Experiencing Things As A Child, but Not as an Adult

When I was a kid, I used to experience some things that were kind of strange, and at the time I didn't know what was happening or how to explain them (not that I really do know, Ha.) Once I became a teenager, I never really experienced them again. I was just curious as to how many people experienced things similar as a child, but not as an adult.

When I was a child, I remember being able to take myself out of my body. I didn't really know what I was doing, but the feeling I would have while doing it is something I'll never forget. It was like a rush of adrenaline, and unlike anything else I had ever felt (I still remember it 25 years later). I first remember doing it when I was about 4, and could do it pretty easily, (I would just have to focus on doing it). It wasn't anything complex, just me being able to see myself outside of my body, and the feeling of being distant from my body. I was always looking down at my body and it's surroundings (Sometimes right above it, and sometimes very high, like off of the earth). I would try to ask my parents about what I was experiencing, but I could never figure out how to explain it. I was kind of confused as to why they didn't understand what I was trying to explain, because at the time, I figured that everyone had the ability to do it, and that it was pretty common to do be able to do it.

I was able to do it for a few years, and then when I was about 7 or 8, I learned the term "birds eye view" and I was so excited, because I could finally explain to my parents what was happening. I remember asking my mom, what it's called when you see yourself from a bird's eye view, and of course she had no idea what I was talking about. About that same time, I realized that it was becoming harder and harder to do. I would have to work to get my mind to do it, and as time went on, I was no longer able to do it.

I also remember as a kid, when my parents would try to wake me up, and I would dream I was getting up, getting dressed, brushing my teeth etc..My parents would always give me a 5 or 10 minute pre-wakeup warning. They would turn on the light and tell me that it was almost time to get up. I would often dream ( a very convincingly real dream) that I had gotten up and completely went through my morning routine, but then would be surprised when my parents would come in again and wake me up. What I remember about these dreams, is that not only did I think they were real, they felt real. I could remember everything in complete detail. I was often in major state of confusion when my parents would actually wake me up, as I could have sworn that I had already done it. I can't really remember when these started or stopped, but I I feel like it was from the age of 5 or so until I was 10 or 11.

Last thing

As a child, I occasionally would have a song pop in my head, often a random one, and sometimes one I had no memory of ever hearing before, and then like clock work I would hear it within minutes, either on the radio, or on TV, or even a car passing by etc...I remember when I was 10 years old and my dad and I were listening to a college basketball game on the radio, and during a commercial break "Brass Monkey" by the Beastie Boys popped in my head, but I didn't really know the words; so I was asking my dad what song it was and singing in broken words with some humming. When the game came back from commercial you could hear them playing "Brass Monkey" over the speakers in the basketball arena. I realized that I didn't even know the song, and had to ask my dad the song title and artist. That one really sticks out because of how random it was. There were a couple of other instances in which it happened in front of other people, but it was always so few and far between, nothing was ever really though of it. This actually still happens to me occasionally but not nearly as often as it did when I was young.

Anybody else experience weird things as a kid, but now, (even if you try really hard) do not?

I had one experience which i do remember, i was about 11 or 12 and was gonna shut the tv off so when i stretched out my hand i felt like an explosion ( like when you get scared ) in my body and the magazine which was infront of the remote moved like an inch. I was tired so imagiantion i call it

originally posted by: PrinceJohnson
Autism on display

[snipped]

Anyway, as to the OP, I remember experiencing similar things as a child. Particularly what you said about being able to "leave your body". I remember looking in the mirror once, and it was as though the person I was looking at wasn't me. It was like I was looking at myself from the perspective of someone else. And soon after, I had some kind of instantaneous and frighteningly deep "existential contemplation". I pondered whether there were bounds to the universe, I thought about the nature of creation, and I wondered- "Why do I exist? Why is there something, rather than simply nothing?"

These thoughts were instantaneous and fleeting- I forgot about them after just a few moments. But occurances of a similar sort happened throughout my childhood.

It was almost as though, as a child, my mind was somehow highly attuned to certain philosophical questions. But for some strange reason, as I got older, I just lost the ability to "leave myself". These days I find it extremely difficult to detach from the ego. It's kind of sad, in a way. Being able to effortlessly leave my own perspective was a wonderful thing.

I can only imagine if I still had that ability now, if I could "depart from the ego". Now that I'm older and wiser, who knows what sort of existential questions I could help myself understand?

But alas, as an adult I have totally degenerated into the ego and the temporal.

I believe such experiences are lost when growing up because it doesn't have any use but entertainment. Things that produce money become more important. And ofcourse many children don't have to think about a lot of things like work, groceries, laundry, social relationships so they have all the oppertunity and time to explore the mind and naturally openminded.

Also, to live life fully is to become 'completely physical'. It takes effort to induce certain mental experiences, it's much easier to be led by reality instead of making it up. It's also less dangerous, what if you become advanced and have to think thoughts in order to, for an ordinary everyday experience as an example, 'turn off presences' instead of it just happening simply because said person isn't in physical proximity. What if you fail and certain brain cells remain active and might even begin leading a life of their own causing all kinds of mental problems.

It's called..

Imagination! Sadly dies during the climb to adulthood.

Most people become too attached to external things and stumble, thus losing those kind of abilities. They can be recovered by the reverse process.

a reply to: stdscf12

Growing up in a traditional Irish household, (my Gran spoke Gaelic), we were exposed to the things you speak of but we did so openly and, most cases, daily. We , myself and my 6 sisters, learned about OBEs and our "silver cords". We were tutored in the ways of personal energy, how to redirect and control it, and how to nurture that which was gifted to us by the Creator. The Irish call this being "kindred". And "being of the fae". It was normal for us.

As we grew older, my sisters left home, married, and shut off their energies. I did not. Being closest to my Gran, I learned to part clouds, vision into the future, and read people. The gifts are still with me and I have freaked out my Catholic husband on many occasion...but he is okay with it because he know I have a pure spirit.

We all have gifts such as these; I am no one special. I was blessed to be born into a family of nurturing people.

a reply to: stdscf12

I vividly remember the "buzzing" as I drifted off to sleep as a young kid (4 - 5 years old). At first it terrified me. I tried to explain to my mom about the "buzzing" but I could not really explain it at that age. After a few times, I looked forward to it because after the "buzzing" I would break free of gravity and float around.

In one experience, I "floated" to my friends apartment and tried to wake him up. I was upset because I could not wake him to play! I saw him asleep in his bed, toys all around his room.

I know I had many more experiences, but have forgotten them as I've gotten older.

ETA:

Another weird experience I remember as a young boy was as I was running, I was suddenly able to do giant leaps - like flying through the air. Can't remember the details on that either.

a reply to: stdscf12
I used to have the exact same things happen, along with multiple moments of deja vu a day. Recently my friends have came to me about this same subject, the deja vu started up again, and now a thread on ATS! I don't know what this all means, but thanks for showing me I'm not alone in having frequent Out of body experiences as a child.

a reply to: stdscf12

Yes! One time when I was 15, I was playing basketball and got tangled up with another boy going for a rebound. Apparently he couldn't breathe in the entanglement and started punching my side to let me know, all I felt was the punching and it made me black out. The following minutes where the fight took place I was on autopilot throwing right hands and then taking him to the ground. The entire time I was viewing it in 3rd person like a dream or a video game. After people got me off of him I came back to conscious control of my being. I attribute this to a fine working nervous system with a natural fight or flight response.

I can also say the same for the song premonition thing. I can only explain it as having a more clean, connection to the collective human consciousness. Somewhere in your city someone is deciding what song plays next, your young mind just so happens to have a 'feeling' of hearing a particular song and poof it comes on. Still happens to this day but I try my utmost to eat very clean, no GMO's, no dairy, no gluten, and exercise daily as well as meditate on my third eye area on occasion so I believe that would be the reason why I retained my brain antenna's reception, so to speak.

Blacking out during fights no longer happens since I train martial arts and actually have fun now during sparring sessions. I guess my amygdala is no longer activated from being accustomed and dare I say, enjoying physical contact.

People can call it autistic, schizoid, schizotypal or whatever they may please, but you have to experience it to understand.

I too experienced freedom to venture into fantasy, art, let my imagination run wild, daydream about nothing in particular...just enjoy being.

I used to wake up to find myself floating face down above my bed, with my head at the foot of the bed. Usually I was floating a foot or two above where my body would be. Then, I would spin (or the room would) and I would "snap" back into my body and come fully awake. I never really knew what that was all about, but I knew once the spinning started that it was about to be over. This happened quite a bit until I was about 7 or so.

Anyone have any clue what that was all about? OBE? Astral Projection? Aliens trying to abduct me? I used to be TERRIFIED of being abducted by aliens as a child. So much so, that I would run to my parents room and insist I slept on the floor next to their bed. I wasn't afraid of monsters or ghosts, no...I was afraid of grey aliens taking me away.

originally posted by: InTheLight
I too experienced freedom to venture into fantasy, art, let my imagination run wild, daydream about nothing in particular...just enjoy being.

Then there were the alien abduction - fantasies?

a reply to: InTheLight

It's a beautiful thing.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Sounds like a very strong OBE to me. At first, you blink and deny and then question your sanity, but yes, it is YOU floating above your own live container, or body.

People who have these experiences should research and learn to utilize this gift. You can astral travel once you've mastered the technique, without worry...your astral self, or energy life force, has a silver cord to tether you and guide you back to your container.

It isn't a cavalier gift and should be approached cautiously and with purity of heart. There are others on that same astral plane that may carry ill will or darkness with them.

Research, research, research!

Blessings.

a reply to: Ultralight

Well I lucid dream these days (25 or so years later). I've had a few OBE's here and there and some sleep paralysis here and there, but never anything like what I had as a kid.

EDIT: Oh, I'm not worried. If you believe there are "evil" or "harmful" things, there will be. Everything is everything, and comes from the same source of all. Nothing ever really dies, it just goes back to where it came from. As above, so below and such. The world "out there" starts "in here" and we can play around in it and with it if we choose to.

I've always had certain internal abilities, to observe the inside of my body and look at where all the feelings/emotions emerge from, being able to "map" the structure of my "energetic" body I've learnt to intellectualise all the goings on, able to put chocks on my feelings if I deemed them to be inappropriate. I've always been "coded" with a set of "rules" or "principles" that have guided my development, an innate sense of knowing what is "right" and also knowledge of "temptation" so that I can prevent myself from performing acts that I deemed to be "degrading" in some way, although it has been a struggle, it has resulted in the maintenance of my "soul" all this time, and I have been battling to keep my strength up. I have been much stronger than this spiritually, however I have faced many "enemies" that have been set on bringing me to lower states of being, more carnal, simple, impulsive states.

There was a distinct stage when I was young, where I observed the development of my own personality, and there was also a battle against it, as it tried to fool me into thinking that it was in control, when I turned against it, it turned against me and that was the proof I needed to attempt to "weed it out". I remember when it was developing, it would try to suppose that it was me, saying, "I can't believe that I exist" - when lo and behold, I was still the pilot of my body.

There have also been many "issues" with my sense of self, pertaining to incarnation, I knew that very few are born with just a single soul, and I have had recollections of the "different parts of 'me'" - some taking the fore and sometimes others taking a back seat - my goal has been to unify all parts so that I can claim all of my prior incarnations, and be "reborn" into a fresh new individual - a feat that I have accomplished.

Every so often, I will gain short "windows" into my past as a child, and remember even my state of awareness at the time, it is useful because sometimes you lose touch with your inner reality when you become absorbed in the exterior world, "forgetting" that you have a task to accomplish.

As a child, I was quite the "dreamer" - I would "zone" in and out of "reality", daydreaming to the extent that I forgot where I was or what I was doing, and as a result, my most early memories are segmented, zoning in and out of my "inner world".

The mechanism still operates, especially when I am at work doing monotonous tasks, contemplating other things while my body is on "autopilot", every so often coming back to my senses...

My "inner world" is something that I have still been attempting to maintain, and although the experience is not as intense as it was when I was young, it is nonetheless still there, I feel that my concerns as an adult override the dream state, with fears and anxieties pertaining to my life in the "real world" consuming my consciousness.

At the moment I am trying to consciously "rewind" myself to earlier stages of development, to see the contrast between my present and prior states, I can almost believe that I am a child again, with my mind focused on past events as if they were events in the present, such as my friends at school and the other issues that were concerning me at that time.

I sense that many of us are born with certain "talents" as if the more progressed individuals are allowed to take some recollections of their past lives and identities into their newer incarnations, whilst most are convinced that they are living just one life as one individual.

As adults we learn to suppress our dreaming mind and become focused on the outside world, unfortunately, many totally "forget" and become totally involved in the external world, i'd say that in relative terms, I was at around 80% "internal" and 20% "external" - now it is more like 40/60 respectivley.

Any advice would be to understand the factors that cause one to "lose touch" and those are actions that ground ones senses to the external in preference to the internal, again, however, that knowledge itself is quite advanced and you need to be able to filter all your actions and thoughts according to a schema, trying to remain "pure".

It does sound like I am quite the zealot, and many might find it disturbing that I deem certain things to be "impure" convexly, right down to what I say and even what I allow or dissallow myself to think, but it is something that I was born with, and was vital during my early stages of development.

I still maintain it today, knowing when to act and when to refrain.

It doesn't have to.
But an adult mentality can help in the expression.
a reply to: Jefferton