Fear of Psychic Powers

Blue Jay, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 12:14 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 12:13 PM

Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 95 Join Date: 1/19/14 Recent Posts
I've been having fear of developing psychic powers, as if it's an inevitable consequence of the progress of insight. I'm fairly certain I'm going back and forth between reobservation and equanimity, before 3rd path. I feel like I'm on the verge of seeing ghosts and stuff like that. Because I had mental health problems in the past, I fear I can mistake mental illness with authentic psychic powers, or get the two confused. I don't want to develop any psychic powers now. I know it seems silly, but I think anyone with a really bad experience like that in the past can understand. I've been having nightmares for a few months now, and a lot of them are about this.

Should I even be worried? Is there anything I should do?
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water drop, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 1:18 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 1:18 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 91 Join Date: 1/16/15 Recent Posts
Hi

everyone should have a teacher  - people without any mental problems should have a teacher - those who do have mental problems need a teacher even more

and reading about your situation it would seem you can benifit a lot from a teacher -  do you have any theravada teachers near by ? (except from the dhammakaya cult which isnt good)
Blue Jay, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 3:40 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 3:40 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 95 Join Date: 1/19/14 Recent Posts
Pawel K,

I'm afraid of any power really, because all of them could be mistaken for plain and simple madness.

But the fear that bothers me is either seeing or hearing ghosts, demons and devas.

Even though I had mental health problems in the past, I feel most of these are permanently gone. Still, I feel insecure.

Water Loop,

I do not have a teacher but this weekend I'll meet with theravadin monks and I'll go from there. Nevertheless, I would apreciate further advice.

Thank you both.
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Not Tao, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:07 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:05 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 995 Join Date: 4/5/14 Recent Posts
Why not develop metta for ghosts and demons?  Then if you see them, even if it's a bout of madness, it won't distub you.  You could even teach them the dharma. emoticon

Maybe watch some horror movies and try to understand the point of view of the axe murderer or killer clown with compassion.  Metta for the other unpleasant things and people in your life will also make a big impact on your tranquility.
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water drop, modified 9 Years ago at 1/29/15 4:53 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:13 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 91 Join Date: 1/16/15 Recent Posts
I am talking about a regular teacher someone who can see how you advance over time  not just someone you meet once in a while but someone that can be availabe for a question in a short notice in case some problem arises  a teacher like that can tell you if your actually advancing or you are going crazy -    plus a teacher can help you adjust your practice so that you advance faster  so its not only preventing negative stuff but a teacher can help you more

late edit : of course metting a teacher only for one single time is better than not seeing one at all
 
Blue Jay, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:50 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:50 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 95 Join Date: 1/19/14 Recent Posts
water drop:
I am talking about a regular teacher someone who can see how you advance over time  not just someone you meet once in a while but someone that can be availabe for a question in a short notice in case some problem arises  a teacher like that can tell you if your actually advancing or you are going crazy -    plus a teacher can help you adjust your practice so that you advance faster  so its not only preventing negative stuff but a teacher can help you more

 
I see. That's kind of what I meant by "and then I'll go from there", but your specific advice is precious.

To give a little bit of context, the first big and unreasonable fear I had was precisely about ghosts. After SE the fears were weakened to such an extent that they no longer could make me lose control, even if they disturb me. After that, they have been disapearing one by one. I am left with the primal stuff. I am realising that this is just another instance of trying to control what happens, so there's not much I can do, emotionaly, to prevent psychic powers from arising.

The initial intention was to find advice like making a strong resolution not to develop them for example. Or to focus the attention on a suitable object, or to eat pizza and drink beer for a day or two.

PS: in the previous post I wrote Water Loop, instead of Water Drop. Sorry.
x x, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:53 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 6:50 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 122 Join Date: 8/18/13 Recent Posts
Blue Jay,

This is a really interesting domain of practice. I'm also a little gun shy of getting into powers and psychic stuff, just because I'm really aware of my weaknesses and I'm humbled by the possibilities of screwing up.

There's a few things you can do... you can set the intention "may I only get into psychic powers if I'm able to use them for the benefit of all beings, including myself". All beings will support you in this vow.

Alternatively, it is also possible that you can say "may I be given NO psychic powers until I am able to use for the benefit of all beings, including myself"

Hopefully these statements give you ideas on how to be involved with what happens in your practice. Best wishes!

(Sorry for the EDITS)
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Eric M W, modified 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 7:38 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 7:38 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 288 Join Date: 3/19/14 Recent Posts
Hey Blue Jay,

What exactly would you say that the difference is between "simple madness" and the powers? This question gets into all sorts of complex territory like consensus reality vs. non, the relationship between physical and non-physical reality, and so on. I will point out that people who suffer from mental illness experience powersy things in involuntary, non-lucid ways, but one who practices the powers is experiencing these things in volntary and lucid ways. 

While powers can crop up in the progress of insight, you are largely in control. you could make strong resolutions not to experience the powers. I had some trouble with visions intruding when I practiced vipassana a while ago, and Daniel recommended I make a resolution to see the three characteristics of any vision that arises.

As for the ghosts fear, I definitely understand that. I used to live in an apartment complex that used to be a hospital. It got pretty hard to sleep at night-- the bangs, the foot steps, the whispers, the doors opening on their own. I didn't have any psychic ability at all, but I got stuck with ghosts anyway. Thankfully we moved.
Blue Jay, modified 9 Years ago at 1/29/15 8:44 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/28/15 8:05 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 95 Join Date: 1/19/14 Recent Posts
X_X Those are excelent resolutions! emoticon _()_


Eric M W,

I guess it really is complex territory. But to use an example, if I were to see a demon, it could be an actual demon, or a projection of my repressed anger to the exterior. That happened to a nun depicted in the documentary "Amongst White Clouds". That demon was a form of madness, not an actual demon. I don't want to get lost between madness and psychic powers.

This will sound totaly douchy, and I'm sorry, but it's true. The problem is that I am too perceptive now. I can see if a person is on antidepressants, for example. I can distinguish the type of drug a person is on just by looking at his eyes. It bothers me to know these things and I cannot unknow them. I avoid looking people in the eyes because of this. It's not like I can know people's thoughts and memories, like passwords, or secrets, or specific information. It's all emotion and mood. But I shouldn't have this power with so little wisdom. But there's also a side of me that doesn't want to lose this ability, because I may have to use it to defend myself in an extreme situation. I've already screwd up just with this mild psychic ability. Who knows what can happen with full blown psychic powers? It's scary.

I'll try the resolutions X_X suggested.
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Nicky, modified 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 4:48 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 4:41 AM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 484 Join Date: 8/2/14 Recent Posts
Blue Jay:
I've been having fear of developing psychic powers, as if it's an inevitable consequence of the progress of insight. I'm fairly certain I'm going back and forth between reobservation and equanimity, before 3rd path. I feel like I'm on the verge of seeing ghosts and stuff like that. Because I had mental health problems in the past, I fear I can mistake mental illness with authentic psychic powers, or get the two confused. I don't want to develop any psychic powers now. I know it seems silly, but I think anyone with a really bad experience like that in the past can understand. I've been having nightmares for a few months now, and a lot of them are about this.

Should I even be worried? Is there anything I should do?

The path of development is generally very forgiving. I would suggest the mind must develop a lot of equinimity before it develops psychic powers.

However, not all enlightened people develop psychic powers. For psychic powers to develop, there must be a latent disposition. For example, the arahant disciple of the Buddha that had the most lucid clear insight was Sariputta. But Sariputta had zero psychic powers.

Trust in the dhamma. emoticon
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Alesh Vyhnal, modified 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 9:36 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 9:36 AM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 130 Join Date: 2/14/13 Recent Posts
If you see ghosts you should take antipsychotic medication. My friend, who suffers from schizophrenia, also saw dead people and he even talked to them. Now, he is taking aripirazol and olanzapine and he is delusion and hallucinations free.
Blue Jay, modified 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 10:01 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 10:01 AM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 95 Join Date: 1/19/14 Recent Posts
Alesh Vyhnal:
If you see ghosts you should take antipsychotic medication. My friend, who suffers from schizophrenia, also saw dead people and he even talked to them. Now, he is taking aripirazol and olanzapine and he is delusion and hallucinations free.
I apreciate your advice and worry and I thank you for it. But you are giving your advice starting with the belief that there is no such thing as ghosts. Even if you don't realise it, that's more harmful than useful.
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Alesh Vyhnal, modified 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 12:09 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 1/30/15 12:09 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 130 Join Date: 2/14/13 Recent Posts
Thank you for your answer. I take antipsychotic medication myself. I suffer from organic brain disease, lyme neuroborreliosis. I had delusional ideation some 12 years agoand many other neurological symptoms. Now I take 25mg escitalopram, 200mg amisulpride, 1mg clonazepam and other medications to control blood pressure and blood thinners (which also cross the blood-brain barrier). I have to take it since after the neuroinfection I have a certain degree of brain damage. To my best knowledge, there really are no ghosts or "psychic powers". Look at what Daniel describes in MCTB, seeing with closed eyes. These are so called extracampine hallucinations. Nothing more.
Tom Tom, modified 9 Years ago at 2/1/15 9:49 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 2/1/15 9:32 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 466 Join Date: 9/19/09 Recent Posts
Hi,

Try taking niacin (nicotinic acid - unrelated to nicotine).  See this website: http://www.doctoryourself.com/review_hoffer_B3.html for a brief summary.

I am not at all suggesting you have schizophrenia, but relativey high dose niacin has the property of grounding consciousness in the body and repairing imbalances and broken connections between spirit/astral-space and the body/physical space.  The safest and most effective form is the ordinary immediate-release flush-kind that is found on the internet, but not usually sold in stores.  Also take high-dose vitamin C.


a teacher like that can tell you if your actually advancing or you are going crazy


These are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Alexander Rice, modified 9 Years ago at 3/7/15 12:33 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 3/7/15 12:32 PM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 36 Join Date: 2/20/15 Recent Posts
I think this should stabilise with 3rd path. In the process of getting 3rd path I found that I have control over how 'hallucinatory' / 'empty' or solid I percieve the world to be and can adjust as necessary. If I'm feeling ungrounded I just make sure to notice the solidity/sensuousness of things around me for a bit, whereas if I'm having trouble the persistant annoying objects like difficult emotions or tension headaches I go the other way and try to turn my mind in on itself more -- if I say the word 'imagine' to myself a few times and notice what my mind does in response that's triggers the same feeling. And if I work on making my mind do that everything develops a sligth visual overlay of tv noise and then gradually starts to beome more transparent.
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SeTyR ZeN, modified 9 Years ago at 3/8/15 1:49 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 3/8/15 1:49 AM

RE: Fear of Psychic Powers

Posts: 113 Join Date: 9/9/14 Recent Posts
Hi, for the niacin advice, i second that.
Even easier is to eat (grinded) 2 to 3 seeds of a fresh apple. it contains enough niacin for a daily dose and as for everything else, don't over-do it; have a 10day niacin cure, then stop for a while, and do it again if necessary or once in a while.

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