Mental health issues abound on ATS

reply to post by riggs2099


RESEARCH WILLIAM COOPER, AND JOHN LEAR. First of all, the reason so many people claim to be abducted by aliens is because it is gov't approximated that ONE OUT OF TEN people are abducted!!! And a lot of crazies lately??? Maybe thats because there is a legitimate effort by the authorities of the world to let the public in on SOME of this info. The government employees who worked with the aliens from Roswell are now out on national T.V.- Mainly the history channel- FLAT OUT TELLING US ITS TRUE!! So who's crazy, the people who are admitting their alien stories, or the brainwashed people who can't admit the truth to themselves even when 1000's of high ranking government officials are coming out talking about it??

Originally posted by jpm1602
I never saw that dog take off on something like that in my life. He definitely wanted a piece of it. I spilled half my coffee down my shirt. It was surreal.

Well I must say if I were you, I would probably force my dog to get out of bed and accompany me downstairs each time. I have always lived with at least 2 dogs, thanks to them I never have to walk down a dark hallway in my own home alone, and it works out very well (for them and me). The moment a dark room/hallway appears is the moment every twisted horror film and weird story I ever read comes to mind.

But wait...we were talking about the people with "issues" on ATS. Back to the topic of "those folks". LOL

reply to post by riggs2099


Firstly, there have always been a very large number of people who "see things" that other people don't see. I agree with you that they may be crazy. But there may also be something to what they are seeing. They should recognize however that they do have a mental condition that is causing this, and it is not necessarily good.

Naturally people who "see things" will be attracted to ATS.

Most people here are normal and occasionally a few might be out of their mind. A lot of people that post here, or a few people posting as a lot of "people" are trying to derail and descredit alternative and controversial viewpoints in the name of disinformation posting crazy stuff.

Liars and cheats are much more common than plain crazy.

Originally posted by Lasheic
reply to post by Evisscerator

 

Regardless if the folks here post with something we don't necessarily agree with, we should respect their right to their opinion, even if we don't agree with it.

I agree that every poster should be allowed their freedom to form their own opinions. As a wise man once said:

"Anyone who denies another person of this right, makes himself a slave to his own opinion, because he prevents himself from being able to change it."

However, that being said, if I'm of the opinion that a fellow poster's opinion sucks, shouldn't I have the right to criticize or refute it? To deny this right to the community would equally enslave the opinion holder to his opinion as it prevents them from hearing opposition and thus, potential reasons to change their opinion. It would be one thing if the moderators were actively shutting down threads in an attempt to limit the expression of opinion regardless of whether or not it violated the TOS. Dog piling on someone who's opinion is contrary to the majority isn't suppression, as it doesn't stop the poster from expressing said opinion. What it does is let the opinion holder know why others refute their opinion, in which case he must refine and redefine his opinion to clarify and present it to the forum. In this process, he may learn something or come to a realization that they did not before which may alter or change their opinion.

Just because you respect the right of others to have their own opinions does not mean you have to, or should, respect the actual opinion being presented.

I often see people here parade around the fact that they have an "open mind" to all opinions. I don't necessarily think this is such a good thing as people would like to promote. The popular analogy of a mind and a parachute (it only works when open) is faulty, IMO. Or rather, incomplete. A better analogy would be that the mind is like a window. This window allows in light and fresh air into your room (mind). However, most windows come equipped with a screen to keep out the bugs and other nasties. This screen is called reason, and it helps keeps your open mind from being polluted by misconceptions, fear mongering, superstitions, lies, and paranoid delusional fantasies.

It's of my opinion that reason should be exercised here more often, especially when I all too often see mere beliefs being passed off as facts and truths.

[edit on 23-8-2008 by Lasheic]

It is unfortunate that folks do not know where their rights to their opinions begin and end. Trashing folks because you don't agree with their opinions makes one look really bad. If you cannot sit down and have a decent discussion without resorting to name calling, yelling, screaming and using colourful metaphors to express yourself, it is truly a sad state to be in. There can be no communication when this occurs. Hurling insults only adds to the injury of disbelief. Folks are "entitled" to "own" their own opinions, regardless of whether or not you agree with them and often attempting to argue with them over it only leads to further aggression.

My advice ..... let them believe as they are going to believe. It is not up to you to change their mind. They have to have the "desire" to change their own mind before that could even happen. You can't force your opinion on them either. Just let them be. Its ok. They can change their opinions and their minds at any time. Just be there to encourage them when they do change. And if they don't, love them anyway. That is what WE ALL are supposed to do to begin with.

the choices we make are the result of who we are, our opinions and thoughts are the result of the noosphere we are attached to.


there some people that just post to shake the hen house, there are some who post who are genuinely clueless, an then there are those that arent even people...

Yeah, this place is the number one hangout of crazy eyed spooks looking around paranoid at faces in the smoke...

Oh, nice new reply background...

I have been reading here for a long time ..
I thought yall already figured out that it is mostly caused from whats in the water ,whats being sprayed on us .and what they are putting in our foods ..and what we are being taught to believe and the actions of others we mimic ......along with of course learned behavour from parents friends etc etc and even some genetics ....another thing is we are really close to extinction and our spirits all know it (whether Christian or not) and no one really cares anymore about anything (living or dieing which is why they do such stupid things) ..especially trying to stay sane while watching others lose it which could cause you to lose it just for trying so hard lol .....(that is what I fight to do more than anything ...is stay as sane as possible so I dont lose my mind too) ..................

[edit on 24-8-2008 by Simplynoone]

I do agree with the “it being summer” idea, but I also see another trend of lurkers joining recently, myself included.

We are in the midst of a great awakening that is even more powerful than the renaissance. Art in the form of computer graphics and CGI is flourishing much faster in the last decade than art ever has. This is happening to writing as well due to the internet as there is now an audience for just about anything. Movies have become the new medium nearly replacing books on the grand scale. There is also a surge by the common man to re-glorify the classics of art and literature, and even science.

Since the gates have been closed by the gatekeepers of science concerning any science that contradicts the established status quo, there has been an upheaval of new theories that challenge what we see and think is happening to us all. The electric universe theory, free energy, and too many medial theories concerning cures and prevention all point to a desire for a new look on how the body works, much like what the renaissance offered.

Now for all we know the renaissance could be FULL of crazies that have been forgotten and lost to history due to what and what is not recorded. Leonardo da Vinci, could have been seen as a absolute nutter for all his talk about man flying in his various flying machines.

I am not saying that the crazies are ahead of their time, but I do not disagree that some may be, we just see them as crazy and in this day and age, this awakening, time will decide on this.

I see nutters here too, and I could be seen as one by those who cannot accept ideas that I can. Just as some of you could be seen as nutters by your family or friends were they to know all the things you discuss seriously on these boards.

Is there a real surge of them here because of the converging realities of economic woes, North American Unions, the NWO, paranormal studies, War, and end times prophecy happening simultaneously, or is it because some kids are playing more pranks than normal.

I say yes to all of the above.

peace

reply to post by Evisscerator

If you cannot sit down and have a decent discussion without resorting to name calling, yelling, screaming and using colourful metaphors to express yourself, it is truly a sad state to be in.

Wow, you completely missed the point of what I was saying. I wasn't even talking about flaming. Flaming and insulting is the low-brow recourse of people who cannot think and formulate a decent argument to support their position. There's nothing wrong with someone having an opinion on a subject that's different than mine. However if that opinion is based on demonstrably poor understanding of even basic science, politics, human behavior, etc - and they are trying to pass that opinion off on others who similarly don't know better - then I will speak up and aggressively stand against that opinion.

This is why I can firmly believe in the existence of a creator god, but still get in brawls with Creationists every bit as vigorously as an atheist would.

Again, you're not understanding. You cannot deny a person their opinion, because it makes you a slave to your own. However you cannot deny a person opposition to their opinion because it similarly makes them a slave to their own. If their position is strong enough, and built on good solid evidence and well researched, then it will withstand the slings and arrows of others opinions. The opposition will force the opinion to improve, fill in gaps, and adapt - making it stronger. It's called growing and learning. Evolution of thought.

You can brutally eviscerate someone's poorly researched or poorly rationalized opinion without resorting to flaming.

There is no standard of sanity.
Our thought standards are based on our BELIEF, not the "facts".
You "Believe" thus you make your own basic mindset, education and social interaction make up the rest of our opinions.

We know NOTHING, we understand even less.

"Is", "is." "is" — the idiocy of the word haunts me. If it were abolished, human thought might begin to make sense. I don't know what anything "is"; I only know how it seems to me at this moment.

- Robert Anton Wilson


What I do know is that every opinion counts, for different reasons...

Originally posted by Evisscerator
Trashing folks because you don't agree with their opinions makes one look really bad. If you cannot sit down and have a decent discussion without resorting to name calling, yelling, screaming and using colourful metaphors to express yourself, it is truly a sad state to be in. There can be no communication when this occurs. Hurling insults only adds to the injury of disbelief. Folks are "entitled" to "own" their own opinions, regardless of whether or not you agree with them and often attempting to argue with them over it only leads to further aggression.

Whom are you attacking? Or was it an error in quotes? You are addressing a person that did not use any name calling, foul language, screaming, etc…

reply to post by Sonya610


I think he/she was just stating in general that people should never insult others for their opinions because it just deepens or perpetuates the argument resulting in nonproductive thread.

Originally posted by Unlimitedpossibilities
reply to post by Sonya610

 

I think he/she was just stating in general that people should never insult others for their opinions because it just deepens or perpetuates the argument resulting in nonproductive thread.

Thank You !!! :-) That is exactly what I was getting at, just took a more appropriate way of saying it.

Considering my own experiences. I am considerate of others. Some like to see this forum as a game of who dis's better. I see it as a consortium of thought.

reply to post by jpm1602

See these are the posts I am talking about. If this is happening so damn much then why are only a few able to see while the majority(sane people) do not. Have you ever had any medical tests done to prove for a fact that it is not a mental condition. We need to get out of the imaginary world and work with what we can see, feel or touch. People who are interested in this subject concerning the paranormal, serious people, need proof of some kind to validate these subjects. I would love to be proven wrong about everything I am skeptical about. We need to rule out delusions or just get rid of the people that are looking for attention, maybe then these topics can get taken seriously. I would have no problem believing that you saw something, but then to go on about seeing these things continually makes it hard for me to believe. You are seeing things that others are unable to see, which smells of delusions and may need some help. It's like the Billy M. case, he may have witnessed something at first but than began to fabricate footage and photographs. Who knows why he did this, maybe he felt special, needed attention or just thought he could get money from this. This is what drives me crazy; I want to find out what is happening but it will never happen as long these ridiculous stories keeping coming.

[edit on 24-8-2008 by riggs2099]

Some possible reasons for seeing shadow people.
Scientific explanations
Several scientific hypotheses have been proposed to explain sightings of shadow people, including optical illusions or hallucinations brought on by the physiological/psychological circumstances of the witnesses, drug use, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.

Pareidolia
In most instances, witnesses report seeing shadow people in the peripheral areas of their vision. This area of vision is linked to the areas of the brain that recognizes patterns, however it provides less detail to the brain than macular (center-forward) vision. This can lead to a condition known as pareidolia, in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as being familiar patterns such as faces and human forms. The same condition can also be observed in macular vision in low light conditions, or when viewing a complex but random image. A common example would be perceiving a shadow, thrown by an item of furniture in a darkened room, as being a person.

Hypnogogia
Also known as waking-sleep, hypnogogia is a documented physiological condition in which a person is part-way between sleeping and waking.[8] During hypnogogia, a person can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing waking-sleep commonly report the sensation of lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations. A feeling of dread is also a sensation that occurs when experiencing hypnogogia. Hypnogogia is sometimes known as 'the faces in the dark phenomenon' because those who experience this state commonly report seeing faces while experiencing waking-sleep. Similar hypothesis have been put forward linking this condition to a number of other apparent paranormal experiences, including alien abductions paranormal nocturnal visitations, and religious experiences such as contact with angels or demons.

Chemical agents
The use of narcotics and psychotropic agents, including methamphetamine, coc aine, MDMA (Ecstasy) and '___', can produce shadow human shaped hallucinations. Dopaminergic drugs such as pramipexole can sometimes cause these hallucinations.[10] Common over-the-counter medication can also have a similar effect if taken in sufficient quantity (see diphenhydramine and pseudoephedrine).

Electromagnetic fields
Under the right conditions, electromagnetic fields can interfere with the functions of the temporal lobe; creating altered states of perception in which auditory and visual hallucinations can occur.

Using electromagnetic fields, researches have been able to recreate many of the experiences reported during paranormal encounters under laboratory conditions, including those of shadow people. Researchers have also documented correlations between variances in naturally-occurring magnetic fields and areas where paranormal events have been reported.

Neurological conditions
Certain neurological conditions, such as photosensitive complex partial seizures, have also been shown to cause sufferers to see shadow people.

These cannot be ruled out. People jump to the paranormal conclusion to many times before looking into it thoroughly. There is always a logical explaination, you just have to look for it.

[edit on 25-8-2008 by riggs2099]

Preface:
If and only if you are directing your post to jpm1602 should you take this post by me into consideration.

Originally posted by riggs2099
reply to post by jpm1602

 

See these are the posts I am talking about.

So are you implying that jpm1602 is mentally ill? As far as I know, the experience was an eye opener for him. Hence, beneficial.

If this is happening so damn much then why are only a few able to see while the majority(sane people) do not.

I would have to answer that question by saying, I think it is a little more complicated than just why the few and not the many. Everyone is different is the most concise answer I can give.

Have you ever had any medical tests done to prove for a fact that it is not a mental condition. We need to get out of the imaginary world and work with what we can see, feel or touch. People who are interested in this subject concerning the paranormal, serious people, need proof of some kind to validate these subjects.

If I see a UFO or a shadow entity I need to go get tested?

So you only want people to work with something that is tangible? What about any kind of spiritual awakening or Buddhist monk training, etc. Perhaps that is out of context but still.

Not only do they need proof, but logic/consistency/coherence/inductiveness can work as well.

I would love to be proven wrong about everything I am skeptical about.

I am glad I guess, if you are sincere about that statement because I am with you on that one when it comes to me.

We need to rule out delusions or just get rid of the people that are looking for attention, maybe then these topics can get taken seriously.

To be honest, I do not think we can prove "delusions" exist. Liars/hoaxers, we need to definitely dispose of immediately.

I would have no problem believing that you saw something, but then to go on about seeing these things continually makes it hard for me to believe. You are seeing things that others are unable to see, which smells of delusions and may need some help. It's like the Billy M. case, he may have witnessed something at first but than began to fabricate footage and photographs. Who knows why he did this, maybe he felt special, needed attention or just thought he could get money from this. This is what drives me crazy; I want to find out what is happening but it will never happen as long these ridiculous stories keeping coming.

[edit on 24-8-2008 by riggs2099]

I did not see where jpm1602 posted that he had multiple occurrences. Please direct me to that location.

So all in all, are you just trying to get to the real proof of paranormal, etc in order to further the societies of earth by finally accepting, and therfore giving credence to the paranormal, etc? If so I feel as if deeming people mentally ill is not the way to go about achieving your goal. It is good to make a distinction and throw out the possibilities for these claims, but the more viable choice for thread topics might have been about the liars/attention seekers. I am sure we can all agree there are more liars here than mentally ill.

Frankly, the multitude of topics covered by ATS attract a lot of the mentally ill. Far be it from me to try and guess who is, but really, I've seen homeless people in public libraries muttering to themselves about the same sorts of things discussed on this site. Now of course there's no gold standard for sanity, and, it's probably not impossible for them to be right, but there's thousands of conflicting opinions about every little thing on this site, and logically only some of them are right. Of the rest, most are wrong, and some are probably actually not sane judgments. Without any sound method of figuring out which, it's best to treat all opinions with civility.

Just because you know that many posts and posters may not be quite all there doesn't mean you can know who and which, so everyone should treat everyone else with respect, and withhold from making personal accusations.