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I find this information to be disturbing, but probably true. I've been saying for a long time that many of us - at least at certain points in our life - are not totally in control of our own thoughts and actions. Influence from other dimensions is Omni present and sometimes it ramps up.

Now this is hard to discus because it is exactly what psychotics say (hearing voices, command hallucinations, thought transference, etc). So one risks appearing "crazy" if one even brings it up. If one delves into it too far, by way of exploration, one might risk becoming clinically crazy (I know, I've gotten to the edge of this precipice and backed off out of fear).

Yet, I think it's real. It's probably just a matter of degree of spirit influence separating a sane person from an insane person.

It's all challenging to talk about because we don't really know what it means to be a conscious entity. Once we get past the brain = consciousness paradigm, the possibilities open up very wide. Where then do our thoughts and feelings come from? All of us psychonauts have theories. It seems totally reasonable to me that those theories must include the influence of spirits, just as social psychology and sociology recognize and study the influence of normal human interactions on thinking and behavior.

Spooky spooky stuff when you really think about it.

Eric,
The lynchpin in all of this theorizing about the paranormal is whether or not spirit entities actually exist. Once there is irrefutable proof of an alternate reality with spirit inhabitants then everything else falls into place and a new world paradigm is established. - AOD

This is all starting to get very fuzzy. What is really going on here ? Is this and other cases similar to the "The Case of Clara" evidence of spirit possession, spirit harassment, spirit overshadowing, past lives, multiple personality disorder , dissociative identity disorder or what? It is getting more and more difficult to sort it all out.

Until it is proven that spirits really exist I think that it might be best to just assume that these are all cases of subconscious activity within the incarnate person. That is the least controversial explanation I suppose. It is difficult for me to accept that explanation in all cases because information provided by some of these alternate or dissociated personalities seems to be way beyond the knowledge of the person so afflicted. Just how are unlearned skills of language, music and art explained by an uneducated sub-consciousness. The Patience Worth/Pearl Curran case is a good example of knowledge that was far beyond the knowledge, abilities and interests of the 'medium' Pearl Curran.

The oft quoted opinion of Dr. Walter Franklin Prince regarding Patience Worth probably applies to these other cases too. Prince said at the end of his investigation of "The Case of Patience Worth" that "Either our concept of what we call the subconscious must be radically altered, so as to include potencies of which we hitherto have had no knowledge, or else some cause operating through but not originating in the subconscious of Mrs. Curran must be acknowledged."

So far the scientific community is not ready to acknowledged as fact that the cause of these manifestations of so-called possession in all of its forms and degrees is something outside of the subconscious mind of the one who is 'possessed '. I suppose there are some who would want to apply psi or "super-psi" as an explanation to these cases (since they apply it to everything else) but until such time that someone proves that "super-psi" really exists I think it is the least possible explanation of 'possession'. - AOD

AOD,
I have already personally obtained sufficient and irrefutable proof (irrefutable by any objective standards - a biased stubborn contrarian can refute anything).

Broadly speaking, there are three ways to interpret these cases:

1) The power of suggestion operating on the subconscious

2) Multiple personality disorder

3) Spirit harassment

Practitioners of spirit release therapy generally argue that as long as the technique provides beneficial results, at least in some cases, and doesn't do any harm, then it ought to be tried, especially when other, more conventional approaches have failed.

Michael,
Was there a reason you didn't include past lives as a way to interpret these cases?

Michael,
I wonder what the long term prognosis is. Does the spirit release therapy result in lasting significant improvement?

Multiple personality DO is extremely rare, as far as we know. So I'd rule that one out. Power of suggestion is a very real possibility. However, sometimes it's helpful to give a problem a name - in this case quite literally.

"Was there a reason you didn't include past lives as a way to interpret these cases?" - AOD

It didn’t really occur to me. The Clara case wouldn’t seem consistent with past lives, given the timelines and narratives. Neither would most of Wickland's cases, I think.

"Does the spirit release therapy result in lasting significant improvement?" - Eric

In this case the improvement reportedly lasted at least nine years. After that, Sanderson lost touch with his former patient.

I agree. Interesting and very much reminiscent of Carl Wickland’s work. It’s a brave thing to do for a mental health professional these days. What it lacks (based on the post) is evidential content but I guess alleviating the patient’s condition is the most important objective.

"...[A]lleviating the patient's condition [symptoms]" has often been done with post hypnotic suggestions. No spirits are required to be sent to the light.

Have lasting cures been accomplished with post-hypnotic suggestion? I think hypnosis is a more powerful technique than generally recognized, but I’m not sure it provides longterm results unless the suggestion is constantly reinforced by new sessions.

I haven’t heard of hypnosis as a treatment for depression (though maybe I’m just not aware of it). It can be used to treat certain addictions (mainly cigarette smoking) and mild phobias. I’m doubtful that it would cure severe problems. Certainly I’ve never heard of hypnosis as a practical treatment for schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder.

I have murderers in my head, as my deceased dad says. They constantly give me the wrong information. When I run at the gym, they say " a long way to run" and " you are tired". Now my guide has come in, and when they say it, he over rides them, and says " a short way to run".
So I'm thankful for him. They are so annoying and tell me what to do each day. Lyn x

They certainly seem to have been. I’m working my way through Guy Lyon Playfairs book. As for permanent cures it hard to tell stories far as follow up seems sketchy.

I am not that familiar with all of the hypnosis literature to know if lasting or long-term cures have been achieved using hypnosis. Hypnosis has been used as an adjunct when treating behavioral symptoms, often in addition to other forms of talk therapy. Continuing effectiveness apparently depends upon using self-hypnosis after the initial 'cure'. A search of the internet reveals its use with depression and anxiety and apparently schizophrenia. Classically it was used for childbirth and some types of surgery to alleviate pain and may still be used for those purposes today. I don't know since I don't follow the hypnosis literature.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0012582/

I have received training in hypnosis and became a certified hypnotist several years ago but continuing the certification required multiple attendance at hypnosis conferences which I just couldn't afford nor did I have the time or inclination to attend them. So, I am no longer certified as a hypnotist. One thing that I did learn in the hypnosis training is that a "hypnotized' client is not as dramatic as depicted in movies, YouTube and in some of the classic literature. During the training classes all of the hypnotized subjects appeared to attain a very light level of hypnosis but I suspect that they were not in any kind of trance or dissociation at all. They were relaxed apparently however and responded freely to the hypnotist. A deep level of hypnosis is not easy to attain I believe and I believe that it is at this level that any possible "cures" of illness, mental or otherwise as well as accounts of harassing spirits and/or past lives are achieved.

Personally I think that "hypnosis therapy" can be a 'scammy' sort of therapy practiced by people such as me who just get quickly certified and want to play around with it and may be more interested in past lives than in curing anyone of disease .

Those who want more background in hypnosis, possession, dissociation and other personality anomalies would be well to read the classic "The Dissociation Of A Personality" by Morton Prince. This is the classic account of multiple personalities of Clara Norton Fowler (Ms. Beauchamp). If one reads this book with an inquiring mind one might find many reasons to think that Prince's 550 page study was a pas de deux between Dr. Prince and the nubile Ms. Fowler. It is just too much for me to describe but I don't think that this study of Prince of multiple personality deserves the acclaim it has been given (probably by people who have not read all 550 pages of it). Unfortunately Prince's study has be used to set the diagnosis of 'multiple personality disorder' which has now been given the politically correct name of 'dissociative identity disorder'. - AOD

https://www.amazon.com/Dissociation-Personality-Biographical-Abnormal-Psychology/dp/B008QOTYBS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1530544910&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Dissociation+of+a+Personality&dpID=51TTMzciCML&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

http://skepticism.org/timeline/april-history/5047-morton-prince-hypnotizes-patient-who-displays-multiple-personalities.html

Here is a picture and a little information about Dr. Morton Prince. Some of you who have a talent for reading faces might have some thoughts about Dr. Prince. - AOD

I don’t understand the comment about reading Prince's face. Can you clarify?

The portrait looks pretty ordinary to me.

Michael,
Aargh!!!I was hoping nobody would ask me to explain. Let me wait until I get home so I won't dig myself in deeper. I will need to comment carefully about this so I don't seem like an idiot! (Which I probably am!) - AOD

Funnily enough I’m qualified as a hypnotherapist as well. Small world.

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