No matter where I am, whenever I hear laughter I assume it is people mocking me. Even if I intellectually know that can’t be the case, I can’t shake the feeling. Does anyone else feel this way?
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I used to feel that way all the time. Now the majority of the time I know it is not directed at me. It’s a huge relief. My solution was simple. When I hear someone laugh I look around quickly and look at peoples eyes. It takes a couple of seconds but in that time span I can tell they are not laughing at me.
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Unfortunately, yes…
I also hate the sound of laughter. It’s extremely grating on my nerves…
I was once told that’s because laughter expresses emotions that are completely opposite of how I normally feel.
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Yeah I get that. What’s worse the hallucinations will replace what they’re really saying with bizarre insults I caught on by recognizing the words or phrases the hallucination love that no normal person wold say. Or that in order to say it they would have to have information about me they don’t have.
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I do quite a bit…
You might feel ashamed of your thoughts or potentially embarrassed by them… so whenever you hear someone laugh, your mind just wants to scream that they are embarrassing and they are laughing at you.
What might help is to realize that most all of everyone’s thoughts are embarrassing.
Also embrace that your thoughts are always laughable, and not just when others are around… Recognize it. I had too, my inner babble-box blows to listen too… I laugh at it myself a lot of the time.
For a while though I couldn’t realize that. I thought when they were laughing at me it was because I had just thought something stupid… unfortunately I’m always about 2 thoughts away from something dumb or embarrassing…
The principle is called synchronicity.
keep that word in your mind throughout the day. Try and tie to what I said up there. It kind of works for me.
Everyone has their own world… telepathy or not, theirs is just as important to them as yours is to you.
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I used to get this a lot when I was younger and, in reality, I was targeted and harassed quite a bit so I was right a lot of the time. Now, however, I don’t feel that way as much. It is very painful to feel, though, whether you are right or wrong. sorry you’re dealing with it.
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Yeah, I used to think that way.
As a kid and teen though, I often was made fun of and laughed at just for me simply being my quirky self, sad as that is I couldn’t feel comfortable being myself for a long time.
I spent time with my dad, who helped me become confident, and that sorta delusion dissipated for some time; It returned later and I felt paranoid of almost everyone around me, despite them obviously being trusting, but then again, who could I actually trust?
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Yes. I always feel like when I hear laughter it’s aimed at me.
When I lived at home with my brothers, yeah, anytime I heard laughter it usually was them and yes directed at me.
As an adult,I laugh more at myself than anyone else, kind a takes others thunder if you do it for them, and I’m at the point in my life now, I’d probably be the first to laugh out loud at myself.
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i am hyper sensitive to people being nasty at me and i often figure that behind my back it probably stems from something like they are mocking me.
that’s what i figure.
judy
It’s sort of comforting that so many here can relate.
Yes, just the sound of laughter is often grating to me, I think because I associate it with cruelty for some reason. Not always though! I mean, of course I’ve laughed with people before. But when I’m out in public, it always feels aimed at me, even though I know it’s not.
@Azley I wrote my undergrad thesis on synchronicity. How’s that for synchronicity? 
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Teach me what not to expect will you!?!??
Good job on that.
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I also feel that laughter is sometimes directed at me. Some people have nice spontanious laughs whilst other have an evil tone to their laugh. It is that evil tone that really gets to me.
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Yes, until recently when my abilify dosage was increased. It’s the only med that’s ever reduced the paranoia.