Michael's Medical Condition... a little info

When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye is not set on one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.

Takahiro Kitamura

Actually... a lot of info LOL! I'm supposed to be going to sleep b/c I've been up since 6am yesterday morning. It's now after 2:00am & I'm really tired but I wanted to know more about this "low latent inhibition" and "hypothalamus hamartoma". Wanna know what I found? Well, besides the above quote which is not only very beautiful, but describes low latent inhibition very well... here you go:

As you grow, the mind learns to label objects and filter out extraneous information. This filtering process is called 'latent inhibition' - and it means that the conscious mind is only aware of a fraction of the data being processed by the brain. In some rare cases, the ability to filter incoming data is decreased. People with LLI (low latent inhibition) are incapable of seeing things in terms of labels. They notice an awful lot more. Reality becomes more vivid and alive. Everyone has different levels of latent inhibition. It can become a problem if the inhibition process is radically decreased. LLI is not a disease. You do not suffer from it. It is a dysfunction that has both positive and negative sides.

For most people, reality is experienced piecemeal. They concentrate on one task at the exclusion of other things. Whilst typing on the computer, hearing diminishes, smell diminishes - the awareness is narrowed. With LLI this is not the case at all. The input is constant. Your awareness does not fluctuate much at all. It only oscillates between hyper-awareness and extreme-awareness - with the latter being something to be concerned about. LLI puts you in touch with the raw immediacy of reality. The overwhelming sensory input means that you experience everything simultaneously: the humming of the computer, the flickering of the monitor, the feel of the clothing you wear, your emotions, the bird in your garden, the smell of coffee... Every miniscule detail happening around you is felt in its entirety. This does not mean that you read every word, remember every facet, but you do see it, smell it, hear it, taste it and feel it. The information is absorbed. Your mind is sponge-like in its capacity to pick things up. You learn from them, and demonstrate new insights and understanding.

There is nothing clever or impressive about low latent inhibition. It is no different to somebody who can run quickly or has a photographic memory. These are all natural abilities. The only thing clever about LLI is what you choose to do with it. In life, we have an opportunity to make the best of our abilities. Yet, how many people really fulfil their potential? How many people squander natural talents/skills because they are too unmotivated to act? LLI is no different. If you choose to cultivate it and use it productively, you can harness your creative potential. If you are too lazy, then you may as well not have LLI.

Some positives of LLI:

♥You notice more, hear more, smell more and feel more through tactile contact.
♥Without any conscious effort, your mind is in possession of a broader intake of information.
♥Upon encountering any form of stimulus (that interests you), your mind automatically dismantles and explores its components.
♥You usually see through the lies and the deceptions that people use in everyday life.
♥Your memory is good. You can recall extensive details without effort.
♥You make connections and associations between seemingly unrelated material.
♥Comprehension is typically easy. You notice the non-verbal background information and this often provides a more comprehensive picture than what is being spoken.
♥Creativity is a given. You see alternatives.
♥You notice things that other people miss.
♥You are innately organised.
♥There is no talking voice in your head. No 'chattering monkey'. The volume and complexity of the information drowns out conscious thought entirely.
♥Verbalising what takes place in your mind is impossible. Words render only a fraction of the entirety.
♥You see the world more thoroughly.
♥Listening to other people talking/thinking aloud can be infuriating. They are at point A when you have reached point N already.
♥No verbalisation exists. No internal narrative. Just presence. No sense of self to intrude of interrupt.

And now, some cons:

♥Education is awkward. Schools are not set-up to cater with this disorder. The way in which things are approached by schools seems piecemeal and incomplete.
♥It is difficult to write/type/speak quickly enough to articulate ideas and the breadth of the permutations involved.
♥LLI makes driving a car difficult. Your brain notices countless dangers and variables, and you become overwhelmed and nervous.
♥You see through things without wanting to.
♥Every solution potentially harbours new problems, new variables and new concerns.
♥People may find you to be a little odd, unorthodox or a little intense.
♥You have a habit of saying things that do not fit the accepted norm of behaviour.
♥Background noise is a major problem. Noisy neighbours can cause serious stress.
♥It is impossible for you to unsee these things. Contact lenses are no good... you feel them constantly.

A person experiencing LLI is not initially aware that they have the condition. To them, how they regard the world seems perfectly normal. Nothing unusual is apparent - they do not know anything else. The condition may become apparent through the differences in what you say and see, relative to other people. In many cases the condition remains undiagnosed.

You cannot self-diagnose LLI. If you think that you have the condition, then you probably do not have it. Self-diagnosis is highly questionable. People tend to assume the worse. With low latent inhibition, you do not and cannot share preconceptions/vanities concerning yourself. Your mind does not work like that. Low latent inhibition is present from a very young age. Your parents will have noticed odd behaviour from the onset. It may sound 'cool' to say that you have LLI, but having a self-image is fruitless. The menu is not the food. You are what you are and what you do, not who you think you are.

Wanna know more about low latent inhibition? Check out this website!

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) are rare, benign tumors of the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that regulates many critical functions. Hypothalamic hamartomas affect children from infancy onward and commonly cause seizures, precocious puberty, abnormalities in endocrine function, and cognitive and behavioral problems. These tumors are most often found during the diagnostic evaluation of patients for epilepsy (particularly gelastic seizures) or precocious puberty.

What is Hypothalamic hamartoma?
It's a syndrome that consists of:
abnormally early puberty
partial seizures with laughing as a frequent feature
increased irritability and aggression between the seizures.
The partial seizures may be simple or complex and there may be secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Who gets it?
The seizures typically begin in childhood. The cause is a benign growth in the brain of abnormally formed tissue called a hamartoma, which is present from birth but often does not cause problems until school age.

Anything else?
The hamartoma affects the hypothalamus, which is an important area of the brain for regulating hormone production (endocrine function). As a result, sometimes the children will have hormonal abnormalities, such as early puberty (precocious puberty). Some individuals will suffer from growth failure due to abnormalities in thyroid or growth hormone.
MRI is necessary to identify the hamartoma. CT scans are usually normal.

How is it treated?
If the hamartoma extends beyond the hypothalamus and below the brain, treatment with surgery may be an option. Seizure medicines can also be beneficial, as well as medications aimed at hormonal and behavioral problems, if needed.

What's the outlook?
Surgery is often effective in eliminating the seizures, behavior problems, and endocrine disturbances. For individuals who are not candidates for surgery, life-long treatment with medication typically is required.

Info credit: Dynamic Balancing Tai Chi, Barrow Neurological Institute & Epilepsy.com