"Empathy" on Unwated Steroids

Radiantshadow

Radiantshadow

Urban shaman
MBTI
Human
Enneagram
Human
When I look at other humans (it doesn't work when I look at myself in a mirror, unfortunately), I see formations of light around them. Differing shapes, sizes, color, depth, movement - all mean something different. From these structures I receive visions (usually floating around the person) about the individual(s) being looked at. Things "no one else knows" and all that jazz; it's tiresome. I do not like being voyeuristic, I don't give a damn about their past or fears or whatever I happen to see. I honestly don't know if I am still mentally stable, but the lights seem to be ingrained into my vision. I can't remember a time when I didn't see them once I reached 13 years of age (when I first noticed them).

Because of this...abnormality, crowded areas give me ridiculous headaches. Not a few times I have collapsed under a barrage of swirling colors when packed into highly-populated areas (like school halls during class changes). I stopped caring about the strange looks and pity I receive when this happens - I just want to know if there's any way to control it, regulate it, partition my mind. Anything at all, if anyone has experienced this?

(No, I do not take any form of medication, suffer from any deficiencies aside from insomnia, ingest any iota of drugs or drinks, nor am I emotionally unhealthy or deranged aside from occasional existential querying)

I have found another who can touch others and receive physical sensations according to their emotional state (i.e, pain feels like she's rubbing against burlap), but gets nothing with just her sight. The only remedy I've found is closing my eyes, which is obviously not an option 24/7. I've considered asking a doctor to scan my neural circuitry, if that's even possible?

I understand that INFJs are supposed to "get" people, but this level of understanding is unnecessary and unwanted. I tire of living as a slave to others' psyches, and I cannot ignore the images in the air and in my mind.

I feel like an attention-whore for posting three (four?) self-help threads since I joined a mere 100 posts ago, but I do not know what else to do - family has no idea and psychiatrists tell me I'm mentally stable.

/end RAGE

(I didn't know what to put this under, as it isn't exactly emotional support or hugs I want, nor is it philosophical; move it if it belongs elsewhere)

edit: title should include "unwanted" instead of "unwated"
 
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Interesting.
What colors/shapes/etc are commonly associated with a particular emotion or status?
What kind of visions and how in depth? How do you know you are correct and not imagining this?
What do psychiatrists say when you tell them of this ability?
 
The variations are many and complex, I couldn't list them all.
Visions are like looking at memories, sort of. I see what they see/saw,
though I'm not cognizant of their thoughts of course. Snapshot images.
I know because I have described some of the things I see to friends,
and their jaws usually drop and they ask, "How'd you know that?"
or, "That's exactly what I was trying to say!"

Shrinks tell me they have no idea, aside from a neurological mis-wiring,
or something like that. Uhm, my guess is the area of the brain that
stimulates compassion or whatever is over-developed or something,
I don't know (not to say I'm uber compassionate, just that it might
be connected). I want it gone, or at least manageable.
 
Depending on if you're always correct or not, it could be a really nifty form of Synesthesia + Intuition
 
Example from today:

Woman was walking next to me on a street of my city,
I saw a few-inch deep rainbow of dark blue, black, deep purple, and
angry red dancing around her torso. They swirled together
and formed an image of her getting beaten by a large male -
this was confirmed when I heard her quietly call someone and
explain a situation that contained this content.
 
But things that you are seeing and retelling to friends could potentially be stories they told you in the past...
Has a stranger ever been able to verify it?

I guess anything is possible.. Synesthesia and intuition like Reon mentioned seem plausible..
How could it be physically possible for your brain to be wired to acquire the memories of other people?
These are not physically transferable things.

Anyway, if whatever is going on with you is causing you distress I hope you're able to figure out how to control it to make it bearable.
 
I see music -- isn't that a form of Synesthesia?
 
But things that you are seeing and retelling to friends could potentially be stories they told you in the past...
Has a stranger ever been able to verify it?

I guess anything is possible.. Synesthesia and intuition like Reon mentioned seem plausible..
How could it be physically possible for your brain to be wired to acquire the memories of other people?
These are not physically transferable things.
Click to expand...

How could the images be exact replicas? I have drawn a few items of what i've seen to test this
and they have said it was dead-on. I did one of a classmate I hadn't ever spoken to and showed it to him,
he was shocked and asked when I had stalked him. Awkward, but verified.

To your other questions: I don't know. I dont know if they're memories or just impressions
of anothers' emotions, perhaps the brain is narrowing down possibilites? I really dont know
 
It's cool.
Seriously. Hope you figure it out, control it, and enjoy it.

I've never experienced anything like that.. The most uncanny premonitions I receive are from dreams... and that's only once in great while..
And I chalk that up to my subconscious/intuitive mind filtering out information about a person, and then coming up with a likely scenario...even then it's never been very specific . It was all symbolic or the person in my dream would just tell me something.
 
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Seraphim said:
True, but what if some people were capable of sensing and interpreting the energy produced by certain thoughts/emotions? I know that sounds really vague and New Age-y, but that's hard to avoid when speculating about things not currently measurable by science. :P
Click to expand...
Good point.
 
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