I've noticed a trend lately. Psychosis is gaining ground as an acceptable and new form of neurodivergent thinking. My apologies to all our neurodivergent thinkers out there, by the way. It was the only term I could come up with to explain the acceptance of a "different" way of thinking and perceiving reality that deviates from the mainstream. Neurodivergence, by the way, is associated with individuals who think outside the box (all things being grounded in rational reality that is!) when compared to their "neurotypical" counterparts. Except with psychosis, it involves thinking, feeling, and behaving outside of reality and choosing to remain there for whatever reason(s) spoken and unspoken...
Psychosis, by definition, is abnormal. The term comes from the Greek "psyche" which translanted means "mind, life, and soul"...and "osis" which translated means "abnormal condition". As such, "psychosis" is an abnormal condition of the mind, life, and soul. Now you know.
And what is "abnormal" in the first place you may wonder? It is that which causes real harm to self or others without regard for the damage(s) being inflicted (to self or to others). For example, "avolition" is a common behavioral pattern that often accompanies psychotic thinking/psychosis. People who do not initiate, do not pursue, and are unmotivated to "do" their own life's personal responsibilities on a daily basis (you know, "get up, dress up, show up" for one's own life!) will often view this pattern of thinking and associated behavior(s) as a non issue. "I can always get money; money's not a problem for me." (When it actually IS a huge problem...)
Please do not confuse avolition with acute depression and/or grief. Avolition which accompanies psychosis is an acceptable way of life. Those who practice it don't mind being disconnected from reality. Like someone who is addicted to all things virtual reality. It's its own lifestyle "choice" based on an abnormal condition of one's mind, life, and soul. You may be asking yourself, "Who cares as long as nobody's being hurt?" Uh...how about the person with the psychosis hurting himself/herself/themselves?
We may not be able to stop you, but it is YOUR own functioning that is severely impaired when you choose to play guitar/video game/read/watch movies/"research" the net all day in your chosen place of refuge...and that's how you roll more days than not. This damaging pattern of ongoing disconnection and protection from ??? (whatever you are believing) may prevent you from making and maintaining authentic friendships....graduating from high school/college/trade school....getting and/or keeping a job...perhaps driving a car...learning new skills....and/or otherwise "functioning" successfully enough as a person your age in this world you inhabit.
Of course, in today's world when a guy in a three-corner warrior headpiece in full costume starts swinging around a samurai sword in the middle of a downtown central business district (without an entertainment permit I might add!) and the community begins debating online his "freedom" to do that, I have to wonder who's lost their minds in what order. In the situation, the same guy was spotted on the median of US-23 weeks later doing the same thing with sword in hand. Listen, I'm in the business of supporting those who have chronic and persistent mental health issues, but I am NOT interested in mainstreaming psychotic episodes either in the name of personal choice and "freedom".
Doesn't anyone remember the fairy tale "The Emperor Has No Clothes"? I certainly do. To be brief, the Emperor was being duped by a con man who charged him a King's ransom for creating clothes that were, in fact, non-existent. Utilizing his skills of the con, this tailor sewed with invisible thread on invisible cloth to create a wardrobe for the Emperor beyond compare. Everyone was too afraid to say they couldn't see the Emperor's "new" clothes...so they all agreed how beautiful and wonderful and amazing the tailor's finished work was. Until a little kid showed up and pointed at the Emperor to proclaim aloud: "The Emperor Has No Clothes!" End of. Finally! It took a little kid to wake up the world around him about the aberrant reality of the present moment.
When is that going to happen to us? Who knows? I do my bit for humanity in this regard; how about you? Living a life without reality-based truth attached is what allows us to do whatever we want, when we want, without a thought to how our growing acceptance of psychotic thinking genuinely affects ourselves...and the lives of those around us. I know I am sick of being bullied into believing that "anything" is o.k. because a psychotic state of mind is something the culture decides to accept with open arms! (If you have ever had a convo with someone talking about their acid trip(s) and how "sacred" and/or how "life altering" they were...you do understand what I am talking about here!) Authentic spiritual awakenings and transformations comes from the inside out, not from the outside in.
Until you have seen psychotic thinking acted out in inappropriate ways, you may be tempted to believe that it's "not all that bad" a condition for those who have it. I mean, aren't we all a little psychotic when we believe we still can do something we haven't done in years---let alone when that "something" involves physical agility, strength, balance, and core strength? Reminds me of when I went back to the gym in early January and couldn't lift my foot and leg up off the ground for 30 seconds like everyone else did. We are really good at deluding ourselves about our own present day reality more often than not. I have done it. You do it too. However, my own "reality check" regarding my current physical condition inspired me to do my work to keep myself IN present day reality.
Psychosis as the new "normal" inspires us to keep ourselves out of present day reality and live inside the middle of our fixed false beliefs for as long as we like without challenging them.
You may be wondering what causes people to become psychotic. There are all sorts of reasons involving pre-existing mental health diagnoses that the individual may not have been before made aware of. "Major depression" as one example can very easily have psychosis as a diagnosable "feature" attached to it. So can "Biplor disorder". Then again, psychosis can occur from the use of certain drugs including those that are prescribed, alcohol, weed, and other recreational drugs. Psychosis can also result from brain injury, damage, and other abnormalities that will remain unknown until appropriately identified and diagnosed.
If you know anybody with dementia, you may begin to understand what I am speaking of in today's post. Sadly, I have too many friends and acquaintences who have been diagnosed with dementia. It is a very unsettling reality when someone you "think" knows you doesn't recognize you at all when you go to visit him/her/them....or talks about things that make absolutely no logical sense. "My sister came and saw me today.." (when sister has been dead for the past ten years). Or "I went to Antartica yesterday and swam with the dolphins.." Regardless of what brought us to a state of ongoing psychosis, when it's there it IS there.
The drug and alcohol use of our recent generations adds gasoline to the pre-existing fire of those who struggle with mental health issues...and then psychosis shows up as a drug-induced by-product of this groups' lifestyle choices. Now that marijuana has been legalized, there are MANY users who have no clue how smoking or ingesting their edibles have served as a new gateway to psychotic thinking and behavioral responses they can't/won't/don't acknowledge. For example, if you are bipolar or remain undiagnosed with a major mood disorder.....drug and/or alcohol use is NOT YOUR FRIEND! You run a high risk of psychosis entering into your picture and staying there for longer than you anticipated. I have often shared with clients the story of a patient who I saw back 25 years ago who "went psychotic" (which represented the venacular we used back then!) after taking a single hit of Ecstacy at a rave. She didn't come back to baseline and ended up in an AFC home (group home for adults declared mentally incompetent). She was in her early 20s. It can be like that. You want to believe you are "fine" when, in fact, you are not fine. You are struggling with an ongoing state of psychosis and you don't even know it.
Next post, coming out of the fog of psychotic thinking/psychotic episodes with "proper" care and treatment...