john elder robison volunteered to participate in a pioneering study run by a teaching hospital out of harvard medical school. The study used trans cranial magnetic stimulation, or t m s, which uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells. It's worth noting that among the participants in the study, john's response was singular and highly unusual in its expression. And it had a complex impact on john's life. He says his ability to see emotions and people dissipated over the next few weeks but while it lasted, it was overwhelming.