Posts by placidranger

amberbadger8 said:Look, I already mentioned the evidence, but you just refuse to accept it. 🤣But whatever, you'll figure it out eventually 😉. Using "books" as a general term doesn't support your argument, nor does my failure to find specific proof support mine. You have to be resourceful; you have to know your field and where you're headed. Reality is far more complex than what we perceive, both in the material and spiritual realms. For instance, just because you or I can't see electromagnetic waves, radiation, or cell signals bouncing around while we walk through downtown Chicago doesn't mean a massive swarm of frequencies isn't jumping all over us.
The easiest proof that consciousness influences matter and reality is your own body, and frankly, it's strange that you aren't aware of that.
Anyway, I'm not just repeating things I've read or parroting someone else's words. I'm speaking from experience.
But fine, I'm not trying to lecture you. Just ask something specific if you're actually interested, rather than just bickering. 👍

I assume you were attempting a joke there. Sorry, but I honestly see zero evidence that thoughts can manipulate reality in the way those self-help gurus claim.
unknown:

Generalizing about "books" doesn't support your thesis any more than it supports mine—it just means you failed to find actual proof. You have to be resourceful; you need to know the field you're playing in and where you're headed. Reality is far more complex than what we perceive—both in the material and spiritual realms. For instance: just because you or I don't see electromagnetic waves, various radiations, or cell signals while walking through downtown Chicago, it doesn't mean a massive swarm of frequencies isn't jumping all around us.

Fine. Show me how one measures a thought, or these supposed "vibrations" that thoughts supposedly emit. Nobody sees them, hears them, or feels them...
unknown:

The easiest proof that consciousness influences matter and reality is your own body—it’s strange to me that you aren't aware of that.

So, when I think about moving my hand, it moves?
Look, I control my body via neural pathways, but those electrical impulses follow specific routes outside of the nerves—there's no "thought" driving it. I can't control anything else.

amberbadger8 said:placidranger, you aren't just off base—you are completely lost. 🙂 Honestly, your rigid skeptical stance prevents you from processing any information that doesn't fit your narrow view. It makes me think no amount of explanation will ever change your mind. To claim there is no proof that consciousness influences reality is laughably absurd. Don't get mad, but I half expected a cartoon character to pop up next to this comment because it's so unbelievable. After all the studies, theses, experiments, books, scientists, doctors, physicists, psychiatrists, mathematicians... why even bother debating this? You are surrounded by mountains of literature, data, and records on the subject. It's everywhere. But I suppose skeptics find it easier to look inward for confirmation. Are you a puppet, or are you using your own consciousness to create your reality—and everyone else's too? Even within yourself?

Of course I can change my mind, provided there's actual evidence. 🤷
unknown:

The idea that there’s zero proof that consciousness or thought influences reality is almost laughable. Don't take this personally, but I could easily imagine some wild emoji sitting at the end of that comment—I wouldn't be surprised. After all the studies, theses, experiments, books, scientists, PhDs, physicists, psychiatrists, mathematicians... you know the drill... is there even any point in discussing this further?

To be blunt, I haven't seen a single convincing shred of proof that this is true.
unknown:

There are endless books, materials, and records out there about this... it's everywhere. But skeptics always find it easiest to look for validation within themselves. Are you a puppet, or are you using your thoughts and consciousness to shape your own reality—and the reality of those around you? Even within yourself?

At one point, I actually tried looking for evidence to back up what those books claim. It isn't there. Just because you want something desperately doesn't mean it's going to manifest.

And honestly—from where I'm sitting—it seems like you've gone off the deep end. Your convictions are so set in stone that you're ignoring reality; your perception is incredibly selective. But then again—we all have that mechanism.

Walter James said:1. MOTHERBOARD - MBO socket 754, ECS, nForce3-A, FSB800, DDR400, AGP8x, LAN, S-ATA, RAID Audio6ch

That bolded part refers to the specific type of RAM you need to pick up. Just write this whole quoted section down on a scrap of paper, head over to a local Best Buy, and ask them for memory that actually fits.

electrictiger70 said:There is. First—how exactly would you go about proving that what you observe is your subjective reality rather than an objective one? As far as I am aware, that hasn't even been the subject of proof or disproof; a subjective perspective is distinct from an objective one. Therefore, it remains unproven that things happen independently of the observer's consciousness.
Whether we are discussing Schrödinger's cat or Mujin's board, as you so eloquently put it in a previous post. Furthermore, the observer alters the course of the experiment; this is already well-established in the social sciences.
Second, why aren't you responding to my PM? 😉 😁

physician - medical doctor,
physicist - physicist.

Aha, right. For a moment, I actually wondered if it was just a result of my declining English skills. 🤣

I'm not following your question. We were discussing quantum physics. 🤷It hasn't been proven that consciousness influences reality.

Schrödinger's cat or Mujin's board—whatever fancy way you phrased it in an earlier post. Furthermore—the act of observing changes the course of the experiment; we already see this in the social sciences.

That might hold water in social science, but in physics? For crying out loud, it doesn't work like that. 😁

Second, why aren't you answering my DM? 😉 😁

Dammit, check your email. 😁

Samuel Miller21 said:However, within the psychological domain, consciousness *is* the reality. 🤷

Exactly—thoughts only impact our subjective reality. Basically, we can learn to reinterpret the chaos around us, which is where that whole "positive thinking" thing actually holds some weight.

electrictiger70 said:Skeptical inquiry—it seems skepticism is your close friend. 😉 Actually, I won't say more; sometimes being skeptical proves useful. 🙂
Good grief, why don't you just try explaining that to me in two or three sentences? I really don't have the energy to deal with this quote so late at night. 😁 🥳 🙂

Regardless, Deepak Chopra (1989) 😲... there is so much I am going to learn here.

Things happen regardless of whether anyone is watching. Period. There have been countless attempts to argue the opposite, but nothing has ever actually held up under scrutiny. Is there something specific you're struggling to wrap your head around?

Whatever. Dr. Deepak Chopra (1989) 😲 What am I even going to find out on this place?

Physician.
physicist

electrictiger70 said:And what makes you an expert on this? Are you perhaps a physicist? 😁 If so, why don't you go ahead and provide a correct interpretation—specifically, explain to us exactly which parts of quantum physics are being misapplied in self-help literature.😛

http://www.csicop.org/si/9701/quantum-quackery.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mysticism
I'm no physicist—thankfully, I have Google to do the heavy lifting. 😁

The bottom line? There’s zero evidence that consciousness or mere thoughts have any actual impact on physical reality.

electrictiger70 said:I actually have to disagree on this one. :P There really is a connection, specifically through that whole "observer" paradigm that gained traction once physics started suggesting that the act of observing influences reality—that the observer essentially helps shape reality. I won't go into a full lecture here unless I want a group of physicists jumping me, 😁, but I truly believe there is something there. It aligns incredibly well with my favorite Zen philosophies and certain psychological frameworks. And so on.

physicists would come for you😁 No, seriously—quantum physics is being totally misinterpreted by the self-help industry.

Kyle Lee7 said:Most people carry around this messy mix of positive and negative beliefs, and their reality ends up being a direct reflection of that—it’s really just a blend of the good and the bad. For instance, I’ve always held the firm belief that my education and career path will go well, and as long as I maintain that high vibration, I find myself constantly moving upward. Of course, I occasionally get tripped up by sudden waves of doubt or fear, which causes things to slide downhill for a bit. However, because my baseline frequency for my professional life stays so positive, any falls are short and minor, while the progress remains steady. On the flip side, I struggle with some deep-seated negative beliefs regarding my personal life that stem from my early childhood. As long as I’m clinging to those old patterns and mindsets, I find myself stuck in the exact same cycles in my private life.

So, what, a three-year-old kid in a rural village facing terminal illness just needs to "think more positively"? That actually makes sense, apparently. 👍

electrictiger70 said:I am not afraid of quantum physics. You completely misunderstood my point. I was simply saying that within the specific context of quantum mechanics—where the idea that you get what you seek, or that reality itself depends entirely on the observer, actually holds weight...

Quantum physics gets shoved into the self-help genre because it sounds fancy and scientific—but in reality, it has absolutely zero connection to consciousness or any of that nonsense.

electrictiger70 said:He was a psychologist? 😲 Well, look where that gets you... 🤣

No, this is mostly about self-image.

Is it an e-book? If I send you my email via PM, could you send it over? :blink,blink: I would really love to finally wrap my head around what this is all about and how it actually differs from NLP.

Yeah, something like that—a counselor and a "professor of counselor education." 🤷
The guy really lost his grip years ago. I remember reading some of his stuff on "manifesting"... 😵

Is it an e-book? If I email you via PM, could you send it over? :blink,blink: I’d love to finally figure out what this is all about and how it actually differs from NLP.

Sure. It doesn't really have much to do with NLP.

Kyle Lee7 said:Actually, I’d argue thought is more powerful than matter itself. Thought creates matter. No matter how you look at it, thoughts are what draw things toward us—whether it's objects, other ideas, people, or relationships.
You can find this principle echoed in almost every major world religion, from the Bible to Eastern philosophies (it’s the classic "ask and it shall be given" sentiment).
And for instance, electrictiger70 provided a beautiful explanation of this from a psychological perspective.

Now, the fact that your thoughts don't instantly materialize right in front of your eyes the second you think them—which might be why it's hard to wrap your head around—is a completely different conversation.
Just because modern science is still playing catch-up when it comes to explaining these laws doesn't mean they aren't real. A few centuries ago, people would have argued the Earth was a flat disc because they thought they'd fall off the edge if it weren't!

Thoughts shape subjective reality—but they have zero impact on objective reality. There's still no proof that thought influences physical matter, despite countless attempts to prove otherwise. Just because religions claim something doesn't make it true.

The fact that your thoughts don't physically manifest right in front of your eyes the moment you think them—which is why you can't wrap your head around it—is a completely different issue altogether.
And just because modern science is struggling to explain these laws doesn't mean they don't exist.

A few centuries ago, people like you were arguing that the Country was a flat disc, simply because you thought we'd all fall off if it weren't.

Actually, it's the exact opposite—what you're describing is an ancient dogma, essentially the equivalent of believing the Earth is flat. Both are nothing more than unverified convictions.

amberbadger8 said:How exactly do you plan on explaining that? 😉

By that logic—if we follow the Law of Attraction—everything that happens is just a direct result of our thoughts. There’s actually a thread somewhere discussing The Secret that mentions the "Levitin paradox": If Joe suddenly comes up behind you and hits you over the head with a stick, do you feel the pain even though you never saw the stick coming and didn't know it existed? (c)baphomet 🙂

electrictiger70 Asks:
Honestly, I think Wayne Dyer is a complete fraud. The guy just takes these ancient Taoist tales, twists them around—and from what I’ve seen, he does a pretty terrible job of it—and calls it his own. That's exactly what makes his books so hollow. Honestly, I might just grab an old sackcloth and write my own version of those stories above him. interpretation by electrictiger70—because one day, that just led me straight into self-hanging. And that’s basically the gist of his statement regarding why he took up the profession. All in all—it's pretty straightforward. 👎 Deepak Chopra is just as much of a fraud—but Wayne Dyer actually reminds me of those cheap hacks you see peddling nonsense on local access cable. ☕

Yeah, his recent books are absolute garbage. *How to be a No Limit Person* is from back in the seventies—before he completely lost the plot. Sure, you can catch some hints of rambling here and there, but it’s manageable. He actually used to be a decent psychologist.
Deepak Chopra— 👎

Question—is Psycho-Cybernetics essentially the same thing as NLP? Are we looking at two distinct disciplines here, or just different names for the same concept?

No—this is mostly about self-image.

I’d back Brad Blanton-radical again—hundreds of times if I could. 👍👍 Look, the guy is a legitimate Gestalt psychotherapist—you can tell immediately. This isn't some self-proclaimed guru peddling nonsense; the author actually knows their stuff—at least most of the time.

Look, there’s plenty of actual value buried in the self-help genre—you just have to learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Unfortunately, the selection available in most local bookstores around here is hit-or-miss at best; half the stuff on the shelves feels like it was picked by someone who has never actually lived a day in their life. If you have the chance to order through Amazon, do it. It’s worth the wait—you can find just about anything interesting there. Personally, I tend to lean toward the more direct stuff, like Brad Blanton, or the semi-spiritual writers like Alan Watts and Jack Kornfield. Even the latter two can get a bit intense sometimes, but at least they keep one foot on the ground. They aren't just floating around in the clouds like most of those other charlatans out there.

👍

We’re talking about the subconscious—that non-conscious layer of our total awareness that is just as real as anything else. Every single thing we've ever encountered—every sound, every scent, every lived experience in this life (and maybe others)—is tucked away in there. It's essentially how we exist. It builds our daily reality through memory, logic, emotion, and those automatic reactions we can't seem to stop. Because of this subconscious programming and those deep-seated habits, we end up inviting suffering into our lives—those endless, unresolved cycles—and, frankly, we bear some responsibility for it.

Sure, you could interpret it that way, but no matter how you slice it—thoughts don't actually pull physical objects toward us (unless we're speaking metaphorically).

hiddenhawk3 said:Where'd you even find that? 🤷

Books? I download them—mostly via torrents.

Anthony Bailey said:😳
I’m with Peter Phillips32 on this one.
placidranger, look, when I’m reading or watching something, I don't waste my damn time. I grab what actually makes sense, underline it, write it down, and actually learn it. If it isn't real advice for actual, real-world problems, it's just garbage to me. I'm not interested in fluff.

There might be some decent stuff buried in The Secret—I'm not saying there isn't—it's just mostly been overhyped and watered down into something overly simplistic.

Anthony Bailey said:Personally, I think it’s perfectly logical. You end up in certain situations and surrounded by specific people based on your mindset and how you view the world.
😳

~~~
You are attracting to you the predominant thought that you hold in your awareness whether that thought are conscious or unconscious.
The movie font>.

On one level, sure—you’re going to seek out people who fit your vibe and hang out with them, but that doesn't happen just because of thoughts—it happens because of actions (which might be driven by those thoughts, but there's no point obsessing over it while sitting in a room).

You are attracting to you the predominant thought that you hold in your awareness whether that thought are conscious or unconscious.
The movie The Secret

That kind of rhetoric just doesn't sit right with me, even though it shows up in hundreds of books. The sentence itself is nonsensical—what even are "unconscious thoughts"? And the Law of Attraction doesn't work either—by its own logic, everyone would be solely responsible for every tragedy that hits them.

Dennis Bailey4 said:My 17-year-old son has been using weed for about two years now—I knew, but honestly, I was too terrified to actually test him and face the reality of what I might find.
Lately, though, things have spiraled. This winter he started hanging out with a much older crowd, and it’s completely gotten out of hand. Nothing we do seems to touch him... everything just keeps getting worse. Between the behavioral shifts, the dark circles under his eyes, and how thin he's become, it's obvious he's moved on to harder substances.
Yesterday, one of his friends stopped by and confirmed my absolute worst fears: he's started using speed, meth, and cocaine.
So, this morning, I picked up one of those all-in-one testing kits from the drugstore—the kind with seven strips that supposedly catches everything. When I handed it to him, he absolutely lost it, stormed out, and refused to do it. He finally came back this afternoon and agreed to sit down for the test. Surprisingly, every single strip came back negative—even for the weed, which I literally saw him smoking just a few days ago. How is that even possible?
If anyone knows anything, please help. What kind of professional testing can I take him to that isn't so easily fooled?

Discussion 🤷

I don't see much point in police evaluations—if you already know he's prone to testing boundaries, the results are moot. You can't force him into a psychologist's office if he's digging his heels in.

Just because one of his friends told you something doesn't mean it's gospel. Maybe they were just experimenting. What's he like in school? Does he have a girlfriend? How is your communication with him, generally speaking?

I don't get it. How can you claim to "know" something if you haven't actually studied it?