I looked into the case that was recommended to me.
Here it is, for anyone who wants take a look as well:
The argument for misdiagnosis is just way too strong for me. The only way for one to know that it was 100% without a doubt CIE, is by genetic testing because it’s caused by mutated genes. This was in 1952, and DNA’s structure wasn’t even discovered until 1953. That combined with the fact that the boy’s skin responded rapidly to the hypnosis (biologically implausible for a real genetic condition) - it’s literally screaming misdiagnosis. I don’t lose bets often (I have a real life reputation for this), and in a hypothetical scenario where we today had a method to figure this out - I would be incredibly comfortable with betting a very large amount of money on this as being a case of misdiagnosis, without much hesitation. Easy money, as they say. I don’t blindly follow experts and authoritative figures, nor do I blindly reject them - I like to follow common sense. Some people have more valuable opinions than others because they have more experience and knowledge in their respective fields. For example: I am far more inclined to consider and listen to Saint Sovereign and Fire on the topic of subliminals, than I am, to say… a neurotic 13 year old YouTube subliminal maker who has mental health issues. This is why we have mentors and teachers in practically every serious discipline. I think it’s quite natural to have a preconceived attitude towards people in positions (especially of power) outside of context, as long as the end all be all entails your usage of common sense within the context.
I’m not anti-lab coat or pro-lab coat, I’m “you appear to possess experience, let’s see what you have to say with caution and a healthy degree of skepticism, and then I will come to a rational conclusion.” I’ve had many instances where my conclusion was positive and the person proved to be a competent asset towards our common goals, and many instances where the person was dangerously incompetent, despite having the respected credentials or social proof. I value common sense, using discernment, and being grounded, rather than being dogmatically attached to one side or the other through bias.
Anyways, I have no doubt that Albert Mason believed that the boy had CIE, however this quite simply, and in some sense unfortunately, fails to be equivalent to actual genetic proof. Multiple dermatologists of various hospitals diagnosed the boy with CIE through their own subjective, clinical judgement, which was standard in 1952. My thought process is “well, how reliable is this?”. It turns out that CIE is so rare (1 in 200,000 to 1 in 300,000 births) that some dermatologists don’t even encounter a case in their careers, and it shares symptoms with other skin conditions.
I do believe that the boy did improve the appearance of his skin with the help of hypnosis. However, this is still comfortably within the laws of biology (autonomic responses, reduced inflammation, circulation, immune system, reduced stress, etc), and therefore soundly aligns with my original stance on biological limitation and physical shifting with subliminals. This is not even nearly on the same level as permanently changing eye colors (from brown to blue for example), or completely reconfiguring and reshaping hard bone structures. It’s not even in the same realm of gaining 5 inches of height post-puberty. I think that scope happens to be relevant. Skin is one of the most well-documented psychosomatic organs in the human body, and skin diseases can be profoundly influenced by psychological states because of the internal systems that skin is intimately tied to. You literally have a medical field called psychodermatology. Bone is a different animal. I don’t think a change in your psychological state is going to significantly widen your clavicle, or lengthen your femur. There are no documented cases of this even in the most extreme placebo research. I mean, I would love to see it. I want to believe it - but I also don’t want to give up my common sense in exchange for wishful thinking.
These are my thoughts, lol. As always, I’m interested in other people’s opinions and thoughts, if they have any.
Yes, I did say this. This is when I was younger, and overly excited about the physical shifting. This is pretty much the anecdotal, subjective equivalent of an obese person going to the gym and losing tons of body fat, then thinking that the increased definition in his jawline as a result of less body-fat around the facial area means that his jaw got “bigger”, or that the increased prominence of his cheekbones (think boniness in the case of being gaunt, for example) means that his cheekbones “expanded.” I’ve become more mature over the years, and I’ve had to sharpened my critical thinking because it’s required if you want to flat-out be taken seriously in certain places, etc. If someone wants to climb a corporate ladder, run a company, or relate with certain type of people, then you’re almost required to elevate your thinking. You can’t be a delusional person with no common sense, and then run a successful business. You can’t be illogical, and then expect to succeed in fields that factor in the usage of tons of logic, strategy, or high-level decision making - decisions that can literally make or break your intended trajectory. So yes, this is why I’m “super-rational” - and I don’t see anything wrong with this. In my books, executive function is more important than being super, overly open-minded. The ability to think clearly and act decisively is what actually creates results. Remember, my biological take is also largely based on my own personal experience. I myself mistook changeable “soft” traits for fixed “hard” traits". I hope that clears things up, lol.
I think you can improve your facial features through changeable (soft) traits. There are so many things that influence the overall aesthetics of your face and can make you look noticeably different - that don’t include altering the underlying bone structure directly.