A new study that appeared in The British Journal of Psychiatry by researchers at University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands suggests that nearly 1 out of every ten children, seven to eight years of age, report hearing voices that don’t really exist and appear to come from nowhere. For the most part, researchers have found that these voices “don’t have an impact on daily life,” and advise that children who report them should merely be reassured and watched very closely.
Of course, the researchers have already probed for potential links between children who report hearing such disembodied voices and those who will later suffer from mental disorders like schizophrenia. Nonetheless, in most cases this sort of activity, at least among young children, has not been found to be a cause for concern, and is considered to be quite normal.
If we choose to look at this from an evolutionary viewpoint, it almost seems that hearing voices would be beneficial to young people, or even mature adults at various times throughout human history. Many people have observed how animals have a sort of “sixth sense” when it comes to navigation and other biological functions (consider the multitude of stories of household pets who, after being separated from their families, manage to travel enormous distances to find their way home). Indeed, if we were to consider whether man could have ever harnessed similar instincts, it might make sense that our early ancestors, often wandering nomads, might have had a psychological development in their brains that created a sort of “knowing” or “guiding force” they could rely on. Indeed, it would be assumed that this would have been entirely a product of how the early mind worked, rather than some supernatural force. To put it simply, before mankind had risen to the dominant species on Earth, they may have relied on senses that instilled a feeling of “being led,” when in essence, they were leading themselves.
Growing up, one of the most frightening stories of a “possessed possession” that I can recall dealt with psychic disturbances emanating from a strange, sullen little doll named Robert, who now resides in a museum in Key West. Little did I know he has a sister out there too… but I digress. First I’ll present a “refresher” dissertation on the homely little doll to our left, who appears here courtesy of the fine folks at the East Martello Museum in Key West.
Ever wish you could read somebody’s mind? Better yet, ever think it would be nifty (or terrifying, on the other hand) to be able to both read and receive telepathic communication, directly via “brain to brain” interface? Now, science has helped bring us one step closer to doing so in a practical way that incorporates binary coding and existing EEG technology.
Seldom have writers of Americana had a greater influence on history, culture, politics, and literature than in the case of one Samuel Clemens, better known by his tounge-in-cheek pen name; Mark Twain. Clemens had a fiery wit and and uncompromising since of truth and realism, and at times he was even looked upon with scorn for his “tooth and claw” style of literary criticism. Nonetheless, his place as one of the best loved of all American writers can’t be questioned, and his slightly aloof, even eccentric ways helped create the model American that many revered him to be.
after President Obama’s address to Congress, Jindal is arguably one of the most popular men in America today. What is far less popular about Jindal, however, is a true encounter he claims to have had with a “demon”, which he believes had possessed a female friend of his while they attended college together decades ago.