(no subject)

[unbibium]

Metafilter recently chimed in on the otherkin phenomenomenon. It quoted a paragraph that I'll quote a little more widely:

If what I've said here has awoken something in you, and you somehow feel as if you may have a piece of you that is not human, then you have my sympathies. You're in for a long, tortuous journey of self-discovery and doubt that will probably never end. Unless you go through some regression therapy to find that Otherkin part of you, chances are you won't have your memories available to you.

This sounds eerily similar to the urgings of the regression therapist featured on the UFO episode of Penn & Teller's "Bullshit!" She urged viewers that if one forgets what one did one afternoon, or notices a new scar, or has sleep paralysis, that they should get some regression therapy right quick. Later, a real psychologist explained that regression therapy doesn't retrieve repressed memories, but creates false memories based on leading questions by the hypnotherapist. So if you ask a hypnotherapist to see if you were abducted by a UFO, a dragon in a previous life, or molested by a family member at a young age, then they won't disappoint you. The sample video for that episode depicts a support group for UFO abductees, where objectivity is abandoned in favor of shared delusion.

The brain is very hackable, and memes like these are the Internet worms of the brain. If you somehow feel as if you may have a piece of you that is not human, then you're probably misinterpreting some feelings that you haven't come to terms with. But rest assured, you're 100% hairless ape, just like me. And for that, you have my sympathies.

Comments

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Apekin!

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Also, I object to being called "hairless".

[pentomino.livejournal.com]

THEN YOU'RE NOT SHAVING HARD ENOUGH!

[jecook]

::laughs::

[jecook]

Ok. Your next task is to explain furries. ::snicker::

[pentomino.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't be surprised if it were exactly the same thing, only granted a little more credibility than otherkin because furries emulate creatures that actually exist. "This part of my identity more closely matches my idea of BLANK, than it does my idea of normal people, therefore I will identify those aspects as BLANK traits instead of human traits."

When one's circumstances allow one to look at it objectively, one might evolve it into a hobby or career, rather than an identity issue, a religion, or a fetish. They might become writers and anthropologists instead of otherkin, or cartoonists and veterinarians instead of furries, or astronauts instead of UFO abductees. The idea could evolve, or it could pass altogether. And you see people doing that now.

But when one's circumstances allow, or even encourage one to ignore objectivity, then one can get stuck in the mud. If I wake up one morning and decide I'm a potted plant, I'm five minutes away from finding a web forum full of fellow potted plants, all of whom are ready, willing and able to reassure me beyond any doubt that all those people who think I'm crazy are nothing but closed-minded fools.

What I can't explain is why otherkin are perceived as minor losers, but furries are singled out as perverts. Could be that the fur and tails create a more shocking image for the outside world, especially when artists start going all super-hentai. Or it could be the occasional killjoy otherkin who claims that fairies, vampires, elves, and/or angels don't have sex at all. But one thing is certain: UFO abductees love the probe.

[hemlock-martini.livejournal.com]

Don't bring your hate crimes around here, fleshbag.

[weemumlessmngrl.livejournal.com]

Is there a way to do regressive therapy in a way that doesn't create the false memories?

[pentomino.livejournal.com]

Even if regressive therapy worked, I doubt it could be done reliably. At the very least, the therapist should not know whether he's looking for a rape or a UFO abduction. You may find that some therapists are good at turning people into UFO abductees, while others can turn people into rape victims. But if that stuff really worked, people would be using them to remember things we know we forget, like an old friend's unlisted phone number, their admin password, or something like that.

Recognize that there's lots of money to be made in turning people into victims. You've seen the ads on TV, where some lawyer says "Did you take Fen-Phen five years ago? Even if you don't THINK you're sick, come see our doctors and see if you can get in on our big class-action lawsuit!" Then Dr. Nick comes out and says "You see this spot on the X-ray that looks like a fingerprint? That's trauma!"

So, if you think you have a repressed memory, chances are it's not worth remembering. If you can't remember what happened when your uncle came over, it's probably because you were watching something forgettable on TV the whole time he was there, not because your uncle beamed you aboard his spaceship.