Regarding thoughts

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

1. I am psychic and can sort of read minds

2. I am observant and create a mental model based on the plethora of non-verbal cues coming from a person.

If (1) I suggest develop the skill.You'll bet first person to do so.You'll make a fortune.


Occam's razor suggests (2) is more likely.


I am not naturally very empathic. However empathy can be taught to some degree.I actually did a course on it during my training as a Lifeline counselor.

The course was called 'Advanced Accurrate Empathy' (no really) It was based on the premise that few people are capable of accurately identifying what they are feeling at any given moment. In our society we use one feeling to masks others; EG women will typically exhibit sadness rather than anger,a man will exhibit anger rather than fear or sadness.(rule of thumb only) We learned how to uncover what a person is really feeling.Often very hard, especially with teens.

I envy you your ability, I hope you keep and develop it,as it will be of great sue all your life.--right now it might enable you to tell if another person is really interested in you and/or what you are saying..

[Rhizomorph13]

Padraic,

The problem with my, "ablity" is determining which of my perceptions is true and which is hallucination. There are three specific tactics I have employed when honing this skill:

1. I spent a lot of time just blurting questions to people about the things I was feeling and got mixed results and many people balking at the questions claiming they were too personal, which they probably were.

2. I made it a party game where I just ran about cold reading people, it was a gas!

3. I try to keep what I know about people seperate from what I infer about people and move inferences into knowledge only when there is sufficient evidence to support it.

The problem with one is that it was wholly reliant upon people a) knowing the truth about themselves and b) having a willingness to open up to me about very personal things. I've developed a personality such that people usually will open up to me. I regularly receive puzzled looks paired with a statement of, "Gee, I don't normally open up this much to people." Still it is hard to know which of my impressions are "true."

Number 2 came about because I had written off ALL validity to what I was feeling and figured I would just have fun at parties. The only problem with being a convincing psychic at a party is that you WILL unearth truths about people and even though your sense impression might be false or just a shot in the dark the tears people cry will be real and causing pain in a party setting is a social faux pas I would rather avoid.

Number three seems to be the best approach and dissuads me from taking any actions based only on inferences but provides a small edge when dealing with people.

Rhizo