Psychology of Belief, Part 6: Hallucinations

Hearing voices: It's not just for schizophrenics any more!

Hallucination is a relatively common phenomenon. Virtually all of us will, at one point or another, experience sensory perceptions generated entirely out of our own minds. Sadly, some people are more prone to this than others, and it is entirely within reason that every spiritual experience in human history is attributable to auditory, visual, and tactile hallucinations.

Anywhere between 1-2 % of the human population hears voices on a regular basis. Sometimes the voices say encouraging things. Sometimes the voices are derogatory and vicious. Other times they speak nonsense. Occasionally they are even capable of full conversations.

Sometimes the voices are audible. Sometimes they are like loud thoughts. Other times they are like severe, intrusive urges.

Sometimes the voices are a blessing in the life of the hearer. Other times the voices are a nuisance. Some people cope by taking drugs. Others cope by asserting dominance with the voices. Some have even developed bizarre coping mechanisms like having "voice time" or simply repeating everything the voices say back at them.

In short, if you think you have heard the voice of God. You probably have not.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• psychology
• of
• belief
• hallucination
• hearing
• voices

[TheStigma]

These are very good videos. I hope you keep making them. their educational value regardless og wether or not choose to accept applying them to religious settings is great.

However I don't think the inability for an internal voice to produce physical effects for example is NESSSECARILY proof of halucination, even if that is the most reasonable deduction. its not inconcievable that an real internal voice could be limited to just audio, such as if for example telepathy werelater proven to be fact.

[AntiCitizenX]

@TheStigma

"the inability for an internal voice to produce physical effects for example is NESSSECARILY proof of halucination,"

The voice may or may not be coming from a telepathy, but we do have a purely natural explanation for where that voice could be coming from without it. We also have a long human history hearing things that aren't real. So without any compelling reason to think otherwise, Occam's razor forces us to conclude that all such experiences are hallucinations.

[TheStigma]

@AntiCitizenX In practice we think alike, but I think it would be more prudent to say that all such experiences are allmost certainly hallucinations (slight wording difference). Its a suble distinction I'm making between claiming absolute certainty, and only being very very certain that such is the case. Yes yes, I'm being nitpicky, sorry ;)

[AntiCitizenX]

@TheStigma

You're basically echoing me with different words. I personally prefer the modifier "without any compelling reason to think otherwise." This way we don't have to mince words about relative certainty. We can rest assured in absolute certainty, because that certainty is always tentative. That is to say, the conclusion is 100% certain, but the assumptions are not. But since evidence determines our assumptions, they remain valid until something better comes along.

[AntiCitizenX]

@BigMarkusFella

Did you even watch this very video that you're commenting on? I cited FOURTEEN peer reviewed articles on how to induce hallucinations in people. And that was just a casual perusal in my own spare time. There are probably dozens, if not hundreds, more demonstrations out there in the scientific literature.

[wtfthatsrandum]

Nice vid! It's maybe not so relevant, but speaking as someone with bipolar disorder - I can vouch for hallucinations but also, in full blown mania, the belief that they are real.

I once saw superman(lol) and I believed it was him, and beyond belief, more like knowledge, I KNEW it was him - sound familiar?

I'm lucky in that for me it will stop and be followed by acute embarassment that I actually went round telling people that, it seems like some people never get past that state.

[brettppalmer]

Can happen early in life, too, if Mom or Dad dropped you on your head!

[philopolymath]

Never had one..was medically dead for way too long to explain recovery.

Lots of evidence of efficacy (That's scientific for it actually worked) in NON-conventional healing practices.

Radiathesia,radionics are grotesquely suppressed for just such reasons.

YES fraud and self delusional hallucinations are evidence of something but certainly NOT the existence for or against GOD.

Again NON-SEQUITOR

You continue to attempt to use a FLAWED logic to support a conclusion.

[Joosybum]

I wonder if God also told Terri to bleach her hair and get a spray tan.

[TheDcac]

@FlowCell it was born from it.

[IVscythia]

The human mind is higly suceptible to hallucinations

Which is yet another great example of how badly "designed" we are, put quite simply, we suck, big time

[FlowCell]

That "last theorem" looks a lot like the Pythagorean theorem.

[GiveCourage]

This is brilliant! Thanks! This video has helped explain what I have always found to be a little too 'mysterious' about religion. The Mormon Church is really big on feeling the presence of the 'Holy Ghost' which will: act as a comforter, bring memories back to remembrance, act as a heavily messenger, and be a source of inspiration. This sort of role as a 'still small voice' and guide/companion is so easily explained by what this video presents (-:

[petion2010]

@BigMarkusFella No difference.

[richwfd2002]

@AntiCitizenX Gee, no response from bigmarkus. What a surprise.