The question for me is ‘what is a delusion?’
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/delusion
Conventional wisdom is that a delusion requires total lack of insight but my experience questions this. I have had thoughts that would be described as delusional/veering from reality but despite being able to think ‘something’s not right here’ that hasn’t taken the ‘delusion’ away. I would say though that I had a degree of insight.
How does one distinguish a delusion from an overvalued idea?
well, for me that was easy. I was talking to my microwave after my boss gave it to me the day after he was robbed and I was thinking he was “bugging” my life to see what I said. I talked to my microwave without any doubt that it was bugged. Yell, plead, beg. Nothing worked. The animosity I perceived at work was really just a personality difference because prodromal I was very agitated at work a lot. Completely delusional. But at the time I was sure of it. Does that help you ?
So you’re saying a delusion involves absolute conviction ?
This is something I struggle with. I have thoughts that to me are delusions… I can rationalize them 95% of the time, but, I still doubt my rationalization of the situation. I am aware that the original thought is bizarre, but… I don’t know.
When it came to my delusional life in the past - I was deeply involved - I thought I possessed super human psychic abilities and was convinced that I was chosen or special - I had no insight into my distorted beliefs, but I had enough common sense not to tell my psychiatrist of my beliefs out of fear he will think I was ‘crazy’ I told certain people about these ‘gifts’ that I had - so even though I had no insight I still knew that some people might consider my beliefs as odd or strange
Being aware during a delusion is kind of like benign aware during a dream form me. I’m always aware that my dream is a dream. However I’m rarely so aware that that sinks into the level where I realize I don’t have the follow the story plot of my dream or let it affect me. My delusions are the same way. I think “Well this can’t be real…” But I still get scared at everything or in my heart play along with this narrative my head has created.
For example with the cat experience I posted the other day I was under the distinct impression that there was a cat on my desk. I KNEW the chance of there being an actual cat on my desk were very slim. But I was still nervous when a voice told me not to let it under the covers and I couldn’t fall asleep until late that night.
@firemonkey- I don’t know about absolute. there was a shred of unsureness as I continued to lecture the microwave but I always said, “yeah, but what if it really is bugged?” It was paranoia because I thought my boss was trying to frame me for the pro job robbery that took his safe out of his house. they came and hit him while he and his wife were away. He was always talking about it.
Hmm true delusion that Jesus could take over my body through the gift of transference and I would lose my identity and alternate between myself and Jesus. Nobody could convince me that this wasn’t humanly possible.
Veering on delusion : persistent thinking that at the public showers there could be people behind the shower heads urinating and it wasn’t actually water lol. I thought this was a rediculous thought but the thought wouldn’t go away.
This makes sense to me. Like wondering whether the inanimate objects are going to talk to me and then despite saying it’s silly, waiting for it to happen.
de·lu·sion -noun
An idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder.
Looking back in time, you will recall that the idea was accepted by the majority, that the world was flat. Thus, if you on the other hand believed that the world was spherical rather than flat, then it was said that you were clearly in a delusional state of mind.
Thus if it is said that you are in a delusional state of mind, it clearly does not mean that you are in the wrong.
Even today, people still believe what their eyes tell them to some degree, thus people think that a car can stop, and then move, and then stop again. But in truth this is not possible at all. In truth the car is constantly moving in some direction or another at the speed of light within that 4 dimensional environment known as Space-Time. A simple analysis of this constant motion leads you to the same outcome as Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity. It also produces all of the exact same SR equations.
Thus here too, if you state the truth of the situation, people think that you are in a delusional state of mind simply because your view of reality extends beyond the limited reach of others.
Thus it must be understood that those who are more advanced, advanced in a manner than is greater than being just a single step ahead of the majority, the majority in turn thinks that you are somewhat mentally disturbed, and there is nothing that you can do to change their minds about this.
So if there are say 2 beliefs, and plenty of supposed supporting evidence has been collected for one(A), but not for the other(B), then (A) wins whether it is in the right or it is in the wrong.
I’m going to wash away my delusions in the shower…wish me luck on the audios and the tactiles.
A better source of defintion:
Google search for delusion degrees of insight
For me a delusion springs out of past beliefs and events and hits all the senses. It is a deeply held conviction or feeling.
I can’t really explain how some of my random thoughts turn into obsessive all encompassing beliefs. How for some reason my mind has clasped onto an idea and digested it so deeply that I can’t untangle it from my thinking.
I know that for me an epiphany usually starts it. Connections between connections and then events and then affirmations and then… it grows from there.
Sneaky brained thinking… it starts so small and catches fire. Then I’m consumed.
The very fact that people of today still are so primitive minded that they practice beliefs and disbeliefs, scares the heck out of me. They are still thinking like basic computers with primitive 1’s and 0’s.
Instead of dealing with the probabilities of something being true or not, they immediately jump to one of two extremes, meaning jump to accept or reject. Thus all the fine details are reduced to damn near nothing once this occurs.
Now consider the fact that someone was smart enough to figure out the entirety of all reality, would you
accept his words, or would you see him as a delusional lunatic, since what he sees is beyond what the majority sees.
This has taken place.
But look at the bright side. Since you reject this in an instant, your loss is infinite in scale. But since you choose to only accept less than truth, you can not comprehend your infinite losses.
I swear this is the truth, for no one can see the truth unless they live in truth.
As have I.
i’ve had a couple of voice lead delusions…all put in i might add through torture. one was a typical capgras delusion (cloning) another was the telepathy delusion…the latest one they’ve tried was the free energy one yawn…now it’s that they’re gonna chop me up after i die…yawn again…they can’t seem to adequately explain how that’s going to happen but hey ho, whatever…it’s the telepathy one that makes me laugh the most really. i know it’s complete and utter shite but still they persist in trying to get me to believe in it. this morning they claimed to have unplugged the rug doctor when i know it was either me in my sleep or my son, simply so he could shut his bedroom door. they lay claim to many things that thy didn’t do to try and scare me out of going to the police about our rape and torture. but it won’t work. the latest is sending an out of body alter to sexually abuse my son and daughter if i continue to gather evidence on them. bring it on, ■■■■■■■. no more delusions for me.