Thought Dowsers were believed to be potent tools constructed from a substance that enhanced an individual's mental capabilities. These artifacts, originating from the dark side cult called the Ascendant, were also employed by the Sith to train their apprentices in the arts of coercion and manipulation. While anyone could use these devices, those with Force-sensitives could use them to their greatest potential. A considerable time after the Ascendant's era, the Crimson Dawn criminal organization came into possession of a thought dowser, displaying it within a gallery on their fortress-flagship, the Vermillion. During an attempt to recover a data crystal necklace from the gallery, Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, the renegade archaeologist, and her companions found themselves under attack by Crimson Dawn security. Aphra spotted the thought dowser and used her electro-tattoos to activate it. While wielding the thought dowser, Aphra, struggling to maintain control, forced the Crimson Dawn assassin Deathstick and several guards to inflict self-harm. Unbeknownst to Aphra, the inactive Spark Eternal detected her use of the device, due to its prior interaction with Ascendant technology. Although she managed to disconnect from the device, it resulted in burns to her arm and the destruction of her electro-tattoos. Aphra and her allies then fled, abandoning the thought dowser.