Now That's Weird

Hi Guys

Discussion this week on Now That's Weird Radio Show was varied as always

A subject very dear to me was concerning mental health issues
The debate considered the possibility that perhaps science is labelling some of us as mentally ill and feeding that condition with incredibly strong drugs when in reality the "patient" is merely experiencing psychic episodes

What do you think?

On a different subject I did ask the listeners to share their unexplained experiences with us at the show and on here if they choose so get in touch and I will attempt to give some explanation to those experiences

Look forward to hearing from you

PARALLEL UNIVERSES AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE FUTURE

Hi
Decades of weird experiences coupled with familial "so called" mental health issues has led to an immeasurable personal quest to search for answers
During the past 20 years or more I have found myself frantically reading any subject matter concerned with psychic phenomena, the paranormal, physics and of course psychology and psychiatry
What have achieved? absolutely nothing! Everybody appears to have their own theory and opinions, even if they are considered to belong to the "canon" of science!
Purely by chance or maybe guided by an unseen force I stumbled on the following article which coincidentally occurred at the moment that I decided to give up on my quest and believe that my experiences are all based on the fact that what I see and hear is actually happening at that moment within a parallel universe.
Fred Alan Wolf writes:
The fact that the future may play a role in the present is a new prediction of the mathematical laws of quantum physics. If interpreted literally, the mathematical formulas not only indicate how the future enters our present, but also how our minds may be able to "sense" the presence of parallel universes.
Are we pressing the mathematical laws of physics too far?

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and so far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality,"
wrote Albert Einstein. Einstein was undoubtedly referring to the mathematical laws of quantum physics in that these laws only describe possibilities of reality but never reality itself. Can mathematics describe reality? I believe that the answer is yes, provided we take the new view given us by parallel universes theory. The laboratory of parallel universe experimentation may not lie in a mechanical time machine--ala Jules Verne-- but could exist between our ears.
If the parallel universes of relativity are the same as those of quantum theory the possibility exists that parallel universes may be extremely close to us, perhaps only atomic dimensions away but perhaps in a higher dimension of space-- an extension into what physicists call superspace. Modern neuroscience through the study of altered states of awareness, schizophrenia, and lucid dreaming could be indications of the closeness of parallel worlds to our own.

Have I made the right decision? What do you think?

Do you believe?

Interesting programme aired on BBC the other night discussing the differences between religious belief and mental illness" and asks the question "Could 'knowing' something is true when you have no proof for it be a definition of insanity?"
Spirituality:
Tanya Byron considers why we judge some as true believers and others as religious nuts, and looks at what happens when the worlds of scientific fact and pure faith collide. 3/4. Spirituality.

Reports suggest fewer people in Britain today follow a religion than ever before. Yet most of us still cling to the idea of life after death, spirits and the supernatural. Why do we judge some as true believers and others as religious nuts? And what happens when the worlds of hard scientific fact and pure faith collide? Clinical psychologist Dr Tanya Byron explores what some consider as the fine line between religious devotion and psychiatric disorder. She sees what happens when rational scientists try to analyse religious phenomena like Speaking in Tongues and Hearing Voices, and considers the beliefs of faith healers who claim miracles happen.
Read what the The Rational Response Squad has to say on the subject
Sorry but there are only four days to go to listen to the programme again!
CLICK HERE for link to BBC iPlayer
The most interesting part for me was a psychiatrist who had given up practicing conventional medicine and who was now offering sessions to clients who suffered from all kind of psychological disorders to offer a healing ritual that involved cleansing them of "spirits" whilst in an hypnotic trance. Once again no scientific proof to support the theory but he had plenty of clients!

Council Pays Psychic For Exorcism

I awoke to early morning news last week to hear this BBC report:

Council pays psychic for exorcism

A psychic was paid £60 by a council to rid a County Durham home of a "poltergeist" after ghostly goings-on.
Easington Council employed medium Suzanne Hadwin after Peterlee tenant Sabrina Fallon reported paranormal activity including moving objects.

Miss Fallon had even called police after hearing bangs which terrified her children Shannon, nine, and Amie, one.

A council spokesman said it paid half the psychic's fee as it was the most cost-effective solution.

Andrew Burnip, the council's homelessness and housing advice manager, said the family had been left "traumatised" by the strange goings on and wanted to leave the house.

The council considered rehousing the family in temporary accommodation but this would have cost up to £40 per night

Rasmus wrote into Now That's Wierd radio last night to ask whether I thought that this whole episode was based purely on the psychological aspects of this family
First of all I would like to thank Rasmus for getting in touch
What do I think?
Unexplained phenomenon is obviously based on the thought processes and approach to the episode by the person or persons who have experienced it. Even if the episode is investigated and rationally explained the individuals affected can still be traumatised by the experience!
If the house was haunted, which I believe is possible, the "clearing" or exorcism performed by a relevant practitioner, will usually settle the matter
If the house wasn't haunted and the habitants believed it to be, the same practical process will usually result in a positive outcome. How?
The psychological affect of a practitioner performing ritualistic manouvers will settle the matter.
We are all products of our nuture and nature. Whether we believe ourselves to be religious or not does not matter. What is important is that we are conditioned from birth to psychologically react to certain patterns of behaviour
Take a small child who stumbles and grazes their knee. Mum would immediatly show affection for the child, perhaps kissing the knee, whilst verbally assuring the child that the kiss made it better!
What we have here is a process of actions coupled with a ritual that results in a immediate miraculous cure! OK I can hear you saying that in this instance there were adults involved. In my opinion it really doesn't matter. What we learn early on in our lives remains with us into adulthood, no matter what age we are.
Social environment also plays a huge part in the development process which obviously colours our behaviour right through our lives
All religions depend on rituals, senses, sounds and repitition to maintain our adherence. It is through these habits that we find comfort in the religion of our choice. We humans rely on the familiar, particularly when we are distressed. The house therefore may or maynot have been haunted. What is important are the actions performed in response to the real or perceived problem!
I believe the council made an exceptionally brave move. It was apparently based on logical deduction regarding the cost. Well done Easington Council!!
Exorcism articles for those interested
More articles on exorcism
Father Gabriele Amorth, Catholic exorcist
Father Gabriele Amorth further reading
Love to hear your views! Get in touch to share

Strange happenings on paranormal events

Hi
As discussed on Now That's Wierd radio
During many haunting breaks events one of our staff members is able to request communication from another realm whilst in a group setting. He requests the spirit or presence to communicate by raising any of the guest’s hands
This invariably happens and in some extreme cases the guest has difficulty in moving their arm in a downwards motion until the unseen presence has allowed that to happen
This Haunting Breaks staff members is not schooled in hypnosis and to begin with found the experience a personal shock!
Is this due to psychological prompting?
Is it due to some form of unintentional hypnosis?
Is it due to auto-suggestion?
Is it proof of communication from another realm?
The study of mesmerism started during the 18th century. Franz Mesmer first developed the concept of “animal magnetism”. Mesmer chose the word "animal" for its root meaning (from Latin animus = "soul"), specifically to identify his force/power as a quality residing in the bodies of the animate beings:(humans and animals). Mesmer chose his term to clearly distinguish his variant of magnetic force from those which were referred to, at that time, as mineral magnetism, cosmic magnetism and planetary magnetisms.
The term's most common usage today is to refer to a person's sexual attractiveness or raw charisma.
Of course we have all heard of Sigmund Freud who during the late 19th and early 20th century drew our attention to the study of psychology. Psychologists attempt to explain the mind and brain in the context of real life, in contrast to the physiological approach used by neurologists. Psychologists study such phenomena as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including issues related to daily life—e.g. family, education, and work—and the treatment of mental health problems.
In addition to dissecting the brain's implementation of elementary mental functions, psychology also attempts to understand the role these functions play in social behavior and in social dynamics, while incorporating the underlying physiological and neurological processes into its conceptions of mental functioning. Psychology includes many sub-fields of study and application concerned with such areas as human development, sports, health, industry, media, law, and transpersonal psychology.
From the Theosophical standpoint so-called modern 'psychologists' are not genuine psychologists at all; because true psychology means the science of the entire intermediate and invisible constitution of man, popularly called the soul, Modern psychology is really a kind of psychological physiology, and modern psychologists are simply physiologists studying human consciousness from a more or less purely physiological standpoint, and therefore cutting off ninety percent or more of the entire range of human consciousness. : Studies in Occult Philosophy by G. de Purucker
Last but not least I would like to mention the parapsychologists who together with all the above are able to approach the questions that I have raised and offer a plausible answer or answers?
In particular I choose to mention the well-known parapsychologist Dr Susan Blackmore who have been interested in for some time now, essentially because of her apparent drive to prove the existence of PSI( or maybe that's the non-existence of PSI)
Take a look at this article on Anomolistics- The Research of Sceptics- makes for interesting reading!
Quote "Well, if you don’t find evidence of ESP, what can you say? Only that you have failed to find something which, according to science, shouldn’t have been there in the first place!"
What do I think about this apparent form of communication?
I believe that in some circumstances that this is real evidence of a paranormal communication form. Obviously one has to rule out all the obvious scientific explanations before claiming this but SEEING IS BELIEVING!