meff

So I had a long talk on IRC with the tfp folk about this..

I am a schizophrenic (technically schizoaffective) but nonetheless.. Does having such kind of 'abilities' to hallucinate and hear things mean that the person is on a higher level or consciousness than others? Sometimes I .. know.. things, and sometimes I have odd feelings and predictions that are 'told' to me through hallucinations or things I hear and they really do happen or stop me from doing certain things, one of which brought me and my wife together.

I just wonder what people think about stuff like this, and am I on a different level that other people are or do I just have an illness?

Me and my wife have had long talks about this and we both have came to no exact conclusions, so I'd like to have you all's thoughts on the subject.

Thanks

Ogre840

id have to go through my psych notes, but there is a theory on "Hyper Reality" you might want to check out...

and hope it goes away soon, either that or youll be branded schizo the rest of your life...

motdakasha

it's possible, but i seriously doubt there will be any consensus on that kind of topic any time soon.

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Shyla Loral

Well, meff is my husband and we've had some very interesting conversations about this. I used to work with someone whose mom was a psychiatrist. My coworker asked me "What if what they're seeing is real, and we just can't see it?" A very interesting question, although not that plausible.
One *very* interesting thing is that schizophrenics are hyperobservant. Often, meff will notice patterns that I don't, like "Oh, we just had that cab driver last Tuesday" or "Hmm, that's the third Ford Taurus in a row, just a different color". I feel certain that if we were out walking, he'd notice danger before I would. I look in recessed doorways, make sure no one is following me, etc, but I feel certain that that "certain something", that hyperobservantness that he has, would notice danger before I do. He'd be more likely to notice when something is out of place. Schizophrenics don't like to have things out of place, maybe that's why he notices the patterns so much more often than I do.
By the way, I've spoken with many spouses/family members of schizophrenics, and schizophrenics generally have that hyperobservantness.
Do they see stuff we don't? Certainly, hallucations and delusions. At the same time, not only meff, but others have had the experience of having a "bad feeling" about something, and then having that thing come true. Is it psychic ability? Or just that hyperobservantness? Probably the latter, but it's an interesting question.

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Meff r0x

fuzzix

One account of schizophrenia I read described it akin to the hypnogogic state we all fall into breifly before sleep. In this state everyone can experience vivid mental and auditory hullucinations which seemingly pop up randomly from our unconcious (like constant channel surfing on a TV). perhaps schizophrenics are those who are often in two states of mind at once, both the subconcious and the concious overlapping with one another.

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Zargix

Wesley Willis, as lots of you know is schizofrenic musician. (He recently died. A sad day for all) What some people don't know about is his artwork. it is absouletly amazing!

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Museum/9048/thumbs.htm

The angles are fanastic, and the detail is superb!!

vermin

I wouldn't say you're on a different level than others, just differently gifted. God blesses each of us in different ways. There's always a bright side and a dark side to a gift or ability. Having increased ability in some areas can mean decreased abilities in other areas. Play to your strengths and make the best of it.

Have you considered starting a cult? I hear there's good money in it.

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WhoaitsZ

good theory.

i lovely psychology and i love helping people but the field scares me shitless.

the very fact that we percieve so differently tells me that "sanity" does not really exist.

we are, as human beings, living proof of the impossible happening. so fuck the people who call us crazy for seeing things.

its a h a r d topic for me to speak on cuz i'm very defensive. i've had told hold my own a lot in several ways and when my state of mind is a topic i get scared because, being in a hosp 100 or so times, i know what people that are hellbent can do to other people......

meff: tell us more. details if you can?

rev_skarekroe

Yes.
I believe schizophrenia is both a mental illness AND an alternate state of consciousness.
It's interesting that the schizophrenic state is one that people have, since ancient times, desperately attempted to achieve artificially throught the use of drugs, meditation, etc. and is ALSO one that the schizophrenics themselves are often desperate to get rid of.
sk

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meff

I'm not sure what you're asking Z, which kind of examples would you like?

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The.Lunatic

Its a genetic defect or advent your choice. Every species on the planet has genetic anomalies based on how earth life forms procreate. Regardless the vast majority of genetic anomalies aren't beneficial to the species, but once in a while a truly helpful trait surfaces allowing that organism to breed in greater numbers and survive in the face of his predecessors extinction. Doesn't work worth shit for humans, we're just to good at surviving. So basically all the crazy shit you here/see about humans is natures way of making us better only problem is the shitty traits that would normally kill us off don't because we're just so fucking good at surviving that even the god damn bubble boy can survive. So in short your trait sounds like it has some benefits, but for you mind to comprehend the hypersensitiveness to life you also suffer hallucinations. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but i'm sure it hinders your ability to function in the american life model. However it isn't keeping you from passing on your genes now is it you obviously have a wife. So all i have to say to you is you've been gifted and cursed, just try to enjoy you life as it is very fleeting.

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saltfish

A study was once done that stated that a schizoactive person may actually be hearing their unconcious self, (the part of our brain that is not easily controlled, and takes care of the innateness of our mind); one could almost say that the subconcious is linked to the concious with a auditory hallucination.

-SF

bonbonbox

Not a mental illness. Higher level? I'm not sure which way the ladder runs. Diffent level? Yes. I'm of the opinon that the approved sources of information are far to quick to label things that are different, abnormalties or illness. Then applying the approved method of the day to rectify this horrible affliction bestowed upon the poor bastard that they have decided to help. Do people have problems? Yes. Can meds be used to help them? Yes. Are there other valid ways to address the problem? Yes. Does that happen often? No.

blanks

Sounds alot like an acid trip, but constant. Hyperobservance, hyper-reality, things making sense like in a higher consciousness. not to mention paranoia

mulletJeb

I think that there may be a lot of truth to that, especially the last line.

VTBrian

I just had a class that delt with this. The proffessor explained that when a person has a schizophrenic episode they decend into the unconcious where all collective stuff is stored. Most schizophrenics have very similar halucinations because of this. So the hallucinations become a projection of the collective unconcious.

Who knows though mabie you guys really do see something real that the rest of us can't see. Its more fun that way anyway.

mulletJeb

Are schizophrenic hallucinations primarily auditory? Or can they be visual as well? If visual, what sorts of visuals? My highschool Psychology course mentioned that universal symbols such as the circle and the hexagon are in the collective unconscious. Are these projected visually? Or perhaps the schizophrenic sees them as patterns?

thingstodo

I agree on the issue that they make different connections, especially pulling from the subconcious. To me, women's intuition is the ability to do just that, although not on a concious level. In fact, I understand that women have a membrane that connects both sides of the brain. As a result, they can think left and right brain at the same time. That allows more subconcious thought to bubble into rational thinking patterns. Which equals intuition. Men are either thinking right or left brain, but only one at a time.

Hope that makes some sense. Not an educated opinion, just based on reading and being a manager that enjoys understanding the dynamics between people.

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saltfish

Actually, we all have a connection between the right and left brain hemispheres, it's called the corpus-callosum. Without said connection our right and left hemispheres would attempt to control various parts of our body without our concious thought. If you ever ever seen anyone with a severed corpus-callosum you'd be shocked by their behavior.

-SF

Deominous

Pure mechanics of the brain

A 'normal' person when presented with a priming word like:

dog

will spit back related words like:

bone, bark, growl, and fur

A schizophrenic when presented with the same word will reply with almost anything:

bathroom, orbital sander, ky jelly

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