Counselor/Medical Officer's Log #20 - "Ghosts?"

Posted on 28 Mar 2014 @ 3:13pm by Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle
Edited on 28 Mar 2014 @ 3:14pm

395 words; about a 2 minute read

Shoreleave was fun for all of us, and a part of me was surprised to find I wasn't as eager to return to duty as I thought I would be. As much as I enjoyed visiting Rigel VII, I think it was the simple things that brought me the most joy. It was nice to be just Delainey for a time, and not "Dr. Carlisle," and I did get a kick out of seeing our little group cut loose, including Lirha. I'm no Kymm Cardasheeann (the dubious "star" of one of the most popular holo-vid shows on the net -- her claim to fame no one really knows), but I could get used to having a few cocktails outdoors in some civvie clothes more often. I also have my tribbles as souvenirs, though I can't decide what to name them. I was thinking of asking the crew to submit names and then there could be a ship-wide vote. It's not exactly a traditional morale boosting activity, but it might be interesting (and perhaps comical) to see what names they come up with.

In thinking about the crew and their state of mind, as well as our upcoming mission, I can't help but also contemplate the notion of psychological suggestability. The idea that an individual's internal thoughts and feelings can shape his or her extenal reality isn't a foreign concept in the mental health field. Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the assumption a personal's thoughts shape his or her feelings and behavior, and I think most of us have fallen prey to a self-fulfilling prophecy at some point in our lives.

But is it really possible for an entire group of people to experience the same delusions and hallicinations just based on the same shared anxieties? If that were true, I'd think we'd all be seeing Klingons and Borg around every corner. I've heard of two people sharing the same delusions, but more than that seems to be a stretch. So that leaves an environmental cause or --dare I say it?--ghosts to explain the present predicament. The scientist in me says the former is the culprit, but I can't deny the more life-threatening situations I encounter, the more spiritual I seem to become.

Can any one of speak with certainty about the afterlife?

The Starfleet Officer in me insists I keep an open mind.

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