Hallucination of the mind?

[stellina757]

What is your response to those who say its a "hallucination of the mind" ? That none of it is really happening?  

Did anyone see beyond belief the other night on nightline? Thoughts? I feel that show portrayed many of those individuals in such a negative light by trying to make it some sort of game. To have a palm reader not physically hold the hand of the person and expect them to get it right based on a bio on a paper and a picture of a palm.

[Stookie_]

I quit worrying about what anyone else thinks or believes about AP a long time ago. I actually think it's hilarious that other people think they can explain my own experience to me.

[Orion-]

People who say it is a "hallucination of the mind" have not experienced it themselves. They often believe in the religion that science of today is, with it's many mistakes and wrong assumptions. These people and such shows try to ridicule the fact that this does all exist, and they do this with silly statements and "experiments".

Hundreds of years ago, it was science that the earth was flat. Also some time ago, it was science that bloodletting would cure the plague. I can go on and on, but the point is, maybe in 50 or 100 years people will laugh at how scientists of today thought there was no more than the body and brain.

[stellina757]

Stookie I agree with your viewpoint fully!   How can one sit there an analyze an experience if it wasn't theirs or make assumptions on it.

Orion I agree with you too completely! Maybe these skeptics should sit back and attempt themselves. 
I have yet to have a full projection attempt(I'm learning and getting better daily) but I refuse to believe what experiences I have had thus far  such as auditory sounds etc seeing my shadow man and seeing my room while my eyes were closed were hallucinations of my mind. I was fully aware. 

That show really made me upset. Clearly I am not naive enough to think one is incapable of lying and using it for money making purposes but how biased was it for nightline to put this show on with ridiculous games they had and expectations that aren't even supernatural at all when over 50 percent of the country believes in some sort of paranormal/god/supernatural ablities etc..

[Summerlander]

Well, all I can say is that our perception of the physical world is subjective.  It is an interpretation.  It could be seen as a very elaborate hallucination which serves as a translation of the signals it gets from the objective world.  If OOBEs are hallucinations, where is the input coming from?  Also, what is a hallucination because, as far as I'm concerned, there is no universal explanation for it (just like dreams) and anything to do with consciousness for that matter.

[stellina757]

Great point Summerlander! Love that question. What is a hallucination!?! I've always said the same thing about dreams.  No one can explain why we play cinematic adventures in our heads while we are sleeping. 

Great points all!!

[Volgerle]

it seems, even this physical world is a hallucination, to begin with 

[Szaxx]

So all things being equal, there's no absolute reality. No absolute reality means all is virtual.
Virtual things partly exist  eg they exist in word.
Mmmmmmm, this could be the beginning, we have the word,
let there be light.
 Something to think on.

[astralp]

It could very well be a hallucination.  However, Everything basically is a hallucination.  Everything you see in reality is all in your mind.  The only way to experience anything is in your mind.  With out your mind the physical reality would not exist to you, how could you experience it without a mind.  I guess it depends on your understanding of consciousness itself. 

also, People have shared dreams, it is a lost practice that some indigenous tribes still do.  Research shared dreaming, its basically two or more people all having the same dream at once, my roommate and I have done this. 

If two people having the same objective experience makes something not a hallucination, then shared dreaming is proof that it is real. 

And also, i really could care less if someone thinks its all fake.  I had a hard time believing it too until i did it.   

[Boom]

I really really havent seen any compelling evidence to suggest that the physical world is subjective, but anyway.

I think skeptics are important. They keep the balance of that sea-saw straight. It is important to have an objective view over anything and ask the right questions.  Otherwise we can all end up getting so carried away with astral projection and end up claiming things as fact that actually arent.

There is so much we dont know and hopefully in time science will explain it. But as William Buhlman (i think!) pointed out, is whn trying to prove something, youre trying to prove something non physical by turning it physical. Which just isnt possible.  The only reason why its proven that we dream, is because everyone does it. Its a known fact. But scientists cannot prove the contents of a dream, or prove why or how we dream. Because its non physical.  If everyone had OBEs and AP'd easilly, then it would be understood throughout humanity that this is a normal part of us.

Sadly the only way to do it, is to prove to yourself. Come to your own conclusions based on your own experiences. Look for the subtle clues around us.  And unless a device can be invented which would allow anyone to have an instant easy OBE then its never going to happen.

[Xanth]

There is so much we dont know and hopefully in time science will explain it. But as William Buhlman (i think!) pointed out, is whn trying to prove something, youre trying to prove something non physical by turning it physical. Which just isnt possible.  The only reason why its proven that we dream, is because everyone does it. Its a known fact. But scientists cannot prove the contents of a dream, or prove why or how we dream. Because its non physical.  If everyone had OBEs and AP'd easilly, then it would be understood throughout humanity that this is a normal part of us.

AND because each experience is unique to the consciousness experiencing it. 

You can *NEVER* have my dreams.
I can *NEVER* have your dreams.
Everyone can only have their own dreams.

[Stookie_]

Who says you can't share a dream with someone else? I've never done it, but I'm not going to cancel it out.

[NoY]

i have shared a dream with somebody more than once and we both had total recall 

:NoY:

[Xanth]

Who says you can't share a dream with someone else? I've never done it, but I'm not going to cancel it out.

Nobody. 
Well, I used to say that... but I don't anymore.  LoL

But then, I'm not saying that here either. 
I'm saying that if you share a dream, you're still only perceiving that dream within your own individually unique context.  Your own unique perception of what you're experiencing.

Sound familiar?  Just like our consciousness and this physical reality.