You're All Fucked in the Head!

[lumberjim]

Ok, from tonight's top ten list, " Top Ten Things NOT to Say When Someone Tells You About Their Mental Problems"

ok. heeeeeere we go. Nuuuuuumber one. Paul, it's the # 1 Thing NOT to Say When Someone Tells You About Their Mental Problems

Originally posted by staceyv
that would drive me insane...

Ok, let's see what's in the viewer mail bag

[wolf]

The other would be "wow, you are really crazy."

Another bad alternative:

"Your life really does suck. Are you calling the suicide hotline for suggestions on more effective ways to kill yourself?"

[Kitsune]

dude. 6 is yellow. it has always been yellow.

No, it's black. It has always been black. Evens are blues and greens, odds are yellows and reds.

But some numbers are "uncomfortable" because they don't make any sense in this scheme. 133 is a very bright yellow color, but 147 doesn't make any sense -- its all muddy.

I was much more apt to remember the number of the hotel room I was staying in by colors than by numbers. When did I always forget the room number? When it was something like 358. (another number with colors that don't make sense!)

Our backup tapes at work have colored letters and numbers on the labels for easier identification. The problem is that they've got the colors and numbers all "mixed up", (3 is not orange!) so when I try to find a tape I usually can't -- my eyes will pass right over the exact one I'm looking for in the shelves as everything is just too "noisy". This is the only time I've ever found this oddity of mine to get in the way of things.

[Griff]

Originally posted by Undertoad

They're really figuring out the brain now and we should all make an effort to stay alive to see what they come up with... could be pretty damn cool.

We're learning but we do have a very long way to go. We only know an estimated 1/6 of the neurotransmitters. The drugs may impact the unknown ones with unpredictable results. Some folks are being helped, but we are just tinkering at this point.

"Brain-Based Learning" is the edu-fad of the week, as if learning wasn't always brain-based. They are using brain imaging to try to figure out what a brain should look like when doing a particular task, it has a lot of potential but brain science is still very primitive.

[Katkeeper]

I work with enamels - glass fired onto metal. The enamels come from the various manufacturers with numbers identifying them as well as words. When I began using them I was told that the numbers were a better way of identifying them and would not change. So I remember them all by numbers.

And I can tell you that 147 is an opaque gray that turns transparent when fired at a higher temperature, while 358 is a beautiful opaque blue. Cornflower is its word identifier.

A fellow enamelist's wife says that when enamelists get together they all talk about numbers, exclaiming about the wonders produced by 122 or how 676 is rare and desirable.

So I can fully understand this whole concept though it was a learned thing for me. And no help from acid - excpet to clean the metal.

[Slartibartfast]

Originally posted by Katkeeper

A fellow enamelist's wife says that when enamelists get together they all talk about numbers, exclaiming about the wonders produced by 122 or how 676 is rare and desirable.

Someone has to mention the classic joke about the prisioners that were in jail so long they had memorized a jokebook completely and would quote the jokes by number.

Okay, I mentioned the joke.

[Beestie]

This is a fascinating thread. I have some mild problems like what you describe but not anywhere near as severe. I have trouble reading text on paper - it flashes with little stobes making it very difficult to concentrate - it takes me quite a while to get through a page because I keep having to start over. I had horrible problems in school with any class that required reading but slept walked through all the math classes. Consequently, I work with numbers and code snippets - a perfect solution for me.

But one thing I like about it is that about 20% or so of the sensory stimulation I get from music comes in through my visual perception. Your 2nd grade story about "what you saw when you listened to the music" hit home in a big way. When I want a really cool rush, I listen to music through the headphones with all the lights off. The music becomes an abstract landscape with a beauty that is really indescribable.

And being vaguely aware of the synesthesic qualities of most hallucinogenic drugs, I have resisted the urge to try them out of fear that what is now a bit of an anomoly that I can live with and even make the most of might become an elephant in the living room.

[Kitsune]

I have trouble reading text on paper - it flashes with little stobes making it very difficult to concentrate - it takes me quite a while to get through a page because I keep having to start over.

Are the flashes centered around the text or in the entire field of view? Do the flashes only happen while reading, focusing on things up close, or at other times as well?

When I want a really cool rush, I listen to music through the headphones with all the lights off. The music becomes an abstract landscape with a beauty that is really indescribable.

I was never sure if what happened when I listened to music was the product of an over active imagination or something else. Regardless, I really enjoy it. When I was young, I thought everyone listened to music the way I did -- music had a lot more meaning than just the lyrics and sometimes the meaning I saw wasn't at all about the words spoken. I will think of songs that I know are about specific places, things, events, shapes, and textures, yet I never found anyone else that saw these things. These days, however, I'm finding out that a lot of people who listen to trance music and go into euphoric-like states experience similar sensations. And yeah, most of them do it without the aid of chemical enchancers.

I'm not actually sure if what I have is synesthesia or not, as I've never been diagnosed or examined. I just know I get weird looks when I describe the sound of repeating GIF animations and blinking Christmas lights as "really annoying".

i sympathise with this, i grew up with a dad who stutters. its terrible to watch... my heart bleeds. he is very smart and he knows what he means to say in his head, but he just cant get it out there.

Sun_Sparkz -- Stuttering is a very difficult disease and I'm sorry to hear that your father must endure it. Has he had much treatment or analysis? They can do really wonderful things these days to assist with speech and I know it is something you will want to look at if you fear you are also starting to experience the same symptoms.

[Griff]

Originally posted by Beestie
This is a fascinating thread. I have some mild problems like what you describe but not anywhere near as severe. I have trouble reading text on paper - it flashes with little stobes making it very difficult to concentrate...

I get that occasionally but I usually blame light conditions or exhaustion... interesting.

[Beestie]

Are the flashes centered around the text or in the entire field of view? Do the flashes only happen while reading, focusing on things up close, or at other times as well?

Only when reading and only in the text itself but the entire page - sometimes right where I'm looking but never off the page.

These days, however, I'm finding out that a lot of people who listen to trance music and go into euphoric-like states experience similar sensations. And yeah, most of them do it without the aid of chemical enchancers.

Yup - not quite euphoric, though - I think my symptoms are mild relative to the average of those with this "affliction." And I love trance for that exact reason but the most intense music for this (for me) is old Black Sabbath - I can actually see Iommi's riffs and they are spectacular. I keep 9 CDs in my car - five Black Sabbath CDs and four rotating Trance/Industrial CDs.

[wolf]

You might actually want to get your retina checked out. Just to be sure.

[Griff]

Beestie, I've seen kids use colored plastic sheets to get relief from similiar problems.

[Beestie]

That's not a bad idea. Now that you mention it, maybe I'll try reading with sunglasses (colored, not tinted - Oakleys) to see if that helps. Also, I'll pick up some yellow acetate and lay that on top of the page to see if that does anything.

I've had my eyes checked out pretty regularly for basic vision issues (my eyesight - 20-20 since forever) is starting to deteriorate ("well, you are 40 years old now" - thx, doc. ). The optometrist hasn't said anything so I guess my retinas are ok but I will ask specifically next time.

Thanks for the ideas!

[CzinZumerzet]

Just another thought, my annual migraine starts with //// (not sure what these symbols are actually called) but strobe flashing in the most brilliant of colours and they dance in circles. If it wasn't for the nature of the headache they portend I might enjoy the experience more. While on the colour thing, does anyone else believe Wednesday is bottle green and Thursday pale grey?

[Kitsune]

The optometrist hasn't said anything so I guess my retinas are ok but I will ask specifically next time.

The time you seriously have to worry about your retinas is if you begin to notice a "dark curtain" beginning at the bottom of your vision -- this means the top portion of your retina is beginning to detach and it usually starts with flashes of light. (although the vitreous humour also causes flashes when it detaches and this happens to everyone ~40 years of age)

My father's retinas began to detach and he was able to get it corrected, but it had to be done within 24 hours or else he would have had irreversible vision loss. It is remedied by simple laser sugery used to tack it back onto the back of the eye. The one funny moment in the whole thing was when the doctor was preparing a needle with a solution to numb the process. When my father eyed the needle and asked where the doctor was going to stick it, the answer was "where do you think?"

So dad went through the entire ordeal without pain killers. I could hear him venting his frustration in the form of cursing after each laser pop from all the way down the hall.