Although that was part of the general SF atmosphere in the mid 1960s when the book came out. It was quite common for characters to have weird mental powers and

Although that was part of the general SF atmosphere in the mid 1960s when the book came out. It was quite common for characters to have weird mental powers and magical abilities that seem more in place in fantasy than SF, in part because of the influential SF editor John W Campbell who was into the occult and various new religions.