Throughout my adult years, I quickly began finding that most people aren’t open to new ideas, or at least not as open as they may say they are. We are still by and large, stuck in our conventions. With each of these phenomena I’ve shared so far, a key factor to remember is they all create connection on multiple levels. First, they connect us more deeply and intimately with ourselves. Being able to listen to your body’s intuition, pay attention to meaningful coincidences, or even know what a lover is thinking (or wanting) has the potential for powerful change in one’s own life. However, the second half of this is it helps us to go out into the world and be better connected with others. Reading the mind of another person is not an altruistic goal. Instead, being of service, and being connected in a way which can help others and inspire new understanding, is the primary focus.
So how can someone with these abilities fit into society? Would more people be more upfront and open about their own experiences with the paranormal if it were more socially acceptable? We can’t know for sure. However, we may look to people with an uncommon form of autism for another perspective.
Is Paranormal Normal: Autistic Savants
Autism is a fairly well-known condition that effects 1% of all people globally. According to the CDC, about 1 in 59 births account for babies born with autism spectrum disorder.[v] While autism is often discussed, especially in light of rising rates in the US recently, there is another form of the disorder that is more pertinent to our discussion. While very uncommon, autistic savants are able to accomplish amazing feats that are normally not possible by other members of the general population. These people were sometimes referred to formerly (as politically incorrect as it was) by a slang term: idiot savant. So, who are these incredibly gifted people and how do they fit into the larger context of what we are discussing here?
Autistic savants make up about 10% of the total autistic population. These rare humans have what are considered by some to be superhuman powers. However, in place of stereotypical superhuman powers such as: x-ray vision, superhuman strength, or the ability to fly—autistic savants are usually gifted in the areas of math, historical memory, or the arts. Most commonly they excel and maintain stratospheric levels of proficiency in performing complex math problems or committing massive amounts of specific knowledge to memory. For example, an autistic savant may be able to tell you the day of the week for any date in the past two hundred years, with perfect accuracy. Another may be able to tell you the entire rosters of the 1965-2015 St. Louis Cardinals teams, including being able to account for injured players, and trades. When an autistic savant is gifted with artistic expression, their abilities to work within the bounds of music theory, or certain types of painting styles showcases the highest forms of artistic rigor, even to the most skeptical of artists. However, these individuals don’t account for all of the gifting that autistic savants have been able to demonstrate.