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>what people call "being psychic" where you can access information that should be impossible for you to know by conventional means This subjective experience i

>what people call "being psychic" where you can access information that should be impossible for you to know by conventional means This subjective experience is the principal aspect of schizophrenia, or clinical paranoia, that I am aware of. The issue with paranoia or magical thinking is that it's not really a matter of what facts are real, but what they mean - is something "just" a coincidence or not? Being correct with hindsight does not mean you necessarily knew in advance. One tends to assume that mental illness involves a failure to reason logically. But I believe it's more about seeing too many correlations, which are in fact frequently there, but a normal mind automatically filters out as meaningless. A sane mind is no better at rejecting them through logic, which is why insanity can be very frightening in an existential way.

carapace 5y ago
I'm not sure what you're saying? There's definitely a difference between "being psychic" and schizophrenia or clinical paranoia. Some mentally ill people don't understand that they are not supposed to be able to see the thoughts around the heads of other people, which can lead to "creepy" events (e.g. the muttering weirdo on the bus who replies to your inner voice.) The social convention is that our thoughts are ours and private to our heads, but this is just a convention. It's pretty easy to extend the faculty that lets you see the thoughts around your head that you consider "yours" to be able to see the thoughts around other people's heads. It's also easy to send/receive thoughts to/from others at any distance. Thoughts themselves are independent of the mind (like how TV shows are not in the TV.) One of the fascinating things is that you can do without thoughts entirely. Your body continues to perform its actions without them. Empty mind is extremely pleasant, blissful.
- e1g 5y ago
  > It's pretty easy […] to be able to see the thoughts around other people's heads. It's also easy to send/receive thoughts to/from others at any distance. Being able to see and speak in a land of blind mutes is an unmatched advantage. A handful of folks with this ability could form the most powerful entity in the world and change it to their taste. I can’t think of such an untouchable group - do they all live in the shadows, or is this skill not that easy to develop?
  - carapace 5y ago
    > Being able to see and speak in a land of blind mutes is an unmatched advantage. Yes. (Boredom and loneliness are the only problems.) > A handful of folks with this ability could form the most powerful entity in the world and change it to their taste. Yes. And they do. ("nine unknown men") > I can’t think of such an untouchable group Of course not. > do they all live in the shadows They live in light, the "blind mutes" live in the shadows. > or is this skill not that easy to develop? Everyone already has this skill. Part of the answer is that control and (individual) free will are illusions. All are One. Only That has free will.
    - meiraleal 5y ago
      So online you can't read minds and lose your unmatched advantage - becoming a blind mute?
      - carapace 5y ago
        One can read minds over the internet, psychometry works on electrons and photons.
- paperoli 5y ago
  Are you able to do this? If so what methods led you to having that ability. I catch peoples thoughts sometimes, it's like they're being yelled into my head.
  - carapace 5y ago
    > Are you able to do this? Yes, but everyone can, I'm not special. > If so what methods led you to having that ability. As corny as it sounds I first learned it from a pamphlet on "How to Read Minds" that I ordered from the back of a comic book. There's no specific method to it, your brain already does it, you just have to practice and develop your "psychic" muscles. > I catch peoples thoughts sometimes, it's like they're being yelled into my head. Yeah, if that bothers you imagine a reflective egg surrounding your body, that should help.
- perl4ever 5y ago
  >There's definitely a difference between "being psychic" and schizophrenia or clinical paranoia. Only to the extent that psychics are often frauds. If "psychic" powers go away on medication, but come back if it is reduced, is that evidence to you that they are a type of symptom? If not, then what is the evidence that convinces you?
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > If "psychic" powers go away on medication, but come back if it is reduced, is that evidence to you that they are a type of symptom? If physical abilities go away when you take medication, does that mean the ability was a “symptom” or that the loss was a “side effect” ofbthe drugs? Usually, the latter. Why would it be any different for psychic abilities, except from the perspective of one who takes as given that the ability doesn't exist and that discussion of it is merely discussion of the delusion of having the ability?
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - perl4ever 5y ago
      Do you think drugs always take away abilities and never provide them?
  - carapace 5y ago
    > Only to the extent that psychics are often frauds. Again, I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Mental illness and the ability to see thoughts are orthogonal. > If "psychic" powers go away on medication, but come back if it is reduced, is that evidence to you that they are a type of symptom? I'm not a psychopharmacologist nor a psychiatrist so I can't really comment in any depth. I would assume that some drugs would mute the ability to see thoughts, while others (such as LSD) make it easier. But this is a vast and complex subject about which I know very little. > If not, then what is the evidence that convinces you? Convince me of what specifically?
    - 5y ago

carapace 5y ago

I'm not sure what you're saying? There's definitely a difference between "being psychic" and schizophrenia or clinical paranoia. Some mentally ill people don't understand that they are not supposed to be able to see the thoughts around the heads of other people, which can lead to "creepy" events (e.g. the muttering weirdo on the bus who replies to your inner voice.) The social convention is that our thoughts are ours and private to our heads, but this is just a convention. It's pretty easy to extend the faculty that lets you see the thoughts around your head that you consider "yours" to be able to see the thoughts around other people's heads. It's also easy to send/receive thoughts to/from others at any distance. Thoughts themselves are independent of the mind (like how TV shows are not in the TV.) One of the fascinating things is that you can do without thoughts entirely. Your body continues to perform its actions without them. Empty mind is extremely pleasant, blissful.

e1g 5y ago
> It's pretty easy […] to be able to see the thoughts around other people's heads. It's also easy to send/receive thoughts to/from others at any distance. Being able to see and speak in a land of blind mutes is an unmatched advantage. A handful of folks with this ability could form the most powerful entity in the world and change it to their taste. I can’t think of such an untouchable group - do they all live in the shadows, or is this skill not that easy to develop?
- carapace 5y ago
  > Being able to see and speak in a land of blind mutes is an unmatched advantage. Yes. (Boredom and loneliness are the only problems.) > A handful of folks with this ability could form the most powerful entity in the world and change it to their taste. Yes. And they do. ("nine unknown men") > I can’t think of such an untouchable group Of course not. > do they all live in the shadows They live in light, the "blind mutes" live in the shadows. > or is this skill not that easy to develop? Everyone already has this skill. Part of the answer is that control and (individual) free will are illusions. All are One. Only That has free will.
  - meiraleal 5y ago
    So online you can't read minds and lose your unmatched advantage - becoming a blind mute?
    - carapace 5y ago
      One can read minds over the internet, psychometry works on electrons and photons.
paperoli 5y ago
Are you able to do this? If so what methods led you to having that ability. I catch peoples thoughts sometimes, it's like they're being yelled into my head.
- carapace 5y ago
  > Are you able to do this? Yes, but everyone can, I'm not special. > If so what methods led you to having that ability. As corny as it sounds I first learned it from a pamphlet on "How to Read Minds" that I ordered from the back of a comic book. There's no specific method to it, your brain already does it, you just have to practice and develop your "psychic" muscles. > I catch peoples thoughts sometimes, it's like they're being yelled into my head. Yeah, if that bothers you imagine a reflective egg surrounding your body, that should help.
perl4ever 5y ago
>There's definitely a difference between "being psychic" and schizophrenia or clinical paranoia. Only to the extent that psychics are often frauds. If "psychic" powers go away on medication, but come back if it is reduced, is that evidence to you that they are a type of symptom? If not, then what is the evidence that convinces you?
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > If "psychic" powers go away on medication, but come back if it is reduced, is that evidence to you that they are a type of symptom? If physical abilities go away when you take medication, does that mean the ability was a “symptom” or that the loss was a “side effect” ofbthe drugs? Usually, the latter. Why would it be any different for psychic abilities, except from the perspective of one who takes as given that the ability doesn't exist and that discussion of it is merely discussion of the delusion of having the ability?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - perl4ever 5y ago
    Do you think drugs always take away abilities and never provide them?
- carapace 5y ago
  > Only to the extent that psychics are often frauds. Again, I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Mental illness and the ability to see thoughts are orthogonal. > If "psychic" powers go away on medication, but come back if it is reduced, is that evidence to you that they are a type of symptom? I'm not a psychopharmacologist nor a psychiatrist so I can't really comment in any depth. I would assume that some drugs would mute the ability to see thoughts, while others (such as LSD) make it easier. But this is a vast and complex subject about which I know very little. > If not, then what is the evidence that convinces you? Convince me of what specifically?
  - 5y ago