Category Archives: Post-traumatic stress disorder

The Slack Face – A Very Fine Lover? An Apex Predator? Or What? . by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply

The Vulnerability Allure! There is big trouble here for empaths such as me. We are open-hearted and vulnerable. We seek friends who are like us. We may mistake the ‘slack face’ for emotional openness. Big faux pas!

The Slack Face - A Very Fine Lover? An Apex Predator? Or What?

Image: Slack Face, Unblinking Eyes, Flat Emotional Affect,” adapted from Image by Petr Ganaj from Pixabay – Pixabay License

Image: Slack Face, Unblinking Eyes, Flat Emotional Affect,” adapted from Image by Petr Ganaj from Pixabay – Pixabay Licensefrom Pixabay – Pixabay License

  • INTRODUCTION
  • THE STORY
    • WHY DO I GET AN EQUAL SENSE OF PERIL AND ALLUREMENT WHEN I SEE A MAN WITH A SLACK FACE?
      • Do Antisocial Personalities Have ‘Slack Face’?
      • Do Con Artists Have ‘Slack Face’?
      • The Big Picture
      • Alice’s Analysis
        • Uncanny Valley Effect
        • Limerence
        • The Vulnerable Allure
          • Sidebar: Why Might Slack Face Be Mistaken for Emotional Openness?
        • Crystallization (love)
    • OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD), POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND OCCASIONAL VIOLENCE
      • Do OCD Have ‘Slack Face’?
      • Do PTSD Have ‘Slack Face’?
    • WHAT SORTS OF PEOPLE HAVE FLAT EMOTIONAL AFFECT? (substituting this term for ‘slack face’)
  • CONCLUSION
  • MORE INFORMATION
    • Anhedonia

INTRODUCTION

Dear Ones,

The allure … and the equal sense of alarm … engendered on viewing the ‘slack face’ of another person is, for me, indisputable …

Video: “Stromae – Mauvaise journée,” by Zas Dance Platform, 16 January 2025 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNz9z5gDTjU ..

Here are the English language lyrics (if you dare) …

Video: “Stromae – Mauvaise journée English translation,” by FrenchVibes, 23 July 2023 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t06g1NIc7fM ..

THE STORY

The above is quite an intriguing video. Incredible dancing, hard-hitting graphically grabbing lyrics, attitude 180 degrees opposite of the love, Light and joy. Hummm.

There is a post I wrote 8 years ago entitled “How Do Predators Hypnotize Their Prey” …

Link: “How Do Predators Hypnotize Their Prey?” by Alice B. Clagett, begun on 31 May 2018; published on 26 June 2018; revised on 25 February 2025 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-9sy ..

In retrospect, the interesting thing is that reptilian predators … such as lizards, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, and dinosaurs … have what mammals such as I characterize as the ‘slack face’.

That might account for the sense of alarm I feel when viewing the video. Those seem to me to be alarming young dancers. Who knows what their true feelings are! Maybe their intentions are quite dangerous to me … as may be the case with the Komodo dragon.

Komodo dragons are apex reptilian predators that stalk and eat people and other large animals, don’t they? Maybe these dancers are like Komodo dragons?

Hence the general sense of alarm. But why are slack faces alluring?

I saw someone like this at King Gillette Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains awhile ago. He was driving an all-terrain vehicle with fine-looking, physically quite capable young men in it … forest workers, perhaps. I got a cookie cutter feeling from them … all of them were quite similar in looks. Then there was the quite handsome, ‘slack face’ driver, who was a little older. Huh.

Some years earlier, while driving north through Chastworth on Topanga Canyon Road, I had seen this same person … same handsome features, same ‘slack face’. Likely he was emerging from a private gymn in the shopping strip there.

I recall I got the same gut-wrenching sense of alarm coupled with allure. It was as if I were being hypnotized …. Wait a moment; was I being hypnotized?

Could it be that the ‘slack face’ is like a blank slate upon which our ever active egos can paint an image of themselves in a far more alluring body? Do we feel instant empathy for people with ‘slack faces’ simply because there appears to be no personality there that competes with our own? Could that be true?

In that case, a ‘slack face’ would be quite a cagey strategy for an antisocial personality or a narcissist or a con artist to undertake. Their intention might be murder or mayhem. They might be well practices in murder and mayhem.

First and foremost, they need to conceal their true intentions with a ‘slack face’. They might anticipate our ego will make the leap to claim their body as its own. And their well-concealed ego might then leap to the kill or the clutch.

I thought I would ask Google AI about the ‘slack face’ and my feelings of alarm and allurement.

WHY DO I GET AN EQUAL SENSE OF PERIL AND ALLUREMENT WHEN I SEE A MAN WITH A SLACK FACE? 

First off, Google AI scotched my notion that antisocial personalities or con artists might consciously cultive the ‘slack look’. Here is what Google AI said …

Do Antisocial Personalities Have ‘Slack Face’? “No, there’s no consistent evidence that people with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) have ‘slack faces’, but research shows they often have reduced or atypical facial emotional expressions, like less sadness or fear, and can struggle with recognizing emotions, sometimes appearing indifferent or using charm to manipulate rather than expressing genuine feelings, making their faces seem less responsive or even blank in certain situations, rather than necessarily ‘slack’.” –Google AI

Do Con Artists Have ‘Slack Face’? “No, con artists do not typically have ‘slack faces’. Professional con artists go to great lengths to manage their appearance and behavior to gain trust, often appearing charming, charismatic, professional, and knowledgeable.

They work hard to come across as trustworthy individuals, often blending into social, community, or religious groups to seem familiar. Their goal is to manipulate victims’ emotions and cloud their judgment, which requires a deliberate and often dynamic presentation, not a blank or ‘slack’ expression.” –Google AI

The Big Picture. So there was that. I thought I had best let preconceptions go, and instead I take a look at the ‘big picture’. Google AI had other things to say, including the stoic appeal of the John Wayne look … I asked Google AI: Why do I get an equal sense of peril and allurement when I see a man with a slack face?

Google AI said: “A slack face, characterized by relaxed muscles and a neutral, expressionless appearance, can evoke a complex mix of feelings including both peril and allurement due to evolutionary and psychological factors.

Peril

The sense of peril can stem from several factors:

  • Unpredictability A neutral or slack face provides little emotional information, making the person’s intentions difficult to read. The lack of an decipherable expression can be interpreted as a sign of something hidden or unpredictable, which the human brain often associates with potential danger  …
  • Deviation from Norm Most social interactions involve a constant exchange of subtle facial cues. A complete lack of expression deviates from this norm, creating a sense of unease or uncanniness because the expected social script is absent  …
  • Association with Stoicism A slack, emotionless face can be associated with intense self-control or a guarded personality, sometimes linked in popular culture or personal experience with individuals who might be intimidating, untrustworthy, or emotionally unavailable  …

Allurement

The sense of allurement can also arise from these characteristics:

  • Mystery and Intrigue The same lack of expression that creates unease can also foster a sense of mystery. The unknown nature of the person’s thoughts and feelings can be alluring, prompting curiosity and a desire to discover what lies beneath the surface  …
  • Calm and Self-Possession A consistently emotionless face might also be interpreted as a sign of extreme calm, confidence, and self-possession. In a world full of overt emotional displays, this stoicism can be seen as powerful and attractive  …
  • Blank Canvas Effect A slack face serves as a ‘blank canvas’, allowing the observer to project their own desires or interpretations onto the person. This ambiguity can be more engaging than a face with a clear, defined emotion …

Ultimately, these reactions are subjective and depend on an individual’s personal experiences, cultural background, and current context.”

I Dove Deaper, and Google AI had some quite intriguing things to say: “The sensation of combined peril and allurement when viewing a ‘slack face’ (a lack of emotional expression often called flat affect) typically stems from a psychological disconnect between what you see and what your brain expects to find. 

Why It Feels Like Peril (Danger)

  • Uncanny Valley Effect: Humans are highly sensitive to facial movements that appear ‘not quite right’. A face that should be expressing emotion but remains slack can trigger a subconscious sense of eeriness or revulsion because it mimics ‘non-living’ or unnatural qualities.
  • Loss of Social Predictability: Facial expressions are essential for social communication. When a person’s face is slack, you cannot ‘read’ their intentions or emotions. This lack of feedback is unsettling because the brain prioritizes detecting threats; an unreadable face is a potential hidden threat.
  • Association with Instability: In clinical psychology, flat affect is often a symptom of serious conditions like schizophrenia or PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]. While the individual may not be dangerous, the [observer’s] brain’s ‘danger alarm’ (the amygdala) may react to the lack of social cohesion as a signal of unpredictability.

Why It Feels Like Allurement (Attraction)

  • The Limerent Object: Intense fixation on another person, known as limerence, can make even ambiguous or ‘slack’ expressions seem magnetic. The lack of a clear message can act as a ‘blank canvas’, allowing you to project your own desires or interpretations onto their face.
  • The ‘Vulnerable’ Allure: Some research suggests that certain non-threatening or passive facial states can elicit a ‘behavioral approach’ or prosocial response. A slack face might be subconsciously interpreted as a sign of vulnerability or a need for help, which can be mistakenly felt as attraction or a desire to connect.
  • Intrigue of the Unknown: An expressionless face creates a mystery. This ‘emotional blindness’ (alexithymia) or flat affect may draw you in because you are trying to solve the ‘inverse problem’ of what they are actually feeling inside.

Medical Context for a Slack Face

If you observe a sudden or persistent slackness in a face, it may be due to:

  • Neurological Issues: Conditions like Bell’s palsy, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease can cause facial drooping or ‘masked face’.
  • Mental Health: Flat affect is a common ‘negative’ symptom in schizophrenia or a result of deep depression or autism.
  • Medication: Certain psychiatric medications can cause a blunting of emotional expression as a side effect.”

. . . . . . . . . .

Alice’s Analysis

Uncanny Valley Effect. Here is more on the Uncanny Valley Effect: “The uncanny valley effect is a hypothesized psychological and aesthetic relation between an object’s degree of resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to the object. The uncanny valley hypothesis predicts that an entity appearing almost human will elicit uncanny or eerie feelings in viewers.” –from Link: “Uncanny valley,” in English Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley#:~:text=The%20uncanny%20valley%20effect%20is,or%20eerie%20feelings%20in%20viewers. … CC BY-SA 4.0 License

I had already read about ‘flat emotional affect’ (which is another name for ‘slack face’) being a heads up for psychosis. So there is that.

. . . . .

Limerence. I particularly liked the discussion about ‘Limerence‘. I checked with Wikipedia; apparently Limerance is like a childhood crush … intense infatuation with someone …

“Limerence is the mental state of being madly in love … or intensely infatuated … when reciprocation of the feeling is uncertain. This state is characterized by intrusive thoughts and idealization of the loved one (also called ‘crystallization’), typically with a desire for reciprocation to form a relationship. This is accompanied by feelings of ecstasy or despair, depending on whether one’s feelings seem to be reciprocated or not ….” –from Link: “Limerence,” in English Wikipedia … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerence … CC BY-SA 4.0 License

. . . . .

The Vulnerable Allure. “The ‘Vulnerable Allure’ refers to the powerful attraction and connection created when individuals reveal their authentic, imperfect selves, showcasing emotions, fears, and flaws, which fosters intimacy, trust, likability, and deeper human connection, despite societal pressures to appear strong or invulnerable, often explored in psychology, relationships, and even marketing. It’s the surprising strength found in openness, moving beyond perceived weakness to invite empathy and genuine belonging.” –Google AI

There is big trouble here for empaths such as me. We are open-hearted and vulnerable. We seek friends who are like us. We may mistake the ‘slack face’ for emotional openness. Big faux pas!

………………..
Sidebar: Why Might Slack Face Be Mistaken for Emotional Openness?

I asked Google AI: Why might slack face be mistaken for emotional openness?

Google AI said: “‘Slack face’, or a neutral facial expression, might be mistaken for emotional openness because of several factors related to how humans interpret social cues and the inherent ambiguity of facial expressions.

Misinterpretation Factors

  • Projection of Desired Emotions: When a face is relatively expressionless, observers may project their own interpretations or desired emotions onto it. A ‘slack’ or neutral face serves as a blank canvas, which a person hoping for emotional openness might interpret as an inviting, receptive demeanor.
  • Cultural Context: The interpretation of facial expressions is not universally uniform and is heavily influenced by cultural context. In some contexts, a neutral expression might be perceived as a sign of calm, trustworthiness, or being ‘open’ to a conversation, rather than a lack of emotion.
  • Contrast with Stronger Emotions: Compared to expressions like anger, fear, or sadness, a neutral face is low-intensity. This absence of intense, clearly defined emotional signals may be perceived as a non-threatening, accessible state, which can be misconstrued as openness.
  • Expectation Bias: If an observer expects someone to be emotionally open (due to the situation or a prior belief), they may interpret ambiguous cues, like a slack face, in a way that confirms their expectation.
  • Focus on Other Cues: When the face provides minimal information, observers may rely on other cues, such as body language, eye contact, or tone of voice. If these other cues align with ‘openness,’,the neutral face is likely to be interpreted accordingly.
  • Ambiguity of Neutrality: Research indicates that facial expressions can be highly ambiguous, and even basic emotions can be misclassified, such as fear and surprise being confused. A neutral face is the most ambiguous, making it susceptible to varied, and sometimes incorrect, interpretations.

Ultimately, facial expressions alone are not a reliable way to gauge a person’s precise emotional state, and context matters a great deal in accurate interpretation.”

. . . . .

Crystallization (love). I also checked on the word ‘crystallization’ as mentioned in the unusual context above. Wikipedia had this to say …

“Crystallization is a concept, developed in 1822 by the French writer Stendhal, which describes the process, or mental metamorphosis, in which the characteristics of a new love are transformed into perceptual diamonds of shimmering beauty. According to a quotation by Stendhal:‘What I call ‘crystallization’ is the operation of the mind that draws from all that presents itself the discovery that the loved object has some new perfections;’ ….” –from Link: “Crystallization (love),: in English Wikipedia … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystallization_(love) … CC BY-SA 4.0 License

. . . . . . . . . .

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD), POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND OCCASIONAL VIOLENCE

This word Crystallization reminds me of Monk’s fixation on his wife Trudy in the movie series “Monk.” As you may know, Trudy had disappeared … or putatively so … or had Monk murdered his wife? I ask that because Monk had obsessive compulsive disorder … a psychological state that I, as a Christian, associate with ‘on again, off again’ demonic possession.

Ian Freckleton of NIH associates obsessive compulsive disorder (sometimes in association with PTSD) with various crimes. Might murder be one of these? For more on this search the term ‘crime’ at this link …

Link: “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder and the Criminal Law,” by Ian Freckelton, QC, in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Library of Medicine, NIH … https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8009125/ ..

See also my discussion of the above-referenced article here …

Link: “Are There Obsessive Compulsive People Who Are Walking Time Bombs?” by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 9 December 2022; revised on 12 December 2022, on 3 June 2023, on 31 July 2023, on 17 October 2023, and on 25 December 2025 … https://awakeningwithplanetearth.com/is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-related-to-multiple-personality-and-satanic-possession-by-alice-b-clagett/ ..

I have to wonder if OCD – PTSD folks sometimes errupt in acts of violence, such as murder of their wives, whom they need to remember as perfection itself through a process termed ‘Crystallization’?

Could ‘Crystallization’ by an OCD person be the notion behind obsessively careful ordering of what is in their visual array? Ought I say ‘visual array’ or simply ‘physical environment’, I wonder.

Striving for regularity or simplicity, or for repetitive similar thought processes, or mentally building on an buyoing idea … such as Trudy’s perfection … might be ways of re-inventing one’s world after a shattering PTSD experience.

(That reminds me a little of repetitive spiritual chanting as a way of acchieving neutral mind and peaceful feelings.)

If so, then the infrequent lapses of OCD people into violent criminal ‘acting out’ … or what I as a Christian term ‘demonic possession’ might be temporary breakdowns of the internal OCD chant, and memories of PTSD experiences?

And the repetitive rituals and what I posit may be Crystallization of OCD people might be self-healing techniques?

Do OCD Have ‘Slack Face’?

Out of curiosity, I asked Google AI: Do OCD have ‘slack face’?

Google AI said: “While OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) doesn’t cause a universally “’lack face’, research suggests subtle facial differences, like thinner lower lips in males or smaller nasolabial angles in females, and impaired emotional expression (affective flattening), can occur, stemming from brain structure variations and the constant emotional distress of obsessions, leading to reduced facial movement and seemingly ‘flatter’ affect. 

Subtle Facial Differences (Research Findings)

  • Males: Studies have found lower lip red height (thinner lower lip) in male OCD patients compared to controls, correlating with neutralizing compulsions.
  • Females: Female OCD patients sometimes show smaller nasolabial angles (less pronounced smile lines/mouth area).
  • Brain Structure: Thinner inferior parietal cortex, involved in interpreting sensations, has been noted in people with OCD, potentially impacting emotional expression. 

Impact on Emotional Expression

  • Affective Flattening: Patients with OCD often show incongruent facial expressions, meaning their feelings don’t match their face, leading to a less animated or ‘flatter’ appearance, similar to symptoms seen in schizophrenia.
  • Anxiety & Compulsions: The intense anxiety from obsessions and the mental effort of compulsions can reduce spontaneous facial movements, making expressions seem muted or ‘slack’.

Why it’s Not a Universal Symptom

  • OCD Varies: Symptoms differ greatly between individuals; not everyone experiences these subtle physical or emotional expression changes.
  • High-Functioning OCD: People with high-functioning OCD might hide their internal struggles well, though they still experience the intrusive thoughts and compulsions. 

In essence, while not a defining feature like handwashing, facial expressions in OCD can be subtly affected by brain changes, emotional suppression, and the constant mental effort, sometimes resulting in a less expressive or ‘slack’ appearance.”

Do PTSD Have ‘Slack Face’?

Google AI’s answer seems to me not to be a straight fit for OCD with regard to ‘slack face’. So I asked Google AI: Do PTSD have ‘slack face’?

Google AI votes yes for flat emotional affect, and no for ‘slack face’, which they define as facial paralysis.

Once again, I got that I had best segue to the ‘big picture’ …

WHAT SORTS OF PEOPLE HAVE FLAT EMOTIONAL AFFECT? (substituting this term for ‘slack face’)

There is a conflict of my terminology with that of Google AI. so I opted for the term ‘flat emotional affect’. I asked Google AI: What sorts of people have flat emotional affect? (substituting this term for ‘slack face’) …

Google AI said: “People with flat affect show little to no emotional expression, common in conditions like schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, Autism (ASD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and sometimes due to medications (like antidepressants), or neurological issues (Parkinson’s). It’s a symptom, not a disorder, meaning they may feel emotions internally but can’t express them outwardly through voice or face.

Associated Conditions & Causes:

  • Schizophrenia: A core ‘negative’ symptom, involving monotone voice, blank face, lack of gestures.
  • Depression: Can cause emotional numbness (anhedonia) or stoicism despite internal feelings.
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): May present as robotic mannerisms or reduced facial/body expression, sometimes linked to masking.
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Emotional numbing and detachment can lead to flat affect.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Damage to emotional centers can alter expression.
  • Neurological Disorders: Parkinson’s disease and dementia are linked.
  • Medications: Antidepressants are a common cause of emotional blunting (inability to feel) or flat affect (inability to show).
  • Schizoid Personality Disorder: Characterized by emotional coldness and detachment.”

Key Characteristics:

  • Monotone voice.
  • Blank facial expressions, limited eye contact.
  • Lack of typical reactions (e.g., to joy or sadness).
  • Reduced gestures or nonverbal cues. 

Treating the underlying condition is key to managing flat affect.”

CONCLUSION

Well, Ok. What I call ‘slack face’ Google AI calls ‘flat emotional affect’, which it associates with schizophrenia, depression, autism, PTSD, and Schizoid personality disorder, amongst other things.

People with these issues may or may not act unexpectably, so a feeling of danger may or may not be warranted.

So then, despite the conflicting feeling of allurement that flat emotional affect may engender in the observer, my advice to my Readers is this ..

Be observant. Be careful. Expect the unexpected. Dont go ‘Limerent’! Don’t Crystallize! Don’t cozy up … move farther away, just in case.

In other words, don’t be hypnotized by what may be an Apex Predator. Survival matters! Survival first!

Well, that’s all for now.

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Compiled and published on 15 January 2026; revised on 17 February 2026

NOTE: In this post, quotes from Google AI are in light blue font.

MORE INFORMATION

New word … Anhedonia … aka ‘the blahs’ … “Anhedonia is the inability to feel pleasure or interest in activities once enjoyed, manifesting as numbness, apathy, or emptiness, and is a core symptom of depression, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders, though it also appears with Parkinson’s or PTSD. It involves deficits in both wanting (motivation) and liking (enjoyment) rewards, often linked to dopamine system issues, and requires professional diagnosis to treat the underlying cause with therapy, lifestyle changes, or specific medications.” –Google AI

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

narcissist, con artist, obsessive compulsive disorder, possession, limerence, limerent object. crystallization, post-traumatic stress disorder, neutral mind, peaceful feelings, chants, psychology, psychiatry, acting out, survival, predator-prey, reptoids, crocodiloids, dracoids, lizardoids, serpentoids, crime, murder, empathty,

‘Take Shelter’ . movie review by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply

Written and published on 19 July 2021

Image: “Apokalipse,” by Albert Goodwin, 1903, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apocalypse-Albert_Goodwin.jpg … public domain

Image: “Apokalipse,” by Albert Goodwin, 1903, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apocalypse-Albert_Goodwin.jpg … public domain

Dear Ones,

I skimmed through the movie ‘Take Shelter’ the other day …

Link: “Take Shelter,” IMDb … https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/ ..

I find the movie interesting because the recurring images experienced by the male protagonist seem like what I term ‘image words’ from the gut brain (the subconscious mind’s vocabulary). It is good how the ending shows that a family can stand together and shelter in faith in each other, and love of each other, even if the subconscious mind is creating what the Ascensioneers call ‘vivid waking dreams’, in the case of the movie, more like vivid waking nightmares.

The movie also shows how one person’s fearful ‘mental filter’ (that of the husband in the movie) can influence another person (in this case the wife) to take on the same ‘mental filter’.

As a phenomenon, the tendency of the human mind to broadcast mental filters can be either good or bad. The difference has to do with the tenor of the emotional portion of the images that are broadcast. Is the emotion negative or positive? That is the key to the effect that broadcasting of one’s own mental filters has on other people.

For instance, in the movie ‘Take Shelter’ one of the visually striking images that recur in the mind of the male protagonist is a ‘murmuration’ of birds, perhaps starlings or sparrows. This is an aerial phenomenon rather like the simultaneous turning and wheeling motion of schools of fish in the water …

Video: “School of Fish,” by Earth Rangers, 25 July 2012 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su1en9Vxpog ..

In the movie ‘Take Shelter’, the male protagonist feels a recurring anxious feeling, a feeling of  foreboding. It is, I feel, because of the negative tenor of his emotion that he takes his recurring image of a murmuration of dark-colored birds to be an omen of impending apocalypse.

Yet many people see a murmuration of birds, and feel joy or wonderment when they see it. Such is the case with the young women in this video …

Video: “Murmuration (Official Video) by Sophie Windsor Clive & Liberty Smith,” by IslandsAndRivers 2 December 2011 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRNqhi2ka9k ..

It is clear, then, that it is the feeling that accompanies visualization of an image that causes its perception as a good image or a bad image.

When a person has recurring images popping up from the subconscious mind, and when these images are accompanied by a strongly negative emotion … one that is hard to deal with without ‘acting out’ … then psychologists might term that condition Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (as with COVID stress). Or they might term it ‘generalized anxiety’; or if the emotions get out of hand, they might term it ‘panic attack’. There is also the psychological term ‘paranoid schizophrenia’, which I gather might be a label for recurring ‘panic attacks’ as in the movie.

Broadcasting of mental filters has a good effect in cases where a person’s mental filters allow him to send forth uplifting images from the subconscious mind. In these instances, families or groups such as social circles and church congregations can stand together with courage against adversity.

Broadcasting of mental filters has a bad effect in cases such as that in the movie, where the protagonist’s fearful mental images cause his wife to become fearful, and cause his Ohio small town community to turn against him and label him mentally imbalanced. Broadcasting of negatively aspected mental filters can, I feel, cause what is termed ‘folie à deux’, ‘folie à famille’, ‘folie à coterie’ (that is, a delusion shared by two people, by a family, or by a small group); or in the case of crowds of people, ‘mass hysteria’. The latter may take place across a town, or across a nation, or even … due to the near-instantaneous nature of global communication … worldwide, as is the case with COVID fears.

Please do not misunderstand: It is not that we ought not take proper precautions regarding COVID; it is just that negatively aspected images to do with COVID can cause inappropriate actions … or no action at all, when action is in fact needed so as to preserve life. For instance, it may well be that COVID vaccines are a ‘hard sell’ worldwide because people are experiencing ‘fawn’, ‘freeze’, or ‘flop’ types of threat responses after taking in too much in the way of online images that cause them to feel the emotion of fear regarding COVID.

In cases where a person is affected by other people’s broadcasting of negatively aspected mental filters (such as with the relentless COVID newscasts last year), the person must learn to view negatively aspected mental images with a neutral mind, as does the male protagonist in the movie ‘Take Shelter’. Through cutting down on visual intake of negative images … for instance, by limiting one’s viewing of negative images online … anxiety about the future can be dealt with nonreactively. Or one may simply stand strong and still, while the image is visualized, until the negative feeling ebbs away.

That means to me that the true ‘shelter’ for one’s mind is a strong, still, neutral stance of mind despite the ups and downs of daily life.

. . . . .

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

movie reviews by Alice, neutral mind,  mental filters, image words, subconscious mind, courage, emotions, anxiety, panic attack, paranoid schizophrenia, courage, joy, faith, COVID, stress, psychology, psychiatry, acting out, post-traumatic stress disorder, Ascension symptoms, vivid waking dreams, threat responses, threat energy, freeze-fawn response, flop response, Apocalypse,

The Qualities of God, and How to Hold ‘Dark Attacks’ . by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply
The Qualities of God, and How to Hold 'Dark Attacks'

Image: “Dark Attack,” adapted from Image by svetjekolem from Pixabay, Pixabay Content License

Image: “Dark Attack,” adapted from Image by svetjekolem from Pixabay, Pixabay Content License

  • SOUNDTRACK BY ALICE B. CLAGETT
  • SUMMARY OF THE SOUNDTRACK
    • ON LORD BRAHMA
    • ON LORD VISHNU
    • NEW LIFE ON NEW EARTH
      • Downloads of Light and Tearing Down of the Old
      • Living in a Hologrammatic Upgrade
      • New Light Downloads: The Cycle Begins Again
      • On Balancing the Three Qualities of God Within Oneself
    • THE NEW MOVIE ‘ANNIHILATION’ … IS THIS THE ARMY-NAVY ANSWER TO ASCENSION?
    • EGOIC TERROR AND THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL
    • EARTH’S HISTORY AS A SLAVE PLANET 
    • ON MISTAKING THE DEMON REALM FOR THE ASCENSION PROCESS
    • ALICE’S PERILOUS TALES: ON SETTING ASIDE OUR FEARS DURING CHAOTIC NODE EVENTS
      • Signs and Omens at Joshua Tree, California
      • A Dark Attack: Shiva Worship or Satanic Ritual at Spiritual Retreat?
    • FOR LIGHTWORKERS: WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE IS A NEARBY DARK ATTACK
    • ON REJOICING IN THE NEW
      • Good Signs

SOUNDTRACK BY ALICE B. CLAGETT

 

SUMMARY OF THE SOUNDTRACK

Hello, Dear Ones, It’s Alice. I Am of the Stars.

I would like to talk a little about the different qualities of God, according to Hinduism … the Trimurti. As you know, there are three qualities of God in Hinduism. Those are Creator, Lord Brahma; the Dreamer, Lord Vishnu; and the Destroyer, Lord Shiva.

ON LORD BRAHMA

When I was very young, I received a mantra from a good spiritual person. It was the first name of God … Brahma … which I liked very much, because Brahma, as the Creator, represents women, who help create humankind by having children. And also, for both men and women, the repetition of the word Brahma would stimulate the right side, the creative side of the brain, so that we can become more creative … which is very good, in a left-brain society. It leads to Whole Brain Awareness.

ON LORD VISHNU

Then we have Vishnu. I like Vishnu very much as well. I like the notion of dreaming the reality that I have created, day after day. Very much so. Vishnu the Dreamer! Are we not all Dreamers of our reality? Once the reality is created by Brahma, it must be sustained by Vishnu. Both are great.

ON LORD SHIVA

So we have Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Now, Lord Shiva I never used to relate to. I would think: What is the use of Destruction? Why pay attention to Destruction? I had a bad feeling about Lord Shiva for a long time, because of the death cults and the murder cults that I had read about, and seen in one of the “Indiana Jones” movies. And so I was against it.

NEW LIFE ON NEW EARTH

Downloads of Light and Tearing Down of the Old

But recently it occurred to me that these three qualities of God … Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva … are like the process of New Life on New Earth … where we humankind consciously are able to create our reality, and then we get downloads of Light, and we have downtime for our mental and emotional bodies … for all of our bodies, both physical and subtle, actually, which might equate to Lord Shiva, because it is the tearing down of the Old.

Living in a Hologrammatic Upgrade

Then we have a time when our new software for our hologram is our reality again, and that is the time when Lord Vishnu reigns. Lord Vishnu sustains New Life on New Earth.

New Light Downloads: The Cycle Begins Again

Then more Light comes in, and the process begins once again: Lord Brahma creating the New. Lord Shiva removing the Old. And Lord Vishnu, sustaining New Life on New Earth. So there is a reason to appreciate Lord Shiva, after all.

[End of Soundtrack]

On Balancing the Three Qualities of God Within Oneself

I feel, though, that the balance of the three qualities of God had best occur in every human being now ascending. Each of us might look to balancing all three qualities in our own bodies of Light. For those who join death cults, and killing cults, I foresee there will be nothing but chaos; not a New Beginning, but rather, in their own hologrammatic experience, and an experience of Apocalypse.

THE NEW MOVIE ‘ANNIHILATION’ … IS THIS THE ARMY-NAVY ANSWER TO ASCENSION?

I was watching the new movie “Annihilation” recently, and it looks to me to be New Life on New Earth from the point of view of a death cult or a killing cult. This might also be a stance felt by a person concentrating on self-defense … maybe even Army-Navy personnel, say, the higher ranks, or else enlisted men with battle experience and post-traumatic stress disorder. Apparently, in some instances, New Creation looks wildly terrifying, with the likelihood, for instance, of animal life mutations that will threaten human beings. And of people turning into plant life, and vice versa. And of ex-military women banding together to go annihilate the Ascension process, which they find to be a horrifying, incomprehensible, hostile alien life form.

On viewing this movie, I was utterly nonplussed. How, I asked myself, might so many distortions of the Light be included in one film? How could timeline mastery be misconstrued as amnesia? How could women be misconstrued as annihilators of New Creation, when in fact they give birth to children that are the hope of Earth? How could transcendence of Self and God Awareness be misconstrued as annihilation of individualization?

EGOIC TERROR AND THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

Finally, I got it: Egoic Terror … the Dark Night of the Soul that precedes enlightenment …

Link: “Ego Death: The Obliteration of the Self and the Experience of Enlightenment,” by Aletheia Luna, at Lonerwolf … https://lonerwolf.com/ego-death/ ..

EARTH’S HISTORY AS A SLAVE PLANET 

In a way, this is true, as many people now are rising to Awareness that Earth, during this Great Age of Darkness, has been a Slave Planet, and that there are, in fact, some very gnarly beings that have been preying on humankind. The catch being that, until now, these beings have been invisible …

Link: “The Slave Planet ,” by Alice B. Clagett, published on 20 February 2014; revised and republished on 26 February 2018 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-8ow ..

Link: “Dark Night of the Soul … Slave Planet Blues!,” by Alice B. Clagett, filmed on 2 June 2015; revised 9 July 2017; transcribed on 15 November 2018 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-6sa ..

As Ascension proceeds, these beings are becoming visible to everyone, and in cases where the fear threshold is very low, they may even be sensed in a physical way. So it might seem to a person who is worshiping Lord Shiva in a fearful way, that they are running into new, mutant, animal predators, and that this is the fault of the Ascension process that they hold in a fearful context.

ON MISTAKING THE DEMON REALM FOR THE ASCENSION PROCESS

When a person is in a state of panic, logic flies out the window. So it is in this case. In fact, the fearful predators appearing on their horizon are the members of the Demon Realm that have preyed upon humankind through the just ended Great Age of Darkness. They are the Old that we must overcome through Faith, so that each of us may usher in the New. I say, with certain surety, that the New will be beyond our finest notions of the wonderful, of delight, and of joy in the present moment lent us by God.

ALICE’S PERILOUS TALES: ON SETTING ASIDE OUR FEARS DURING CHAOTIC NODE EVENTS

So I say, please set aside your fears. Balance your minds and your emotions. When you are confronted with a Chaotic Node, know that it is caused by a gift of New Light, mixing with the energies of the Dark Network, and uplifting them. Every Chaotic Node, in my experience, is a precursor of a new stage in the upliftment of human consciousness.

Signs and Omens at Joshua Tree, California

Such was the case just this last weekend. There were precursor signs and omens: A structural failure at a spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree in the California desert where God’s praises were being sung, leading to evacuation of those present. There was a shortage of drinking water on site. Some of the bathrooms stopped working. As I understand it from the psychic plane, a picture of Lord Krishna fell off a wall.

A Dark Attack: Shiva Worship or Satanic Ritual at Spiritual Retreat?
12 May 2018

Then, it seemed there was a great hullabaloo and commotion, as Darkness swooped down through some human beings giving a presentation … who, I thought, might have been worshipers of Lord Shiva, or maybe performing a Satan cult ritual (which I narrowly avoided by picking up and moving a distance away, into the desert and behind a building as the ritual started) … and out amongst the people near them. These people’s bodies of Light fluctuated and flickered with the onslaught of Dark. The Dark sought the Light of nearby Lightworkers, but they sat steadfast in meditation, in concentration on God’s Name, in rockfast faith that stabilized their bodies of Light despite the ferocious onslaught.

The Dark energies coursed towards the Lightworkers, ricochetted off their bodies of Light … and then, so it seemed, slammed up to the top of the stratosphere, where the Hounds of the Barrier deflected them back to the near vicinity of the Chaotic Node.

Link: “The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean,” translated by Doreal …  https://www.crystalinks.com/emerald.html … public domain … I searched the term: hounds of the barrier … and got this page … https://www.crystalinks.com/emerald8bw.html ..

Near the end of the Dark Attack, which coincided with a presentation by the group that I thought might possibly have been portraying the role of devotees of Lord Shiva or maybe of a Dark energy such as that of Satan, there was a spectacular and tragic accident nearby …

A young Marine and his wife, both 19 years old, crossed a highway and their car hit a building …

Link: “Marine and His Wife Injured in Traffic Collision,” by Leslie Shaw, 14 May 2018, in “Hi-Desert Star” … http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_76b6a7c6-57af-11e8-ab0b-b38af5e334a8.html ..

Both young people are now in critical condition. I ask that you send them your prayers and blessings, for healing and renewal both of spirit and of body.

FOR LIGHTWORKERS: WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE IS A NEARBY DARK ATTACK

For those of you who are Lightworkers, I say: When the Chaotic Nodes arrive, and a Dark Attack begins, distance yourself physically and meditate on peace. My hope is that this spiritual practice will minimize loss of life and injury to people, and to ourselves.

ON REJOICING IN THE NEW

Then we can stand, in Faith and Hope, knowing that the New is just around the corner. As it was this weekend.

Good Signs

For, the following day, when the dust settled, there were many good signs … The structure that had been compromised was made safe, and the people began to sing God’s praises again. The drinking water supply was restored. The bathrooms were fixed. And the people were gifted with the inspiration and devotional music of good teachers who brought in spiritual insights, who set straight the Chaos, who helped settle the New.

It was a day of celebration. And so it ever is, here on Earth: The New Light meeting the Old Dark, an ensuing moment of Chaos … a Chaotic Node … and then the newest rejoicing in New Life on New Earth.

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Written on 12 May 2018 and published on 18 May 2018; updated 26 August 2018. Text in green font is not in the soundtrack.
Previously titled: The Qualities of God

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

God, Hinduism, Trimurti, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, New Earth, incoming Light, hologram, Light downloads, Annihilation movie, Army-Navy, defensiveness, ego terror, egoic terror, dark night of the Soul, Slave Planet, demon realm, Ascension, fear, chaotic node, Dark Attack, lightworkers, peace, faith, hope, darkness, Light, omens, prophecy, Emerald Tablets, Thoth, Doreal, hounds of the barrier, body of light, meditation, death cult, killing cult, Dark Network, letting go, surrender, courage, faith, hope, threat energy, new creation, post-traumatic stress disorder, Satanism, Alice’s Perilous Tales, Time of New Beginning, Apocalypse, mastery of mind, Military,

On Torture, and Being Tortured . by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply
On Torture, and Being Tortured

Image Markup: “Negative Energies Conveyed Through Feelings of Sadism and Masochism,” adapted by Alice B. Clagett, 7 November 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0 International, from “Awakening with Planet Earth,” https://awakeningwithplanetearth.com … COMMENTS: The colors of the first, second, and third chakras of those who torture, and of those who are tortures, are tainted with darkness. In this image, dark bands of red, orange, and yellow light proceed from the torsos of the torturers and their energy pierces the torso of the man being tortured. –Alice B. Clagett … CREDITS: Image: “The Flagellation of Christ,” by Anton Raphael Mengs, 1769, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_flagelaci%C3%B3n_de_Cristo,_de_Anton_Raphael_Mengs_(Palacio_Real_de_Madrid).jpg … public domain

Image Markup: “Negative Energies Conveyed Through Feelings of Sadism and Masochism,” adapted by Alice B. Clagett, 7 November 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0 International, from “Awakening with Planet Earth,” https://awakeningwithplanetearth.com …

COMMENTS: The colors of the first, second, and third chakras of those who torture, and of those who are tortures, are tainted with darkness. In this image, dark bands of red, orange, and yellow light proceed from the torsos of the torturers and their energy pierces the torso of the man being tortured. –Alice B. Clagett …

CREDITS: Image: “The Flagellation of Christ,” by Anton Raphael Mengs, 1769, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_flagelaci%C3%B3n_de_Cristo,_de_Anton_Raphael_Mengs_(Palacio_Real_de_Madrid).jpg … public domain

. . . . .

  • A DREAM ABOUT TORTURING SOMEONE WHO APPEARS TO BE DIFFERENT
  • ARTICLES ON TORTURE
  • HAZING AS A RITE OF PASSAGE IN GROUPS OF YOUNG MEN
    • Groups of Young Men and the Issue of PTSD
    • Hypotheses
      • Fight or Flight Response Flip Flop
      • Tortured or Torture Response Flip Flop
  • THERAPEUTIC SOLUTIONS

Dear Ones,

This blog is about a dream I had about a man who was in danger of being tortured and some research I did because of the dream.

A DREAM ABOUT TORTURING SOMEONE WHO APPEARS TO BE DIFFERENT

I woke up with another dream tonight; this time, I saw what seemed to be a good looking Puerto Rican man, dressed in black, in a dark place … my feeling was, in the woods somewhere. He said to me …

I don’t understand. They hired me as a driver. They said it was important that I speak Latin, but no one here speaks Latin. What should I do?

My higher mind said something rational to him on the clair plane, such as …

Do what you think necessary, considering the situation.

But my gut brain had another message for him … Danger! Danger! … and apparently his gut brain got that message right away.

Gosh, what a dream! There were so many people glommed to that dream, wanting to sit in and observe what might have been about to develop into a ‘torture the one who is different’ dream. Gosh.

ARTICLES ON TORTURE

Just now I did some reading on torture …

Link: “Torture Is a Form of Trauma; Trauma Causes PTSD,” by Mark Dombeck, Ph.D., 1 October 2006, updated 1 September 2016 … In MentalHealth.net … https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/torture-is-a-form-of-trauma-trauma-causes-ptsd/ ..

Link: “This is How It Feels to Torture,” by Lydia DePillis, 11 December 2014, in The Washington Post … https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/12/11/this-is-how-it-feels-to-torture/?utm_term=.dd99b5d131f3 ..

HAZING AS A RITE OF PASSAGE IN GROUPS OF YOUNG MEN

I have  read that group initiation techniques for gang members may involve ‘hazing’, and that this may be a ‘rite of passage’, I note this in young male groups in two contexts: street gangs and college fraternities …

Link: “Into the Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs,” by Mike Carlie, Ph.D., continually updated …  https://people.missouristate.edu/michaelcarlie/what_i_learned_about/gangs/join_a_gang.htm .. I found this factual article to be very informative.

Link: “Hazing: Why Young Men Do It,” by Benjamin Redford, Live Science Contributor, 14 May 2008 … https://www.livescience.com/2528-hazing-young-men.html ..

Apparently, this hazing is a rite of passage for young men. A test of manhood. These tests of manhood can leave scars, both in those tested, and in those that test. And also in out-group members who are the object of manhood tests …

Groups of Young Men and the Issue of PTSD

Apparently, urban violence, putatively sometimes gang-related, causes PTSD in victims of violence …

Link: “Guns: The PTSD Crisis That’s Being Ignored: Americans Wounded in Their Own Neighborhoods: Americans in violent neighborhoods are developing PTSD at rates similar to combat veterans. Why aren’t hospitals screening them? It costs money,” by Lois Beckett, 3 February 2014 … https://www.propublica.org/article/the-ptsd-crisis-thats-being-ignored-americans-wounded-in-their-own-neighbor ..

In addition, membership in street gangs apparently can cause PTSD …

Link: “Gang Membership: Links to Violence Exposure, Paranoia, PTSD, Anxiety, and Forced Control of Behavior in Prison,” by J. Wood and S. Dennard, in Psychiatry. 2017 Spring;80(1):30-41. doi: 10.1080/00332747.2016.1199185 … https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28409716 ..

From my reading, I gather there are issues of PTSD for groups of young men who experience being hazed, or who haze, and for out-group members whom they may haze.

Hypotheses

Fight or Flight Response Flip Flop. In earlier blogs, I mentioned that the fight or flight response can flip flop back and forth … One moment a person is in panic mode, and the next they may turn, on the astral plane, to attack mode. I have clair heard this happen time after time on the astral plane.

Tortured or Torture Response Flip Flop. Could it also be that physical experiences of being tortured, or of torturing, might flip back and forth as well? On the physical plane, could a person who has been hazed in a rite of passage flip to ‘I will torture’ mode? Could it be that groups of young men who have been initiated through hazing might expand torture activities to include people outside the gang? Say, with planned intervals of rape or torture, as a way to reinforce camaraderie?

THERAPEUTIC SOLUTIONS

The issue, as I see it, is that acts of torture are not condoned by society. Thus, repeated acts of rape or torture may result in social sanctions, possibly even brutal social sanctions such as capital punishment.

Thus I propose that those involved in planned intervals of rape or torture seek expert help in determining the trigger points, so that they themselves can put a damper on ‘acting out’. Acting out puts a damper on Soul healing, because every instance of acting out … such as torturing a person perceived to be ‘different’ from oneself … compounds the original Soul wounding. Thus I suggest the various forms of therapy for PTSD that are available today …

Link: “Preventing Gang Violence by Offering a Community,” by Allen Fennewald, 21 December 2016 … http://youthtoday.org/2016/12/preventing-gang-violence-by-offering-a-community/ ..

Link: “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder,” from the NIH: National Institute of Mental Health …  https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml ..

Headway made through therapy clears the way for the process of Soul healing through the Incoming Light can be expedited.

I also feel it might be good for each group of young men to consider what would be the optimum test of manhood within the context of that group, taking into consideration the issues of PTSD and the future need for adjustment to mainstream life as they mature and have families of their own.

Well, that is all I have for now on this very difficult topic.

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Written and published on 2 February 2018; revised on 7 November 2023

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

torture, gang violence, gang initiation, PTSD, psychiatry, psychology, rites of passage, tests of manhood, ceremony, subconscious mind, rites of manhood, acting out, defense mechanisms, fight or flight, hazing, lightworkers, diversity, groups, in-group, out-group, urban violence, gloms, cities of earth, street gangs, fraternity hazing, post-traumatic stress disorder, war, hazing, torture, crime families, mafia,