Psychics - you may not like this......

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by truthseeker1984
But with all of that being said, the EEG's that I had done (which I mentioned in a previous post) showed abnormal patterns while I was reading cards that were in a separate room. My friend said that the findings were still inconclusive, but interesting.

That is interesting. I have a few forms of synasthesia and it has been said that people experiencing synaesthesia have abnormal brain patterns that are similar to the abnormal brain patterns exhibited by people performing psychic tests in the lab. It seems we have a similar oddity, my abnormal brain patterned brother.

Synaesthesia eh? That is so interesting! I have only begun to do research on that particular phenomenon. A friend of mine sees colors while she performs, and that has led her to develop perfect pitch. She says that she sees a bright color of yellow when she plays an A440. Ironically enough, she was asked last week to be a subject of my friend's PhD study into various forms of abnormal psychology. My question is whether or not the part of the brain that makes you experience synaesthesia is the same one that gives someone psychic abilities? Can you describe what you experience? I'd be very interested!

Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

[edit on 12-4-2010 by truthseeker1984]

Originally posted by truthseeker1984

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by truthseeker1984
But with all of that being said, the EEG's that I had done (which I mentioned in a previous post) showed abnormal patterns while I was reading cards that were in a separate room. My friend said that the findings were still inconclusive, but interesting.

That is interesting. I have a few forms of synasthesia and it has been said that people experiencing synaesthesia have abnormal brain patterns that are similar to the abnormal brain patterns exhibited by people performing psychic tests in the lab. It seems we have a similar oddity, my abnormal brain patterned brother.

Synaesthesia eh? That is so interesting! I have only begun to do research on that particular phenomenon. A friend of mine sees colors while she performs, and that has led her to develop perfect pitch. She says that she sees a bright color of yellow when she plays an A440. Ironically enough, she was asked last week to be a subject of my friend's PhD study into various forms of abnormal psychology. My question is whether or not the part of the brain that makes you experience synaesthesia is the same one that gives someone psychic abilities? Can you describe what you experience? I'd be very interested!

Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

[edit on 12-4-2010 by truthseeker1984]

Like your friend, I also have the sound to color synaesthesia, which is the strongest. I also have color vision with the months as well as certain numbers (but not all).

Usually music involves seeing indescribable patterns of colors, always the same with the same recording. Oddly enough, the effect is magnified greatly when under the influence of alcohol, opiate-style painkillers when I've been prescribed them, and things like marijuana when I was younger. Whatever "visions" (if you can call them that) I see are in no way prophetic but highly artistic and quite entertaining at times. I suspect that if there is a psychic ability, it may be possible that those who experience it may experience "visions" the way a sound/color synaesthete experiences "visions". Who knows, but whatever is happening to the brains of both types seems to be detectable by lab equipment. Quite interesting indeed.

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by truthseeker1984
And some sensitives, like myself, can only see possible outcomes based on what I can see in the person's life.

To be fair though, psychologists, psychiatists, magicians and hell, even salesmen can display similar traits.

Thanks for the respectable discourse. While I won't say that psychic ability is not real I will say that the most salient and convincing methods to prove the existence and efficacy of psychic ability is never acted upon and proven once and for all. I find this quite suspicious. And as evidenced in the OP, most of the seemingly convincing techniques employed by psychics are commonly understood tricks.

Given these circumstances, how would one claiming psychic ability go about convincng the hardcore skeptic such as myself?

Back in 1980 I moved to Los Angeles from the Washington D.C. Metro area on the spur of the moment. 10.00 in my pocket and a duffel bag of clothes and my thumb to hitch a ride is all I took.

This led to one problem you might sympathize with. Once I arrived in Los Angeles seeking fortune and fame as a drummer, I was minus one very important thing…a drum set!

In my haste to act impulsively I made no effort to get them there. Worse still I was afraid about having them shipped, if it required any air travel, because I didn’t want the shells to get dried out in a depressurized cargo hold, and warped.

So I basically needed a new drum set. Looking at a cost of several thousand dollars as a starving musician who wasn’t even equipped to be a musician was a real bummer.

It was even worse when I stumbled by chance into a an acquaintance I had met back east, who lived in Los Angeles who had relatives in the D.C. Metro area, that I had jammed with on many occasions.

He of course invited me to jam, and I of course had to turn him down. Talk about depressing, what was more depressing at the ripe old age of 17, the best way for me to make real money was playing, so trying to support myself and save working at menial jobs was destined to be a very slow route to a new set of drums.

So on a day off I sat around my apartment that I shared with an older roommate since I wasn’t even legally old enough to have my own place, in a fit of depression because I wanted to play so bad.

My thoughts were fixated on a drum set, getting a set of drums, having a set of drums, now, not tomorrow, not next month, not six months from now, but right now. Life in L.A. just wasn’t worth living without them, without the ability to do what I really had come to do. I was obsessed with that thought, drums, and drums, must have drums, must have drums now, now, and need drums now!

The intercom door buzzer rang rousing me from my deep seeded obsession and depression and I answered it to find my room mate’s business partner on the other end of the Intercom. Sorry I said, he’s not home…I know he replied, I came to see you…In fact I need you to come downstairs, don’t buzz me in.

I knew, and I mean I knew at that moment that waiting down stairs by the front door was a drum set! I don’t know how I knew, but I was positive, I didn’t even wait for the elevator, but flew down the stairwell, and low and behold laid out on the sidewalk was a sparkly set of Gretsch Drums in my favorite color purple even, Zildjian Cymbals, Tama Stands, and of course a Ludwig Speed King Pedal!

I looked at him and said what??? He looked at me and said, I know you are anxious to get a set and back to drumming, someone owed me some money and couldn’t afford to pay (Deborah Harrie’s Drummer had a bit of a drug habit) so I let him give me this set instead.

I said wow, I don’t have the money for something like that, and he just looked at me and smiled and said, I know, you owe me one!

The really amazing thing was, we had never liked each other, and never would!

Now was it coincidence, that a person I didn’t really even like, who didn’t really like me, went out of his way to eat a significant debt, by taking it out in trade, for something of value, that he wasn’t even going to get a dime out of, at the precise same time, when I was wishing with all my heart and soul for a new drum set?

Maybe!

But the truth is, at least my truth in my humble opinion is that there is so much more to the universe and life than we understand, and energies that surround us and the power of positive and negative visualization play into that.

Part of positive thinking, requires belief, belief in the positive, and focus on something positive.

In my humble opinion people with psychic and extra sensory capabilities are simply tapping into these unseen and little known and poorly understood energies using the power of positive visualization.

This is by no means the only example I can provide you from personal experience, but one as a fellow drummer you might better appreciate.

The trick to positive visualization is absolute positive belief, its vital for channeling those energies and manifesting a new reality.

Doubt, like negativity is a killer, so in the presence of a skeptics convention, with a formidable challenge, full of people who truly believe the negative, not going to happen, they can’t do it, some would say they too are manifesting a negative energy and tapping into it, that is in fact going to act as a limiter to the sole person trying to channel positive energy to manifest the opposite of what everyone else is focused on manifesting.

Two things thus occur, first is a seed of doubt in the mind of the person taking the challenge and trying to channel the positive energy. They know the audience is looking to see them fail and not succeed and in essence psyching them out in that process, if that one little shred of doubt then occurs, then no, they are not going to manifest the positive energy and get the outcome.

The second thing of course is unbeknownst to the skeptics completely dismissive of the process, that they are manifesting the outcome too with their negative thoughts, but there are a whole lot more negative minds focused on it!

So now you have an energy war going on, and believe me James Randi knows this, he’s a cagey old, old school magician and trickster, and a showman, and it’s HIS show!

Some food for thought!

Rock on!


[edit on 12/4/10 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I enjoyed your story, that was nice.

Two things:

1. I believe wholly in the power of positive thinking. I am aware of the various ways in which good things can manifest as a result of it.

2. Cynicism is negative, but skepticism is not. A true skeptic demands evidence in order to arrive at the truth. While the incessant demand for it may seem like negativity, it's actually just the more painful processes involved in the positive experience of detecting the truth.

Anyway, pretty cool that you ended up with Clem's drums. I hope you rocked them accordingly Thanks for the story.

reply to post by traditionaldrummer


Hey your welcome my friend, I sure did rock them! I ended up going for something a bit more Heavy Metal and custom from the Drum Workshop about a year later. They were just building a name for themselves back in those days. It sure got me back in the game though and going, and was a real gift.

I live in Miami now, Randi lives up in Ft. Lauderdale and the Street Rag here the New Times gives him and his convention some in depth coverage.

He has what is akin to a little cult following, and as he advances in years and his health is starting to slide, there is some worry that no one with his magnetic personality will be able to carry and front the institute he founded with the same verve and success.

By the way the most recent challenger was only off one card!

Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades.

I am of the humble opinion that there are energies that we really don't understand and few if any have completely mastered.

When I was eight I fixed a broken Cup Scout Watch watching Uri Gellar on TV walk me through it. The thing worked for about a week, but when I tried to repeat the process, I wasn't able to do it, without the belief that Uri was helping me, like I had been convinced on TV that day when he was on a Talk Show.

That's what I mean about the belief having to be absolute.

If there is a seed of doubt, that clouds the mind and erodes the belief, then nothing can happen.

Its about aligning the competing hemispheres of the brain, bringing them in harmony, and being completely of one mind, if you are still trying to figure out what you want for dinner tonight at midnight, you know its easier said then done!

There is more to life and the universe than meets the eye in my humble opinion, and honestly I kind of wish there wasn't.

When you have a few truly bizarre things that happen to you, no one has a real good explanation for you, being skeptical about somethings gets real hard.

Denial sometimes works for me, but not often!

Thanks for responding, and I am glad you enjoyed the tale.

Rock hard!

reply to post by LiveForever8


There are many who use spiritualism for personal gain, and their abilities range from none to poor. Tarring the entire spectrum with the same brush based on these low-lives is akin to saying that ALL catholic priests are child molesters, all Muslims are terrorists, all Germans are Nazis etc.
It's a very sweeping statement to say that all spiritualism is bunk.

In every walk of life there are those who manipulate the system for greed/power/fame etc. who do not represent everyone. Labeling any group as a whole based on the actions of the few is quite ridiculous.

No mention in the post about the Scole Experiment? Nothing on Leslie Flint?
Perhaps Arthur Conan Doyle's research? ITC (where the 'human element' is removed for clarity)? Helen Duncan? No? Really? Not interested in the stuff that's not easily debunked?

reply to post by traditionaldrummer


Well said. If all this is true, then why is it so hard to prove...if you really are a psychic...then there should be no problem in proving it. Talking to the dead....please....

Very interesting thread! There are a lot of charlatans in the psychic field, that's pretty obvious!
However, there are genuine psychics and mediums, of just ordinary people who experience weird things at times.
I've had several experiences where an entity took over in order to pass a message to somebody. That is a very weird, and at times, unpleasant experience, particularly when it happens unannounced.
It can also be rewarding ofcourse, but it consumes a lot of energy and when you're not really in control of it, it can cause problems as well.
Not all people are cold readers and cheaters.

reply to post by ldyserenity


Just a quick reply to one thing you posted.

Edgar Cayce is well known, what made him so beleivable? He never once asked for or even accepted payment for his abilities

This is absolutelty false. He did accept money for his readings and for a time helped to support his family this way. He took donations from people but in the begining he did it completely for free. I am a believer in cayce but this thread isnt about him specifically so i wont go into anything lengthy on him. Just wanted to correct this. It should also be noted that even cayce has his skeptics. They do in fact have quite a good argument on their side but then that just goes along with anything that has possible validity.

I will say that what really made him so believable was his healing readings. This is what started him in the psychic field as well as launching him to fame as a seer. However even this didnt come till later in his life.
A good book on cayce is "There is a River" byThomas Sugure and was the first biography written on cayce.

[edit on 13-4-2010 by fizzy1]

As far as the OP goes, all this is true about how people decieve others using psychic abilities. However i cannot completely discount that there are things going on with the human condition we cannot explain. I have had alot of unexplainable things happen to me since i was a kid up to this day. I cannot explain it, but maybe someday there will be a way to explain things we call psychic. I think of psychic abilities in a natural sense of human ability. Something that is part of us but not harnessed. I dont however see a point in it. To me its much like my appendix. I dont need it so why have it. Yet it is there.
My experiences range from deja vu ( which i know science has given an explanation for) to Dreams that have come true, To sometimes just knowing something is about to happen and it does or i know a song is on the radio playing and i turn it on and its playing. I have at times known what someone was about to say and i say it before them. I freak my girlfriend out with that one all the time lol. Anyways i cannto explain why this happens or where it comes from but its there. Pointless as i said cause it in no way has helped me or anyone else ever.
My exwife decided she wanted to be wiccan because she never believed in god. She had never had any psychic anything happen to her ever. She used to get astounded at me when i did "things" like i mentioned above. Yet after she joined up with the wiccans she all of a sudden had powers to tell the future and read tarot cards and divine your future. I challeneged her new found abilities and of course it was as i thought. Crap. She gave generalisms that apply to everyone just as you pointed out. She told a friend of hers in a reading things like " your a calm person but easily angered if provoked in the right way." " I see danger in your future and to watch out for a man in black becuase he would bring her misfortune". Ok seriously? lol I laughed my you know what off. Good work on making this person afraid of every guy she ever sees wearing black. I said if you want to impress me then tell her what day and time this man in black is going to meet her and what exactly he is going to do to her. Or hell just his first name would be kewl. She said it doesnt work that way. Of course it doesnt cause then you would be just ordinary average person with no talents for friends to swoon over from your newfound religion.

Anyways there has to be something going on that is real with all this. Scammers will always try to find ways to make money off the beliefs of others. Just look at the whole 2012 thing and nibiru. LOL.

[edit on 13-4-2010 by fizzy1]

Originally posted by Dock9
Eleven straight, correct predictions


Proving the future was written.

That is not proof that "the future was written". It could very well be proof that this guy is in on a successful lottery scam. Exercise care when jumping to conclusions.

Op, dont you think that posting this copy pasta from every official media source of skepticism you can get your hands on would have worked the first time this conclusion was reached?

Theres something much more monumental countering those arguments. Thier all from a perspective of a third party or observation.

Peoples personal experiences will always override what some self opinionated skeptic will say. Its the same reason atheists cry to god when their on their death bed and the same reason peoples assumptions get off track when it "HAPPENS" to them.

So when I see these outsider arguments it just equated to me they are expressing their own damn inexperience with the subject or their trolling for a fight.

a reply to: johnsmith321

i try in the moment lucid dreaming herbs could grow wild . i had situation and try to flow this a bit off . and later i make test sagain ...

a reply to: LiveForever8



your more correct than not....

a psychic/seer/trend revealer/fortune-teller/oracle...cannot have a corrupted soul or psyche


free readings, total empathy are necessary or bias/hates/prejudices creep in and cloud your(One's)
access to the Collective Consciousness/the creative & loving state-of-being



for myself... from say 14 years until about 24 years old... I was a fountain of prophesy, giving sage advise to persons within our envelope of hippydom in DC & East Village NYC.... AKA: Vik-tor ("for any other P Street people still out there)


over the last 4 decades i hardened-my-heart,,,pulled a veil over my eyes, with drugs-for-a-time, but mostly Hedonism for the most part.... i seriously doubt that any Plant Aide/helper would be of any use in re-awakening the Gift i once had & freely gave to others...
days of future past.... seems appropriate enough....as i taught others the Moody Blues would still be cherished into the 21st Century--> this was back in the 1960s... about when the Peoples Temple plans for a community in the rainforest was envisioned and i warned my gal-pals that i was destined to die-in-a-jungle-but-Not-Now with a Jim Jones some years later