Comments by "MarcosElMalo2" (@MarcosElMalo2) on "What is the Meaning of Delusions? | Types of Delusions" video.

  1. Social networking has added a new wrinkle: people with similar delusions can join together and escape that isolation. But then what? I imagine treatment becomes impossible, as the delusion sufferer gets his or her delusion reinforced. They might become even more unshakeable as they now feel they are defending their group, magnifying their fanaticism and hostility. They might search for “experts” or authority figures who share their delusions to give their delusions credibility (and they might find someone who doesn’t share the delusion, but who has a desire to manipulate the group). Does this match anything you’ve seen or experienced? I think it’s already a big problem, will only get worse, and I don’t see any clear way of addressing it.
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  2. I believe a rational person can explore irrational and suprarational thoughts, but it does require a temporary letting go of ones rational framework, a stepping outside of it in a way. You don’t need drugs to do this, but if you’ve learned meditation or self hypnosis techniques they might be helpful. It might also be useful to keep a journal, notes, or some written record. You might do it like this. Say to yourself, “Suppose that . . . .” and add something pleasant, but unlikely, unprovable, or impossible. And then suppose that it’s true. Discard thoughts about why it’s not possible, or how one could make it possible. Just suppose for the moment that it is true, and suppose what that would be like. I want to stress that the thing you suppose can really be unlimited. Suppose I am a coyote. Suppose there were two planet earths and we could travel between them. Suppose God existed. Suppose our bones were stronger than steel. Suppose farts had medicinal properties. Part of this exercise is to imagine what the experience is like living in a world that you just supposed. To imagine it so vividly that you almost feel like you have experienced it, to experience it as real. Don’t worry about all the reasons your supposition is not possible. Don’t try to undermine it. Obviously, a part of your mind will want to analyze all the ways your supposition is absurd, wouldn’t work, or is impossible. Let those thoughts drift away, reframe the question, and continue imagining. I suggested you use a pleasant supposition. The reason for this is an unpleasant or negative one, even a morbid one, might cause you worry and anxiety—this will impede you in two ways. One, it triggers your analytic mind which will strive to relieve you of the anxiety, most easily by explaining to yourself why the triggering supposition is impossible. Two, an unpleasant supposition could disuade you from repeating the exercise. Anyway, I hope this is useful. It’s possible to take time away from the hyper mechanistic and rational self without becoming an idiot or a loony. It’s quite useful to do so. I don’t want to use the word “escape” because it’s not accurate. But it is stepping outside of it, and it is possible because we are larger than our rational minds.
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  3. If it’s at that point, all you can do is confront her. It might or might not be useful to do this with the father or other concerned friends/family, or to do it alone. Some of the meth delusion stories I’ve heard are amazing and weird. One friend told me that she imagined her parents were vampires, but that isn’t the oddest part. Their vampiric nature would become more apparent and powerful the deeper she was in her house. So when she was at the entryway, her parents were completely normal. But with each step into the house (her bedroom was at the back of the house) they would become more and more vampires and less her parents. So she’d always try to interact with her parents at the doorway or in the front room, and then make a dash for her bedroom.
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  4. Have you ever experienced the fear that someone or some group meant you harm, and then told yourself, maybe I’m being paranoid?
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