| "The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen | | | | through their senses. I suggest that it would be |
| or heard-they must be felt with the heart." --Helen | | | | natural to develop a different perceptual reality when |
| Keller | | | | one has atypical sensory experiences. Imagine being |
| That simple quotation reminds me of my former | | | | an infant who was having typical sensory |
| student' directive: "Open Your Heart and Join." This | | | | experiences for the first eighteen months of life, and |
| directive, I believe, meant to link consciousness | | | | then a sudden disruption changes everything forever. |
| together in a state of surrendering self to soul. In this | | | | This surely would have an altering effect on your |
| state, language impairments based on a conscious | | | | perceptual reality and ability to interact with the |
| selection of words become obsolete. A higher | | | | world. |
| understanding based on subconscious knowing | | | | The article mentions Mark Twain's meeting with Helen |
| becomes apparent. Separation of ideas ceases to | | | | and Annie: "Annie asked, 'What is Mr. Clemens |
| exist, as a mutual flow of blended communication | | | | distinguished for?' Helen answered, in her crippled |
| comes to the fore. Unconditional love, trust, and | | | | speech, 'For his humor.' Mark Twain spoke up |
| expectation of competence open up this channel for | | | | modestly and said, 'And for his wisdom.' Helen said |
| subconscious blending. A sense of balance is created | | | | the same words instantly- 'and for his wisdom.'" |
| as we establish a rhythm and move in tandem. I am | | | | Twain says: "I suppose it was mental telegraphy for |
| part of them and they are part of me. We are in | | | | there was no way for her to know what I had said." |
| communion. By linking souls with individuals with | | | | I have often experienced this instantaneous knowing |
| severe autism, I appear less alien to them and they | | | | with my students. Fleeting anticipatory thoughts |
| appear less alien to me. I speculate that Annie Sullivan | | | | often resulted in immediate responses. It is a much |
| and Helen Keller had a similar link. | | | | faster transfer than a communication system based |
| Helen had typical sensory experiences until she was | | | | on words. |
| 18 months old. At that point, she was struck with | | | | The article quotes Helen: "It has always been a |
| fever. Age of onset correlates to the many reports | | | | strong belief with me that there are powers in many |
| of parents who say that their autistic children were | | | | animals which can be developed beyond the physical |
| developing normally and then suddenly regressed. For | | | | senses, and it is a gratification to note that orthodox |
| whatever reason, I suspect that Helen's typical | | | | scientists are beginning to seek other causes than |
| sensory processes were disrupted. Nothing seemed | | | | mechanical ones to explain telepathy...Surely if |
| as it once was. Try to imagine! | | | | creatures without the reasoning faculty can perform |
| Helen appeared lost until Annie Sullivan came along. I | | | | such wonders, Man endowed with spiritual and |
| see a correlation between Helen's journey and her | | | | intellectual powers can achieve phenomena not to be |
| relationship with Annie Sullivan with some of the kids | | | | explained by mechanism but by laws still waiting to |
| I have worked with. This type of catalytic relationship | | | | be discovered." |
| is both humbling and awe-inspiring. | | | | Individuals with severe autism have demonstrated to |
| Many of the students I have worked with have | | | | me that they have developed their senses beyond |
| demonstrated paranormal abilities. Helen and Annie's | | | | the ordinary. I speculate that they are more in touch |
| relationship was also noted as having extrasensory | | | | with the subconscious knowing and the spiritual side |
| elements, according to Dennett's (1998) article titled | | | | of life. Their souls may not have totally integrated |
| "Helen Keller: did the deaf blind genius posses ways | | | | with their bodies. This lack of integration may leave |
| of sensing beyond normal?" I have wondered | | | | the soul in a unique position, unlike those who have |
| whether these extreme intuitive elements were a | | | | fully integrated, resulting in a greater attunement with |
| part of the initial "key' for unlocking Helen's | | | | the subconscious or spiritual self. This lack of |
| understanding. Like the severely autistic children I | | | | grounding may leave the body unsure of how to |
| have was Helen able to tune into Annie? Did this | | | | direct itself in the physical world. As if in a dream |
| ability help her to understand, through Annie's | | | | state, the individual has difficulty controlling or |
| sensory system, information that formerly was | | | | categorizing thought. The knowledge itself, however, |
| incomprehensible? | | | | is vast, covering innate understanding of universal |
| The article quotes author Lawrence Hutton in 1894 | | | | truths lost by the more integrated individual. |
| as saying: "Miss Sullivan told us that with no conscious | | | | Artist and sculptor Gutzon Borglum, mentioned in the |
| movement, no intentional or perceptible 'talking with | | | | article, wrote of his meeting with Helen Keller, "I shall |
| her fingers,' she could make the child follow her own | | | | never forget that hour with Helen Keller...From it I |
| thoughts, do what she wished her to do, go where | | | | learned that soul, over and above the body, has |
| she wished her to go, perform any of the acts of | | | | eyes." I came to the same realization when working |
| 'mind- reading' which the professional psychologists | | | | with some amazing autistic children and young adults. |
| exhibit on stage, or in an amateur way." | | | | According to the article, Helen appeared to have a |
| I had one former student who acted according to | | | | profound out-of- body experience. Helen said, "I had |
| my fears. Otherwise, none have physically acted | | | | been sitting quietly in the library for half an hour. I |
| upon what I was thinking, as Helen did with Annie. | | | | turned to my teacher and said, 'Such a strange thing |
| Yet, I certainly have served as a catalyst for having | | | | had happened! I have been far away all this time and |
| children select the words or pictures or type of letter | | | | I haven't left the room.' 'What do you mean, Helen?' |
| based on my conscious thought. I used a type of | | | | she asked, surprised. 'Why,' I cried, 'I have been in |
| telepathy, or image-sending with sub-vocalizations. In | | | | Athens.' Scarcely were the words out of my mouth |
| addition, I have been able to assist many kids with | | | | when a bright amazing realization seemed to catch |
| low-verbal capability to "say" the word I mentally and | | | | my mind and set it ablaze. I perceived the realness of |
| sublingually suggest, if I limit the field of possibilities, | | | | my soul and its sheer independence of all conditions |
| i.e. numbers from 1-10, or shapes and colors. | | | | of place and body. It was clear to me that it was |
| As Helen has been quoted, "When one door closes, | | | | because I was a spirit that I had so vividly 'seen' and |
| another one opens." According to Dennett, Sullivan | | | | felt a place thousands of miles away. Space was |
| stated: "Helen Keller's development suggest to me | | | | nothing to spirit! In that new consciousness shone the |
| that the loss of one or more faculties may, by way | | | | presence of God, Himself a Spirit everywhere at |
| of discipline, drive the handicapped person to deeper | | | | once, the Creator dwelling in all the universe |
| levels of will-power than is required of normally | | | | simultaneously." |
| equipped human beings. I have no doubt whatever | | | | My response to that final quote based on my |
| that most people live in a very restricted sphere of | | | | experiences is AMEN! |
| their potential capacities. They make use of only a | | | | It appears Helen eventually was fully independent of |
| small portion of their possible powers and resources | | | | Annie, functioning in this world without giving up her |
| of their minds. It is as if, out of all their physical | | | | gifts of thought sharing, remote viewing, or spiritual |
| furnishings, they should use only a fraction of each | | | | attunement. I hope that someday individuals with |
| sense." | | | | nonverbal low functioning autism will do the same. |
| I agree with Annie. Typical people, no matter how | | | | Reference: |
| extreme their cultural differences, have a shared | | | | Dennett, P.E. (1998) Helen Keller: did the deaf blind |
| perceptual reality based on information received | | | | genius posses ways of sensing beyond normal? |