Buried Memories

[Age]

Going into more detail, since this is an interesting area of exploration, my claustrophobia, although I hesitate to use that word as it's not particularly pronounced in everyday life, also manifests in dreams. I sometimes have dreams about being inside tunnels, for example. There's usually some sort of gap, too, that I have to climb across, or rather down, since it's always descending. The actual dreams vary in detail, but the feeling is always the same, and in that sense, they are recurring. There's always something odd about the angles too, either in the shape of the enclosed space itself, or in the configuration of the gap and how I have to climb over it. That's actually quite difficult to explain and the layout is not usually something that could exist in the real world.

I wouldn't call these dreams nightmares, though. I don't really have nightmares, in the sense of a dream that actually scares me. They do, of course, make me feel uneasy, and tend to come in bursts, too. I might go for ages without having one then a few come along in quick succession. This is also true of dreams in general.

I've had these types of dreams for as long as I can remember, so it's always possible that they derive from some specific incident from childhood that I've completely forgotten about.

I have dreams where I am late and have a lot to do, and I have to be somewhere but can't find my vehicle, which is usually a truck -I used to drive for a living- and I'm just floundering about, getting nowhere. Like you say, not nightmares, but they leave me feeling uncomfortable. I feel those dreams are telling me something about myself, but I can only half figure out what it is. I don't think they have anything to do with any childhood incident, though.

Sounds similar to another set of dreams that I have, about trying to find something, but never quite being able to. The thing itself can vary, and is sometimes a person, but the feeling, the emotional content of the dream, is always the same.

Which is a bit like 'you', human beings, ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR some 'thing', which 'you' 'KNOW' exists, but just can NOT YET FIND, nor UNCOVER.

In other words, always SEEKING answers but just not being able to OBTAIN 'them'.

[Age]

I have dreams where I am late and have a lot to do, and I have to be somewhere but can't find my vehicle, which is usually a truck -I used to drive for a living- and I'm just floundering about, getting nowhere. Like you say, not nightmares, but they leave me feeling uncomfortable. I feel those dreams are telling me something about myself, but I can only half figure out what it is. I don't think they have anything to do with any childhood incident, though.

Sounds similar to another set of dreams that I have, about trying to find something, but never quite being able to. The thing itself can vary, and is sometimes a person, but the feeling, the emotional content of the dream, is always the same.

Yes, there is a common theme, and they always cause the same emotional state when I wake up. I would say the dreams are mainly characterised by the sense of helplessness and lack of control they bring about. I really don't like how they leave me feeling.

The 'emotions' of 'sense of helplessness' or 'lack of control' are just SIGNS of what NEEDS CHANGING.

[Age]

Sounds similar to another set of dreams that I have, about trying to find something, but never quite being able to. The thing itself can vary, and is sometimes a person, but the feeling, the emotional content of the dream, is always the same.

Yes, there is a common theme, and they always cause the same emotional state when I wake up. I would say the dreams are mainly characterised by the sense of helplessness and lack of control they bring about. I really don't like how they leave me feeling.

The dreams are no doubt based on a natural anxiety about important things in our everyday lives that could go wrong.

IF 'you' are going to INTERPRET 'those dreams' to be in relation TO 'you', or a select few people around 'you', ONLY, then 'you' will NEVER WORK OUT 'the dreams'.

Has it NOT been a 'natural anxiety', or better worded a 'natural inquisitiveness' of the human species to BE, continually, LOOKING FOR or the SEEKING OUT OF ANSWERS? And NOT just ANSWERS to non meaningful 'things' but ANSWERS TO the Truly MEANINGFUL and/or IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, in Life?

[Age]

Yes, there is a common theme, and they always cause the same emotional state when I wake up. I would say the dreams are mainly characterised by the sense of helplessness and lack of control they bring about. I really don't like how they leave me feeling.

The dreams are no doubt based on a natural anxiety about important things in our everyday lives that could go wrong.

I get the feeling that mine are more to do with something about myself that I'm not happy with.

Which would be and IS the SAME 'thing' ABOUT ALL "others", which ALL are NOT happy ABOUT.

[Age]

I get the feeling that mine are more to do with something about myself that I'm not happy with.

But you're not sure what, exactly?

I think it's probably my subconscious telling me I need to take more control of my life.

BUT 'you' can NOT take MORE 'control', NOR ANY REAL 'control', when 'you' have NOT YET LEARNED and UNDERSTOOD WHO and WHAT 'you' ARE, EXACTLY.

Things just tend to happen to me, rather than my making things happen, as I drift through life.

One reason for this is because of that BELIEF 'of yours, within, that Everything just HAPPENED, and thus also JUST HAPPENS, BY 'chance'.

[Age]

There are many strange people posting on this forum, and I thought it might be interesting to ask if any of them could account for it.

It’s been said that the military attracts youth from dysfunctional families. Does philosophy, or this forum, attract strange people more than other kinds?

But considering the replies SO FAR NONE of 'you', 'human respondents', here even imagine that 'you' COULD BE 'strange', let alone even imagining that 'you' ARE 'strange'.

Which is quite interesting considering some of the ASSUMPTIONS, BELIEFS, and CLAIMS, which are made by EVERY one here.

[Age]

When I was very young I was quite badly bitten by my best friend’s pet tortoise, and it left me with a lifelong phobia of anything that lives in a shell. Some things that happen to us in childhood can stay with us all our lives, and significantly influence our adult personalities and behaviour. In some instances of childhood trauma, it seems we can somehow block the incident from our conscious memory, but it stays buried deep in our psyche, and can manifest in all sorts of strange ways in later life. I often wonder what might have happened to me when I was a child, that I cannot remember.

There are many strange people posting on this forum, and I thought it might be interesting to ask if any of them could account for it.

As I came to midlife, I recalled many instances in my youth or even infancy when I witnessed trauma or experienced a deeply impactful event.

But most people are not self-conscious or self-aware of the causes to their own traumas, so like you say, they become 'buried'. Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, and Psychology in general is used to locate and identify such traumas in individuals who become hung-up or 'stuck' on past traumas. Without professional help, the general population develop unhealthy 'fixations' on past trauma which lead to various forms of mental illness. Drug addiction is a primary indication of this. Other addictions tend to follow from trauma, but not always. Addiction can be a way a person 'copes' with a series of negative life experiences, finding salvation in the pain-relief and euphoria of drugs which they do not receive from "healthy" sources in life.

As for my own fears, I would only expose that to those I trust and respect, otherwise vengeful and miserable people will merely use them against you.

Here is ANOTHER example of 'self-reflection', or SEEING in "others" in what just 'oneself' does.

Which is why it is unwise to lower your defenses to the general public.

Here we have ABSOLUTE PROOF of just how BAD 'societies' had become, in the days when this was being written.

Strangers often do not have your best interests in mind.

What can be CLEARLY SEEN here is just how MUCH 'FEAR' can make a 'bad situation' WORSE.

[Age]

There are many strange people posting on this forum, and I thought it might be interesting to ask if any of them could account for it.

It’s been said that the military attracts youth from dysfunctional families. Does philosophy, or this forum, attract strange people more than other kinds?

No moderation. The percentages are different from The Philosophy Forum where moderation is much more active.

I think philosophy also attracts more unique approaches to communication and thinking. I doubt forums discussing classic cars have as many odd styles of communication appearing.

Considering that the VERY 'Thing' that most here are trying to EXPLAIN, and ELABORATE ON, there is NO wonder that DIFFERENT communication styles appear, and that the 'strange' word is then bandied around.

[Age]

By the way, IF 'you' REALLY DO want "others" to ACCOUNT for WHY 'they' ARE 'strange', to 'you', 'you' HAVE TO FIRST POINT or SINGLE 'them' OUT, and then EXPLAIN WHY 'they' seem or ARE 'strange', TO 'you'. And, by the way, I would be MORE THAN WELCOME to be the FIRST one 'you' POINT OUT and EXPLAIN WHY 'I' AM STRANGE, TO 'you'.

I don't really want to point out individuals who need to account for themselves, because I don't think being identified and named as being odd would put them in the right frame of mind to come and explain the reason for it.

WHY do you think being identified and named as being odd would put "others" in the so-called 'right frame of mind'?

Has it some 'thing' to do with 'you' NOT like being identified and named as 'being odd', and because IF and WHEN 'this' is done 'you' end up in NOT the 'right frame of mind'?

Also, and by the way, I have ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR, NOR ANY CONCERN AT ALL, what ANY wants to IDENTIFY or NAME as BEING.

So, Age, I don't feel able to point you out, but if you want to point yourself out, I think many of us would be interested to hear what you have to tell us.

Okay. BUT I WAIT for CLARIFICATION, FIRST, BEFORE I would even START ASSUMING 'things' like what "others" think ABOUT 'me'.

[Maia]

Going into more detail, since this is an interesting area of exploration, my claustrophobia, although I hesitate to use that word as it's not particularly pronounced in everyday life, also manifests in dreams. I sometimes have dreams about being inside tunnels, for example. There's usually some sort of gap, too, that I have to climb across, or rather down, since it's always descending. The actual dreams vary in detail, but the feeling is always the same, and in that sense, they are recurring. There's always something odd about the angles too, either in the shape of the enclosed space itself, or in the configuration of the gap and how I have to climb over it. That's actually quite difficult to explain and the layout is not usually something that could exist in the real world.

I wouldn't call these dreams nightmares, though. I don't really have nightmares, in the sense of a dream that actually scares me. They do, of course, make me feel uneasy, and tend to come in bursts, too. I might go for ages without having one then a few come along in quick succession. This is also true of dreams in general.

I've had these types of dreams for as long as I can remember, so it's always possible that they derive from some specific incident from childhood that I've completely forgotten about.

I am curios as to if you were born visually blind or did that come about later on in your life?

Reading that you had a pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces when you were little, surprised me somewhat, as I had always 'envisioned' fearing 'enclosed spaces' or being 'somewhat claustrophobic' would be associated fairly strongly with the 'visual sense'.

Sure, 'feeling squashed' in 'physically tight situations' is what the word 'claustrophobia' is in relation to, but, for example, if 'the body' itself is 'feeling squashed' by 'other human bodies' around it', but there is no 'visual sight nor visual clues', then in 'that situation' one might not actually be in an 'enclosed space' AT ALL but is just being 'squashed' by a few 'other bodies'. So, am I just wondering is it the 'feeling' of 'that physical body' being 'squashed', or 'pressed against', which causes the 'pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces', or is there some imagined sense that 'the space', itself, is enclosed?

Which, if you can NOT recall any specific incident where you were 'trapped, or felt 'trapped', if 'claustrophobia' is the result of some forgotten 'thing', which might have happened within the womb. See, there is NO 'visual sight NOR visual clues' within the womb, I imagine, but there is CERTAINLY a 'physical body' with 'nerve endings', which if 'it' was NOT able to 'turn around' or 'move' in some way might 'feel TRAPPED', which then might have an everlasting effect on 'that body'.

I've been completely blind since birth.

I have very good spatial awareness through echolocation. If I click my tongue a few times I can work out the size and shape of the room, or space, I'm in. Or if I'm walking, I can tell if there's something in front of me, its size and shape, if it's stationary, if it's a person, and so on. There are lots of other cues too, of course, and it's very easy to tell if I'm outdoors or indoors, for example.

I assume that this has somehow influenced my dislike of enclosed spaces, but not really in any way that I can pin down, never having experienced anything else. As a general rule, the bigger the space I'm in, the better, and outdoors is best of all. Interestingly, though, a tent is fine, even if it's really small, because it's not solid.

[Age]

Going into more detail, since this is an interesting area of exploration, my claustrophobia, although I hesitate to use that word as it's not particularly pronounced in everyday life, also manifests in dreams. I sometimes have dreams about being inside tunnels, for example. There's usually some sort of gap, too, that I have to climb across, or rather down, since it's always descending. The actual dreams vary in detail, but the feeling is always the same, and in that sense, they are recurring. There's always something odd about the angles too, either in the shape of the enclosed space itself, or in the configuration of the gap and how I have to climb over it. That's actually quite difficult to explain and the layout is not usually something that could exist in the real world.

I wouldn't call these dreams nightmares, though. I don't really have nightmares, in the sense of a dream that actually scares me. They do, of course, make me feel uneasy, and tend to come in bursts, too. I might go for ages without having one then a few come along in quick succession. This is also true of dreams in general.

I've had these types of dreams for as long as I can remember, so it's always possible that they derive from some specific incident from childhood that I've completely forgotten about.

I am curios as to if you were born visually blind or did that come about later on in your life?

Reading that you had a pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces when you were little, surprised me somewhat, as I had always 'envisioned' fearing 'enclosed spaces' or being 'somewhat claustrophobic' would be associated fairly strongly with the 'visual sense'.

Sure, 'feeling squashed' in 'physically tight situations' is what the word 'claustrophobia' is in relation to, but, for example, if 'the body' itself is 'feeling squashed' by 'other human bodies' around it', but there is no 'visual sight nor visual clues', then in 'that situation' one might not actually be in an 'enclosed space' AT ALL but is just being 'squashed' by a few 'other bodies'. So, am I just wondering is it the 'feeling' of 'that physical body' being 'squashed', or 'pressed against', which causes the 'pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces', or is there some imagined sense that 'the space', itself, is enclosed?

Which, if you can NOT recall any specific incident where you were 'trapped, or felt 'trapped', if 'claustrophobia' is the result of some forgotten 'thing', which might have happened within the womb. See, there is NO 'visual sight NOR visual clues' within the womb, I imagine, but there is CERTAINLY a 'physical body' with 'nerve endings', which if 'it' was NOT able to 'turn around' or 'move' in some way might 'feel TRAPPED', which then might have an everlasting effect on 'that body'.

I've been completely blind since birth.

I have very good spatial awareness through echolocation.
If I click my tongue a few times I can work out the size and shape of the room, or space, I'm in.

Okay, thank you, this explains a lot.

Or if I'm walking, I can tell if there's something in front of me, its size and shape, if it's stationary, if it's a person, and so on. There are lots of other cues too, of course, and it's very easy to tell if I'm outdoors or indoors, for example.

I assume that this has somehow influenced my dislike of enclosed spaces, but not really in any way that I can pin down, never having experienced anything else. As a general rule, the bigger the space I'm in, the better, and outdoors is best of all. Interestingly, though, a tent is fine, even if it's really small, because it's not solid.

[Maia]

I am curios as to if you were born visually blind or did that come about later on in your life?

Reading that you had a pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces when you were little, surprised me somewhat, as I had always 'envisioned' fearing 'enclosed spaces' or being 'somewhat claustrophobic' would be associated fairly strongly with the 'visual sense'.

Sure, 'feeling squashed' in 'physically tight situations' is what the word 'claustrophobia' is in relation to, but, for example, if 'the body' itself is 'feeling squashed' by 'other human bodies' around it', but there is no 'visual sight nor visual clues', then in 'that situation' one might not actually be in an 'enclosed space' AT ALL but is just being 'squashed' by a few 'other bodies'. So, am I just wondering is it the 'feeling' of 'that physical body' being 'squashed', or 'pressed against', which causes the 'pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces', or is there some imagined sense that 'the space', itself, is enclosed?

Which, if you can NOT recall any specific incident where you were 'trapped, or felt 'trapped', if 'claustrophobia' is the result of some forgotten 'thing', which might have happened within the womb. See, there is NO 'visual sight NOR visual clues' within the womb, I imagine, but there is CERTAINLY a 'physical body' with 'nerve endings', which if 'it' was NOT able to 'turn around' or 'move' in some way might 'feel TRAPPED', which then might have an everlasting effect on 'that body'.

I've been completely blind since birth.

I have very good spatial awareness through echolocation.
If I click my tongue a few times I can work out the size and shape of the room, or space, I'm in.

Okay, thank you, this explains a lot.

Or if I'm walking, I can tell if there's something in front of me, its size and shape, if it's stationary, if it's a person, and so on. There are lots of other cues too, of course, and it's very easy to tell if I'm outdoors or indoors, for example.

I assume that this has somehow influenced my dislike of enclosed spaces, but not really in any way that I can pin down, never having experienced anything else. As a general rule, the bigger the space I'm in, the better, and outdoors is best of all. Interestingly, though, a tent is fine, even if it's really small, because it's not solid.

You're welcome.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

Going into more detail, since this is an interesting area of exploration, my claustrophobia, although I hesitate to use that word as it's not particularly pronounced in everyday life, also manifests in dreams. I sometimes have dreams about being inside tunnels, for example. There's usually some sort of gap, too, that I have to climb across, or rather down, since it's always descending. The actual dreams vary in detail, but the feeling is always the same, and in that sense, they are recurring. There's always something odd about the angles too, either in the shape of the enclosed space itself, or in the configuration of the gap and how I have to climb over it. That's actually quite difficult to explain and the layout is not usually something that could exist in the real world.

I wouldn't call these dreams nightmares, though. I don't really have nightmares, in the sense of a dream that actually scares me. They do, of course, make me feel uneasy, and tend to come in bursts, too. I might go for ages without having one then a few come along in quick succession. This is also true of dreams in general.

I've had these types of dreams for as long as I can remember, so it's always possible that they derive from some specific incident from childhood that I've completely forgotten about.

I am curios as to if you were born visually blind or did that come about later on in your life?

Reading that you had a pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces when you were little, surprised me somewhat, as I had always 'envisioned' fearing 'enclosed spaces' or being 'somewhat claustrophobic' would be associated fairly strongly with the 'visual sense'.

Sure, 'feeling squashed' in 'physically tight situations' is what the word 'claustrophobia' is in relation to, but, for example, if 'the body' itself is 'feeling squashed' by 'other human bodies' around it', but there is no 'visual sight nor visual clues', then in 'that situation' one might not actually be in an 'enclosed space' AT ALL but is just being 'squashed' by a few 'other bodies'. So, am I just wondering is it the 'feeling' of 'that physical body' being 'squashed', or 'pressed against', which causes the 'pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces', or is there some imagined sense that 'the space', itself, is enclosed?

Which, if you can NOT recall any specific incident where you were 'trapped, or felt 'trapped', if 'claustrophobia' is the result of some forgotten 'thing', which might have happened within the womb. See, there is NO 'visual sight NOR visual clues' within the womb, I imagine, but there is CERTAINLY a 'physical body' with 'nerve endings', which if 'it' was NOT able to 'turn around' or 'move' in some way might 'feel TRAPPED', which then might have an everlasting effect on 'that body'.

I've been completely blind since birth.

I have very good spatial awareness through echolocation. If I click my tongue a few times I can work out the size and shape of the room, or space, I'm in. Or if I'm walking, I can tell if there's something in front of me, its size and shape, if it's stationary, if it's a person, and so on. There are lots of other cues too, of course, and it's very easy to tell if I'm outdoors or indoors, for example.

I assume that this has somehow influenced my dislike of enclosed spaces, but not really in any way that I can pin down, never having experienced anything else. As a general rule, the bigger the space I'm in, the better, and outdoors is best of all. Interestingly, though, a tent is fine, even if it's really small, because it's not solid.

Yes. There are cases of people who are blind as far as eyes go but for all intents and purposes can see. They've found a way around it. I remember seeing a documentary about a boy with no eyes who could see using sound. He rode everywhere on his bike. Seems unbelievable but humans are endlessly adaptable.

[Maia]

I am curios as to if you were born visually blind or did that come about later on in your life?

Reading that you had a pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces when you were little, surprised me somewhat, as I had always 'envisioned' fearing 'enclosed spaces' or being 'somewhat claustrophobic' would be associated fairly strongly with the 'visual sense'.

Sure, 'feeling squashed' in 'physically tight situations' is what the word 'claustrophobia' is in relation to, but, for example, if 'the body' itself is 'feeling squashed' by 'other human bodies' around it', but there is no 'visual sight nor visual clues', then in 'that situation' one might not actually be in an 'enclosed space' AT ALL but is just being 'squashed' by a few 'other bodies'. So, am I just wondering is it the 'feeling' of 'that physical body' being 'squashed', or 'pressed against', which causes the 'pretty strong fear of enclosed spaces', or is there some imagined sense that 'the space', itself, is enclosed?

Which, if you can NOT recall any specific incident where you were 'trapped, or felt 'trapped', if 'claustrophobia' is the result of some forgotten 'thing', which might have happened within the womb. See, there is NO 'visual sight NOR visual clues' within the womb, I imagine, but there is CERTAINLY a 'physical body' with 'nerve endings', which if 'it' was NOT able to 'turn around' or 'move' in some way might 'feel TRAPPED', which then might have an everlasting effect on 'that body'.

I've been completely blind since birth.

I have very good spatial awareness through echolocation. If I click my tongue a few times I can work out the size and shape of the room, or space, I'm in. Or if I'm walking, I can tell if there's something in front of me, its size and shape, if it's stationary, if it's a person, and so on. There are lots of other cues too, of course, and it's very easy to tell if I'm outdoors or indoors, for example.

I assume that this has somehow influenced my dislike of enclosed spaces, but not really in any way that I can pin down, never having experienced anything else. As a general rule, the bigger the space I'm in, the better, and outdoors is best of all. Interestingly, though, a tent is fine, even if it's really small, because it's not solid.

Yes. There are cases of people who are blind as far as eyes go but for all intents and purposes can see. They've found a way around it. I remember seeing a documentary about a boy with no eyes who could see using sound. He rode everywhere on his bike. Seems unbelievable but humans are endlessly adaptable.

Yes, absolutely. I don't feel disadvantaged in any way, I just do a few things differently.

[Age]

I've been completely blind since birth.

I have very good spatial awareness through echolocation. If I click my tongue a few times I can work out the size and shape of the room, or space, I'm in. Or if I'm walking, I can tell if there's something in front of me, its size and shape, if it's stationary, if it's a person, and so on. There are lots of other cues too, of course, and it's very easy to tell if I'm outdoors or indoors, for example.

I assume that this has somehow influenced my dislike of enclosed spaces, but not really in any way that I can pin down, never having experienced anything else. As a general rule, the bigger the space I'm in, the better, and outdoors is best of all. Interestingly, though, a tent is fine, even if it's really small, because it's not solid.

Yes. There are cases of people who are blind as far as eyes go but for all intents and purposes can see. They've found a way around it. I remember seeing a documentary about a boy with no eyes who could see using sound. He rode everywhere on his bike. Seems unbelievable but humans are endlessly adaptable.

Yes, absolutely. I don't feel disadvantaged in any way, I just do a few things differently.

One reason I HATE the word 'disabled' in relation to 'you', human beings, is that NO one is ACTUALLY 'dis-abled'. 'you' ARE ALL 'able'.

AND, 'you' are ALL ABLE to DO DIFFERENT 'things'. SO, I would MUCH PREFER human beings LOOKED AT "each other" from "each other's" perspective, (in slang talk), 'dis is my ability', RATHER than LOOKING AT, "another's" 'disability'.

Or, from another perspective, if the majority of human beings had six fingers on each hand and/or three legs, then would 'you' two legged, five finger human beings BE 'disabled'? Or, would 'you' want to even be LOOKED AT and CLASSED as 'disabled'?

If ANY one SAYS, 'Yes', then are 'you' ABSOLUTELY SURE?

The way the 'human created world' is created, works, and functions is BECAUSE of the way the majority of human bodies work and function and BECAUSE of what way and shape they are in. So, if ANY body is NOT in the way, shape, look, NOR form of the majority of human bodies, then this, in NO WAY, means NOR even infers that those bodies ARE 'disabled'. They are just living in the 'human created world' where 'they' were NOT thought about, NEGLECTED, or IGNORED.

Now, as for 'seeing', this word ALSO can MEAN and REFER TO 'understanding', itself, as in, for example, when some 'thing' is being EXPLAINED to "another" and the question, 'Do you 'see' what I mean?' is then asked.

Not having ANY visual sight, or less sight than other bodies have, in NO WAY means that 'that one' is LESS ABLE to 'see' and 'understand' 'Life', living, and the Universe, in which we have ALL FOUND "ourselves" WITHIN.