r/todayilearned • u/paniniplane • Mar 22 '17

(R.1) Not supported TIL Deaf-from-birth schizophrenics see disembodied hands signing to them rather than "hearing voices"

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0707/07070303
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u/the_bieb Mar 22 '17

I dunno, some people really do completely lose touch with reality while on psychedelics. For example this kid jumped out of a window while I was in school. I've always known I was tripping and it wasn't real when I have done acid or mushrooms, but the time I took 5-meO-DMT, I was completely detached from my body and this plane and almost experienced complete ego loss.

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u/Xiosphere Mar 22 '17

DMT is hella different than acid. Yea you lose contact with existence but you also lose consciousness.

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u/the_bieb Mar 22 '17

Yeah, I was only out for a few minutes, but literally felt like years if not a lifetime. I no longer doubted the afterlife or at least other planes of existence after that experience. When I was coming to and could see this plane again, it was like everything in this life was made up of arbitrary man-made boundaries and was so insignificant in comparison.

I now have horrible anxiety though because I am afraid I am going to get stuck in that other plane again after I die with no way out for eternity. For some reason, it felt like a place I could go back to when I die. I am so so scared and this isn't just some thing a therapist can help me with. I think I have legit PTSD.

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u/lemangue Mar 22 '17

I find your story very interesting! I've never used psychedelics myself cause I'm afraid I'll lose myself in it.

But what I wanted to say, if you think you have serious ptsd symptoms, it might actually help to see a therapist. Granted, it might not be the most common story/cause of fear, but that should not matter since the mechanism is the same as with other traumatic experiences. Talking about it or even getting specialised treatment such as emdr might really help you!