I was listening to the sceptical podcast by the NESS again today. They discussed something called Waking Dreams or Hypnagogia which they said was responsible for the majority of UFO abduction claims as well as historic claims of demonic presences like succubi. It's the result of certain physical changes that happen in the brain when you fall asleep - parts of it deactivate leaving you unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality, which incidentally, is why even the weirdest dreams don't seem odd at the time. They also leave you paralysed or you'd act out your dreams - which a best would be silly and at worst would probably kill you if you leap out of a window or fell downstairs. It's possible to partially wake into a strange in between state where you are conscious but still under the influence of these sleep induced changes.
So why am I commenting about this? Well, I realised that it's actually happened to me. I had a very strange experience a few months back where I woke to see a huge (several feet wide) jewelled spider dangling down in front of me. As I looked it it, it retreated up it's web towards the ceiling. I stared at it for a while not knowing what to do and eventually went back to sleep. Some time later I woke again and still saw it dangling down over my head.
Now, at the time I had no idea what was going on and I remember it very vividly. Looking back with my newly acquired knowledge I can see that I was clearly having one of these waking dream experiences. The first red flag is that upon waking and seeing a giant spider dangling in front of my face I just went back to sleep. I mean, come on I know I'm fairly laid back but that is ridiculous even for me. The second is that there was a giant spider there at all, let's face it, I live in the UK and unless I'm very much mistaken we don't have giant spiders. I hope that nowhere has spiders that big! And finally let's not forget it was covered in sparking blue jewels. Not the most common look for a spider as far as I know.
In some ways it's a bit of a shame to have an interesting and mysterious experience explained so prosaically, but I think it's always better to have a genuine explanation even if it makes life a little more mundane.
Showing posts with label scepticism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scepticism. Show all posts
Monday, 3 August 2009
Meditation Time Part II
After an unfortunate hiatus while the instructor looked after his sick daughter we're off again. This week was "Fire". I got on with this a lot better than the previous week(s) focus of water which to be honest didn't do much for me at all, no doubt my chakras are out of balance or something. This time we did a new breathing exercise which made me feel very hot and sweaty. Fortunately this is what's supposed to happen, I suppose the fire theme should have given me a clue.
Again though, my sceptical brain kicked in. While there's no denying the meditation had a definite physical effect I found it pretty hard to swallow the explanation about purifying Chi or whatever it was that was supposed to be happening. The breathing involved slowly taking a breath, compressing the lungful of air using your stomach muscles and holding it then breathing out slowly while maintaining the compression. It's a fairly hard isometric stomach exercise. Could the apparent heat generation be simply due to the effort involved in intensely contracting my muscles? In addition I have a vague recollection that breathing is one of the major ways heat is expelled from your body. Clearly if I'm right about that then taking around two breaths per minute rather than the more usual 10-12(ish) would have a significant impact on body temperature too.
Again, I'm not being overly critical about the course itself, you unfortunately have to expect that sort of thing on a meditation course. I'm also not trying to second guess and sneer at the instructor all the time. I'd just be more even more interested in it than I already am if there was an explanation of the genuine physical processes underlying what you can clearly feel going on in your body rather than some vaguely mystical almost certain nonsense.
Hmmm, there could be a book in that, "The Sceptical Meditator." Although the audience comprising the intersection of people who are both sceptical of new agey explanations and still interested in what, let's face it, are new agey practices is probably fairly small! I should probably point out I do draw the line there, meditation is pretty much my limit, it's relaxing, it makes you feel good and you can definitely feel "something". I put something in quotes because what you can actually feel isn't certain. You won't find me taking any courses in crystal healing or dowsing or any other blatant nonsense.
It's certainly interesting to me that I can make myself hot when I want to, it'll come in handy at the office since my desk is under an air conditioning vent. I suppose I'm just puzzled that firstly these clearly flimsy explanations get created and secondly that they get absorbed uncritically and then passed on as truths when even a modicum of thought would indicate there may be a more rational explanation. Presumably this is how religions start.
Now that I think about it it's not too different from some of the martial arts experiences I've had. In particular the Go (5th) Dan test I took in Japan. The test is very simple and has a digital pass/fail result. It comprises of you kneeling on the floor with your eyes closed while someone stands behind you with a shinai (bamboo training sword) at the ready. After a time (it seems like forever) and without warning the person attempts to smack you on the head with it. The test is that you have to move out of the way of the unseen strike. If you do, you pass, if you don't you fail and presumably you get a sore head into the bargain. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I think about it fairly regularly to this day. The official explanation is you are sensing and reacting to "the killer intention." The person administering the test is supposed to emit the feeling that they are really trying to kill you and apparently it won't work if this doesn't happen.
So, fair enough I moved at the appropriate time and passed the test, hooray for me. I certainly felt something - I heard a loud roaring sound and it felt as if someone had hosed me out of the way with a high pressure jet of hot water. I felt decidedly peculiar for the rest of the day. But what really happened? I have no idea sadly. As a senior (and presumably also slightly sceptical) student remarked at the time, "It's certainly a test, but a test of what?" I don't have a better explanation unfortunately but that doesn't mean I don't think there is one. I suppose I can vaguely consider that I heard it coming at a subconscious level or something similar. Who knows, perhaps I really did sense the killer intention. I'd love to do some proper testing but it's not something I'm in a position to do. Shame. So until then the best explanation I have is the one I was given. It doesn't mean I have to believe it unconditionally though.
Again though, my sceptical brain kicked in. While there's no denying the meditation had a definite physical effect I found it pretty hard to swallow the explanation about purifying Chi or whatever it was that was supposed to be happening. The breathing involved slowly taking a breath, compressing the lungful of air using your stomach muscles and holding it then breathing out slowly while maintaining the compression. It's a fairly hard isometric stomach exercise. Could the apparent heat generation be simply due to the effort involved in intensely contracting my muscles? In addition I have a vague recollection that breathing is one of the major ways heat is expelled from your body. Clearly if I'm right about that then taking around two breaths per minute rather than the more usual 10-12(ish) would have a significant impact on body temperature too.
Again, I'm not being overly critical about the course itself, you unfortunately have to expect that sort of thing on a meditation course. I'm also not trying to second guess and sneer at the instructor all the time. I'd just be more even more interested in it than I already am if there was an explanation of the genuine physical processes underlying what you can clearly feel going on in your body rather than some vaguely mystical almost certain nonsense.
Hmmm, there could be a book in that, "The Sceptical Meditator." Although the audience comprising the intersection of people who are both sceptical of new agey explanations and still interested in what, let's face it, are new agey practices is probably fairly small! I should probably point out I do draw the line there, meditation is pretty much my limit, it's relaxing, it makes you feel good and you can definitely feel "something". I put something in quotes because what you can actually feel isn't certain. You won't find me taking any courses in crystal healing or dowsing or
It's certainly interesting to me that I can make myself hot when I want to, it'll come in handy at the office since my desk is under an air conditioning vent. I suppose I'm just puzzled that firstly these clearly flimsy explanations get created and secondly that they get absorbed uncritically and then passed on as truths when even a modicum of thought would indicate there may be a more rational explanation. Presumably this is how religions start.
Now that I think about it it's not too different from some of the martial arts experiences I've had. In particular the Go (5th) Dan test I took in Japan. The test is very simple and has a digital pass/fail result. It comprises of you kneeling on the floor with your eyes closed while someone stands behind you with a shinai (bamboo training sword) at the ready. After a time (it seems like forever) and without warning the person attempts to smack you on the head with it. The test is that you have to move out of the way of the unseen strike. If you do, you pass, if you don't you fail and presumably you get a sore head into the bargain. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I think about it fairly regularly to this day. The official explanation is you are sensing and reacting to "the killer intention." The person administering the test is supposed to emit the feeling that they are really trying to kill you and apparently it won't work if this doesn't happen.
So, fair enough I moved at the appropriate time and passed the test, hooray for me. I certainly felt something - I heard a loud roaring sound and it felt as if someone had hosed me out of the way with a high pressure jet of hot water. I felt decidedly peculiar for the rest of the day. But what really happened? I have no idea sadly. As a senior (and presumably also slightly sceptical) student remarked at the time, "It's certainly a test, but a test of what?" I don't have a better explanation unfortunately but that doesn't mean I don't think there is one. I suppose I can vaguely consider that I heard it coming at a subconscious level or something similar. Who knows, perhaps I really did sense the killer intention. I'd love to do some proper testing but it's not something I'm in a position to do. Shame. So until then the best explanation I have is the one I was given. It doesn't mean I have to believe it unconditionally though.
Monday, 27 July 2009
Something To Get Your Teeth Into
The mystery of the Screaming Phoebe in the Nighttime has been solved. She's getting some more teeth through! Typically, it's not the set you're supposed to get next (upper incisors) or even the ones after that (upper lateral incisors) she's gone for the more avant-garde lower lateral incisors. Obviously she's not read the same book we have.
It does puzzle me somewhat that getting teeth is so painful and distressing. Well, sometimes, the first pair appeared with virtually no warning at all. I suppose it just goes to show that humans are the way they are due a (very) large chain of mutations and adaptations rather than, say, some big bloke with a white beard decreeing how things are supposed to be. Sorry to all the Deists out there - OK, I'm not sorry, but them's the facts. There's no point getting all upset about it because they will still be the facts regardless of what it says in whatever book you happen to believe in.
It does puzzle me somewhat that getting teeth is so painful and distressing. Well, sometimes, the first pair appeared with virtually no warning at all. I suppose it just goes to show that humans are the way they are due a (very) large chain of mutations and adaptations rather than, say, some big bloke with a white beard decreeing how things are supposed to be. Sorry to all the Deists out there - OK, I'm not sorry, but them's the facts. There's no point getting all upset about it because they will still be the facts regardless of what it says in whatever book you happen to believe in.
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