Can Psychic Abilities Truly Lead to a Nosebleed?

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A fierce mental clash unfolds between a valiant protagonist and her adversary. As the conflict intensifies, the initial signs of strain become evident. A crimson stream of blood emerges from one nostril, followed by the other.

Depicting the exertion of unseen psychic abilities is undoubtedly challenging in visual storytelling. This may explain why creators of comics, TV series, and films frequently rely on a classic device: the psychic nosebleed.

A character's nosebleed often symbolizes the extreme use of their psychic powers. Just as physical strain can rupture blood vessels, as weightlifters often experience, it’s conceivable that psychic exertion might create internal cranial pressure. This trope has become so widespread in illustrating mental overexertion that the blog Polite Dissent has documented its use in comics for almost ten years, even coining the term epistaxis telepathica for this fictional occurrence.

"If you consider it — not too deeply, lest you risk a nosebleed yourself — it's an effective, visceral method to signal to the audience that something intense is occurring mentally," explains Kim Ligget, author of the young adult thrillers "Blood and Salt" and "The Last Harvest." "While facial twitches, throbbing veins, and beads of sweat are useful, nothing conveys strain as powerfully as a classic nosebleed."

The psychic nosebleed trope extends beyond comics. In the 2005 film "Fantastic Four," Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, experiences a nosebleed while using her telekinetic abilities. Similarly, a psychic character in the 2012 found-footage movie "Chronicle" also suffers from this phenomenon.

The hit Netflix series "Stranger Things" features a mysterious girl named Eleven, who flees a sinister government lab and employs her telekinetic abilities to combat her former captors and otherworldly creatures. The intensity of her psychic powers is often highlighted by the blood that occasionally drips from her nose.

With its nostalgic nod to 1980s pop culture, blending elements reminiscent of Spielberg, Carpenter, and King, "Stranger Things" echoes the 1984 film adaptation of Stephen King's "Firestarter." In this movie, a young girl named Charlie ignites flames with her mind, a feat accompanied by the occasional nosebleed, signaling the strain of her psychic abilities.

The 1981 paranormal thriller "Scanners," directed by David Cronenberg, is among the earliest films to explicitly link psychic exertion with nosebleeds. The story revolves around individuals endowed with telepathic and telekinetic powers, whose excessive use results in nasal bleeding.

A less credible theory suggests that the use of psychic powers might increase cerebrospinal fluid pressure, potentially leading to severe outcomes like a coma rather than a nosebleed. This fluid, enveloping the brain and spinal cord, doesn't typically cause nasal bleeding. A more plausible cause for a nosebleed might be something as simple as vigorous nose picking.

Although nosebleeds in "Stranger Things" enhance the show's 1980s dramatic flair, real-life nosebleeds can be equally startling. The sight of any body part bleeding profusely is naturally alarming, making it easy to draw parallels between such occurrences and their portrayal in fictional narratives.

However, this remains purely fictional. Nosebleeds do not result from intense mental activity. If that were the case, exams like the ACT would necessitate an abundance of tissues to manage the bleeding. In reality, most nosebleeds stem from physical trauma, such as fist or finger impacts, infections, allergen irritations, or foreign objects. High blood pressure can also contribute, though it poses less risk compared to strokes or heart attacks.

Nosebleeds are most frequent in winter, worsened by dry and cold conditions. Approximately 90% are anterior nosebleeds, caused by broken blood vessels in the front of the nose. These are typically minor and stop quickly. Posterior nosebleeds, however, involve arterial ruptures at the back of the nose, are more common in older adults, and often necessitate medical intervention.

Yet, in the realm of '80s nostalgia, we're willing to overlook reality. If psychic abilities are entirely fictional, their supposed side effects can be equally imaginative!

While a nosebleed might seem trivial, the consequences of psychic overload for a character can be far more severe. Consider this memorable, albeit graphic, scene from "Scanners":