A strange first post ? You be the judge.

[Guest jedah]

This is my first post.

 

this is a question thats been bugging me for quite some time, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could answer ! Try to read it a bit thoroughly since this is very hard to explain. I just recently decided to post this online today.

 

It started way back before I could talk, as long as I can remember Ive had an odd ability dealing with sticks. Whenever I grab 2 sticks of length between 6~ 15 inches and "drum with them" ( it doesn't have to be drumsticks. I often use tree branches )or tap them on a surface Im able to visualize any kind of reality I can think of in my right eye. Think of it as a tv placed in front of your eye and your left eye still in the real world. When doing this I can also hear any sound I can think of. I like to spend an hour or so a day doing this.

 

Also, this is not just basic imagination. When not tapping sticks together Im still able to visualize things and still able to remember music in my head just like everyone else. Its more like an insane boost to my imagination. The picture I get in my right eye is indistinguishable from reality. The only difference is that I know it isn't really real. ( thank god otherwise Id probably be locked up in a padded room somewhere ) Think of it as if you could go on an acid trip at any time but be in full control of your trip and remember mostly everything you did.

 

To get a better idea of what the hell this is, here are a few things I like to do:

 

1. Remix Music in my head. This is fun because I can see the sound waves in my eye. I can make remix any songs together in my head then listen to what they sound like. Its sometimes fun to just freestyle and come up with random tunes.

 

2. Create/replay any video game Ive played. I can replicate the AI, The levels, pretty much everything. This is fun because I can also come up with my own levels for the game I played. I like playing video games and alot of times I think "hey it would be cool if they had a level like ...." and so I grab sticks, make the level, and play it. Ive been doing this alot with Valves "portal" game lately.

 

3. Photographic memory. I can recall almost anything Ive seen in my life. Never gotten lower then an A on tests back in high school when I remembered to bring 2 pencils. Too bad I was a total slacker when it came to homework...

 

4. Watch a movie Ive seen before, but change the camera angle. Of course I have to make up what I see since different angles see different things, but when I do this "stick thing" I think quick enough to do this in realtime anyway.

 

5. Solve puzzles through trial and error by visualizing possible outcomes. I can do this with math/algebra too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So my question is this: Have you ever met ( or you yourself ) someone else who can do something similar ? It doesn't have to be sticks, just any kind of odd habitual action that "buffs" their intellectual / creative abilities by a significant amount. Also, is this a mental disease ? Am I someone who should be in a padded cell with a happy jacket on ? I do look pretty insane when tapping these sticks since I laugh and smile at the things I see when drumming...my sister has been afraid of me ever since she spied on me doing this for an hour.

 

Is their some kind of name for this ? The oddest thing is that Ive been able to do this for as long as I can remember. I have no idea why it has to be sticks and why its my right eye.

[Mr Skeptic]

The name would be savant syndrome. Usually it is accompanied with lower general intelligence; if that is not the case for you you would be one of the lucky ones. A savant normally would have an extremely limited special ability; yours seems to be a more general mixture of memory and visual calculation (and sound calculation too?!?). Overall, I think that your ability is way cool, and if you like art you could make very good use of it as well.

[ecoli]

Interesting... I hope your going for higher education and a degree in the the maths and sciences. You could do really good things there.

[Fred56]

jedah: your header indicates that you aren't especially anxious about other's opinions (imo) of you or your 'oddness', if that's how you might see it. I don't mean strange oddness, but more 'odd man out'-ness. How about music? Are you able to 'visualise', as it were more than one melody at a time? Do you play an instrument? Also (this is a little bit personal) do you find yourself frustrated by other's apparent inability to 'follow' your thinking or anything like that (because you seem to be able to visualise a solution to some problem before others)?

[Guest jedah]

The name would be savant syndrome. Usually it is accompanied with lower general intelligence; if that is not the case for you you would be one of the lucky ones. A savant normally would have an extremely limited special ability; yours seems to be a more general mixture of memory and visual calculation (and sound calculation too?!?).

 

I don't think I could be a savant. Savant syndrome as I understand it is a neurological "disorder" ( hard to say if its a disability or a gift ) were damage in one area of the brain causes brilliance in another.

 

In my case I'm fairly normal unless I am "drumming". Thats what I am getting at, if there is any known disease or condition were a person is able to greatly increase the abilities of their mind by performing a specific action.

jedah: your header indicates that you aren't especially anxious about other's opinions (imo) of you or your 'oddness', if that's how you might see it. I don't mean strange oddness, but more 'odd man out'-ness. How about music? Are you able to 'visualise', as it were more than one melody at a time? Do you play an instrument? Also (this is a little bit personal) do you find yourself frustrated by other's apparent inability to 'follow' your thinking or anything like that (because you seem to be able to visualise a solution to some problem before others)?

 

Im open to almost everything anyone has to say about this, all replies are appreciated. The only kind of reply I plan to ignore is if anyone accuses me of seeking attention or lying. I dont care if someone thinks Im BS'ing.

 

As for your question:

 

Yes to music. One interesting thing about music is that I can only do it as you described when drumming, but when not drumming I can remember and replay sound without it. I don't own a radio/CD player in my car because of this.

 

But I dont play any musical instruments. Never bothered to learn. I'm more of a tech nerd.

 

Actually, people often become frustrated with me instead because I tend to over explain everything. Im always very exact, but thats more of my personality. ( for instance instead of saying "could you please pick that cup up for me" I will say "Can you please pick up the red cup that is directly to the back of your hand on top of the middle of the table ?" )

[ecoli]

I don't think I could be a savant. Savant syndrome as I understand it is a neurological "disorder" ( hard to say if its a disability or a gift ) were damage in one area of the brain causes brilliance in another.

 

Usually but not always and the negative affects aren't always obvious...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXG-1YLGAS0

 

This kid is a savant. He had epilepsy as a kid and (what appears to be) mild aspergers. But he functions well in society.

[Fred56]

I will say "Can you please pick up the red cup that is directly to the back of your hand on top of the middle of the table ?" )

Have your parents been 'concerned' about your 'strangeness' at all? Have they taken you to see 'professionals', or to get tests done? I can imagine someone who goes into (great) detail as you describe, and engages in things like drumming with any available 'sticks', might get diagnosed as OCD, maybe... Has the medical profession. like, been on your case?

 

P.S. Eccentricities and 'odd' behaviour are common among those with 'savant' type (and a history of epilepsy) conditions. Many 'above average' intelligent people often cultivate peculiar habits (of speech or other activities), because it seems (to them) to aid their thinking patterns, or it makes things easier to handle (i.e. they want to be eccentric). And there's a known (or suspected) link between OCD and eccentric behaviour, and therefore intelligence or 'genius'.

[Guest jedah]

To answer your question more thoroughly ( fred ) I have a very bad ADD and my parents used to be worried about me so I ended up learning how to fake being normal around people.

 

Also, I did USED to be frustrated with others like you described but I grew out of it. I don't see intellectual problems as being the fault of the individual, its just how our brains were wired.

[Mr Skeptic]

I think your tendency to overspecify when you describe what needs to be done could be related to a low understanding of people. Normally, people would be able to basically model what another person would do in a certain situation and so understand almost exactly how much information they would need. If you are unable to figure out exactly how much information they need, it is safer to overspecify than be vague, but it will annoy people regardless. This (trouble interacting with people) is one of the attributes of autism that is associated with Savant Syndrome. Attention problems are also associated with autism. So now I am even more confident that you are an Autistic Savant.

 

I agree that none of this is your fault. Whether it is a blessing or a curse is also up to you, and how you deal with your unique abilities and disabilities. I suggest you learn to love it, because there is no "cure" even if you wanted one. Just consider that everyone is unique, and you are simply far more unique than most people It may even become the future, as people are becoming incredibly specialized in the jobs they do, perhaps specialized thinking will become even more valuable.

 

A few more questions. Do you enjoy your drumming/thinking ability? Have you been able to exploit or put to practical use the special ability you have? How well can you get along with other people, as compared to how well other people get along?

 

If you describe as completely as possible your abilities and their limits, we may be able to suggest practical or new things you can do that other people would simply be unable to do.