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How did you know it was a hallucination?

How did you know it was a hallucination?

Hi everyone,

I'm getting treatment for psychosis at the wishes of my family. All i can say is it would be a huge releif if i felt or knew it was only psychosis i had to worry about. Concrete events and interractions i had would have had to have been hallucinated but i see no evidence of that. How did you find out you had hallucinated or imagined something, or otherwise realised you had a psychotic experience? What made it click for you? I was mobbed at work and upon leaving i had the experience of being 'gang stalked' in public places and at my next job (found that name and description online when googling 'organised stalking'). It has been so horrible. I dont want to encourage anyone's delusions but i am very confused in cognitive dissonance.

8 replies

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In response to: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Hey there @Cj888 welcome to the forums!! 😊

Thank you for sharing what's been going on for you. I hear you, I can see how overwhelming and even scary this process of not knowing and starting treatment soon can be - so glad that you've been able to come share and reach out to us here. I personally don't have experience with psychosis, however, I'm sure that other members with experiences would be happy to share soon. In the meantime, we have our welcome thread and newbie's social space where you can introduce yourself and connect with others who are going through similar journeys.

I know these heavy feelings can make people feel isolated at times, but just know that you're not alone here and we're here for you 💗

In response to: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Hey @Cj888 and welcome! I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling to figure out what's what in terms of your mental health. First off, regardless whether the experience was real or not, you still experienced it - and it would have been soooo terrifying! You still deserve to have emotional support regardless of whether it was real or not.

I'm not sure how helpful it would be for you and your situation, but in terms of reality checking, I found this lil online tool you could try?

In response to: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Hello @Cj888, welcome to the forums 🤗

I hear you and what you're experiencing is really common of people who have experienced psychosis, that it begins to make us question all of our experiences and interactions, knowing that our version of reality has failed us before so how can we trust what we see and believe now? You are not alone.

What made it click for me was treatment and recovery. It takes time but it was after a few months of treatment for my psychotic episode when I was able to accept which parts of my experiences where real, and which were my illness. Given a little more time and recovery I was able to learn to trust myself and my judgement again.

The fact you're questioning your experiences is a good sign, it means you know there is something not right, whether it is your perception or in what is happening to you, it is still your experience and it needs addressing and support regardless.

I know in the early days of treatment it can all feel very overwhelming and confusing, I promise it gets easier and you can always come here to chat about these things 💜

In response to: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Hi,

I've read your messages and feel that you're in a tough situation where you may feel overwhelmed.

Thank you for writing in, I'm a Mum where one of my two sons became ill with time of Psychosis about 12 years ago and I've seen and experienced his recovery...........

My son at 21 years old began having psychotic times throughout his 20s which I feel he may still be having at the age of 33 years old.

My suggestion is to relax.... Don't worry about too much information on what this means, what that means.

In response to: Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Hello @Cj888

How are you going today 🥰

In response to: Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Tragically, the day of this check-in was the day my daughter took her life

In response to: Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

I'm so sorry for your loss, @Cj888. There are truly no words that can hold the weight of a loss like that.

Please know that the community is here for you.

In response to: Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

Re: How did you know it was a hallucination?

i'm so sorry to hear about your daughter @Cj888 my heart goes out to you. how are you holding up since?

sending you gentle hugs 💗

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