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Metaphysics & Psychology

Colorado woman becomes accidental genius

By T.K. Randall
May 17, 2015 · Comment icon 17 comments

The accident left Erceg with enhanced mental capabilities. Image Credit: CC 2.0 Andrew Mason
Leigh Erceg was left a changed woman after surviving terrible injuries sustained in a fall down a ravine.
Before the accident Erceg had lived a relatively normal life as a ranch worker in a remote part of northwestern Colorado.

Afterwards however everything changed - where previously she had never had any interest in art or mathematics she now found herself producing impressive paintings, drawings and poetry while pondering over complex mathematical problems.
She could even "see" sounds and "hear" colors within her mind.

The accident also changed other aspects of her life too and not necessarily for the better. Once an extrovert, Erceg can now no longer feel any emotions at all and has become sensitive to bright light.

Her condition is known as Acquired Savant Syndrome, an incredibly rare malady that imbues someone with extraordinarily enhanced cognitive abilities after suffering trauma to the head.

"Leigh was a total extrovert. She was very confident," said her friend Amber Anastasio. "I just know that she is different now. It's not a bad different. It's just different. It's who she is now."

Source: Yahoo! News | Comments (17)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #8 Posted by Sundew 9 years ago
Not to demean her experience but if the brain is capable of being altered like that it has to make one wonder if science could not find a way to tap in to it, preferably without bad side effects? Start with Congress. I would suspect that the many scientists have wondered the same thing. Who would not want to be smarter, or have an almost mystical understanding of color, sounds, music, art, mathematics and so forth? If there was only a certainty of altering the brain in a positive way, but, fiddling around in a brain can cause unexpected negative results also.
Comment icon #9 Posted by Vance665 9 years ago
Sounds like my dream girl.
Comment icon #10 Posted by HollandSmith 9 years ago
I have read a similar story. There was this autistic man and he was cured from his illness when he was struck by a lightning.
Comment icon #11 Posted by qxcontinuum 9 years ago
one think i know for sure: smart ppl don't have a place in society . our modern society needs only brain dead consumers who can work like animals two job spending money on cell phones and entertaitment , or products that are ending up to be taxed 20 times between producer and first hand seller.
Comment icon #12 Posted by Rlyeh 9 years ago
one think i know for sure: smart ppl don't have a place in society . our modern society needs only brain dead consumers who can work like animals two job spending money on cell phones and entertaitment , or products that are ending up to be taxed 20 times between producer and first hand seller. What planet is this on? It appears you don't know anything about smart people.
Comment icon #13 Posted by She-ra 9 years ago
I have read a similar story. There was this autistic man and he was cured from his illness when he was struck by a lightning. I would love to see this article if you can find it again
Comment icon #14 Posted by MissMelsWell 9 years ago
One of my very best friends suffered a massive stroke when we were 23 years old. (It was later found that she has a very rare blood disorder that caused it) Prior to the stroke, she was a math genius. She acquired her her Batchelder's degree in mathematics, she had very little patience for the arts, or anything else that required any kind of "fanciful thinking" the stroke transformed her. She's now an almost savant like painter and can paint anything she's seen from memory. After recovering from the stroke, which did leave her paralyzed on her left side, she still retains her mathematical abil... [More]
Comment icon #15 Posted by legadema 9 years ago
when i was 7 i meet an accident, my temporal lobe soften and i too suffer head injuries ..,,,,zzzz but good thing happened there is no changes at all lol....
Comment icon #16 Posted by WolvenHeart7 9 years ago
It is a really sad loss, but with her forthcomings she can feel how it may be.. I've lost a lot of emotion dealing with something emotionless and it taught me to be more endearing when sometimes I'm just not.
Comment icon #17 Posted by nohands 6 years ago
this is greatness...


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