I have always felt that I was different from other people. My mother wondered a little if I was autistic. I was able to make friends and function in the world. However, I have always felt there was something profoundly different about me. I sometimes have difficulty focusing and have difficulty following directions. However, in a one on one interaction I am perfectly appropriate. As a kid, I did sometimes blurt things out that were rather "off the wall". Now, I am having difficulty functioning due to attention problems and I am concerned that I may be autistic. In addition, I also suffer from transient delusional thinking. For a time, I genuinely believed that I was from another planet and not fully human (e.g. I researched my ancestry dating back to ancient Egyptian ancestors and used it as solid evidence that some of my ancestors were not of this world). I also got really paranoid about this guy was part of a worldwide conspiracy to sabotage me. The paranoia/madness has only started in the past 6-7 years or so. However, I have had subtle problems with paying attention all along

[Rapunzel]

Maybe, although there are other possibilities too. A lot of people with high functioning autism or asperger's are able to function normally in certain conditions, although it can be tiring to do so. Difficulty with following directions can be related to autistic spectrum, but also could be something else. Feeling like you are from another planet is classic for asperger's, but also could be something else. Problems with social interaction and communication are primary symptoms. Did you start talking at about the time most kids do, or was there a delay?

You can hang out and see what others on the spectrum are like and just see if you relate, but if you really want to know then you need to see a professional who can evaluate you.

I hope that helps,
Rap

[-jimi-]

Sometimes we're not clear cut. Some people with ADHD have some autistic traits and quite many with autism have traits of ADHD. I have both Asperger's and ADD and in my head I don't make a difference between them, for me it is ASADD or something like that, LOL.

Especially when I was younger I felt like I wasn't really part of humankind. I almost wish I had proof I was something else. But I guess I AM human. Not sure I like it.

Rapunzel, I did learn to talk on time and did not show the "red flags" per se. However, I did sometimes do some stuff as a kid that was not by any means typical kid behavior. Like once when I was 8, I just ran down a hall flailing my arms and making an odd vocal utterance at the top of my lungs. I also sometimes would say weird stuff like once I repeated to a teacher from what I heard my Mom say, "Have you been handling raw meat?" There was no reason to say this, then again I was only 5 years old. I could come up with other examples but these are the two that I happened to think of at the moment. Other kids didn't think I was strange just because they didn't really know any better. However, some parents (including my mother) could tell something was different about me.

I was like that too around age five - there is a video of me from that time and I say "the bees are everywhere" and start rolling around on the couch like a maniac. I know where you're coming from - hard to determine if you were just a weird kid or autistic. I was bad socially and really withdrawn as a kid and has many more weird things that I did, like repeating phrases and odd rituals. Always felt so far away from people and never felt close to my family.

I don't really know if I am autistic. I was able to make some friends and I graduated college and so forth... but I was weird as hell as a kid and can barely function as an adult and I really aspergers may be my problem.

Based on the things you said about the paranoia and magical thinking you might read about schizotypal personality disorder if you haven't already. Maybe those thoughts could be AS related too though, I am not an expert just read a lot about a lot of different disorders to try to figure out what's wrong with me. I get paranoid too but it's mostly socially-oriented paranoia stemming from bad social anxiety.

If you have persistent thoughts about the magical/alien paranoia stuff you might look into schizotypal PD. I don't think that's typical of AS to be convinced of magical-type ideas like that but maybe some people here have evidence to the contrary. People with Schizotypal PD also have some similar traits to AS like trouble relating to people, withdrawness.

[Rapunzel]

I was just thinking the same thing. Schizotypal PD does look an awful lot like Asperger's, and is another one that may actually be a variation on the same thing. Schizotypal PD is based on the symptom of feeling different and out of place and not belonging, with the idea that feeling that different would cause social difficulties, while AS would be thought to be the other way around - lacking the skills and ability to fit in, one would feel kike they must be from another planet. But it sounds an awful lot like a chicken and the egg question. Which came first?

From ICD, schizotypal PD. Seems very confusable with ASD.

NOT NECESSARILY ALL, but some of the following are present:

Inappropriate or constricted affect (the individual appears cold and aloof);
Behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric or peculiar;
Poor rapport with others and a tendency to withdraw socially;
Odd beliefs or magical thinking, influencing behavior and inconsistent with subcultural norms;
Suspiciousness or paranoid ideas;
Obsessive ruminations without inner resistance, often with dysmorphophobic, sexual or aggressive contents;
Unusual perceptual experiences including somatosensory (bodily) or other illusions, depersonalization or derealization;
Vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, over-elaborate or stereotyped thinking, manifested by odd speech or in other ways, without gross incoherence;
Occasional transient quasi-psychotic episodes with intense illusions, auditory or other hallucinations and delusion-like ideas, usually occurring without external provocation.

From Wikipedia:

Schizotypal personality disorder is a personality disorder characterized by a need for social isolation, anxiety in social situations, odd behavior and thinking, and often unconventional beliefs. People with this disorder feel extreme discomfort with maintaining close relationships with people, and therefore they often do not. People who have this disorder may display peculiar manners of talking and dressing and often have difficulty in forming relationships. In some cases, they may react oddly in conversations, not respond or talk to themselves. They frequently misinterpret situations as being strange or having unusual meaning for them; paranormal and superstitious beliefs are not uncommon. People with this disorder seek medical attention for things such as anxiety, depression, or other symptoms. Schizotypal personality disorder occurs in less than 3% of the general population and is slightly more common in males.

Originally Posted by Rapunzel

I was just thinking the same thing. Schizotypal PD does look an awful lot like Asperger's, and is another one that may actually be a variation on the same thing. Schizotypal PD is based on the symptom of feeling different and out of place and not belonging, with the idea that feeling that different would cause social difficulties, while AS would be thought to be the other way around - lacking the skills and ability to fit in, one would feel kike they must be from another planet. But it sounds an awful lot like a chicken and the egg question. Which came first?

I agree, Rapunzel (also ASD is mistakable with Schizoid and Borderline I think). Schizotypal seems to have more magical/delusional thinking than ASD though, and less need for order. Definitely very similar in the inability to relate to people, withdrawness, social awkwardness so could be easily mistaken by a psych (or by someone trying to self-diagnose, which isn't a great idea but we all do naturally).

Yeah your probably all right in a sense, but maybe I really do have some sort of psychic abilities. Honestly, I think I really might have some sort of "special powers" for real and I do not believe this is a delusion no matter what anyone on here says. Who knows maybe the people who get labeled "schizotypal" really do have some sort of psychic abilities. Here's my evidence for why I truly do have psychic abilities:

1) Before something happens, I usually know it

2) People Have Commented That I Am Very "Insightful" Regarding Reading Other People

3) I Had A Truly Incredible Telepathic Experience Once- I was talking to this girl about different things and knew everything about her before she said it. I knew her town, address, name, that she was single, her major at college, what she planned to do, how many siblings she had, what her parents were like, literally everything.

4) I have lucid dreams and out of body experiences multiple times every night where I get incredible insights about my current life and often see deceased family members in my dreams

5) I have the ability to "play out" future scenarios through my "minds eye"

6) I can ALWAYS feel the presenses of people around me and I am pretty sure I am sensing the energies of people near me

I don't believe in telepathy or foresight or stuff like that... I have had lucid dreams though where I realize I'm dreaming and can try to control things (but I'm not that good at controlling the outcomes).

I actually don't think you really have psychic abilities... I'm sorry but I just think that telepathy and stuff just doesn't exist. I really don't doubt that you have an above-average ability to be insightful about people and their intentions and stuff, or have had situations where you've felt like you connected with someone to a degree where it felt like you knew them or predicted how they would answer a question, etc.

I really think you should go talk to a psych about it if you can. It's really not normal to think that you have psychic abilities. And I mean that in the nicest sort of way... it's just not possible if you think hard about it. Thoughts are neurotransmitters passed through our brains and it's not possible for those neurotransmitters to fly through the air into someone else's brain.

[khansab]

I have similar symptoms so you are not alone.

[Minionkitty]

The delusional thinking is not part of autism... I have it too, but I also have a diagnosis of Schizoaffective disorder. I take an antipsychotic and a mood stabilizer to help. I don't know enough based on your post to make any suggestions as to what you may have, and I'm not a doctor, but if you feel like there's something not quite right, consult one. A psychiatrist or psychologist. Good luck to you!

Thanks for all your advice, but I have learned that I am not crazy even though some people think I'm nuts. In fact, there could even be a lot of people who think I'm nuts but I'm not no matter what they say. I definitely have an above average to pick up on people's intentions, motives, and ideas. In fact, even my parents are often impressed at how insightful I am with things. They deny that I have any sort of mysterious powers, but then again who knows. They simply put it up to me picking up on body language, tone, etc. As far as psychic powers being impossible, I differ with that idea. I had this idea a while back that just kind of came to me about how if the mind could tune into the fundamental energy of the universe (e.g. protons, electrons, etc.), it may actually be possible to understand things that we cannot comprehend through "ordinary" patterns of thought. I know for basically 100% certain that I had a telepathic experience that time when I met that girl and knew almost everything about her. I can't prove it, but I'm sure if any of you were there with me when it happened, you too would believe in telepathy. It truly stunned me when it happened as I didn't even fully believe in that stuff before, but all of a sudden I had these incredible powers but then they went away pretty fast for some reason.

First off let me say I'm not trying to be combative. You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. So I'm just stating mine. I wish the best for you and am just trying to give you my perspective for what you think that is worth.

If you have ever taken a chemistry class you would know that protons and electrons don't work that way. It would have to be a magical, mystical power that is completely unknown to all of the greatest scientists in the world. Your brain is largely similar to the brains of all other humans - you have not been born with super-human powers.

There are people all over the world that are convinced they have magical powers, extra-sensory perception, that they are George Washington, that they can control people with their minds, see the future, etc. A lot of these people are mentally ill to varying degrees, a lot of them are "very superstitious" and "a little odd", but non of them are actually magical.

I am not saying you're mentally ill. If it doesn't go a lot deeper than what you're describing now it could fall under "superstition", or a singular strange and unreal-seeming experience (with your encounter with this girl). But if you think you have autistic tendencies (which can be mistaken for autism based on social difficulties, withdrawness, etc.) and also hold these beliefs strongly I think schizotypal personality disorder seems like a logical possibility that might be worth considering.

It is thought that an excess of dopamine on the brain can cause people to see patterns, events, sensory experiences that are not based in reality. Some schizophrenics are very convinced of aliens trying to steal their brains, but that doesn't make it true (no, I do not think you're schizophrenic - that statement is for illustrative purposes to show that belief does not equal reality).

I hope I'm not coming off like a **** but maybe I am and if so I apologize. I just urge you to consider a psychological angle if you experience future trouble with this kind of magical thinking and it is affecting your life negatively. If you continue to experience problems of this kind and it is negatively impacting your life consider talking to a psychiatrist or therapist.

If you're not experiencing problems then more power to you - if you are doing fine then go with it. But if you are having a hard time and decide to see a psychiatrist know that they can't make you take medication and can't institutionalize you for saying you believe in ESP, but they might give you a different perspective that you can then choose to accept or deny.

[Numbed]

I'm fairly open minded Steve, I mean, I'm paranoid, I have to be , but I usually know something before it happens because I see cause and affects, because I desperately tried to defend my innonence to my constantly being falsely accused and punish, as to find a way that my Mum would accept/understand. Ooo, just read your number 5.

The presence you feel is probably hypervigalance. Humans who are neurotypical also can experience different atmospheres, like on a night out, loads of people full of energy, you can sense their is a difference, even when not near.

Playing out future events is called continguency planning, well when it's healthy it's that.

Lucid dreams aren't any thing special in regards to disorders.

Well this one time, my Bro was holding deck of cards, and I had to guess which one was facing him at the bottom of the shuffled deck.... I got it right... 3 times in a row.. including the suit, 4th time, just the suit. I don't put that down to telepathic, I put that down to unconsciously picking up my brothers unconsciously body language.

i can do what you said about the Girl. It's called deducing. I used to do it to people who acting unkindly to people clearly weaker than them, tearing them apart with things I deduced and using typical behaviours of the model of that behaviour.

So there is my "evidence" why, I agree with Nowheretohide.

If you are going to see a therapist with this, you are going to have to go in with an open mind to all possibilities, because if the behaviours you exhibit aren't addressed. They are only going to get worse and have massive detrimental affects on your life, and those around you, who care about you, and you them.

Goodluck to you dude.

Btw: Nowheretohide, people who were brought up in homes of Religion, can have delusions like these. Only experienced the mysterical, the unreal, they are prone to fall to deeply into their own fantasies. It's a way to cope. Narcissism is another way times like this can go. Supressed.

I was even reading today, that spending too more time there, and end up with competing ego, super ego and id, that because what sense/believe conflicts so differently from reality, well, it's not good for the future. Let's say that.

Steve, if you are confident that what you shared is true, that it's possible, please share it with a Psych, at least so they can tell you, that it's not autism.

I am not superstitious, I am not crazy, I truly have powers beyond what science can explain end of story. Science will never be able to come up for an explanation for my abilities because there truly is none and never ever will be.

I really think you need some help man... I can see you are not trying to hear it at the moment, but your original post on this thread and other posts you've made here indicate that not long ago you were concerned that something is not right with you mentally and that you had drifted away from reality to a degree that was somewhat distressing to you. These types of disorders often onset when you are a teenager or young adult.

I think back then you were thinking more rationally and right now you are not. It's nothing to be ashamed of to have a mental disorder. I don't have magical-type thoughts but I am pretty messed up myself. I can barely cope with life and often I feel like I'm out of my ******* mind.

Realize that a very part of these kind of disorders is a belief in these magical ideas have a basis in reality. Try having a family member write down a number between 1 and 10,000,000 on a piece of paper. Try to guess it and have them show you the paper after your guess. Try it as many times as you like. If you can't guess it then you will know you don't have telepathic powers.

Not to make me sound even crazier (which I am certainly doing) but how can you discount psychic abilities like that? If someone could tap into essential energies they would be capable of anything, predicting the future, reading minds, etc. I know it sounds like I'm off my rocker and rambling about energies and frequencies and all sorts of weird stuff like that but seriously everything is made up of atoms and subatomic particles. All atoms, molecules, people, buildings, trees, etc. all have their own unique electromagnetic vibrational frequency (this is scientific fact here). So, if the brain was able to tap into the vibrational frequency of its own atoms it may be able to decipher through a form of complex patterns of molecular, atomic, and even subatomic behavior how any other atom or clusters of atoms in the universe (such as people) would behave. You are not you and I am not I, we are all made up of energy with our own unique vibrational frequencies. Each different, yet each the same. You may ask, how would the mind tap into these frequencies? The answer lies within the electrical transmissions and firings of neurons. The electrical conductivity of neurons, the way the transmissions go across a synapse, etc. all tell something about the vibrational frequencies of the atoms, molecules, and cells within us which are us. I believe that somewhere in the greatest depths of the unconscious mind we pick up on all of this. We pick up on these frequencies and picking up on them is probably all it takes to be able to predict. Some of us such as myself are more open to accepting and receiving this psychic information. Anyways, that's my logic on this. They thought Einstein was crazy too back in his day. I feel that there is a fine line between madness and genius. According to some my "powers" are in the madness category but maybe one day, all this will all turn out to be right and people will realize that I discovered this stuff years before the rest of humanity did. One day, I might study quantum physics and hopefully advance the scientific world by leaps and bounds in this area. I feel that it could potentially advance humanity by incredible leaps and bounds, end all wars, and be an incredible philosophical breakthrough into a higher consciousness. Of course, until someone credible says the same stuff I do, I will be thought of as insane by anyone I tell about my ideas. Who knows maybe I'm off base but I think that's highly and I mean highly unlikely. The day that you have a genuine telepathic experience will be when you stop questioning the reality of such phenomena

Molecular vibration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

People may have thought Einstein was crazy, but he went on to prove his theory in an observable way. If you cannot perform a task like the number guessing task I just proposed then why would anyone think you were seriously telepathic?

I know a little bit about the vibration frequency thing from science classes and so forth. I just don't think it would be relevant in this context for any reason.

Also, if various people throughout time possess this ability and come to realize it, why haven't any of them proven these kinds of forces to exist? You'd think someone would have been able to objectively prove it to the masses by now. You could win a whole lot of money in bar bets if you travel aroundasking people to write down a number between 1 and 1,000,000 and then guessing it by reading their mind as they write it.

Maybe you should take up poker - you'll win the world series of poker and be a multimillionaire in no time! Someone will front you the entry fee if you do the number thing to them 5 times in a row. If telepathy existed there would be poker players that would almost never lose a hand - ever. They would know what card every opponent had. The science of probability would have identified this phenomenon by now, as the laws of probability would routinely be broken by telepaths in a variety of gambling situations to the point it wouldn't be able to be ignored.

I won't believe it until I see it. If you actually had those abilities it should not be hard to prove it and convince people. Eventually you would get onto talk shows and blow people away with your special talents and before long you'd be in a laboratory convincing reputable scientists of your powers. Once you display them clearly for all to see nobody would be able to deny them - THEN people like me will believe you.

Test yourself - try the number thing or something similar with a deck of cards. If you can't guess the number/card with consistency that flies in the face of the laws of probability then you will have to face that you are not telepathic. And if you realize you aren't telepathic then you will have no reason to believe anyone else is.

I'm not going to address the seeing the future thing because that is even more absurd and impossible than telepathy. You could try it with a coin-flip experiment to decide if you can see the immediate future.

I'm not trying to sound demeaning or hostile - please consider this a spirited debate and not a personal attack on you in any way. You are certainly entitled to any beliefs you choose. I can get pretty animated about debates of this kind (also religious debates) so forgive me if any part(s) of my post sound rude.

[rosska]

In your first post, you mentioned you had concerns about 'delusional thinking'. To be honest, from an outside perspective, it looks like you've gone back into that world and are leaving this one behind again. I say that with the deepest sympathy, and not to attack you in any way. I know what that can be like. I've lived a lot of my life with such delusional thoughts and I know completely how easy it is to fall back into it without the correct support network around you. It's not only easy, but most of the time it can be preferable to the real world.

I mean really, who would pick a world where you have to deal with medical appointments, drugs, therapy, labels of illness? Why wouldn't you go back to the world where things are fun and light hearted and you have awesome powers that nobody else has?

What you describe sounds like some form of dissociation/magical thinking/psychosis. I know from experience that whilst you're in that state of mind, you're unlikely to ever believe any view point on the matter which counters your own. There are always basis in 'fact' that we can draw on to fuel our inner worlds, to give them life when everybody around us claims they aren't real.

Sometimes however, even whilst in that state, something can happen which is in glaring opposition to our beliefs of reality. The test which nowheretohide has suggested for example. If you can't perform that test with 100% accuracy over many attempts, then it would draw your beliefs of your reality into question. That can be an extremely difficult experience. I know that when the walls of my other world started to come crashing down, I really struggled, I started having very dark thoughts about ending everything so I didn't have to face the truth or reality. Even now, after a year of therapy on the matter and pills to help manage it, I still have that underlying urge to just stop fighting it and go back to it. Though that wouldn't be living, it'd just be ignoring the fact that I need help.

I really hope you understand that this post isn't meant as an attack on your beliefs, it's intended as a supporting post to show that you're not alone in this. Many of us on these forums have dealt with similar problems, that's why we're here. But the first step to getting help, is admitting that you need it. You managed that in your first post here, but since then you seem to have slipped back into the thought that you don't need help because there's nothing wrong.

Steve223: Please know that I wasn't trying to attack you personally either in my last post... I know I made a token statement about that at the end of the post, but I definitely got a bit carried away into trying to logically refute the idea that telepathy could exist and in retrospect it wasn't that helpful really... I tend to get carried away when I argue logic-based ideas like the existence of god, creationism vs evolution, and so forth as I am very logic-oriented person (who some would say lacks "faith").

You seem like a good guy and, again, I wasn't intending to assault you personally... but if you would like to debate more I am clearly always up for a good (and possibly overly-spirited) debate

[rosska]

Originally Posted by nowheretohide

I tend to get carried away when I argue logic-based ideas like the existence of god, creationism vs evolution, and so forth as I am very logic-oriented person (who some would say lacks "faith").

Hahaha, my friend always warns new people I meet not to bring up anything like that in front of me otherwise I'll "go off on one".