Non-Ordinary Mental Expressions (NOMEs): clues on the nature of the human mind

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe some ostensibly odd, Non-Ordinary-Mental Expressions (NOMEs), that have been considered implausible, illusory or hallucinatory phenomena, possible symptoms of disorders of the neurological or psychological functioning. They include a large variety of phenomena, encompassing hearing voices, seeing presences, communication with non-incarnated entities (including channeling), transpersonal experiences, out-of-body experiences, near-death-experiences, previous life memories, presentiments and precognitions, seeing at distance, mind interactions at a distance, mind-matter interactions at distance. We think that individuals experiencing NOMEs should not feel like they were outsiders or diseased; they should feel free to talk about their uncommon experiences and be listen to with an open, not-judging mind, respecting the patients’ experience and narration. In fact, NOMEs are non-pathological phenomena laying in a still misunderstood grey area between mental health and psychological or psychiatric disorders, while some of them suggest intriguing properties of human consciousness. Their ostensible incompatibility with some axioms and theories of consciousness, shows the inescapable epistemological implications of their proper investigation and understanding.