I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. Could you clarify?

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In summary, the conversation discusses a personal experience of a vision on a foggy highway in which the person saw a bright lightning strike and the environment around them briefly changed. The person's ex-boyfriend did not see anything and the experience has been recorded in their journal for three years. The conversation also explores the possibility of the experience being a result of tiredness or a waking dream, as well as the concept of seeing and beliefs. It also mentions entoptic phenomena, pareidolia, and optical illusions as potential explanations for the vision. Ultimately, the person is still searching for answers and welcomes any explanations or questions.
  • #1
hdprism
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I have told only those closest to me about this vision and they did not doubt me for a moment that this vision had occurred because of my non-beliefs. However, I do not feel this was supernatural, but scientific and physical. Perhaps someone could tell me what they think about it.

Here goes the story:


The vision took place on Highway 31, Myrtle Beach, SC. It was very foggy, but this particular highway is usually pretty desolate so driving through it wasn't very difficult.

I was the designated driver for my ex-boyfriend and I from a dinner party we had gone too and was taking us home for the evening. I had no alcoholic beverages or anything that could have caused me to hallucinate. I felt absolutely fine before and afterward.

My ex was talking to me while I was driving, when all of a sudden, I see this bright lightning strike, like a tear through the fog and darkness and it lit up the environment around the car as if it were daylight, and in this daylight, there was no fog but the road in front of me. The road was broken up with weeds and wood and the sign I was about to drive under before the vision, I was driving under during the vision and it was covered with vines and was rusted and obviously very old.

My immediate reaction to all of this was to slam the break and when I did everything went back to normal (fog and darkness), except it felt like I was breaking downhill! My ex was freaking out and pulled the wheel so that I breaked and stopped on the side of the highway. I was in pure awe and shock, AND had broken in a cold sweat, breathing heavy like you would when you've just avoided getting into a car accident.

I couldn't even explain it at that moment to my ex because it had happened in a matter of seconds. I wrote about the event in my journal <u>three</u> years ago to force myself to remember and treasure the event... and today I finally felt ready to search for answers.

If anyone has any explanations or questions for me... please.

- Prism
 
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  • #2
Did your boyfriend see the lightning?
 
  • #3
Was the experience explainable or unexplainable is their a probability in your favor you can explain it using a logic and rational reason what really happened. Or have you concluded there is no reasonable explanation.

Do you believe you experienced a paranormal Phenomena. Was the experience real or fantasy. Do people Really See what you See? Is seeing believing.

Have you convinced yourself, it happened, I saw it with my own eyes?

The explanation has been used many times in certain situations.

That statement is a Pragmatic theory of ideas about truth. Beliefs are considered to be true if and only if they are useful and can be practically applied.

Some people have genuine paranormal experiences. People who believe in the paranormal for other reasons are more likely to interpret normal events as paranormal. People who misjudge the probability of coincidences are more likely to misinterpret normal events as paranormal. This encourages their belief. People have these experiences, but we can question their interpretation.

Does the human brain interpret a complete data? Of visual perception. Can we trust our brain to actually process all of the information that your eyes transmit. Are their certain times under extreme conditions visual information that is normally filtered through the brain fails?

Entoptic phenomena
Is a condition when the eye may render visible certain objects within the eye itself? Also called, entoptical.

Sometimes people see things that are not there for no apparent reason. Science can’t explain it. The terminology or the technology does not exist

Pareidolia is a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct. Seeing the Virgin Mary in a pancake

Optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is characterized by visually perceived images that are deceptive or misleading.
 
  • #4
Some thing similar is , traveling along a familiar road and feeling some thing is wrong, distances seem stretched, one has a hot rush, the journey seems to take forever, this feeling stops when a turning point is reached, it has happened to me several times, i am sure it is all in the mind.
 
  • #5
Were you tired?

I once drove a friend home late at night, and I was so tired I had a waking dream. A man stepped out in front of my car. I was so convinced it was real, I slammed on the brakes.
 
  • #6
DaveC426913 said:
Were you tired?

I once drove a friend home late at night, and I was so tired I had a waking dream. A man stepped out in front of my car. I was so convinced it was real, I slammed on the brakes.
This is what I'm inclined to think. Driving along in a fog could have lulled you into a light dream state.
 
  • #7
W3pcq said:
Did your boyfriend see the lightning?


He did not see anything, but my going blank for a few seconds and then slamming on the breaks.
 
  • #8
JJbrigham said:
Was the experience explainable or unexplainable is their a probability in your favor you can explain it using a logic and rational reason what really happened. Or have you concluded there is no reasonable explanation.

Do you believe you experienced a paranormal Phenomena. Was the experience real or fantasy. Do people Really See what you See? Is seeing believing.

Have you convinced yourself, it happened, I saw it with my own eyes?

The explanation has been used many times in certain situations.

That statement is a Pragmatic theory of ideas about truth. Beliefs are considered to be true if and only if they are useful and can be practically applied.

Some people have genuine paranormal experiences. People who believe in the paranormal for other reasons are more likely to interpret normal events as paranormal. People who misjudge the probability of coincidences are more likely to misinterpret normal events as paranormal. This encourages their belief. People have these experiences, but we can question their interpretation.

Does the human brain interpret a complete data? Of visual perception. Can we trust our brain to actually process all of the information that your eyes transmit. Are their certain times under extreme conditions visual information that is normally filtered through the brain fails?

Entoptic phenomena
Is a condition when the eye may render visible certain objects within the eye itself? Also called, entoptical.

Sometimes people see things that are not there for no apparent reason. Science can’t explain it. The terminology or the technology does not exist

Pareidolia is a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct. Seeing the Virgin Mary in a pancake

Optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is characterized by visually perceived images that are deceptive or misleading.


There was no convincing myself that it didn't happen or did, because it simply had happened. It was completely unexplainable and with my lack of physics or astronomic knowledge, I cannot explain it logically and was hoping maybe someone could.
 
  • #9
JJbrigham said:
Entoptic phenomena
Is a condition when the eye may render visible certain objects within the eye itself? Also called, entoptical.

Can you explain this more?

And seeing isn't necessarily within the eye, but the brain... it's possible it could of been a profound unconscious hallucination that effected me both mentally and physically?
 
  • #10
Evo said:
This is what I'm inclined to think. Driving along in a fog could have lulled you into a light dream state.


That is completely possible too! My ex was talking the entire time and had his hand on mine on the center console... so i had a lot of stimulation to keep me from dazing, but I think i was purposely drowning him out of my conciousness because he was annoying the hell out of me. I could of been drowning him out because I was trying to focus on the road... All I know is to this day I get a little freaked out driving through thick fog. Haha.. and what had happened was very real...
 
  • #11
hdprism said:
He did not see anything, but my going blank for a few seconds and then slamming on the breaks.

That is so un sexy.
 
  • #12
I tend to side with Evo as well.

In the past I and others around me have worked for days with hardly any sleep. In situations like this, minor hallucinations are actually fairly common. One guy that I knew hallucinated that a large piece of equipment had fallen from the ceiling and landed right next to him; nearly killing him. He only realized that it hadn't happened when he tried to show it to someone else!

Hypnagogic states can produce what seem like very real sensations and experiences.
 
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  • #13
From the story you told, (if I didn't know better I would say you traveled through time). Maybe there was some kind of reaction with the fog and lightning that caused a mirage.
Too bad your EX did not see it.
 
  • #14
hdprism said:
That is completely possible too! My ex was talking the entire time and had his hand on mine on the center console... so i had a lot of stimulation to keep me from dazing, but I think i was purposely drowning him out of my conciousness because he was annoying the hell out of me. I could of been drowning him out because I was trying to focus on the road... All I know is to this day I get a little freaked out driving through thick fog. Haha.. and what had happened was very real...
It's really hard to say. I had a "vision" that involved a teacup breaking that I would swear really happened, but it didn't, so I know where you are coming from.
 
  • #15
Ivan Seeking said:
I tend to side with Evo as well.
Hey! Credit where credit is due! :grumpy: Her bein' cute don't make her the boss o me.
 
  • #16
wolram said:
That is so un sexy.

I am sorry, but I am being honest about how and when the vision occurred and what was happening before and after.
 
  • #17
sas3 said:
From the story you told, (if I didn't know better I would say you traveled through time). Maybe there was some kind of reaction with the fog and lightning that caused a mirage.
Too bad your EX did not see it.

Well, it was not storming so the lightning must of been a part of the hallucination as well; however, it was a warm night. Has anyone been night heat lightning before?
 
  • #18
hdprism said:
Well, it was not storming so the lightning must of been a part of the hallucination as well; however, it was a warm night. Has anyone been night heat lightning before?

Not me. But I discovered an archived thread about hallucinations here at the forum whilst researching "earthquake hallucinations":

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=2432
Most of the information is on the first page.
Page 2 is mostly about drunks. Page 3 is mostly about death.

It may have been the lightning that caused it. Your hallucination I mean. Not the drunks and death.
 
  • #19
My opinion goes with my belief that the body is much more in tune with your environment that you are consciously aware of. And on occasion you get a glimpse of what your body (or unconscious) is always aware of. Everyone gets this on occasion, usually not so profound. Just like feeling like someone is looking at you and turning around to see someone doing just that. Not really scientific but certainly real.

Or you simply had waking dream. I've been dreaming yet convinced I'm awake, even seeing my room and surroundings but unable to get up until I finally force myself to wake up.
 
  • #20
Just had another thought.

Perhaps the lightning lit up the interior of your vehicle and your brain interpreted the instantaneous reflections in the windshield as something other than all the junk on your dashboard.

Go out to your car tonight, turn on the dome light, close your eyes, then open them for just an instant then shut them again. See if it looks familiar. Oh and make sure your EX's sitting next to you asleep of course.

I have noticed that as I get older, things at night are increasingly more difficult to recognize. My brain often turns a falling leaf into an attacking bat. Even though bats don't hang out in my neighborhood.
 
  • #21
OmCheeto said:
Just had another thought.

Perhaps the lightning lit up the interior of your vehicle and your brain interpreted the instantaneous reflections in the windshield as something other than all the junk on your dashboard.

Go out to your car tonight, turn on the dome light, close your eyes, then open them for just an instant then shut them again. See if it looks familiar. Oh and make sure your EX's sitting next to you asleep of course.

I have noticed that as I get older, things at night are increasingly more difficult to recognize. My brain often turns a falling leaf into an attacking bat. Even though bats don't hang out in my neighborhood.

If the vision hadn't been so vivid, I might make an exception to this theory; however, it was so clear and concise. I'm a psychology major and may just spend my entire life searching for answers as to what happened to me... Lol
 
  • #22
I would like to elaborate on the person standing in the road image. It makes perfect sense that a person driving along on a foggy road might hallucinate a person in the middle of the road. Why? Because all our lives we are driving on roads and always watching out for objects. If we didn't, we could hurt someone or ourselves. Since your mind is off wandering about these things it is possible that you could hallucinate a person. But ithis doesn't account for hallucinating something on the side of the road that is in your peripheral vision. Something on the side of the road poses no immediate threat to your safety and your brain would most likely shut it out in day to day activities. Basically I'm trying to knock out the chance of a hallucination for you, but even this is not certain. But being skepticism is all we have here.
 
  • #23
bassplayer142 said:
I would like to elaborate on the person standing in the road image. It makes perfect sense that a person driving along on a foggy road might hallucinate a person in the middle of the road. Why? Because all our lives we are driving on roads and always watching out for objects. If we didn't, we could hurt someone or ourselves. Since your mind is off wandering about these things it is possible that you could hallucinate a person. But ithis doesn't account for hallucinating something on the side of the road that is in your peripheral vision. Something on the side of the road poses no immediate threat to your safety and your brain would most likely shut it out in day to day activities. Basically I'm trying to knock out the chance of a hallucination for you, but even this is not certain. But being skepticism is all we have here.
Point of order: you've blended two posts.

The OP's OP was about driving along a foggy road, no person. It was me that recounted the hallucination of the person. I was in the suburbs, no fog, but it was 5AM. I was slowing to make a right turn and hallucinated someone stepping out into the crosswalk. Why I hallucinated that in that situation is certainly not a mystery to me.
 
  • #24
DaveC426913 said:
Point of order: you've blended two posts.

The OP's OP was about driving along a foggy road, no person. It was me that recounted the hallucination of the person. I was in the suburbs, no fog, but it was 5AM. I was slowing to make a right turn and hallucinated someone stepping out into the crosswalk. Why I hallucinated that in that situation is certainly not a mystery to me.

Yeah...
 

1. What is a "Non-Believer's Vision"?

A "Non-Believer's Vision" refers to a phenomenon where someone who does not believe in a certain concept or belief system experiences a vision or hallucination related to that concept. This can occur due to various factors such as psychological influences or sensory deprivation.

2. Can non-believers have visions related to religious or spiritual beliefs?

Yes, non-believers can have visions related to religious or spiritual beliefs. This can happen due to various reasons, such as cultural influences, past experiences, or a temporary shift in beliefs.

3. How do scientists explain "Non-Believer's Vision"?

Scientists explain "Non-Believer's Vision" as a result of the brain's ability to generate perceptions and experiences based on our thoughts, beliefs, and expectations. These visions are not considered supernatural or divine, but rather a natural occurrence within the brain.

4. Is there any evidence to support the occurrence of "Non-Believer's Vision"?

There is some evidence to support the occurrence of "Non-Believer's Vision." Studies have shown that sensory deprivation and certain psychological techniques can induce hallucinations and visions in individuals, regardless of their beliefs.

5. Can "Non-Believer's Vision" be used as evidence against religious or spiritual beliefs?

No, "Non-Believer's Vision" cannot be used as evidence against religious or spiritual beliefs. These visions are subjective experiences and do not provide any objective evidence to disprove or discredit belief systems. Additionally, people of various faiths and beliefs have reported similar experiences, making it difficult to draw conclusions about the validity of any one belief system based on these visions alone.

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