Friday, November 14, 2008

Further Comments on Synesthesia

The news article that I post earlier make reference to a new idea that the brain or parts of the brain the interpreter our sense have the ability to "cross talk". They also say that synesthesia doesn't require extra brain connections.

So if extra brain connections aren't required and synesthesia can be induced by removing inhibitions through hypnosis. The only thing left is this "cross talk." Now we must ask ourselves what is this cross talk?

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it is the sixth sense. The sixth sense can be seen as a sense that links, enhances, and can move beyond all the other senses. We all have a sixth sense. Our ability to use it or its strength depends on a number of things. One of the main limiting factors include inhibitions that we have learned as we grow up. Inhibition is the main hurdle that you are trying to get over when you try to relearn how to use your sixth sense.

So here is what is happening in this experiment through my eyes.

The subject goes into a hypnotic state where its inhibitions are loosened or removed and a program or definition is placed into the subconscious that allows for synesthesia to be understood. Then once back in a waking state the subject takes an experience in using one sense it is interpreted by the sixth sense and relayed to another sense.

How would you like to be able to see or smell music? You could write music like a artist paints.

You can also make come to the conclusion that synesthesia is a learned trait or at least an ability that is held onto from birth.

I love it when science comes so close to finding the sixth sense. It is a shame that they are too afraid to call it what it is. They are constantly coming up with new term like they did here when they "crosstalk"

Hypnosis Can Induce Synesthesia

A little something that is of interest:
Original Article

Researchers find that hypnosis can induce synesthesia

Hypnosis can induce "synesthetic" experiences – where one sense triggers the involuntary use of another – within an average brain, according to a new study in the journal Psychological Science, the premiere publication of the Association for Psychological Society.

The findings suggests that people with synesthesia, contrary to popular belief, do not necessarily have extra connections in their brain; rather, their brains may simply do more 'cross talking' which can be induced by changing inhibitory processes in the average brain.

The research, "Induced cross-modal synesthetic experience without abnormal neuronal connections," was conducted by an international group that includes Cohen Kadosh, previously a doctoral student at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev under the supervision of Prof. Avishai Henik from BGU's Department of Psychology and now at the University College London (UCL); Andres Catena from the University of Granada, Spain; Vincent Walsh from the UCL; and Luis J. Fuentes from University of Murcia, Spain.


People living with synesthesia (known as synesthetes) experience abnormal interactions between the senses. Digit-color synesthesia, for instance, will experience certain numbers in specific colors (for example, they might experience the number seven as red). A possible reason put forward for this phenomenon is the existence of extra connections between brain areas in synesthesia, but this new study suggests otherwise.


To explore the alternative theory of more cross talk (disinhibition) between brain areas in synesthetes, Cohen Kadosh and colleagues used posthypnotic suggestion to show that people who are not synesthetes can be induced to have synesthetic experiences.


After inducing digit-color synesthesia, the volunteers reported similar experiences to those undergone by real synesthetes in their everyday life. For example, one participant described her experience while under posthypnotic suggestion as "When I'm walking on the street, the car registration numbers, if those numbers are on the registration, I see them in those colors." Moreover, hypnotized participants failed a catch test which was also failed by real synesthetes: when subjects were hypnotized to experience seven as red (for example) they could not detect the number when a black seven was presented on a red background.


Cohen Kadosh explains: "Our study shows that hypnosis can induce synesthetic experiences in people, suggesting that extra brain connections are not needed to experience cross-sensory interactions and that it is a change in inhibitory processes - more cross talk within the brain - that causes these experiences. This takes us one step closer to understanding the causes of synesthesia and abnormal cross-brain interactions."


Source: American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Monday, November 3, 2008

Reflection on Unbound

The other morning my wife had to leave early for work and was up getting ready for the day while I still laid in bed enjoying a few more minutes of sleep. After awhile our dog had decided it was time for me to get up. He busted into the room flinging the door open, jumping on the bed and on me in the process. I tried to cover my face but he was too quick awake me by licking the skin off my face. Deciding his job was done he jumped down and headed back out into the hallway.

As I was lying there getting the motivation to get up and wondering how I ended up with such a goofy dog. I noticed that the light from the hallway was shinning onto the now open door in such a way that the wood grain was almost jumping off the door. I found myself hypnotized by it. the bright white in contrast with the dark shadow of the veins. From the angle one of the dressers in the room was silhouetted by the door. That sharp on contrast between the white door and the dresser still in the shadow I could see the aura of the dresser. A thin film of energy coming around the whole outline.

Then I really started to shift. The energy in the air got really thick. The static red and blue were dancing in through mostly dark room. Some how my attention ended up back to the door but now the wood grain was appeared to be flowing. Almost like lava or something along those lines. The grain slowly moved in kind of a natural motion with the directions of the grain. It was truly beautiful.

Later on after reflecting on the experience I remembered a discussion we had during a star reach call. It was one of the first couple of calls I had with Dan and we were covering the Unbound module. He explained how patterns in nature can help propel you into different states of consciousness. At the time it was a concept that I understood and to a small degree had some experience with. Until now I didn’t really have a full grasp of what he was trying to show me. It is yet another hidden doorway into our own true consciousness that Eric had laid out for us.

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