Some ideas have been milling round in my head for a long, long time. If I had a Ph.D type mind and the time, perhaps I would have done things that-a-way.
It always seemed to me that what we regard as orthodox or acceptable ways of examining or explaining human behaviour don't actually do the job too well. They can be good hypotheses but isn't there something else? I thought so 30 years ago with my new psychology degree, and I think so now with many more books under my belt and Internet access besides.
I used to fancy being a hacker getting into libraries and books all over the place but thankfully don't have to - it's much easier to find all-sorts now and so much good stuff and hard work 'up there'. So where does one start in this welter of information, word-processing for anyone with a computer, and instant publishing available for free?
In the early 80's I wondered whether photography would be able to show the same sorts of phenomena that clairvoyants describe. I wasn't sure whether clairvoyants tended to see roughly the same sort of things in the same setting, or what. Somehow I came into contact via letter with Cyril Permutt who wrote 'Photographing the Spirit World' and 'Beyond the Spectrum'. I passed his letter with a rather fine signature at the bottom to a friend called Leslie who saw extra things in people's photos which they felt were significant. Many many times he did this.
Leslie took one look at Cyril Permutt's signature and 'saw things' which he described to me. I forwarded his comments on and received an enthusiastic reply from Mr Permutt, who exchanged correspondence with Leslie for quite a while, often sending him photos for comments and insights. I remember writing a puzzled letter to Mr Permutt saying I didn't know how Leslie's gifts worked although he did seem to need time to tune in to people and take things from there. There's a thing called cold reading which is effective but not the same phenomenon - that is more like reading body language, watching pupils of the eyes and so on.
Mr Permutt replied along the lines that clairvoyance was as much due to 'association of ideas' as it was to do with actually seeing pictures in the mind. That comment has come to my mind over the years in a number of settings. Psychoanalysis apparently works on free association and linking things, whatever else may (or may not) be involved. I can't help feeling that when we get an intuition about someone we are with, it's often along the lines of association of ideas in some form.
There's something called a Meissner field which apparently has implications for hypnosis in that the person undergoing hypnosis may pick up what is expected within the mental framework or belief system of the hypnotist. My view is that this happens more than just in that setting. Some people naturally seem to project outwards towards other people. Some may aim for it deliberately. How much individuals pick up of that probably depends on their susceptibility and/or how firm their own beliefs or needs are.
I came across a book by Ormond McGill called 'Secrets of Stage Mindreading' which really is worth a read! He outlines what seems to be a form of self-hypnosis by which he persuaded himself he could read other people's minds (rather than cues or trickery in stage magic), and also 'noisy telepathy' or Yogi mental broadcasting. He says 'A group or crowd with similar interest/purpose is very susceptible to telepathy'.
And then there came a book called 'Hungry Ghosts' by Joe Fisher, a psychic researcher who feels he got his fingers burned by his beliefs.
Friday, 22 August 2008
Beliefs that come and go
This not only applies to individuals who are free to change their minds or they should be! It can be a natural process within the individual; it can be natural within a small or large grouping, even national; it can be projected via advertising; a communication could be inadvertent yet effective; or it could be informed and deliberately designed.
Some comments on social engineering or pretexting, con tricks and scams are on the first page of Norman's Toukanalia Blog on 'Out-of-Character Behaviour' - now pasted in further down this Blog for reference.
To return here is http://unseenaspects.blogspot.com
People differ about hypnosis and what it can or cannot do. For instance it is usually said that people can't be made to do things that would be in conflict with their usual behaviour or belief system. Clearly the way round that would be to change the belief system. That doesn't necessarily have to be under hypnosis, but more in the ordinary way of things with the type of impression management or propaganda used.
NLP or neuro-linguistic-programming also gets a mixed reaction in people. There are plenty of books on how it can be used ethically as a part of therapy, and plenty more on how to get underneath a person's usual barriers with advertising or confidence tricks, or by just being smart. One book I'll mention briefly is 'Never be Lied to Again' by David J. Lieberman. He is suggesting that one sets up what's called an anchor to reinforce people telling you the truth, i.e. you don't get lied to again... This isn't quite the same thing as subliminal messages in supermarkets which encourage shoppers to buy more or to discourage them from shoplifting, but they are connected.
Then there's something called a 'convincer' which can be an object, an idea, a piece of information or disinformation, with the aim that a person is more likely to follow a belief or instruction if there is something to hook it on. Ever watched a stage magician and listened to the actual wording too? I spent a virtual fortune of £120 on a set of CDs about it. Clever, expensive, and how did I get talked - or talk myself - into that?
Project Middle Ground was started in America by Dr Paul Simpson, a therapist who wrote 'Second Thoughts: Understanding the false memory crisis and how it could affect you'. Perhaps Dr Simpson's approach of working with families involved in the controversy is not directly applicable in the UK, but that does not mean there may not be an alternative approach to suit our culture.
Various academics at UK universities have written papers about bridging what might seem an impossible divide. Sadly people tend to fight a particular corner, but Dr Simpson showed that it is possible to try for a middle ground, with some considerable effect. Several books shedding light on how some misunderstandings could have arisen have been written in America since 1995. It seems a pity to let all of that, plus what has been achieved in the UK, remain unattended for the most part.
http://www.youtube.com/user/middlegroundable
More information at http://middlegroundable.blogspot.com
Some comments on social engineering or pretexting, con tricks and scams are on the first page of Norman's Toukanalia Blog on 'Out-of-Character Behaviour' - now pasted in further down this Blog for reference.
To return here is http://unseenaspects.blogspot.com
People differ about hypnosis and what it can or cannot do. For instance it is usually said that people can't be made to do things that would be in conflict with their usual behaviour or belief system. Clearly the way round that would be to change the belief system. That doesn't necessarily have to be under hypnosis, but more in the ordinary way of things with the type of impression management or propaganda used.
NLP or neuro-linguistic-programming also gets a mixed reaction in people. There are plenty of books on how it can be used ethically as a part of therapy, and plenty more on how to get underneath a person's usual barriers with advertising or confidence tricks, or by just being smart. One book I'll mention briefly is 'Never be Lied to Again' by David J. Lieberman. He is suggesting that one sets up what's called an anchor to reinforce people telling you the truth, i.e. you don't get lied to again... This isn't quite the same thing as subliminal messages in supermarkets which encourage shoppers to buy more or to discourage them from shoplifting, but they are connected.
Then there's something called a 'convincer' which can be an object, an idea, a piece of information or disinformation, with the aim that a person is more likely to follow a belief or instruction if there is something to hook it on. Ever watched a stage magician and listened to the actual wording too? I spent a virtual fortune of £120 on a set of CDs about it. Clever, expensive, and how did I get talked - or talk myself - into that?
Project Middle Ground was started in America by Dr Paul Simpson, a therapist who wrote 'Second Thoughts: Understanding the false memory crisis and how it could affect you'. Perhaps Dr Simpson's approach of working with families involved in the controversy is not directly applicable in the UK, but that does not mean there may not be an alternative approach to suit our culture.
Various academics at UK universities have written papers about bridging what might seem an impossible divide. Sadly people tend to fight a particular corner, but Dr Simpson showed that it is possible to try for a middle ground, with some considerable effect. Several books shedding light on how some misunderstandings could have arisen have been written in America since 1995. It seems a pity to let all of that, plus what has been achieved in the UK, remain unattended for the most part.
http://www.youtube.com/user/middlegroundable
More information at http://middlegroundable.blogspot.com
Symbols, realities, the unseen
We may not believe in clairvoyance or clairsentience ourselves, but many people admit to a few instances in their lives when something tipped them off to potential danger, an event involving someone close, or something like that. Sometimes when joggling along on a bus or train thinking nothing in particular, an image pops into my head which I'm sure is not mine. Once I felt a chap opposite me was boring a hole in my calf with his eyes. I got off at the next station and ran to another carriage! Another time, in a peaceful frame of mind on a nice sunny day I felt suddenly panicked and squeamish and clutched my bag over my stomach. When the chap next to me got off I looked closely and saw nothing but an ordinary young man in smart casual clothes. I've no idea why there was that reaction in me. Another time I sat next to a woman and felt incredibly depressed which vanished as soon as she left.
To return to the INTRODUCTION where I mentioned photography and phenomena that appear on some photos or only to people with heightened abilities, I think the old plate-type method of capturing images was advantageous, but digital methods along with enhancement techniques in readily available software probably work well.
What ran through my mind was that areas of the spectrum like ultra-violet or infra-red might show things that most of us can't see. Having known a number of people who seemed consistently psychically sensitive, I realise they don't all get similar impressions or symbols, unless there is something like a group-mind phenomenon, or something is perhaps closer to the physical realm, or there is some other variable.
It seems certain symbols, constructs or psychological constellations, occur idiosyncratically to people, and their train of thought takes them towards something they interpret in ways that may be meaningful to others. Some people can be accurate for a significant percentage, then go off on some sidetrack which proves meaningless or just wrong.
The reason for listing some books written by those who are better writers than I am and experienced in their field, is so that you can follow up anything mentioned. I do not have the time or inclination to attempt explaining all sides of arguments, or to claim to be doing so then coming to roost on one side of some fence. I don't ask people to believe everything here but I do feel some of the points are valid.
Years ago I got hold of books written by Dion Fortune and was fascinated by her claim that sensitives can see or pick up complexes or aspects that people shut off from themselves. She said these dissociated parts could take on independent life of their own. To see or sense those would be a lovely time-saving way to carry out counselling or therapy, I thought, and what if you could photograph them? (This subject is mentioned in 'Healing Approaches' towards the end of the Blog, more specifically in connection with Pranic Healing and Pranic Psychotherapy.)
Another concept is that of auras or chakras, and we may be picking up on those in some way even though not seeing or believing in them. They may be the mechanics of how we become affected by others, how we affect other people, and even how we could be affecting ourselves. It's complex so here is a link to a talk by Phoebe Bendit at the Theosophical Society in London in 1953: http://www.theosophical.ca/SacredFlame.htm She was married to Dr L.J. Bendit a psychiatrist with knowledge of Jungian and depth psychology. In her talk she comments on unrecognised parts of ourselves with an autonomous life of their own.
You may prefer a different framework such as Chinese or Ayurvedic Medicine, but there are many common themes.
Although I became somewhat disenchanted with some of her approach, Dion Fortune wrote a classic book about psychic attack and methods of defence, which caught my attention because of experiences I had while moving around different work-places and environments, particularly where another person was not acknowledging a problem for them. I am not psychic but quite empathic. She describes problem areas, or attack, as taking the line of least resistance, the more sensitive people being first to be affected. It's like a circuit: remove the most sensitive person or the 'weakest link' and the next most sensitive is likely to suffer. Make of it what you will or find useful, but basically if you feel someone is putting psychological or psychic pressure on you, find a mental strategy to fend it off. Or wear leather round your waist, or on the feet, hands etc.
Before I close I'd like to mention a point relating to Asperger's Syndrome which is often described as being at the less extreme end of a continuum of Autism. I don't know, and don't wish to offend anyone here but it may help someone. I knew someone with Asperger's for a long time till it became apparent she suffers problems with psychic flashes or visions when meeting people. When I followed this up it seems this sometimes goes along with other aspects of Asperger's. I feel this type of experience of my friend has quite a lot to do with psychic sensitivity, or not being able to filter out as much as most of us do naturally.
Dr Arthur Guirdham wrote similarly about his own psychic sensitivity and many of the other things he writes on seem to fit. There will be more on these areas under 'Possession approaches', 'Influence approaches', 'Spiritual approaches'.
- - - - -
John Keel writes on UFO's and other phenomena, and see his writing on the Mothman for ideas about people's fears or expectations affecting their experience
'Unseen Beings: Unseen Worlds' by Tom Dongo gets into a variety of scenarios, some of which you may find far-fetched
See quantum physics relating to observer effects on experiments
See 'Natural Symbols' by Mary Douglas, an anthropologist
See 'Daimonic Reality: Understanding Otherworld Encounters' by Patrick Harpur
As far as I recall the author suggests people tend to see or experience things in terms of their frame of reference and expectation. There's a similar concept in a book by some psychic researchers who experienced entities appearing along the lines of what they'd been seeking in the first place. Some crop circle researchers have tried to influence future designs or make contact with other levels in this way.
- - - - -
To return to the INTRODUCTION where I mentioned photography and phenomena that appear on some photos or only to people with heightened abilities, I think the old plate-type method of capturing images was advantageous, but digital methods along with enhancement techniques in readily available software probably work well.
What ran through my mind was that areas of the spectrum like ultra-violet or infra-red might show things that most of us can't see. Having known a number of people who seemed consistently psychically sensitive, I realise they don't all get similar impressions or symbols, unless there is something like a group-mind phenomenon, or something is perhaps closer to the physical realm, or there is some other variable.
It seems certain symbols, constructs or psychological constellations, occur idiosyncratically to people, and their train of thought takes them towards something they interpret in ways that may be meaningful to others. Some people can be accurate for a significant percentage, then go off on some sidetrack which proves meaningless or just wrong.
The reason for listing some books written by those who are better writers than I am and experienced in their field, is so that you can follow up anything mentioned. I do not have the time or inclination to attempt explaining all sides of arguments, or to claim to be doing so then coming to roost on one side of some fence. I don't ask people to believe everything here but I do feel some of the points are valid.
Years ago I got hold of books written by Dion Fortune and was fascinated by her claim that sensitives can see or pick up complexes or aspects that people shut off from themselves. She said these dissociated parts could take on independent life of their own. To see or sense those would be a lovely time-saving way to carry out counselling or therapy, I thought, and what if you could photograph them? (This subject is mentioned in 'Healing Approaches' towards the end of the Blog, more specifically in connection with Pranic Healing and Pranic Psychotherapy.)
Another concept is that of auras or chakras, and we may be picking up on those in some way even though not seeing or believing in them. They may be the mechanics of how we become affected by others, how we affect other people, and even how we could be affecting ourselves. It's complex so here is a link to a talk by Phoebe Bendit at the Theosophical Society in London in 1953: http://www.theosophical.ca/SacredFlame.htm She was married to Dr L.J. Bendit a psychiatrist with knowledge of Jungian and depth psychology. In her talk she comments on unrecognised parts of ourselves with an autonomous life of their own.
You may prefer a different framework such as Chinese or Ayurvedic Medicine, but there are many common themes.
Although I became somewhat disenchanted with some of her approach, Dion Fortune wrote a classic book about psychic attack and methods of defence, which caught my attention because of experiences I had while moving around different work-places and environments, particularly where another person was not acknowledging a problem for them. I am not psychic but quite empathic. She describes problem areas, or attack, as taking the line of least resistance, the more sensitive people being first to be affected. It's like a circuit: remove the most sensitive person or the 'weakest link' and the next most sensitive is likely to suffer. Make of it what you will or find useful, but basically if you feel someone is putting psychological or psychic pressure on you, find a mental strategy to fend it off. Or wear leather round your waist, or on the feet, hands etc.
Before I close I'd like to mention a point relating to Asperger's Syndrome which is often described as being at the less extreme end of a continuum of Autism. I don't know, and don't wish to offend anyone here but it may help someone. I knew someone with Asperger's for a long time till it became apparent she suffers problems with psychic flashes or visions when meeting people. When I followed this up it seems this sometimes goes along with other aspects of Asperger's. I feel this type of experience of my friend has quite a lot to do with psychic sensitivity, or not being able to filter out as much as most of us do naturally.
Dr Arthur Guirdham wrote similarly about his own psychic sensitivity and many of the other things he writes on seem to fit. There will be more on these areas under 'Possession approaches', 'Influence approaches', 'Spiritual approaches'.
- - - - -
John Keel writes on UFO's and other phenomena, and see his writing on the Mothman for ideas about people's fears or expectations affecting their experience
'Unseen Beings: Unseen Worlds' by Tom Dongo gets into a variety of scenarios, some of which you may find far-fetched
See quantum physics relating to observer effects on experiments
See 'Natural Symbols' by Mary Douglas, an anthropologist
See 'Daimonic Reality: Understanding Otherworld Encounters' by Patrick Harpur
As far as I recall the author suggests people tend to see or experience things in terms of their frame of reference and expectation. There's a similar concept in a book by some psychic researchers who experienced entities appearing along the lines of what they'd been seeking in the first place. Some crop circle researchers have tried to influence future designs or make contact with other levels in this way.
- - - - -
Shamanism
Nowadays people are more familiar with this concept which was used in the field of psychic research or Anthropology but was not so much in general usage.
In the so-called Western world we tend to think in linear fashion for want of a better description. Something either is or it is not. It either did or did not happen. That makes for scrutiny and analysis but not any 'space-between', the different ways things get experienced where it's hard to tell any more than that. If we say something happened and someone else says 'It can't have because ...' they may make a valid point. The danger of an overly analytic or sceptical approach is it can generalise to a claim that something never happens at all if there is any doubt or an alternative explanation. Truth can be relative, in the eye of the beholder or experiencer. Psychological experiments testing people's observations are well-known for showing how inaccurate the process is, and people in a group setting often experience a group event very differently.
A divide or split in arguments can happen around any subject, and people may use this to distance themselves or deny something they prefer not to think possible. Therefore they claim it could not happen, or it does but only in specific situations, or only if people aren't smart enough to avoid them. And so on.
So there tend to be beliefs and counter-beliefs with maybe a few 'space-between' theories. It also depends on whom one wants to be accepted by, a reference person or group, or a mental construct of such. If the reference person or group is not accepting, there may be counter-claims of beliefs or a backlash, for instance my reality against yours or vice versa. These can also be orchestrated by someone with a vested interest, or just happen naturally.
To get back to Shamanism as a general concept, more has been learned about psychoactive substances taken as part of ritual or practice to expand awareness, see visions, contact other types of being, or experience different planes or realities. It's 'acceptable' now because many people have heard of it, tried it for themselves, or know of someone who has, and it is written up in plenty of research.
There's a concept similar to astral projection or astral travel where people may be able to commune with others in some way although their physical body doesn't budge. This is what witches in medieval times were said to achieve by smearing on fly agaric or ingesting something. And there's a word 'entheogen' describing the 'space-between' realities that people may be aiming for in seeking experiences.
On the next page (click Older Posts to the right at the bottom) are a couple of sections I'll briefly mention so you know what to expect. They deal with ritual abuse which is a difficult subject in more ways than one. The first section is entitled 'Ritual abuse' and has a trigger warning. The second section is entitled 'Urban legend and ritual abuse' which should not be taken to imply that I think ritual abuse is just a myth or urban legend. Read either or both of those sections if you want to. I feel they link to this post on the subject of 'Shamanism' and also to the one on 'Symbols, realities, the unseen'.
Other postings about Ritual Abuse or SRA, and Cults have been inserted further on.
In the so-called Western world we tend to think in linear fashion for want of a better description. Something either is or it is not. It either did or did not happen. That makes for scrutiny and analysis but not any 'space-between', the different ways things get experienced where it's hard to tell any more than that. If we say something happened and someone else says 'It can't have because ...' they may make a valid point. The danger of an overly analytic or sceptical approach is it can generalise to a claim that something never happens at all if there is any doubt or an alternative explanation. Truth can be relative, in the eye of the beholder or experiencer. Psychological experiments testing people's observations are well-known for showing how inaccurate the process is, and people in a group setting often experience a group event very differently.
A divide or split in arguments can happen around any subject, and people may use this to distance themselves or deny something they prefer not to think possible. Therefore they claim it could not happen, or it does but only in specific situations, or only if people aren't smart enough to avoid them. And so on.
So there tend to be beliefs and counter-beliefs with maybe a few 'space-between' theories. It also depends on whom one wants to be accepted by, a reference person or group, or a mental construct of such. If the reference person or group is not accepting, there may be counter-claims of beliefs or a backlash, for instance my reality against yours or vice versa. These can also be orchestrated by someone with a vested interest, or just happen naturally.
To get back to Shamanism as a general concept, more has been learned about psychoactive substances taken as part of ritual or practice to expand awareness, see visions, contact other types of being, or experience different planes or realities. It's 'acceptable' now because many people have heard of it, tried it for themselves, or know of someone who has, and it is written up in plenty of research.
There's a concept similar to astral projection or astral travel where people may be able to commune with others in some way although their physical body doesn't budge. This is what witches in medieval times were said to achieve by smearing on fly agaric or ingesting something. And there's a word 'entheogen' describing the 'space-between' realities that people may be aiming for in seeking experiences.
On the next page (click Older Posts to the right at the bottom) are a couple of sections I'll briefly mention so you know what to expect. They deal with ritual abuse which is a difficult subject in more ways than one. The first section is entitled 'Ritual abuse' and has a trigger warning. The second section is entitled 'Urban legend and ritual abuse' which should not be taken to imply that I think ritual abuse is just a myth or urban legend. Read either or both of those sections if you want to. I feel they link to this post on the subject of 'Shamanism' and also to the one on 'Symbols, realities, the unseen'.
Other postings about Ritual Abuse or SRA, and Cults have been inserted further on.
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