The sz cycle

DX'd - Sz/SzA
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Anyone ever get this:

You have a hallucination and then you think about it which creates more hallucinations

or

You think about a hallucination and you start getting worse hallucinations.

Is this a thing or am I just mad???

-Thank you

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Everyone has their cycles and different triggers and different experiences, I suppose. It’s good that you’re taking notice of your cycles and gaining some insight.

I don’t have this problem you’re refering to anymore, but with delusions it would happen that way in the past, if one came up, a whole new set of them would pop up. Eventually I learned my own coping skills for it, thinking about something else, identifying them as just delusions, relaxing, and other processes.

With my visuals, the bad ones just showed up in flashes, the good ones I tried to get more but they usually faded, they wouldn’t stick.
With my voices, I tried to not think much about them, or the content of what they were saying, if I did they would just continue, so the trick I developed for myself was immediate distraction, start doing something that requires all my focus, like reading a song lyrics for example.

Hope this helps in anyway. :slight_smile:

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Thanks Minnii :slight_smile:

My delusions usually spiral out of control from one small thing my brain cant let go of. Say…recently I had a friend say that texting me back would take a lot of time. My brain thought and thought and after three days she “must be trying to kill me with a secret plot against me” etc etc etc. Drives me nuts. I eventually fought it off but it is still there, just weaker.

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Have you thought about finding a therapist? It’s been really helpful for me with those sort of things.

I’ve learned how to change my behavior when facing a difficult delusion, by having a more recovery oriented approach.

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I have one just had not seen her in over a month due to travel at the time. I am seeing her again soon.

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That’s good, than. Best of luck Sharpii :slight_smile:

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Yes it is a bit of a vicious circle. I can relate to this especially when it comes to intrusive thoughts, because my hallucinations are present continuously when psychotic. They do not need triggers, while for me, intrusive thoughts can sometimes be related to affect I noticed.

I think it compares to OCD like thinking. There is some literature on ‘hyperreflexivity’ I read that nicely describes what’s going on. It is a concept used in both OCD and schizophrenia. Of course, one would like to ignore and let go etc. But this is precisely the problem. When I’m doing relatively well, I can exercise ‘thought blocking/stopping’. Which for me comes down to firmly saying in myself something like ‘no, we’re not going to go there’. But yeah I have also had times where I’d just get sucked into this vicious circle.

When I can, I relate my intrusive thoughts to affect and, upon some negative or wildly exaggerated IT, I affirm them in moderation. Like I would get pretty extreme sexual IT’s when in conversation with someone, I’d affirm: yes, this is a likeable person.

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Yes my delusional beliefs created hallucinations to go with it. Which made it all much more believable

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one minute you’re up, the next you’re down. It is affected by from the weather, the phases of the moon, technology, crowds, loneliness, anything. And so it goes. Without medication it is impossible to live.

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I always called it the vicious cycle. You gotta break the chain.
I use the imagery of changing gears in a race car to get off a bad topic and switch to something peaceful.

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