What we could learn from people with psychotic experiences

This article by S. Perquin discusses insights from people with psychotic experiences, focusing on how their perceptions can offer unique understandings of reality. It includes personal anecdotes about interactions with individuals experiencing psychosis, highlighting their clarity of thought despite symptoms. A form of universal consciousness is suggested, emphasizing the value of these experiences in broadening our understanding of the universe and human consciousness.

Introduction

According to Wikipedia, psychosis is a condition of the mind or psyche that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior that is inappropriate for a given situation. There may also be sleep problems, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and difficulties carrying out daily activities.

Findings

Although people with psychotic symptoms may seem confused, I have found from conversations with psychotic patients that they could be not crazy at all. A friend of mine, whom I visited while they were admitted to the psychiatric hospital, introduced me to an man—between 60 and 70 years old—with psychotic symptoms. This man was once a philosophy student and has lived his entire life as a hermit. He has had several psychotic episodes and has been hospitalized multiple times. He began to talk and we had many similarities, such as being unable to sleep for nights on end due to the philosophical thoughts in our heads and being isolated from others for long periods, pondering ideas. The man was actually quite easy to follow; he didn't sound confused at all, despite seeming a bit tired, speaking slowly and mumbling his words. He seemed to know very well what he was talking about and appeared to be very clear in his thoughts, as if he had experience being in this state and knew how to interpret his world of experiences. He simply seemed to understand well what he was experiencing. He was also aware that he was in a psychosis.

He continued talking, and at a certain point, it seemed as if he was talking about my thoughts and experiences of that moment. It seemed as if what I felt, he articulated and explained. He mentioned that these were his own experiences, but it also felt like it applied to me. When I felt worried for a moment, he suddenly started talking about 'anxious feelings'. When I was confused because I didn't fully understand something, the man suddenly became quiet and started talking about 'confusion thoughts'. He just kept talking and it was as if he was live discussing what was going on inside me. And when I thought of nothing for a moment he stumbled over his words. Then he got stuck on his words and irregularly stopped talking. The whole time, he was looking down at the table and did not look at me. He seemed to be lost in his own world, but at the same time, it felt as if he could 'read' my thoughts. It was as if he was speaking through me. As if we were both on a certain level of consciousness where we resonated with each other. My friend, who has also experienced psychosis in the past, confirmed that he experienced it this way as well. My friend told me that he once wished misfortune upon someone in a very specific way in his thoughts, and that this person somehow picked up on it and told the nursing staff what my friend had exactly wished for him in his mind. The staff did not believe him because both hadn't said anything to each other.

At one point, the man performed a laying on of hands on me. He placed his hand on my head, stared at me, and I closed my eyes. According to him, I had a good vibrational frequency. For a moment, I thought of nothing, but then certain emotionally charged deep thoughts—that were previously present unconsciously—arose, such as wrong or troubling thoughts. I tried to resist them because I felt ashamed and it seemed like he was focusing on them, but then suddenly, they were gone. It was as if the laying on of hands had neutralized the deeply rooted, emotionally charged thoughts and removed their emotional weight. "Do you feel the energy working through you?" he asked. "Do you feel the healing power?" I didn't get the impression that he knew what my deep-rooted thoughts were; he didn't say anything about them, at least. But still, it felt as if something had intercepted my thoughts and I couldn't escape it. "That is the work of God," he said. He then told me that I have the ability to make people laugh, which helps them put things into perspective.

The idea that people in a certain state of being would resonate with each other's thoughts and feelings implies that there must be a sort of universal consciousness to which everyone is connected. When I discussed this with my friend in the presence of the man, the man suddenly seemed to perk up—his eyes widened, and he looked me straight in the eyes. He confirmed what I said and began to explain how he saw it, in his own words.

At one point, another man—somewhere between 20 and 30 years old—came by and said he was happy to see the older man. According to him, the older man had a positive charisma. I started talking about the possibility of a universal consciousness, and he agreed that you could indeed see it that way. I mentioned the word vibrations, and it really appealed to him. He said he would remember that word.