner. While in a Blending, thoughts and memories are shared by each member while retaining their individuality. A member can also take the lead in a Blending while the others boost their power.
* In Spider Robinson's ''Literature/CallahansCrosstimeSaloon'' series, this happens more than once. In "The Mick of Time", the regulars at Callahan's join together telepathically to defeat a deadly alien threat. They do so again in "Callahan's Legacy" to stop the last servant of that threat, making him do a HeelFaceTurn. Ironically, they broach the idea of doing this ''again'' in "Callahan's Key", but decide not to.
* In ''[[Literature/TheBookOfTheNamed Clan Ground]]'' Thistle-chaser has the ability to "hear the song" - that is, to join in the hive mind that unites True-of-Voice's clan. Unlike them, she also has the ability to tune the song out. In a later book, her brother is shown to have the same ability.
* In the ''Literature/{{Darkover}}'' novels, telepaths often form "circles" to combine their psychic powers and perform major feats.

* In the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, Neanderthal shamans (known as Mog-ur) are able to control and direct the minds of the men during religious ceremonies. A particular preparation of datura is used.
* Creator/VernorVinge's novel ''Literature/AFireUponTheDeep'' includes an alien race called Tines. Each one is only as smart as a dog, but when they assemble in packs, they link up into a single larger mind. A pack of four is about as smart as a human. The link is made not with telepathy or magic, but with high-freqency sound, and several plot points hinge on the implications of that.

* Stingships, small {{Space Fighter}}s of the Literature/HumanxCommonwealth, are always piloted by a human/thranx two-person team, electronically linked to one another and to their ship's computers. When combat ensues, battle-drugs are administered to evoke the human's [[TheBerserker killing instincts]] and the thranx's [[TheSpock dispassionate calculation]], which are evaluated and merged via the ship's systems to pick out the tactically-optimal instant for a devastating strike.

* In Creator/EEDocSmith's ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series, the Arisian Mentor was actually 4 Arisian minds joined together. Several Lensmen create temporary "wide-open [insert number here]-way" mental fusions during the series. (The number before "-way" being the number of minds involved.)

* In Literature/TheObernewtynChronicles farseekers are able to form a mindmerge to increase their range. The traditional method uses a group of farseekers pooling their energy to boost the signal of one member, and is limited by the number of minds the sender is able to link with simultaneously (Rushton's one Talent is the ability to combine many minds in this way, although he can't farseek himself). Then Aras comes up with a new method whereby trios of farseekers link to each other then to two other groups, forming a conduit for an unlinked mind to 'slide' along without using up their own energy. In this way, Elspeth is able to farseek all the way from just outside Obernewtyn to Sutrium, half way across the Land.
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/OrdealInOtherwhere'', Shann Lantee and Charis Nordhalm, with their BondCreatures form this to achieve various things.
* In the ''Literature/{{Patternist}}'' series, the Pattern is a mental fusion of telepaths controlled by a single individual, the Patternmaster. Before it was created, telepaths could not endure being around each other as their thoughts would inevitably start to merge.
* ''Planet of the Damned'', by Creator/HarryHarrison. The protagonist having [[RefusalOfTheCall Refused The Call]], the man trying to recruit him to save an alien world about to be destroyed by [[WeaponOfMassDestruction hydrogen bombs]] forms an empathic link so he will ''feel'' what's at stake.
* In Creator/EdmondHamilton's ''Literature/ReturnToTheStars'', alien invaders resort to this in order to get details about a superweapon after a normal MindProbe fails to get them from the main character. Since all he knows is ''how'' to use it, they don't learn anything useful... but the hero learns the location of their fleet.
* The ''Literature/RevelationSpace'' trilogy by Creator/AlastairReynolds features Conjoiners, individual humans with machine-interface implants that allow them to communicate essentially telepathically across their shared wireless network. Some degree of direct mind reading is also possible, limited by social courtesy and the degree of mental firewalling in place. There is also still a hierarchy of individuality in place, with higher ranking individuals having a little autonomy, but to be a Conjoiner means always answering to the collective, and to take action otherwise is treason.
* In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', the cloned Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth is able to do this with vast swaths of the crewers of the Imperial Fleet, picking things out of each mind in the process. He can essentially control them with this, making for around thirty percent increase in efficiency and also making a ridiculous degree of synchronicity possible. Crewers released from his control are generally exhausted and somewhat horrified; unsurprising, since C'baoth is insane. At one point in a power-grab he does this to the ''entire Imperial fleet'' except for Thrawn and Pellaeon, who are in a [[PowerNullifier ysalamiri field]]. C'baoth, sent after that stunt to Wayland to be put under guard, does a one-person version where he basically [[MindRape destroys the mind]] of an officer, making him into a sort of puppet that dies not long after they are mentally separated.
** We don't find out if he's right, but Thrawn has a theory that the Emperor was doing this at Endor, and the sudden loss of his influence instantly threw the Imperial forces into chaos. He recruits C'baoth in the first place to utilize the ability, but limits using it to a few critical battles.

** In the Literature/NewJediOrder it was shown that an all-Jedi group could make a Jedi Meld to act with reflexes and synchronicity that they couldn't match normally. However, one particularly dangerous mission forces a group of Jedi to mind-meld for a prolonged time, and even years afterward, the survivors are still unconsciously attuned to each other.
** Literature/OutboundFlight's complement of Jedi are assigned to the weapons systems and trained to do the Meld. They are very good gunners, but unfortunately it's not enough to get them out of that situation.
** Zahn also uses this in the ''Literature/HandOfThrawn'' books, where Luke and Mara's growing emotional affinity allows them to effectively mind-meld when faced with a deadly trap. The meld [[spoiler: is almost immediately followed by Luke proposing to Mara.]]
* It's also used by starship pilots in the ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga''.
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series, channellers (magic users) often do this to multiply their power.

* Dairine does something sort of like this in the third ''Literature/YoungWizards'' book and it's a side effect of group spellcasting in general.

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample
* Seamus Harper in ''Series/{{Andromeda}}''

** The renegade telepaths led by [[MeaningfulName Byron]] [[spoiler:and eventually by Lyta Alexander]] use this extensively to fight off PSI Cops and other authorities. It's also used [[PowerPerversionPotential during sex]].
** It's used earlier by Talia and a group of rogue telepaths (none higher than P12) to overwhelm Bester (a strong P12) and give him FakeMemories of killing them.
* The Final Five Cylons attempted to do this in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'', however it also let them all see each others' memories which [[spoiler:revealed to Tyrol that Tory killed Cally. Cue the killing.]]
* Mind links have been used several times in ''Series/DoctorWho'', including in "The Girl In The Fireplace" (between the Doctor and Madame de Pompadour), in "Planet Of The Ood" (between the Doctor and Donna, so she can hear the Ood singing), and in 'Bad Wolf' (between the Controller and her masters, [[spoiler:the Daleks]]) [[TouchTelepathy Physical contact]] was used in the first two examples, which were also temporary.
* Shown in squicky detail in the action-comedy ''Series/{{Danger 5}}''. When Tucker forms a PsychicLink with a female shaman, a tentacle shoots into his forehead, his eyes roll up and white fluid spurts from his mouth.

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'s'' Delvians can "Share Unity", where two people join minds and soul. It's described as better than all the best sex and drugs you've ever taken... and it can drive you insane if you kill someone while sharing unity. Zhan did so to her former lover for betraying their people to the Peace Keepers. Despite the madness being considered incurable and being incarcerated, she got better after years of soul-searching and meditation. She uses this ability a handful of times throughout the series to share knowledge or intimacy, or to simply help sooth a a close friend's mind and emotions in times of great stress.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. The Vulcan Mind Meld provides a useful plot device to communicate with aliens who are too alien for the [[TranslatorMicrobes universal translator]] or to undo the mind-whammy some less friendly telepath put on one of the team.The procedure is explicitly stated to be risky, and while Spock never shows any signs of lasting damage, on more than one occasion a sufficiently alien mind has given him a PokeInTheThirdEye. Examples include "Is There in Truth No Beauty," where Spock mind-melds with a [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens Medusan]] to save the Enterprise, "The Devil in the Dark" to find out why a rock monster is attacking humans, and "The Changeling" with the robotic probe NOMAD ([[FridgeLogic how that works is not explained]], but Spock has trouble breaking the connection, possibly because he is dealing with an artificial mind this time, and one which actively attacks "organic units" like himself).
* Doesn't come up as often in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', but one prominent example of how risky the procedure can be comes up when Captain Picard volunteers to meld with legendary Vulcan diplomat and negotiator Sarek (Spock's father), who is suffering from a form of Vulcan dementia called Bendii Syndrome that affects emotional regulation. Sarek gains enough stability to complete a particularly delicate treaty negotiation, while Captain Picard spends most of a day confined to his quarters suffering [[MoodSwinger rapid, violent mood-swings]].
* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', the Changelings can also perform a mind meld with each other through "linking", the act of merging their body with another Changeling to exchange memories and sensations. A link between two Changelings is considered to be very intimate, such that the female Changeling from the Dominion uses it to seduce Odo early in the sixth season, as well as be used [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything in a metaphor for homosexuality]] in the episode "Chimera". Most Changelings live on their homeworld in the "Great Link", [[AlienSea an ocean of linked Changelings]] existing as a singular entity. In the episode "Things Past", a NegativeSpaceWedgie causes Odo, at the time [[DePower divested of his shapeshifting powers]], to form something akin to a link with Sisko, Dax, and Garek that causes them to live through some of Odo's past memories.
* In ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', the dangerous aspects of the Mind Meld are addressed when a group of Vulcans who reject the usual philosophy of suppressing emotion prove to be rather less skilled at it. Apparently the reason Spock in ''TOS'' and the movies never had any lasting harm for either himself or the people he melded with is that he's just that good. T'Pol suffers from a form of brain damage called Pa'nar Syndrome after this flawed Mind Meld, but is later cured by T'Pau (who by the time of ''TOS'' would be the de facto leader of Vulcan) performing a correct Mind Meld.
* Deconstructed in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' where the Emergency Medical Hologram is opposed to this technique on principle.
** In "Meld", Tuvok mind-melds with a murderer to establish his motives and starts to take on his violent urges.
** In "Survival Instinct", Seven of Nine and several other drones are severed from the Borg Collective, so she assimilates them into a mini-Collective when it looks like they're regaining their old memories. This mini-collective however is unable to properly reassimilate into the HiveMind.
** In "Unity", a group of ex-Borg could temporarily become a mini-collective to pool their mental power for various purposes, including healing. Unfortunately they are [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans unable to resist solving all their problems this way]] and establish a new Collective.
** In the third season of ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' [[spoiler:it turns out the Daystrom Station is holding a techo-organic version of the Soong Android]] as this creation has has multiple different versions over the years, they are loaded with the personalities of all of them [[spoiler:so Data, Lore, [=B_4=] and Lal the daughter Data programmed]]. The two strongest personalities [[spoiler:Data and Lore]] vie for control [[spoiler:it looks like Lore wins but Data actually surrounds his memories to Lore and turns Lore into Data]] the end result is [[spoiler:mostly Data, a good man, but with a bit of Lore's dark and sarcastic sense of humour.]]
* The penultimate episode of Season 4 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' featured a four-way link between Buffy herself, Willow, Xander, and Giles, with Buffy as the focal point.
* Angels in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' have a mental link, which Dean refers to as Angel radio.

** Fusions combined the minds of their components, but required immense concentration on their part to keep the combination up. Some involuntary merges, such as Takutanuva (the temporary fusion of the good [[TheSixthRanger Takanuva]] and evil Makuta [[BigBad Teridax]]) were different: when recalling the event, Takanuva considered his and Teridax's minds to have merely occupied a shared mental space rather than actually merging into one -- their minds ''chose'' to work together.

** Inverted by the Makuta's [[TheAssimilator assimilations]]: these only merged the bodies but not the minds, so in order to retain the control over their fused bodies, Makuta had to repress and destroy the minds of those they consumed -- as Teridax put it, they made quite literally disagreeable meals.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}:'' With Combiners, as shown by various stories over the years, the combined minds have to get along in order to the form to function. In the case of the early ones, it's not much of a success. The Constructicons are six geniuses (well, five geniuses and [[DumbMuscle Bonecrusher]]) merged together into "DEVASTATOR SMASH!", while the Stunticons are all wildly insane, led by a bullying thug who they all hate, meaning Menasor is a psychotic smash-machine. Meanwhile, the Aerialbots are united in the goal of protecting people, but between Silverbolt's neuroses, [[{{Jerkass}} Slingshot]], and Fireflight's attention span, Superion isn't packing a lot of brains. With some of the later Decepticon combiners, the problem becomes the fusion being ''too good''. The Seacons get on so well (provided Nautilator's not involved) that if they didn't come with a time limit, they'd never split up willingly.

[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]
* In the 1st Edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', psionic characters could join their minds together to boost their total power.
** In AD&D, psionicists do this via 'convergence' power. The group's power points are pooled together, and if one participant knows a power, everyone can use it. Mental attacks on the group affects ''all'' of them... but only after overcoming ''all'' their defences (so they also can take advantage of the telepathic TacticalRockPaperScissors).
** They can do this in 3.5 too through the 'metaconcert' power.

* ''TabletopGame/InNomine'' has the Ethereal and Celestial Songs of Unity, the first just allows skill sharing among a group, the second creates a full-fledged mental fusion of the "mob" type, each body can act separately and the mass mind can use all their skills and abilities (although it can only take one *supernatural* action at a time) and can see, hear and so on from the point of view of all bodies simultaneously. The problem with the Song is that if the participants don't get along, the massed entity created from them may dither and delay due to the conflict. Also, the participants memories of the actions taken by the mass mind will be sketchy.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}''. Ritual spell casting allows magicians to mentally join together to cast powerful magic over long distances.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Imperial Guard can field a unit that consists of a "choir" of psykers. Individually, they would be too weak to be useful in combat, but by combining their psychic powers, they can still serve. In the fluff, astropaths (who use telepathy to send messages between star systems) can also work in choirs to boost their range, efficiency, and clarity.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Ar Tonelico 2}}'', the various modes of the [[KillSat Infel Phira]] amounts to this. Replakia combines dozens of spellcasters to boost the damage of attack spells to an impressive levels, while Metafalica is a more through mental fusion that is used to get enough power to create a FloatingContinent . A few other modes are used for mind control instead.

* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' we have the two psychic members of the [[BigDamnHeroes Freedom Phalanx]], [[RedOniBlueOni Sister Psyche and Aurora Borealis]], the former was dying from injuries and the later was an UnskilledButStrong young psychic who agreed to let Psyche possess her to cheat death. In this case, Psyche going into a coma allowed doctors to stabilize and attempt invasive medical techniques to save her body. Meanwhile, Psyche continued to patrol the city in Aurora's body, she shifted the situation from GrandTheftMe to SharingABody. As a single being Psyche/Aurora was/were able to do phenomenal things. Psyche willingly returned to her body a few decades later, once medical technology advanced enough to repair her tissue damage. She was willing to give up the fusion, so as not to impose on Aurora. The two are still able to coordinate remarkably well, with or without telepathy, just from previously existing on the same mental wavelength. Completing each others' sentences is not uncommon when the two are in the same room.
** On the ''City of Villains'' side we have the Arachnos Seer Network, obviously used for more sinister purposes. The Seer Net is the collective minds of all Arachnos psychics, some of which are mutant, but most of which [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower just receive a remarkably specific mental training program]] for anyone with even a hint of a sixth-sense. To ensure loyalty the network not only acts as a communication and training program, but also a PsychicBlockDefense, achieved by beaming their loyalty to Arachnos over and over again into their subconscious. When Fortunata's and Seers access the network to communicate with the others of their station, they are effectively syncing-up as a country wide Mental Fusion with every other Arachnos psychic to problem-solve complex issues in seconds. This only becomes more terrifyingly efficient when added to the fact, that the guy giving them orders, though not a psychic himself, has more thought-processing power than the entire rest of the network put together! Needless to say, [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower despite just being a communication network, this is one of Arachnos's most potent tools]].
* On a similar note, this is what apparently happens in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeboqg4t9vs Helios ending]] in ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar''. All humans are united by/in a global network where they can share their minds with each other. How much of their identity do they retain is uncertain, but according to [[spoiler:the JC Denton humanoid terminal of the A.I.]], "Helios will communicate, not assimilate. Life will go on as usual."
* In ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', VirtualGhost Alt Cunningham's goal is to absorb all the other digital consciousnesses stored by [[EvilInc Arasaka]] and get her revenge on the company from beyond the grave. [[spoiler:In the good endings, either V or Johnny [[HeroicSacrifice surrender the body to the other]] and go with her.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', an accidental version of this is [[spoiler:the final level of the game. The "Meat Circus" is caused by Raz and Coach Oleander's minds fusing together in the brain tank, combining Raz's childhood memories of the circus with Oleander's memories of his father's butcher shop. The result is as terrifying as you'd expect.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', this is the basis of the Protoss religion, called the Khala. Protoss are universally psychic, and evolved a super-powerful collective consciousness that manifests as magic-like abilities. Communion with this "Khala" is actually touching all the minds, thoughts, and emotions of the Protoss race at large. However, there is a small group of heretic protoss who fear that this will, one day, completely subsume their personalities, and take steps to sever themselves from it permanently (they evolved their own culture). "Sever" is rather literal in this case, since they accomplished this by cutting off their hair-like nerve cords. [[spoiler:And it turns out this communal mental link was nothing more than Amon's leash. When he is revived he psychically dominates most of the Protoss barring those whose nerve cords were severed.]]
* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the [[MechanicalLifeforms geth]] function similar to this, on two levels: each of the flashlight-headed robot guys is a hardware "platform" for 100 or so programs which work together to control it. A single program only has a limited intelligence, but several operating in parallel can collectively have the intelligence of a sentient. Also happens in groups of geth via a wireless network, they combine their programs' computing power to think and strategize by load-balancing their processes across all the platforms, allowing for less redundancy of thought and more time to think a plan through. This has been described as less of a collective consciousnesses and more of a "collective unconsciousness". [[spoiler: When not occupying "mobile platforms" for combat, maintenance, or construction, the geth exist in large servers which host large numbers of individual programs. This is called the "Geth Concensus" and is the closest analogue they have to a government. Their long term goal is to construct a server vast enough to hold all geth programs simultaneously, this being their own version of TheSingularity.]]
** The asari are also capable of performing a mental link with others. Referred to as "melding", this allows asari to read the thoughts of others. Liara uses melding in the first game to help Shepard interpret visions they received from a prothean beacon. Melding is also how the asari reproduce, allowing them to use the minds of their partner (who can be of any race or sex, since asari can reproduce semi-asexually) to influence the genome of their offspring.
** Also, in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', one of the colonists from Feros says that they use the remnants of their fusion with the Thorian to fight the Reapers, as they can still feel each others' thoughts and feelings.
** It turns out that [[spoiler:the Reapers]] are similar to the Geth except the individual "programs" [[spoiler:are what's left of the minds of the people used as the raw material to create Reapers.]] The so-called "Heretic Geth" are Geth who wanted to take a shortcut to the Geths' long term goal [[spoiler:by serving the Reapers in exchange for a Reaper body that can host all of the Geth programs at once.]]
* Played straight in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' at the finale when [[HeroicMime Matthew]], after being beaten down [[{{Determinator}} three times]] by the [[LightIsNotGood excessive light]] on the [[WaveMotionGun Apollo Lens]] firing platform, gives the last of his power to [[CuteMonstergirl Sveta]] so she can make her HeroicSacrifice.
** Made even better by the fact that Matthew's ethereal silhouette follows her around for the brief period you get to control her. Effect gets subverted somewhat, however, once the blow is taken by Volechek instead of her.
* The Skritt in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' work on a similar principle. They can apparently communicate vast amounts of information with each other extremely quickly through their rodenty chirps and squeaks, to the point that they are effectively exponentially more intelligent the more of them are around. Lone Skritt have trouble managing abstract thought. A group of five or so working together in an entire city of them managed to figure out how to reassemble a golem from spare parts -- though not how to avoid setting off its tampering failsafes and have it immediately attack upon activation.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/BloodIsMine'': Jane can "sync" with people who have her blood inside them. This allows her to share their skills and knowledge, but staying synced up for too long can lead to their memories bleeding over and their identities starting to blur. [[spoiler:Thale can use similar abilities to completely rewrite the minds of his victims into copies of his own]].
* There's a scene in ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' where the Wolfriders' telepathy allows them to think and act as one in order to defeat the monster Madcoil. Curiously that's the only time that particular ability is discussed, although it's probably used in other battle scenes.
** Well, although it's not en masse like that, the ability comes up during the troll war, when each experienced warrior bonds with an inexperienced warrior so that the amateur would instinctively know how to use the unfamiliar weapon (longsword).
* In ''{{Webcomic/Erfworld}}'', a Thinkamancer can form a mental merge with another caster, so the Thinkamancer can boost the other caster's abilities well beyond what they can normally do at that level. In rare (and extremely risky) cases, a Thinkamancer can merge with two other casters, allowing them to wield new magic that no individual caster could dream of using. Breaking such a link without assistance can cause catastrophic damage to the minds of all the casters involved, possibly killing them, although the Thinkamancer can redistribute the harmful effect, protecting the others by accepting the brunt of it, or vice versa.
** It's eventually revealed that powerful Thinkamancers can link to one another in greater numbers than three in order to become an even more sophisticated mental collaboration. Often they just use this for internal communication on an extremely elaborate and deep level, allowing for highly organised collective decision making, but when they combine their magic they become capable of feats that break a few assumed rules of Erfworld.
* ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'' has a single massive mental fusion forming the gestalt mind of Mars. Unusually, it's one of the good guys.
* In ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' squirrels form the Think Tank, a biological processor with super...squirrel inventive and strategical abilities.

* In ''Podcast/MetamorCity'' telepaths can form these to combine their power, or whenever they have sex. Unfortunately if a teep has sex with a "mundie" they can't break off the fusion and even if the psychic link is severed they each retain a combination of their two personalities.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' had a wicked tactic where all of the Series 5 team could pool their strength through Niko's psychic abilities, either to create a ''very'' strong shield or an equally strong power blast. It usually did the trick, though it would often drain the charge and/or knock Niko unconscious afterward.
** A nastier version is the Slaverlords: they are all psychically linked to the Queen, possibly linked to one another, and in most cases, it takes 3-4 beings to make one.

* In the second season finale of ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'', ComicBook/LexLuthor fuses with [[spoiler:ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}]]. The latter is initially hesitant since its experiences with ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} gave it trust issues, but Luthor assured it that if they were truly one then trust wouldn't be an issue. Both parties are pretty pleased with the result: Luthor gets [[spoiler:Brainiac's]] vast power and knowledge, and [[spoiler:Brainiac]] gets Luthor's ambition.
* How the literal FusionDance of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' works. At one point, Pearl describes how fusions are completely unique individuals; she uses the metaphor of water being much more than just hydrogen and oxygen stuck together.

* In ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', spirits in heaven form giant sentient eagles and crosses.