It's not normal, but we got given that power just so we could fight against the Yeerks. That's the species we were fighting. There were other aliens, too. Some helpful, some... not. But for the most part we were on our own.

... It seems like magic, but apparently it's just really advanced technology. I have no idea how it really works. Ax could probably tell you more of the details, but uh... science isn't really my thing.