What it's like to be a schizophrenic with auditory hallucinations

I've just read the first page of the thread and only heard the first video embedded by the OP.

As I read through the responses on the first page, I thought that different people definitely put their fingers on various possible causes of the auditory hallucinations presented.

Many auditory and visual "hallucinations" that frighten or disturb people in the Western, primarily materialistic culture that has rejected awareness of spirits in favor of philosophical abstraction, are commonplace among people from cultures that one might loosely call "shamanic".

What I heard on the tape struck me as a compilation of experiences that could, taken together, be ascribed to spirit infestation, overloaded nerves and telepathic awareness.

There are ways to control this sort of thing through understanding and meditation. There are techniques available that should bring most of these sort of manifestations under control fairly easily.

In the course of my involvement with meditation over nearly 35 years I have encountered several people who I was led to believe had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, or were afflicted with hallucinatory manifestations and delusions.

These cases, in my very limited experience, are very hard to treat.

In Buddhism one encounters a distinction that is not often met with, outside courses in physics or philosophy. That distinction or notion is that our ordinary way of seeing the world is "primitive". People in our culture generally believe that things are the way they "appear" to be. They have a primitive view of reality.

Unfortunately by the time most schizophrenics get to competent instruction in meditation the primitive view of reality has asserted itself in relation to their "hallucinations". The schizophrenic will believe that his "hallucinations" are the way they appear to be.

This situation can disturb the mind greatly. Some schizophrenics begin to regard themselves as the custodians of a special sort of "reality" that they become attached to. They want help but not too much help. Many of them teeter on the edge of madness and then drop down the rabbithole.

They don't get a thorough, comprehensive overview of mental phenomena in time. When that happens, after they have become confirmed in a distorted appreciation of their own "reality", they are difficult to reach and reason with.

When these sorts of hallucinations are given "attention" by the victim, that act by itself, feeds and reinforces the phenomena, unless the attention is in the form of skilful techniques of meditation, designed to subdue or expel spirits, rebalance the flow of nervous energy in the body and acquire and confirm a view of reality that is more detailed and sophisticated than simply taking things as they appear.

I am not a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist. I'm simply passing on personal observations and thoughts based on life eperience and some understanding of meditation.

"The schizophrenic is drowning in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight."

-Joseph Campbell

It's a pity that our insane materialistic culture is not qualified to help schizophrenics become mystics as they were meant to. "Normal" people are too foolish, too ignorant, too indoctrinated by the mainstream to think outside the box. Our demise will boil down to our mystical incompetance.

reply to post by BlueMule

You couldn't be more correct. There is a lot of needless tragedy involved with this. People who miss their window of opportunity by fractions of inches and sail on to disaster or miserable medicated lives in institutions.

reply to post by Mr Headshot


This is going to sound a little crazy but I think it would be kinda cool to wake up every morning and have like demon voices in your head. It would be like having scremo music in the background everyday. I don't know maybe I'm a little crazy.

reply to post by BlueMule


Maybe they should be sent to lower levels of society I don't know like where people believe in voodoo and what not? Wouldn't that make sense?

Originally posted by XsweetNspiceyX
reply to post by BlueMule

 

Maybe they should be sent to lower levels of society I don't know like where people believe in voodoo and what not? Wouldn't that make sense?

Voodooism???

NO!

I could only listen to a few seconds of the first video..creepy! I watched the 2nd one through and I found it informative as I have often wondered, (through my interest in the workings of the mind), just what schizophrenics experience.

A very interesting thread, thanks to those who have shared their own, very personal experiences. I wish you all well and hope you find a coping mechanism that helps you to live peacefully with your condition. I will continue to read this thread in the hope of finding a better understanding of this ailment. Thanks for the education. x

Knew it was coming

Originally posted by BlueMule
"The schizophrenic is drowning in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight."

-Joseph Campbell

It's a pity that our insane materialistic culture is not qualified to help schizophrenics become mystics as they were meant to. "Normal" people are too foolish, too ignorant, too indoctrinated by the mainstream to think outside the box. Our demise will boil down to our mystical incompetance.

edit on 23-1-2013 by BlueMule because: (no reason given)

there is nothing mystical about it unless you dont know how it works. Il admit its still mystical to me but im starting to get a better understanding each day.

Originally posted by BlueMule
"The schizophrenic is drowning in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight."

-Joseph Campbell

It's a pity that our insane materialistic culture is not qualified to help schizophrenics become mystics as they were meant to. "Normal" people are too foolish, too ignorant, too indoctrinated by the mainstream to think outside the box. Our demise will boil down to our mystical incompetance.

edit on 23-1-2013 by BlueMule because: (no reason given)

There was a great book I read called "'___' The Spirit Molecule" written about a clinical study performed on this substance hypothecised to be produced in the pineal gland. (and also found in most? living things) The experiences though short, by most of the particpants bordered on an experience far beyond what many report from drug induced 'trips'. I have to wonder if ---*some* ---cases of various 'diseases' such as schizophrenia may be the bodies own reaction of producing chemicals (or not enough) that allow signals to either cross (sound with thought etc.) or perhaps in some cases even transcend the normal person to person ways of communicating. I realize all cases that fall under this broad label may vary substantially but I wonder how many may have to do with this pathway and things related. Not denying any spiritual element but maybe at this level it's irrelevant.

reply to post by truthermantwo


It looks like you're using the word mysticism in a different sense than I am.

reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist



It makes sense to me. Those people have a totally different view on things and seem to be more inclined when it comes to the supernatural. The more spiritual a person in modern society gets the more they would fit in with lower levels I would think.

reply to post by Dragonfly79


What a great post, thank you. Very interesting.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Hey fair enough man. Thanks for explaining your POV for me. I actually agree now.

Originally posted by BlueMule
reply to post by truthermantwo

 

It looks like you're using the word mysticism in a different sense than I am.

i dont fully reject the mystic view on tis subject as i experience it, but i have such a form of contact with it that i can learn how it actually works.

Originally posted by truthermantwo

Originally posted by BlueMule
reply to post by truthermantwo

 

It looks like you're using the word mysticism in a different sense than I am.

i dont fully reject the mystic view on tis subject as i experience it, but i have such a form of contact with it that i can learn how it actually works.

Even if you do learn how mysticism works, it's still mysticism from the perspective of comparative mysticism. Mysticism is not like a mystery that is no longer a mystery once you figure it out.

reply to post by Mr Headshot


Theres definitly no such thing as schizoprhenia, youre living a lie. The governements and people of the world posioned all of us with not only chemicals, lies and there blasphemy or beliefs, but to be honest, they own everything about brodcasting a disorder for us to hear and deal with. iam knowing the reality everyday and everyday you dont fight what youre hearing and know what youre seeing, your going down to a pipedream everynight. Schizophrenia means split of self, there is no self! the instrument in our minds the parents of ours played on was our memory of sense. Like remember what you said or think before you speak. NOISE is the NOID. Never remember or run off of what that is, psychology.. pfhhh. Youre suppoed to have paranoia about any reality or any type of understanding of sublime. Auditory halluciantions aint what you think they are. I still hope all of you that deal with any type of reality like that to not smoke drugs or drink, and dry youre brain out from the memories sloshing around in a brain stew. Anway take it easy

Originally posted by metalholic
reply to post by tamusan

 

Your right I see nothing wrong with my post as I was merely stating that it's dumb to think that just because someone isn't capable of knowing the age of a person they are schizo.

No, I think the person in question was saying the schizophrenic debilitation had that effect on him, not the other way round.

Stop calling people 'stupid', it makes you come across as immature and incapable of debate.

Cheers.

--

On topic, my heart goes out to anyone afflicted with this condition.

reply to post by NotAnAspie


I've never heard of heaters playing the radio but I've heard the radio come through an electronic organ. Radio signals can be picked up on electrical devices as such.

reply to post by OmegaLogos


wow this was kinda of unsettling to me one of my best friends is a scitzo and it nice to get an idea of how its like... granted no 2 cases are the same it nice to understand him a little bit more

one thing about scitzos a lot of people don't know it what causes it to happen... it none other then the pineal gland it gets stuck releasing melatonin and small amounts of dymetholtrypdamine AKA '___'... they say that the sictzo mind is almost in the same exact state as a shaman during a shamanistic ritual... wrap your brain around that