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heavenlyabyss
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31 Jan 2015, 5:28 am

Need a little help here. No smart comments.

Just tell me what you think of this.

http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/mind/exp ... 3101a.html

Sometimes I find myself having thoughts that I have been programmed by someone close to me. I'm sane enough to realize that this sounds insane to other people but not sane enough to dismiss it entirely. I mean this s**t is crazy.

Is this for real? Or is this a conspiracy? Sometimes I just get all these ideas about things that could be and I start fearing people close to me.



QuiversWhiskers
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31 Jan 2015, 9:10 am

I read it. I don't mean to use the term "conspiracy theories" dismissively or negatively because the people who believe these things probably don't view them as only theories, but the fact is, they are just theories. And they are theories based on things that you cannot prove or disprove yourself. For instance you can't go to the library and find much real logic or proof to back these ideas up. You or anyone could make all kinds of associations between events and people and places and times to make these ideas seem plausible. For instance, you might see someone go into a liquor store. Because you believe this person does not drink and because you have a need to go into the bathroom first wherever you go, as a routine and are then wondering what the bathroom is like in there to the point of having anxiety because you can't know for sure what the bathroom looks like as you are in your car and don't want this person to see you for whatever reason, you are picturing what this person is doing in the liquor store: to your mind, he doesn't drink or get drunk as far as you believe and he must just be using the bathroom for some reason and he's taking a really long time to come back out. But the reality is, he went into the liquor store to buy a Rum-Chata because his wife has a cold and because he just likes to drink a shot of it every now and then and he has no compulsions to visit the bathroom. There is a problem at the checkout where the store's card processing system temporarily went down. He finally comes out with something in a brown bag, out the back door because he decided to go look at a price before leaving. You are sitting in your car imagining all the bathroom details that might be, shocked that your friend or acquaintance is likely to be a drunkard when you thought better of him, but not only that he came out the back door which probably means he picked up some illegal drug because we know from movies and books that people who don't wabt to be seen leaving a place come out the back door and you now think it must have been the drug deal that took so long. So, you come away with a totally different version of what happened than what actually did happen and it was all influenced by your own beliefs, anxieties, and what you would be doing if you yourself were in the store.

This is not a perfect analogy for what happens when you start to believe a conspiracy theory, but it's pretty close.

I think the things you need to ask yourself are: Can I personally find enough concrete evidence to prove this idea that I may have been programmed by someone else? Can I personally find enough evidence to prove this entire theory written about in the linked article is true? That would take a lot of hours and time out of my life.

To me, I see three options for you:
1) You can know these things were not a concern before you read about them, acknowledge that they really have no tangible evidence or proof, that you cannot prove them yourself, and say to yourself when you have scary thoughts and fears about it, "That's ridiculous! That's just my [OCD, or insert whatever condition you know you have that would be feeding these thoughts; it could even be some current stressors in your life.]" Focus in reality. Go outside and just be. Don't watch TV or read books that are new to you. If have a repetitive routines with TV shows, videogames and books that give you safety and a sense of grounding or security, continue those but try to avoid new TV shows and books. And avoid reading anything more about conspiracy theories or aliens or end-of-the-world theories unless it is something written to disprove or cast these ideas in a negative light.
2) Research all you want about these theories and fears and come up with multiple viewpoints for and against them.
3) Do a mix of both of these.

And really know that whether these theories are true or not, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it so you might as well continue to live your life. Sometimes we fear things that we cannot prove more than things we can prove. When I say "we" I mean humans, not just those with ASD.



Nebogipfel
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31 Jan 2015, 9:25 am

That article is pretty sketchy.

What do you mean by "programmed thoughts" exactly?



heavenlyabyss
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31 Jan 2015, 10:03 am

Thanks for the response, quivers. That was helpful. I just get paranoid sometimes. Need to lay off of a certain substance.

It's interesting though. There are some things that can never be disproven.



QuiversWhiskers
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31 Jan 2015, 10:45 am

Glad it helped.

Fears that can't be disproven seem to create some sort of vacuum that can make it easier for our fear and anxiety to gain control of us.