Seeing Auras, Need Advice.

[Orange Monkey]

Short Version: I've been seeing clouds of colour and light around peoples bodies.

Long Version: Lately strange blots of colour appear around people I meet and know, they're mostly consistent but tend to change slightly over time. High spikes of emotions appear to temporarily augment them, as do epiphanies or similar radical shifts in thought.
Now I'm not an idiot, I know what I'm seeing isn't normal and the most likely scenario is that I'm losing my sanity. Other explanations I've come up with are 1) When I was younger doctors had told me that I have above average electrical activity in certain areas of my brain, this could be some kind of overspill into my optic nerves 2) How I perceive people, they're personality and emotional state, is again somehow crossing wires with my optics 3) Hallucinations caused by some kind of undiagnosed neurological condition. And 4) Is genuinely having a spiritual experience and perceiving peoples ''energy''.

Any advice or help that anyone can give would be much appreciated.

 

[wooty]

Some people would see this as quite a positive thing and a rare gift if its the genuine article........either that or you've taken a lot of Nurofen this week

 

[Orange Monkey]

It's mostly just a bit disturbing and disconcerting. I don't do drugs and havn't had as much as a parecetemol lately, So I'm a bit worried it might be an actual serious neurological condition. But I'm also worried that If I go to a doctor or a shrink that they'll just toss me in the loony bin >_<
Of course, the possibility that I am crazy is always there, so maybe I should just let them?

 

[trollnystan]

I try to be open to things like this. Maybe you really are seeing auras and feelings? Maybe you're an X-men

But I'd go see a doctor anyway. It could also be a tumour or some other medical condition. People who are truly crazy seldom wonder if they are, so I think you're safe from being thrown into the loony bin. Good luck, mutant!

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Seeing auras is quite a well documented scientific phenomenon. I don't think anyone's really sure what causes it, but it won't get you a one way ticket to the looney bin.

You have nailed down each of the possibilities pretty well, and it could be any one of those (although I am highly sceptical of 4, mainly because that involves believing all the middle aged American housewives that talk about the amazing and mystic Far East and the other side)

But many people who have claimed to see these "colours" have never connected it to the spirit realm, or Chakraing your YingYang, so I do think it a genuine scientific phenomenon, and not just attention seeking, or a hoax.

I would advise going to a local doctor or psycologist to get it checked out. Most likely they'll check for abnormal neural activity, and if they find something dangerous they will tell you and sort it out, if not they'll probably just handwave it as swamp gas reflecting off a weather balloon. It could well be just abnormal electrical energy in your body, there are many documented cases of it, and I think I read a Cracked.com article which connected the two, but it's best not to get your medical information from a comedy website.

 

[Xhu]

Seeing auras is quite a well documented scientific phenomenon. I don't think anyone's really sure what causes it, but it won't get you a one way ticket to the looney bin.

You have nailed down each of the possibilities pretty well, and it could be any one of those (although I am highly sceptical of 4, mainly because that involves believing all the middle aged American housewives that talk about the amazing and mystic Far East and the other side)

But many people who have claimed to see these "colours" have never connected it to the spirit realm, or Chakraing your YingYang, so I do think it a genuine scientific phenomenon, and not just attention seeking, or a hoax.

I would advise going to a local doctor or psycologist to get it checked out. Most likely they'll check for abnormal neural activity, and if they find something dangerous they will tell you and sort it out, if not they'll probably just handwave it as swamp gas reflecting off a weather balloon. It could well be just abnormal electrical energy in your body, there are many documented cases of it, and I think I read a Cracked.com article which connected the two, but it's best not to get your medical information from a comedy website.

Would you be willing to provide your [scientific, of course] sources for this beyond said comedy website?

 

[Dags90]

Would you be willing to provide your [scientific, of course] sources for this beyond said comedy website?

Well, "auras" are a medical phenomenon, they're just not what the OP is describing. It's more random lights/colors, they're connected to certain types of headaches and seizures.

 

[Xhu]

Well, "auras" are a medical phenomenon, they're just not what the OP is describing. It's more random lights/colors, they're connected to certain types of headaches and seizures.

I'm aware of this, but as you pointed out, the medical definition [at least, the one I had in mind] seems to be completely unrelated to what the OP is describing, and so I would be interested in seeing the well-documented evidence for this particular phenomenon.

 

[fulano]

Maybe you have synesthetic senses. BUT, It could also be psychological or worse...physical. In the worse of scenarios you could have a chemical imbalance in your head which would lead you to have hallucinations, or even scarier: fucked up retinas, or that your brain isn't getting enough oxygen.

I'd advice you to ditch all posisble supernatural bullshit explanations and get your ass to a doctor. Now.

Go, go, go!

 

[Loop Stricken]

Bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon doctor's!
I'd guess some form of synaesthesia myself, but then I don't really know much about it.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Moved to the Advice forum.

 

[Tallim]

Maybe you have synesthetic senses. BUT, It could also be psychological or worse...physical. In the worse of scenarios you could have a chemical imbalance in your head which would lead you to have hallucinations, or even scarier: fucked up retinas, or that your brain isn't getting enough oxygen.

I'd advice you to ditch all posisble supernatural bullshit explanations and get your ass to a doctor. Now.

Go, go, go!

Good advice. Detached retina can cause these sorts of anomalies and that doesn't get better on its own.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Would you be willing to provide your [scientific, of course] sources for this beyond said comedy website?

Darn, Bust-ed! My only source of information was the comedy article, and a weird programme on daytime TV I saw ages ago (Don't judge me, it was that or Bargain Hunt!)

But I did some googling, and here's a pretty good page, tonnes of information, and it seems unbiased (well, less biased than I am anyway.) http://skepdic.com/auras.html

This was at the end of the article,

In the October 2004 issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology (vol. 21 no. 7), Dr. Jamie Ward of University College London?s Psychology Department "documented a woman known as GW who could see colors like purple and blue in response to people she knew or their names when read to her," a condition known as emotion-color synesthesia.

Synaesthesia is a condition found in 1 in 2000 people in which stimulation of one sense produces a response in one or more of the other senses. For example, people with synaesthesia may experience shapes with tastes or smells with sounds. It is thought to originate in the brain and some scientists believe it might be caused by a cross-wiring in the brain, for example between centres involved in emotional processing and smell perception. Synaesthesia is known to run in families.*

And here's the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_%28paranormal%29
There are a dozen links at the bottom of both articles you can peruse at your own leisure, the important thing is to know that you are not some sort of insane weirdo, and that perfectly healthy and sane people have also reported seeing the same thing.

 

[Erana]

Would you be willing to provide your [scientific, of course] sources for this beyond said comedy website?

Well, "auras" are a medical phenomenon, they're just not what the OP is describing. It's more random lights/colors, they're connected to certain types of headaches and seizures.

This. I get flashes and the occasional aura before I get migraines.

Maybe you have synesthetic senses. BUT, It could also be psychological or worse...physical. In the worse of scenarios you could have a chemical imbalance in your head which would lead you to have hallucinations, or even scarier: fucked up retinas, or that your brain isn't getting enough oxygen.

I'd advice you to ditch all posisble supernatural bullshit explanations and get your ass to a doctor. Now.

Go, go, go!

Good advice. Detached retina can cause these sorts of anomalies and that doesn't get better on its own.

This. Definitely this.
If there's any chance that its a detached retina, go see a doctor.

Anyone can wind up seeing aura-like phenomena from things like this: http://www.planetperplex.com/en/item/afterimage/
If you had and after image from your visual receptors becoming tired, and they moved due to an emtional outburst or expression, that could well be it.

 

[Orange Monkey]

If it's true, sounds like a mix of 1 and probably 2 to me.

4 is more than doubtful and 3, I'd explore 1 and 2 before thinking that.

Honestly, 1 sounds the most promising, although I have to ask. What tests were you having done for Docs to tell you that you have a higher than average level of electricity in your noodle.

I'm not really sure, all I know is that when I was younger I took a pretty nasty tumble down some stairs, and when they were checking for any head trauma, one of the tests came up with that.

Thanks to everyone who commented, I've decided to visit a doctor and see what he/she thinks. Very nervous though! If I get any definite answer I'll post it here.

 

[martin's a madman]

I think you should go see a doctor.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Its more likely an electrical discharge to your optic nerves, allowing your eyesight to see such things like particles, dust, heat waves etc etc alot more clearer then the average eye. I have the exact thing.

Best to see the docs though, none of us are specialists when it comes to the human body.

 

[Terminal Blue]

It's mostly just a bit disturbing and disconcerting. I don't do drugs and havn't had as much as a parecetemol lately, So I'm a bit worried it might be an actual serious neurological condition. But I'm also worried that If I go to a doctor or a shrink that they'll just toss me in the loony bin >_<

Not going to happen unless you start talking about how you need to kill people because they have bad auras. Psychiatric hospitals are for high-risk patients who might hurt themselves or others. It's extremely hard to get detained on psychological grounds.

Worse case scenario, you could have mild epilepsy. If you get checked now, they'll probably recommend an EEG and maybe an MRI scan which should pick it up. If you don't it's probably no biggie, but you might be blacking out for a few seconds at a time or having fuge states without realizing it, which could theoretically cause problems. If they don't find anything, unless it's having a degenerative effect on your life they'll just leave it and tell you to come back if it gets worse or changes.

Best case scenario, you have superpowers.

I'd get it checked out.

 

[Falconsgyre]

This is the most awesome mental problem ever. Except for maybe synesthesia.

 

[instantbenz]

Would you be willing to provide your [scientific, of course] sources for this beyond said comedy website?

Well, "auras" are a medical phenomenon, they're just not what the OP is describing. It's more random lights/colors, they're connected to certain types of headaches and seizures.

When the term 'aura' is used in relation to headaches and seizures it can mean some type of optic light/color, but in most cases it has to do with loss of vision that has the potential to become a light show. I did papers ages ago about migraines as I get them myself. From my experience 'aura' refers to a growing blind spot and then a kaleidoscope forming within that blind spot if the headache will be more painful. Others have tunnel vision which can also be called an 'aura'. And of course as you say, light flashes as well.

OP: I assume as you didn't mention it you aren't having any headaches which would be very bad and you would need CAT scanning. Regardless of pain, docs might still suggest a scan to see everything's in order.