A pagh'tem'far was a sacred vision in Bajoran culture. Bajorans believed they were messages from the Prophets. In 2373 Benjamin Sisko began to experience a series of Pagh'tem'far after receiving a plasma shock in a holosuite. While the visions allowed him to see the future, the condition eventually began to threaten Sisko's physical health so he had to undergo surgery which stopped the visions. (DS9 episode: "Rapture") In 2376 after Elias Vaughn had an orb experience Deanna Troi suggested he might have experienced something close to a Pagh'tem'far. (DS9 novel: Avatar, Book One)