Over on Medical News Today,

"Seeing someone's aura may be just a quirk of the brain"
19 Oct 2004

Supposed psychic powers that enable people to see auras around others may simply be a quirk of the brain, according to a University College London (UCL) study of a rare form of synaesthesia where some people see colourful 'auras' around their loved ones.

The case study, reported in the October issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology, shows how some people can experience colours in response to people they know or words that evoke emotions - a condition known as emotion-colour synaesthesia.

Dr Jamie Ward, author of the study, says: "A popular notion is that some people have a magical ability to detect the hidden emotions of others by seeing a colourful 'aura' or energy field that they give off. Our study suggests a different interpretation. These colours do not reflect hidden energies being given off by other people, rather they are created entirely in the brain of the beholder."

In the study, Dr Ward of UCL's Psychology Department documented a woman known as GW who could see colours like purple and blue in response to people she knew or their names when read to her. Words triggered a colour which spread across her whole field of vision, whilst people themselves appeared to have coloured 'auras' projected around them. For example, "James" triggered pink, "Thomas" black and "Hannah" blue.

A similar test using 100 words rated on a scale of 1 to 7 for their emotional impact showed that highly emotive words such as fear or hate also triggered colours. Words associated with positive emotions tended to elicit pink, orange, yellow, and green, whereas words associated with negative emotions triggered brown, grey, and black.

Full Story here here

Intriguing and obviously belittling, but it does have some interesting points. Synaesthesia could explain a lot but it really explain why people see auras? Or is that the reason why some people can see them and others can't?

What do you think about the report and the effects of synaesthesia?

Woohoo - I have a quirky brain...

I can quite believe that the report is well founded. I'm well aware that when I see someone's aura my perception of them will be altered by my instinctive first impression of them. Given that the human mind tends to associate different colours with different emotions, to see a certain colour surrounding someone as you form your first emotional assessment of them, or even make an emotional assessment of someone who you've known for longer, would make a lot of sense.

Might also explain why people seem to see different auras around different people, or at least to interpret the colours so differently...

It has been said that it's a common trait of epileptics, auras being a common symptom just before a seizure. Interesting, but like all stats and findings, they'll probably say something else a few years from now.

I hadn't thought of that, I know some people get a certain smell before a seizure and one of my friends used to see flashes of light before a seizure but she has been attack free for a few years now thank goodness

in addition to the smell people who have seizures can also experience a metallic taste in their mouth before and after a seizure, just in case this of interest to anyone.

Thanks WW, that was interesting
I find the whole synasthesia thing fascinating, what can arise from a (as yet only theoretical) cross wiring in the brain.

I don't actually know that much about aura seeing, not being able to do this myself, but it would seem to make a bit of sense, that the brain manifests and emotional reaction to someone in colour. However, there seems to be a difference between the cases that were detailed, for example the boy who only saw colours in reference to how well he knew a person - that's not much use in defining someone's mood or character!

I don't however think it's fair of the report to say that it's all in the brain of the viewer. If synasthesia can explain why some people can see auras and other's can't, and I must say this thought had crossed my mind a while before that study came out, then I think it is most likely a combination of the two - that is to say, the brain of the viewer produces the colour, (the manifestation of the aura), but the viewer is picking up on something given off by the, er, viewee, if that makes sense.
To say it's all in isolation is stupid IMO; how many times have you had someone look at you and feel a reaction to what that expression is - whether they be upset, angry, happy etc etc.

Hope that made some sense!
Bastet x

What about those photographs people take? How do those actually work - I've always wondered what they're capturing.

Just because it's a 'quirk', does it make it invalid? Or does the quirk simply allow us to perceive something you usually can't? You can prove someone is having a neurochemical quirk - but you can't prove the colours aren't there...?

Epilepsy's an interesting one - strongly linked to shamanism in some spheres of thought. We had another thread on this somewhere.

Actually, there's an interesting study here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/health/7649970.stm

That suggests we 'see' things at times of stress:

"The mind naturally creates illusions and superstitions at times of stress - and this could be adding to the global financial crisis, say scientists."

Yes! That would explain why I see red

Maybe when we're stressed, we go into red alert mode - and start to rediscover dormant faculties which have been "civilised" out of us?

I do know that I have quite literally found myself "beside myself with rage" - I assume it was a case of my astral body separating - who knows.

I think the article is right. While in my first, stressful marriage, as the stress got greater, I spent more and more time reading New Age type books and looking for alternative belief systems to explain my life situation. Now I'm in a calm and happy relationship, it does all look like superstition and I can't relate to it any more.

Also during the divorce I had weird oob experiences and went into unusual states during sleep - none of it made any sense and I don't see the point of looking further than my own disturbed imagination for the explanation.

If people can really see auras that are really there, then there ought to be studies showing the correlation between what different psychics see in the same aura. I don't know of any such.

i read an article about this the other day,the lady in question sees colours in relation to music and also different words are different colours ,i used to get quite violent migraines as a teenager and i used to get cloudy vision at the same time, and everything also looked sort of orange,i dont get them so often now maybe once or twice a year and i no longer get the colour disturbance,i have lost the sight in one eye during a migraine though,so i reckon anything is possible really

Surely it doesn't have to be belittling? I firmly beleive that some people have the ability to see or sense things that others can't and if it's "just because" of a differently wired brain that doesn't mean it's any less valid.
I should think everyone on here has experienced deja vu at some point, most of us have had premonitory dreams (not that the bloody things are any use til about 6 months after the event) so the hard-wiring would seem to be already there.
Maybe some people have a talent for using those neural pathways in the same way that some people are musical and others have cloth ears, or some can paint the sistine chapel while other struggle to draw a recognisable picture of a badger. (Look it's got damn stripes, how can it be a sheep you pillock? It was the pencil's fault)

As research moves on, things that in past times would be attributed to magic or being touched by the gods are becoming known to be more mundane, but that doesn't make them any less astounding.
BM
xx

i agree,it is still astounding what ever causes it