A Very Strange Personal Experience ..anyone else?

ive had these too since i was young, it was cloudlike, floating, seeing a panorama of all around you. I coceuld comprehend everything, but it was as my mind stepped onto a cloud and my body was just moving mechanically. i have always loved that feeling and hated snappping back. it was so peaceful, sometimes i thought i wasnt breathing when i felt this way.

reply to post by OrganicAnagram33


Sure, and I'm not even thinking it would have to be stroke - there could potentially be lots of triggers. I was just thinking electrical impulses. I guess I am just looking at the descriptions of the experiences and it sounds very similar in some regards (of course our OP was not having a stroke, so not life threatening, thank goodness!)

I would love to know if anyone has any studies on this...

reply to post by TheBirdisDone


Thanks Bird!

I would never have heard about it, had I not run across an ATS thread on the subject.

There have been several, but, to give credit where credit is due, I think this is the thread.

Wow,

I just woke up and can't believe how many people have experieced the same thing. I've explanations from diet to delusion. Some really good info so far:

Gemineye: was feeling like I was seeing through my eyes, yet not really in my body

I know exactly what you mean bud. exactly. when it was happening once, someone looked at me. i could tell instantly that although i coud see them looking at me, they were only looking at an empty shell.

AlphaExray: It sounds like a very acute form of EM induced serotonin depletion

Good shout. Sounds like a very specific study. Had a little google, can't find anything relating to the EM side, but there's loads about serotonin depletion and depersonalization.

Cuervo: My advice is to enjoy it, document it, and just keep track of your vitals.

Thanks bud. It's generally a very enjoyable experience. I always get a slightly nervous feeling, like being a wee boy again and playing further way from home than i was allowed.

Thanks everyone for replying so far, i genuinely thought nobody else would have experienced this. Some really good points so far too. I believe the brain is capable of amazing things so it could be completely imagined. It could be psychological or physiological. We seem to be ruling out potential causes too, which is good. So far, people of all different ages, locations, indulgences and diets are experiencing this.

Lets hope others come forward, i'll keep researching.

Smurf

I think I kinda understand what your talking about...
It's only been over the last year, but I'v been discovering and thinking that there is totally another "relm" or something *as you said, it's difficult to explain* that exists... and every now and then you kinda tap into it... It's weird..

Don't normally take notice of threads like this, but yeah, been having the same feelings recently too.

I've also become more and more aware of the fact that my body is just a vehicle/vessel that "I" am trapped inside Sounds ridiculous but I am starting to feel less and less "at home" in my own body and more like this is just "temporary". I probably sound like a deluded psychopath but meh.

I actually suffer from a rare type of migraine called a "hemiplegic migraine", also referred to as mini strokes. So perhaps there's a link there. Haven't had one in a while though, touch wood I won't have one any time soon.

Here is a copy of my old post from 10 months ago describing the same thing and asking if anyone knows what it means:
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I've been hoping for some explanation regarding experieces from my childhood in which I would seem to detach mentally almost as if a daydream but yet I would lose all sense of being. From around age 8 - primarily in school it seems as if my interest in what was going on around me would fade and after completely zoning out I'd feel like I was floating around in a wave of peace and contentment. When that perfect state of oneness arrived it was pure joy and energy. I was so free.

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Heres a link to the original thread I posted:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Welcome to the club!

I know this experience- I've been having it since I was about 6 years old. You feel like you've suddenly woken up, your perception is sharper. Do you also get the awkward feeling that you almost have to relearn everything? Like you just woke up in a strange civilization and wonder if you can fake it? I'll sometimes find myself looking at a photocopier or a coke machine or something and thinking "I don't get it"

And no- thankfully this does not happen when I'm driving or operating dangerous machinery. I think my autobrain takes over then for purposes of safety. These odd feelings occur at other times.

I think many of you know what I'm talking about.

reply to post by seaside sky


Yes, exactly - you described it perfectly.

Now I am wondering if anyone else has any heightened senses or perceptions?

For instance, I feel very attuned to energies whether it be "vibes" coming off people or "vibes" pertaining to hearing bad news, etc. I also feel very attuned to nature and love decompressing in quiet solitude in parks and near the ocean. Anyone else care to share?

S&F, OP. I watched the TED talk (Jill Bolte Taylor) just the other day, my adult child brought it to my attention. I have had a similar sort of "expanding head" sensation on and off throughout my life. A strange sort of "wow, what am I doing here? This is my body? But what am *I*?" feeling, as if my consciousness is not contained completely in my physical self.

The above theories and suggestions on mini-strokes, seratonin depletion, substance-caused or diet-caused effect are all valid, as well a the depersonalization feeling. The members who suggested those things sound educated and articulate. I myself hold a master's and have several years of experience in behavioral counseling (so-called "mental health"), combined with a life-long interest in such topics.

I want to make the point that science really knows VERY little about psychology, the workings of the brain (I presented at a conference 5 years ago about how baby's brains develop in tune with their experiences, depending on their learning style, the style of those from whom they are learning, their circumstances, etc.), and have studied in professional and private settings the current research on brains, how they worok, how they are trained. The information being compiled with new technology seems only to make the general mysteries around the subject even more pronounced.

Having said all that, I think it's important to remember how little we DO know, really, about brains and psychology and consciousness, and that dismissing any such experiential "anomalies" as physiological "symptoms" of "disorder" is a "medical model" way of looking at things; where approaching the phenom from a non-medical "metaphysical" model is just as important.

As much as science learns about the brain, it is still an infant specialization, and many, many things remain only speculative as explanations. Is it biological? Spiritual? Pathological? Extra-sensory? We don't know. I hope personally to find out after this physical machine of mine expires -- and in many ways am not afraid of death, though I hope it occurs later rather than sooner, for I have much I still want to do while I'm here....

But thanks to the OP for sharing. I agree, it's nearly impossible to describe: for me, it's like I'm still me, but I'm sort of above me. Not watching myself, but sort of not bound by my skull. It's a very ethereal sort of feeling, and yes, I can now summon it at will. For example, right now, as I'm writing it, I can recall and recreate the feeling...and I've had 1 cup of coffee, took my SSRI's last night, and eat a healthy diet.

Thanks for giving ATS an opportunity to discuss this! Hi, everyone! Me, too!!

reply to post by Thundersmurf


I had that often when I was young - up till 20 or so, I thought as a kid it was normal - something that happened to everybody. After about 20 it became less frequent - probably a couple years now. In fact the last time it happened it was a bit more sever, kinda scary. Seems to have stopped after that.