6 replies to this topic

[Vampchick21]

This is something that has been bubbling in the back of my mind for a while now.

 

And let’s start with a clarification – when I say Prescription medication – I mean medication prescribed by a doctor to a patient who needs it to treat their condition, short or long term, I am not talking about those unfortunate souls who abuse prescription medication (either obtained through legal means and becoming addicted or addicts who obtain it through illegal means). 

 

My father was diagnosed about 12 years ago with Parkinson’s, and takes a rather varied number of prescription medications to treat this neurological disorder and it’s symptoms, and last year had Deep Brain Stimulation surgery (effectively having metal rods inserted into his brain, attached to electrodes under the skin, the pulses help to treat many of the symptoms once they’ve been properly calibrated for the patient, but doctors don’t fully understand how or why).

 

I have noticed several changes in my father since the diagnosis, he tends to get obsessive now, not in a negative or dangerous way, but it’s a little weird at times, and he has suffered more than once delusions, and I think once or twice hallucinations, which I know is side effects from various medications he needs to take – it’s already known that some patients develop gambling addictions.  I should also point out that my father has and does suffer from clinical depression – he’s currently fighting this right now and had his anti-depressants increased to help him.  He’s never defined any of this as paranormal, nor claimed paranormal.  Frankly, despite his Catholic faith, he DOES NOT believe in ghosts and considers it utter nonsense.

 

So this has led me to thinking/wondering – the correlation between certain prescription medications and paranormal experiences.  Would the medication create a chemical reaction in the brain that makes the patient think that a delusion or hallucination is a genuine paranormal experience or would it actually be opening up the patient and making them more receptive to a genuine paranormal experience?  Would, say, heart medication affect a person’s perceptions of such an event differently than one of the neurological medications such as those my father takes?  What about muscle relaxants or heavy pain killers?

 

I know the first reaction is going to be it’s just a chemical reaction in the brain and the patient is experiencing a hallucination, but are we really 100% sure of that?  If someone has never once experienced anything paranormal or spiritual until they were prescribed medication to treat something.  Maybe the chemical reaction doesn’t create a hallucination, it’s opening a pathway?  Not sure how to word that.

 

Thoughts?

 

(Note that I myself have taken muscle relaxants to treat a vicious case of whiplash – I only felt like a living zombie and did not experience anything paranormal, genuine or otherwise)

 

[CantaloupePhil]

Having been around people that have been on both medications, I can say in my very narrow little smidge of experience that that has not been the case.  That of course is probably pretty insignificant of a test sample

 

I would think it could warrant further study and would not be surprised if there was one already.  

[canuck]

Vamp:

I am somewhat confused as to what your point is.

 

Are you saying that certain medications are responsible for paranormal experiences?

If so, how do you account for the fact that such experiences are reported throughout history, prior to any of these medications existence. Also, they are reported from numerous societies which do not have access to such medications.

 

Having said that, are you suggesting that the paranormal experience is a singular event, with a single cause?

 

Why can't there be legitimate paranormal experiences, caused by actual paranormal triggers, and "artificial" experiences induced by pharmaceuticals?

 

The two may be subjectively the same to the observer, but objectively entirely different.

 

Please explain?

[Vampchick21]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I was at work when I posted, and constant interruptions derailed my thought train.

 

I'm not saying that medications are responsible for paranormal experiences.  I'm wondering if, in some people, some medications might open them up when they weren't before. 

 

I'm really not sure how to clearly explain what I'm pondering actually. 

[canuck]

The problem here is that we do not know what a "paranormal experience" is.

Is it interior to the mind? Or is it exterior? Is it a biochemical aberration of the brain? Is it a psychotic episode? Or is it the hand of God?

Since we know nothing, we cannot say anything about what a pharmaceutical may, or may not,  do in relation to that.

Unfortunately, given the dismal state of "science" at present we are not likely to have any answers to any of our questions any time soon.

Very sad state of affairs.

[greg_dragonlvr]

It is true that science at this point is useless at explaining the paranormal.  On the flip side, it does a dismal job at explaining gravity.  If the criteria for a fact is rock solid scientific proof, then most of our universe is illusion.  But we do the best we can with what we have.  My criteria for a valid paranormal event is from Sir Conan Doyle “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”.  There is the problem with meds and prescriptions.  Unfortunately, that is something we sneak a look during an initial walk through is the medicine cabinet.  While not a pharmacist, have noted increased reports of events when medication is involved.  You can with some degree of confidence eliminate the UFO's in the bedroom (for real!).  But much of the reported activity with medicated clients never does produce any evidence. And I get that evidence is a subjective topic, but this includes historical and documented/recorded items for the location or the client.

Edited by greg_dragonlvr, 05 October 2015 - 08:45 AM.

[canuck]

Yes, all true.

 

But my point regarding "science" is that it has long since moved from being the search for "truth", to being just an instrument for perpetuating ideologically based dogma. A case in point is the fraud of "climate science".

 

In our current environment, if a particular pressure group says black is white, then black is white. In this regard, take note of my posting in another thread here, in which I reproduce a snip from an Australian blog which reports on several Australian universities which are banning speakers who do not conform to their ideologically driven dogma.

 

Apply this to the paranormal, and you will find the entire concept rejected and ridiculed out of hand. This, despite the fact that numerous credible studies have been conducted which suggest that the phenomenon is real. The next logical step should be the investigation into what exactly is the physical basis for those phenomena.

To date, I am not aware of any credible objective studies which have been conducted to investigate this. It is ideologically politically incorrect, and no researcher is going to risk their career in pursuing this.

 

So, given the current anti intellectual, ideologically driven, climate in "science", I don't see that changing any time soon.