Psions and Psionics

[emeraldfool]

This is something that has always deeply fascinated me: The concept that there are people who can - or at least believe beyond all doubt that they can - control the physical world with their minds (known as 'psionics')

For one thing, I'm fairly open-minded, and a part of me wonders if these people really are creating balls of colour with their mind, or using their abilities to 'spar' or turn invisible.
Although I am rather skeptical, I'd be even more interested if it wasn't true - it means that there are people who believe so strongly in this phenomenon that they can actually force each other to hallucinate!

Here's some sites:
http://psionguild.org/php/index.php?page=home - that's an actual online 'guild' (or rather a NPO) for Psions, which has them looking out for one another and such things. They have a forum too: http://www.psionguild.org/forums/index.php

http://zhkyrl.brinkster.net/psionline/home.html - a site dedicated to fostering 'psions', containing guides on 'psionic techniques' (such as a "Psiball")



Just read the tone of one of those articles (like the Psiball one I showed you). These people aren't psychotic, and they're not on drugs (at least it doesn't seem that way). Except for this ability (- to hallucinate at will, or to control their environments, depending on your beliefs) they seem pretty much normal.

Either way, I would love to meet one of these 'elite' psions...


What are your thoughts? 

[lordraleigh]

What are your thoughts? 

You can read them if this is not another new age joke! 

[Kaugor]

reading some of the articles on that site are pretty interesting.. Do they actually physically see the ball or shield? or is just in their mind? DO you just decide " i wanna do this" and go do it?

Some confusing stuff here. Personally i think its made up, just like how many of us roleplay and it feels as if its reality.

[emeraldfool]

Some confusing stuff here. Personally i think its made up, just like how many of us roleplay and it feels as if its reality.

Maybe, but there's a difference between getting into a Roleplay, and having an altered sense of reality.

I've read some stuff about people discussing their 'powers', and even 'sessions' they've had with each other. Many people claim to be able to pass emotions to each other via psiballs (e.g. instead of saying 'goodbye', they would throw a psychic ball at each other). And many others claim to create coloured psiballs.

The thing that interests me, is unlike palm-readers, or UFO conspirators, or new-age hippies, all these people seem totally normal and casual - as if they were discussing any old hobby, like fishing. And whereas the others can exist within a grey area (where you could convince yourself the plane you saw at night was a UFO, or that unlikely premonition wasn't  just a coincidence), these people all truly believe that they're actively and consistently doing these things, through both emotional and visual manifestations.

It's intriguing...

[Kixie]

The ability to hallucinate and portray the world in a different fashion than it really exists isn't rare; in fact I would say everyone does it to a certain extent, every day. These people are just products of either traumatic events, schizophrenia (which is much more prevalent than many people realize) or a mix of both.

[emeraldfool]

The ability to hallucinate and portray the world in a different fashion than it really exists isn't rare; in fact I would say everyone does it to a certain extent, every day. These people are just products of either traumatic events, schizophrenia (which is much more prevalent than many people realize) or a mix of both.

But that's the thing - schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder are both rather random, and both are very prominent psychological disorders (the mere fact that it's called a disorder means it's strong enough to have detrimental effects to certain aspects of the sufferer's life). If it's not a strong enough case to be classed as a disorder, then it's a moot point.

And we're not talking about individual trauma here - there's an entire community who all believe the same exact thing, see the same exact thing. Usually in unison - they meet up and practice their 'abilities' together, help each other to improve, etc. There's whole books on psionic methodology, which when people follow it, seems to make them better at it...

[Radiant Memphis]

 Most of the ideas of psionics and the like remind me of the Law of Attraction. Many of the ideas of and behind it are to my knowledge true as I have seen them. Of course you can give any name to this idea really; magick, psionics, god, energy, the universe. Whatever you call it, on a basic scientific level everything is energy. It can not be made or destroyed just manipulated. So, people do it every day (manipulate it that is), some on a grander scale than others. Like many of people that had a dream of greatness and with passion and love followed that dream. Thus with great work and passion did they bring it to fruition. The thing is how people cope with what has come about from it. Some use a idea to associate it to their life as to be able to explain it to themselves and others. Others choose to not acknowledge or understand it at all. That it fine too. To each their own I say.

 The biggest obstacle most people come upon is mystery or the unknown. I see mystery as the enemy of truth. For it shrouds the most simple of things sometimes in ones mind. Making things much more complex and difficult than they might otherwise be. The unknown in general has always put people at unease. The thought of the lack of control of whatever or the uncertainty of what is to come has always made things difficult. It is the single thought or desire that one pursues with such vehemence that it manifest before them that helps balance out mystery and the unknown. As such one feels a sense of control as they themselves made this thing manifest. It may be something as simple as a new outfit. So one works or finds some means of obtaining what they want. In the end it is the single thought process and the work behind it that brings it into manifestation in their life.

 One way I have seen such things can be found here. Of course this is one of the ideas I was speaking about earlier. There are many other ways that people have came to similarities in philosophy and the same end result of attaining what they desire. It is really up to each individual to control and form their own reality as they see fit to bring about their own happiness. Now this does not mean I can say,"I am the President of the United States of America" and it be true. Although, if it where my goal to do such I know I could work (most likely many long years) my way toward making that happen. It by no mean would be easy but possible none the less. This is the complex simplicity of life.

 O.K. I have rambled on enough and I assume there will be many difference of opinion on my ideas I have spoke about here. That is fine, in fact I encourage it. May ideas ensue.

[tssthorn]

The human mind is to complex to explain. For those who don't think it's possible need to think twice. They found that the brain works through frequencies, it's how your body works with your brain. If you can tell brain to send a frequency to an object .. you should be able to move it, but if you do not think it's possible then you lack the imagination to do so. They have already done studies on kids where they use a device to read the frequencies of the mind .. and the child tries to move a virtual object .. and it works just fine. So now all that device did was show that it's possible to move objects with your mind ... in RL the same should be possible. A virtual world is just much easier to manipulate.

[Peacer]

reading some of the articles on that site are pretty interesting.. Do they actually physically see the ball or shield? or is just in their mind? DO you just decide " i wanna do this" and go do it?

the ball is there, but hard to create, it can excist in many contentnts, physically, just energy(which you can feel if it touches you, more about this.) And if you're trained a lot it can be visual yes.

The ball can do certain things after what you create it to do. And it's hard enough to create it allready.

[Idoru]

My personal opinion: They are speaking BS, a group of people who find their lives boring and unfulfilling who group together to validate each others BS and create a self fullfilling situation where they all BS and know they are and feel much better because they think that the others who talk BS are really experiencing their BS.

And I never thought I would say BS so much in one sentance :oS

[bilbous]

B-b-b-but I predicted the Colts! Isn't that proof enough?

[Kalika]

  ieee i like this topic

i believe in it. i dunnos if i beleive to the full extent but i suppose anything is possible. i used to read alot about energy manipulation and with enough practice (and those whose minds are sensitive enough to develop the ability) that it could be real.

its sounds a little odd to me, but i havent really been exposed to things like balls and shields.
i didnt read the articles but i wouldnt be surprised ot hear if the aura of an individual would be involved.

[Zan]

The mind is a wonderful thing ... capable of generating the most beautiful and most attrocious images.

As for psionics ... I do believe that their foundation is there. It is based on ancient eastern beliefs of energy, meridians and chakras. However like with most modern things they also have a rather substantial western twist to it. In this case probably saturated with fantasy, wishful thinking and TV.

I believe that there are parts of our reality that science ignores/hasn't explained yet and in these parts 'magical' things are possible but I'm also sceptical towards 'fishing stories' on the internet. We still live in a controled reality, not our mind's imagination.

[Eliseth]

My personal opinion: They are speaking BS, a group of people who find their lives boring and unfulfilling who group together to validate each others BS and create a self fullfilling situation where they all BS and know they are and feel much better because they think that the others who talk BS are really experiencing their BS.

And I never thought I would say BS so much in one sentance :oS

Talk about closed minded. Have you ever tried practicing this "BS", or at least researching it a little? I have been practicing psionics for a few years now, and in fact I've been an natural empath ever since I was born. Now are you going to tell me the fact that I can feel the emotions of other people, even if they're 1000 miles away, is BS? Do research before you make such comments.

Psionics is real, I know this for a fact, but you do make rather interesting point which does apply to some "psions". People do trick themselves into believing they have the abilities when in fact they don't. For example in telepathy people will try to find validating excuses for their wrong reading. Like for example you tell someone to think of a picture which you then try to "read", the picture is that of a mountain and you "read" a tree. It's so easy to then so things like "Oh well they're both connected to nature, and there ARE trees an a mountain... ZOMG I'm psychic!!!"

But this doesn't apply to everyone, and I know this because my family and I have had many "paranormal" experiences thoughout our lives. If you're going to tell me that what I experienced as a child, and what I'm experiencing now, is BS then it will only show how closed minded you really are.

EDIT: And about psiballs and shields... they're the bases to all psionic practices. In theory it is possible to make them visible, but I haven't come across anyone who can. It is however possible to create a psi contruct and to feel it.

[Karyuu]

It has nothing at all to do with being closed-minded. People call each other closed-minded when they refuse to believe that aliens landed in their backyard or that they had tea with Bigfoot. It's pseudoscience. No one can come into your head and explain yet, once and for all, what it is exactly that you have been experiencing. People can convince themselves and their children of anything, and feel perfectly normal about it.

However, I'm going to side with people like James Randi on this issue - give me actual proof, or you have nothing :]

(I used to believe in this sort of thing heavily, by the way. My attitude has changed with research and education.)