AmyW
Thinker
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2019
- Messages
- 172
I am sometimes my own worst enemy. The reason I freak out is because I once had a reading with a psychic. She told me god created me with a low level of intelligence. Which means if ghosts exist, then psychics are real and so is god and so it must be true that I am stupid and can't do anything like read, write poetry etc which then leads to depression.... that's why I 'freak out'
Pixel42
Schrödinger's cat
That's certainly one possibility.
And follow some of the links you've been given, perhaps.
Here's a generally useful site that is worth bookmarking:
www.skepdic.com/
Maybe start with the entry on telekinesis and then follow the links under 'See also" to related articles.
No, I don't think so. It can be very difficult to shake off something that was part of your worldview for a long time. Just keep plugging away at it.
Pixel42
Schrödinger's cat
Whatever she told you was utterly worthless. She was either a con artist or, if she actually believed the nonsense she spewed, of limited intelligence and/or wilfully ignorant herself. You can safely ignore everything she said.
Cosmic Yak
Philosopher
Nope, still not buying that.
Which BBC documentary prompted this question?
You are now telling us that you were searching the BBC for documentaries, and accidentally stumbled on something that was not a documentary, and not on the BBC, about something you didn't want to read about, but did, which then prompted you to post it here, despite the reaction and advice given every previous time you have done this? Seriously?
No.
Jack by the hedge
Safely Ignored
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2009
- Messages
- 23,116
Because of the way humans work. And I'd substitute "human beings" for "idiots" above.
Evolution has made us very good at spotting cause and effect. If eating those unfamiliar berries was the only new thing that happened before the whole band felt sick, then we link the two: those berries make you sick. Unfortunately we're a bit too good at making those connections, so you can find if you get sick it puts you off ever eating whichever food you last ate, even if it was innocent. It has also made us superstitious: we won that game on the day I wore my new pants, so they're my lucky pants and now I have to wear them every time.
We also like stories. We learn from them, and especially if they warn us against something in a way that allows us to get scared in safety.
Put the two together and you get superstitious people who like scary stories. It's usually harmless fun but, if it gets to you, please be assured ghosts really are just pretend.
RedStapler
Banned
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2020
- Messages
- 839
The obvious start for a solution is: See a doctor. You may think that asking for help for this specific kind of problem on the web would be right but it isn't.
Go.
see.
a.
doctor.
Carrot Flower King
Janitor of Lunacy
Amy, OCD is eminently treatable. What steps are you or have you taken to deal with it?
If, as you say, you know you have OCD why are you seeking out triggers for your anxiety, rather than avoiding them, especially as they are not part of everyday life?
Asking the same questions repeatedly, especially after they are already answered, does not always go down well, so do not be too surprised at some of the reactions.
If, as you say, you know you have OCD why are you seeking out triggers for your anxiety, rather than avoiding them, especially as they are not part of everyday life?
Asking the same questions repeatedly, especially after they are already answered, does not always go down well, so do not be too surprised at some of the reactions.
AmyW
Thinker
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2019
- Messages
- 172
I am seeing a therapist. At the moment because of the virus I haven't had a session for 2 weeks, he has asked during the sessions that we stick to facts and not assumptions. I am also on a anti depressant of 40mg.
Cosmic, please do tell me what you think my intentions are?
Perhaps the safest bet for me is when I come across ghost stories etc is to ignore them and stop trying to work it all out as that only makes things worse. Nobody sadly knows all of the answers.
Cosmic, please do tell me what you think my intentions are?
Perhaps the safest bet for me is when I come across ghost stories etc is to ignore them and stop trying to work it all out as that only makes things worse. Nobody sadly knows all of the answers.
AmyW
Thinker
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2019
- Messages
- 172
Yes. We certainly are a superstitious bunch aren't we. I think that there are unexplained things but assuming it's to do with the dead and a god doesn't help me. Religion has only caused severe anxiety for me in the past and if there is a god I don't want to know him or her, I think deep down that scares me, I don't know why but if god exists it would be a frightening thing :-(
AmyW
Thinker
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2019
- Messages
- 172
Thank you Pixel, my issue is I try/become obsessed at times with trying to 'figure it all out' when in reality all that does is put me in a spin/ end up chasing my own tail.
Perhaps if I just admit that I don't have the answers it will stop this relentless argument. I have been fine lately, just a trigger which was unintentional, even though Cosmic thinks I'm doing it on purpose, I can assure you I don't go around looking for things to heighten my fears!
Perhaps if I just admit that I don't have the answers it will stop this relentless argument. I have been fine lately, just a trigger which was unintentional, even though Cosmic thinks I'm doing it on purpose, I can assure you I don't go around looking for things to heighten my fears!
Jack by the hedge
Safely Ignored
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2009
- Messages
- 23,116
Indeed. Appreciating that mysterious things have nothing whatever to do with dead people or deities is really quite relaxing and I recommend it. There will always be unexplained things; if science knew everything it would stop. On the other hand, there are an awful lot of things which have mundane explanations but which people seem to enjoy imagining are inexplicable.
Relax. Gods are just pretend. Seriously.
abaddon
Penultimate Amazing
When I presented you with a ghostly photograph that I took with my kids to demonstrate how easy it is to create the illusion of ghosts, you ignored it.
At the time, I was teaching them how to operate an SLR camera and the effect of apperature, exposure time and so forth and that was one of the practical exercises.
Why do you run from such real world examples of how trivial it is to do that?
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theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
If this is true, then I think you should be looking for professional help. You should not be looking at this thread as a course of treatment for your OCD and anxiety. You should not be holding us accountable for the quality of the treatment you're getting. That's not what this forum is for. It's not the kind of discussion that goes on here.
This reply is the same reply you've been getting since the beginning of this thread. What's going on, that's preventing you from internalizing it, and giving yourself the reply when you need it?
People grow and learn. They take the answers they get and build their own view of the world and build their own answers on top of it. If you're unable to go through that maturation process on this topic, then I think you probably need help this forum cannot provide. Please stop trying to make that help our responsibility.
theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
Not idiots. Just people. And this is exactly the kind of question that in your case is probably best directed at a medical professional who knows the details of your situation.
theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
Nobody knows all the answers, but I bet your therapist knows the answer to this one.
wasapi
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- May 27, 2008
- Messages
- 17,585
This. I agree. From what I have seen in this thread, Amy, please do seek out a professional therapist to help you. This is more serious then forum members can deal with. Find the right doctor who can help you with answers.
Axxman300
Philosopher
You have two options:
1 - Get there and investigate, and explore "haunted" locations yourself. This is a lot of work entailing many hours in libraries looking at old property records, and old news papers on microfilm.
2 - Accept the current science on the subject and relax.
The first option will take a few years and cost some money in gas, photocopies from library microfilm machines and library cards, and fees at the city/county hall of records. You will get out and meet people and you will learn that what people think they see and what they actually see are often two different things. You will learn that a person's beliefs will color their perceptions. You will learn that weird things do happen and debunking those things isn't always automatic, and can take years of honest work.
As long as there are human beings there will be reports of ghosts and haunted places. Tribal mentalities and the human ego dictate which fringe beliefs are acceptable. Human ego is the worst offender. When something out of the ordinary happens which cannot be explained by the person or people who experienced the event they may blame the occurrence on the paranormal simply because ghosts are more acceptable than the idea that they might not be as smart and perceptive as they think they are.
"I know what I saw," is a common refrain in this forum when it comes to the paranormal. I used to say it all the time. While I knew "what" I saw the question became, "why did I see it?". Answering that question took a while but learning about how the brain works, and infrasound, and a host of other latent atmospheric and environmental conditions help me solve almost all of my "unexplained" issues.
I'm glad I did the work. Getting out and poking around is good fun.
Instead of looking up articles about ghosts try looking up Infrasound, and CO2 poisoning, and toxic sheet-rock. These are the first things a good ghost hunter should know about and seek out first in any investigation.
Spektator
Is that right?
I'm sure he did it not by magic but by some perfectly natural means. Perhaps a magnet, as suggested; perhaps a very fine thread that could be pulled by an offscreen helper; perhaps a puff of compressed air, the sound of which was edited out of the video; or . . . well, we can speculate, but from the video alone, we can't tell. Perception can be fooled. On occasion, I have taught a class that includes a segment on critical thinking. There is an absurdly simple illusion called the "Balducci Levitation" (you can look it up) that I did once in front of a class, asking them to observe and make notes of what I did.
About a quarter of the class was sure that I managed to raise my whole body nine to twelve inches above the floor and hover in the air. take my word for it: Not once was I completely off the floor. People talk themselves into seeing more than they actually did.
Cosmic Yak
Philosopher
I have no idea, nor do I think it relevant to speculate.
THIS!!!!! YES!!!!! GOD, YES, THIS!!!! DO THIS!!!!!
Hope soars like a lark- and then plummets like a brick.
You see, AmyW, I don't think you are trying to 'work it all out'.
Here's what happens:
AW: "Hey. Here are some ghost stories. Are they real?"
ISF: "No, Amy, these are just unsupported anecdotes. There is no good evidence for the existence of ghosts. Ghosts are not real".
AW: "Thanks. That's reassuring".
Two weeks later:
AW: "Hey. Here are some ghost stories. Are they real?"
ISF: "No, Amy, these are just unsupported anecdotes. There is no good evidence for the existence of ghosts. Ghosts are not real".
AW: "Thanks. That's reassuring".
A few more weeks later:
AW: "Hey. Here are some ghost stories. Are they real?"
ISF: "No, Amy, these are just unsupported anecdotes. There is no good evidence for the existence of ghosts. Ghosts are not real".
AW: "Thanks. That's reassuring".
Here's an example of that:
Please highlight which part of that post shows you 'trying to work it all out'.
You could have taken the previous answers and applied them to your latest 'accidental' find, but you didn't. You have, as far as I can see from your posts, made no effort at all to work anything out. You read some ghost stories, got 'freaked out', and posted them here, expecting us to provide assurance that they are just as bogus as all the previous ones. This is not 'working it all out'.
I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but the only way you're ever going to deal with this is if you yourself take responsibility for it. No amount of advice, pointers or even scorn is going to stop you from this reaction: you have to actually start working it all out, for real, by applying what you've got from this forum and using it to improve your mental state.
Nobody needs to. As I have said before, if there was good evidence for ghosts, I would believe in ghosts.
There is none, so I don't. That's it. There are numerous possible explanations for people's reports of ghostly encounters, as has been explained to you several times already. The bottom line is, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that there is no valid evidence for ghosts, spirits or life after death. The rest is interesting, but not (IMHO) important.
(I'm being very kind here, and hoping that last comment wasn't a precursor to the old 'your science doesn't know everything' canard. Please don't do that!)