Emma Grace Frost (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
icecoldfrost) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomtownies2012-07-17 01:23 pm
icecoldfrost) wrote in fandomtownies2012-07-17 01:23 pm
Entry tags:
Class: Psionics for the Headblind Herd, The Community Center, Tuesday Evening
"Telepathy," Emma began, "--is the supposed transmission of information from one person to another without using any of scientifically known sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the earlier expression thought-transference."
"According to Roger Luckhurst, the origin of the concept of telepathy in the Western civilization can be tracked to the late 19th century. As the physical sciences made significant advances, scientific concepts were applied to mental phenomena, with the hope that this would help understand paranormal phenomena. The modern concept of telepathy emerged in this historical context."
The notion of telepathy is not dissimilar to two psychological concepts: delusions of thought insertion/removal and psychological symbiosis. This similarity might explain how some people have come up with the idea of telepathy. Thought insertion/removal is a symptom of psychosis, particularly of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Psychiatric patients who experience this symptom falsely believe that some of their thoughts are not their own and that others are putting thoughts into their minds. Some patients feel as if thoughts are being taken out of their minds or deleted. Along with other symptoms of psychosis, delusions of thought insertion may be reduced by anti-psychotic medication." Emma stopped talking for a moment to Look at the class. "First person to mention -- or think -- that I could use anti-psychotics gets to think they're a kiwi for a week."
"Within the field of parapsychology, telepathy is considered to be a form of extra-sensory perception, known as ESP, or anomalous cognition in which information is transferred through Psi. It is often categorized similarly to precognition and clairvoyance. Various experiments have been used to test for telepathic abilities. Among the most well known are the use of Zener cards and the Ganzfeld experiment."
"I am what is known as a mutant, thanks to a shift in my x-gene. My primary gift, as I mentioned earlier, is telepathy. It's a skill with a wide-range of uses, depending on how powerful you are. For instance, I have a near-photographic memory, can carry on multiple conversations at once telepathically, sort input, 'download' knowledge - such as languages - from someone's mind, act as a telepathic switchboard to keep non-telepaths in contact, occasional accidental dreamwalking, locate someone I know cross-country, make someone think they are someone or something they're not, and as I seem to have a particular affinity for the central nervous system - impulses sent from the brain, you know - I can cause pain or blunt it."
"So today, you get to test your own telepathic talents." Emma leaned over to turn on three CD players, creating a cacophony of sound. "This is what it sounds like in my head. Now, pair up, grab some zener cards, and see if you've got a drop of talent."
"According to Roger Luckhurst, the origin of the concept of telepathy in the Western civilization can be tracked to the late 19th century. As the physical sciences made significant advances, scientific concepts were applied to mental phenomena, with the hope that this would help understand paranormal phenomena. The modern concept of telepathy emerged in this historical context."
The notion of telepathy is not dissimilar to two psychological concepts: delusions of thought insertion/removal and psychological symbiosis. This similarity might explain how some people have come up with the idea of telepathy. Thought insertion/removal is a symptom of psychosis, particularly of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Psychiatric patients who experience this symptom falsely believe that some of their thoughts are not their own and that others are putting thoughts into their minds. Some patients feel as if thoughts are being taken out of their minds or deleted. Along with other symptoms of psychosis, delusions of thought insertion may be reduced by anti-psychotic medication." Emma stopped talking for a moment to Look at the class. "First person to mention -- or think -- that I could use anti-psychotics gets to think they're a kiwi for a week."
"Within the field of parapsychology, telepathy is considered to be a form of extra-sensory perception, known as ESP, or anomalous cognition in which information is transferred through Psi. It is often categorized similarly to precognition and clairvoyance. Various experiments have been used to test for telepathic abilities. Among the most well known are the use of Zener cards and the Ganzfeld experiment."
"I am what is known as a mutant, thanks to a shift in my x-gene. My primary gift, as I mentioned earlier, is telepathy. It's a skill with a wide-range of uses, depending on how powerful you are. For instance, I have a near-photographic memory, can carry on multiple conversations at once telepathically, sort input, 'download' knowledge - such as languages - from someone's mind, act as a telepathic switchboard to keep non-telepaths in contact, occasional accidental dreamwalking, locate someone I know cross-country, make someone think they are someone or something they're not, and as I seem to have a particular affinity for the central nervous system - impulses sent from the brain, you know - I can cause pain or blunt it."
"So today, you get to test your own telepathic talents." Emma leaned over to turn on three CD players, creating a cacophony of sound. "This is what it sounds like in my head. Now, pair up, grab some zener cards, and see if you've got a drop of talent."
Sign-In
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no subject
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During the Lecture
Re: During the Lecture
Today, that meant learning more about his new housemate and her abilities.
He'd be sitting at the back of the class again, though. But he was there.
Re: During the Lecture
... Still, it was difficult to keep his emotions in check through this one, and halfway through the lecture he forced himself to run through some old meditation exercises that Cable had taught him. It was either that, or walk out to save the actual telepaths in the room the headache.
no subject
He was surprised. For such a good looking woman, she was being very thorough; maybe there was something to what she was saying? But he'd have to see. In his business he'd met a number of such phonies and even some people who were crazy enough to really believe they coul...
Emma stopped talking for a moment to Look at the class. "First person to mention -- or think -- that I could use anti-psychotics gets to think they're a kiwi for a week."
Carl shifted and looked carefully back to his notes.
Re: During the Lecture
Activity!
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He did excuse himself, this time, with a murmured apology as he turned to leave the room. Theory, he could handle. This was too stark a reminder of what he'd lost for him to be able to try it with grace.
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Her eyes sympathetically followed Jono as he left the room/
Talk to the Assisstant
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Talk to Emma
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Especially since either way meant a story.
He shifted the tape recorder slung over his shoulder so that it was closer to her and pressed the record button. "Carl Kolchak, with the Gazette. A very interesting presentation, if I may say. Informative. Very thorough and thought provoking. May I have a moment of your time for some follow up questions?"
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"It's too bad you couldn't be here last week; that would have been something for you to write about."
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Carl's eyebrow raised and he shifted the recorder closer. "Last week? This is a regularly occurring class? This type of, of, of..." flail. "Subject is popular here?" It didn't seem like that kind of a town.
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Then she decided she was the prettiest way to have his cherry broken.
"Why?" Emma asked sweetly. "What 'kind of a town' do we seem like instead?"
"Half the class has some sort of metahuman ability," she continued briskly. "As does about half the island's adults and the majority of the students. The school is for 'special' children, Mr. Kolcak. Be they metahuman or human ones in need of a home or some sort of different attention."
"Last week, for example, we covered the astral plane. I'm sure Mr. Barton would be willing to talk with you about what we did, if you feel I am a biased source."
Re: Talk to Emma
"You say this is a school for special children? A detention facility?" Carl looked a bit concerned at the idea, but he smelled a story in there. "I haven't noticed a very high security level."
Re: Talk to Emma
"And while we have a few delinquents enrolled by their desperate families or social workers, that is hardly what I mean by 'special.'" Emma's smile was slightly sharp as an invisible wind started to move her hair, and a faint pink light began to glow around her hands and eyes. "Thank you for the assumption. From now on, I'm going to start calling us gifted instead."
OOC
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