My One & Only Unexplained Experience

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   Chasukposted 13 years ago

   I'm going to describe something that maybe happened, or maybe it didn't. I'm skeptical of human experience, even my own.
   
   When I say "happened," I don't mean it in the sense of a single occurrence. This is something that used to be part of my daily life, or maybe it wasn't. Remember my caveat above.
   
   I used to see emotions as colors. I'm not talking about auras. I have no reason to believe that auras exist. I mean that I saw emotions as colors. Maybe I should say that I perceived emotion as color. I perceived honesty as blue. Other emotions were different colors. The shades and hues weren't the same for everybody, but I think the "base" colors were. Dishonesty, perhaps predictably, was red.
   
   I can't accurately describe the experience. For instance, the word "see" isn't quite right. I didn't "see" anything. If you were talking to me, and what you were saying was true, I perceived blue. When you were telling me a half-truth, the blue was tinged with other colors.
   
   If you were a stranger, I perceived nothing. if you were an acquaintance, I sometimes did. If you were a friend or close family, I always did.
   
   I didn't wonder about the legitimacy of the experience until I was in my 30s, by which time I was a hardcore skeptic, so I kept it to myself.
   
   Again, maybe it wasn't happening at all. Maybe it was something that I was projecting. I don't know; it doesn't happen at all anymore. The frequency of these experiences faded rapidly faded after I first confided that they happened at all, about ten years ago.
   
   Anyway, that's my only "paranormal" experience. I thought maybe it would be interesting to someone. Now it all seems like a dream.

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      robilynposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Have you ever considered that you had an ability that you didn't take too seriously and eventually it faded away? I do see colors in people and can even spot  the color black and gray in areas a person may be ill. Yes, I believe you did see colors, but from what your mind has been taught (Red-angry, green-envy) is not exactly what those colors may specify in each person. A person is surrounded my a multitude of colors depending on the health, status, love and energy they project. Maybe you should try again with someone you are close to, and see if you can at least sense a shade of color in your mind?

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         Chasukposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Maybe.
         
         It was always accurate, but  usually disconcerting. Most of the time, it's best not to know when someone is lying to you.
         
         When someone is feeling X, but they tell you that they are feeling Y, you can't contradict them. They interpret it as an intrusion, which it is. I think I'm glad that it faded.

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   donotfearposted 13 years ago

   Did you actually SEE these colors? Or was it a perception that formed in your mind with recognition to what the colors stood for?
   
   Fascinating.....write a hub about it.

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      Chasukposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      "See" wouldn't be the right word. I don't know how to describe it. I felt the color blue, I didn't see it. I'm sorry, I don't actually know how to explain it any better than that.

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         recommend1posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I recall a chess master once describing how he saw the game in colours (actually physically perceived in some way).  Also a savant described how he could come up with huge complex and immediate answers to maths questions because he 'saw' numbers as colours and shapes.
         
         I suspect what you had was real.

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            earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I agree. There is supporting data and those savants are definitely on the level..... plenty of supporting proof.

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   habeeposted 13 years ago

   I once saw a "sea monster," and so did about 30 other people, including a state park ranger. Really strange!

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      Chasukposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I wouldn't recognize a sea monster if I saw one. ;-)

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   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   There is some data (not much) on this as a brain related phenomena.
   
   I know the experience can be duplicated by eating blue meanie mushrooms, or taking LSD.
   I may be in America soon, so will not claim it as first hand experience or it could affect my visa.
   
   If I remember correctly it may also be more common in highly intelligent people such as savants without taking any mind altering (think enhancing)substance. There is a TV series in documentary form on savants, it may throw some light on the subject from another angle.

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   Wentworth35posted 13 years ago

   Some years ago, I developed an ability to put my hand on a picture, with my eyes closed and describe it accurately.  Somethimes these pictures were so specific and unusual, that I don't see how I could have imagined it.  Yet, when I then became interested in science, and read how such abilities are denied by science, then I decided that such things weren't possible.  As soon as I had decided this, the ability disappeared, and has never returned.

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      earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think science has had a change of thinking on that now, that is very interesting by the way, perhaps you have some chance of retrieving it if you see the current evidence.

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         Wentworth35posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Do you know of any specific scientific research or evidence that points towards such abilities being possible?

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            earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Yes Wentworth, but the best compilation of all this research data is now embedded in the high quality and deeply researched series that covers these phenomenal abilities.
            
            It is a lot easier to watch the series than to find all the double blind studies, theories and the evidence that supports it.
            
            I will look for a link to the series if there is one, I can post it here if I find one.
            Unfortunately the presenter is terribly annoying.

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   livelongerposted 13 years ago

   Chasuk: I think this phenomenon is called synesthesia, and is fairly well documented if not completely understood. I remember a psychologist explaining it to me (a long time ago, so unfortunately I can't remember enough to explain it to you).
   
   EDIT: I googled a bit and found this, which might be what you're talking about:
   http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/ … ee_col.php

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      Aficionadaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Synaesthesia is the first thing I thought of when I read the OP.  My daughter has had that ability (definitely when she was younger; I'm not sure about now).  She saw certain letters of the alphabet in specific colors.
      
      Mozart very famously "saw" (perceived?) certain musical keys in different colors and attached specific moods to different keys.
      
      Since some people are saying here and elsewhere that this may abate with time, I wonder whether it may possibly relate to brain development up through young adulthood?  I'll check out the link to see if it says anything along those lines.

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