How do you fix paranoia, it is related to past experiences, not a mental illness?
7 Answers to "How do you fix paranoia, it is related to past experiences, not a mental illness?"
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Small steps to restore confidence...Deconstruct the past and put it into perspective.
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Yea that makes sense, when I talk to others, I normally realize how irrational I am being.
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I also believe that some folks have paranoia related to mental illness. My ex always had this mentality that everyone was plotting against him, or that everyone was conniving to do this or that behind his back. It was always negative and when I said something about it, he told me he had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. I mean it was hard to deal with, he would always come up with these terrible plots that would never even occur to me to subject someone to, let alone someone I'm in a relationship with. It also became insulting that I questioned what kind of person he thought I was. I realized later that this was his baggage and tried not to take it personal or internalize it, but finally we broke up which is for the best, for me anyway.
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That sounds very exhausting, I am glad you got out of it at least..
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It was very exhausting, abusive is a better description. I'm very glad to be free of the situation also. It was scary.
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Brighter,
In my opinion....based on past issues ...there may be a sense of "preparing for what is next"....
Let me explain:
Here is a analogy...
You know how you see patterns in things?
ok pretend you are at home....First you hear a noise.in the distance....you turn off the TV.....then you hear water running from some where....you find a trickle of water on your kitchen wall....it is connected to a basement wall....you follow it down....the nose gets louder...you can small the water....then you see a TON of water all over the floor...OMG!...you run up to the attick...and you Find GUSH...A total broken pipe.....The whole entire wall is caving in...and you call 911...
Ok...so how does this translate?
In life...we have had many emotinal and traumatic floods / total gushers...
But....there were steps to these events.....First this happened...then this person did this....then they had that look on their face...then they ignore you..or what ever..then this person in the family does this...then XYZ....Then the BIG EVENT thing happens...and there is some type of crazy situation and abuse...
Just like the WATER story....it starts out with a sound....then a trickle...and next and next...
If you have had enough of these things in your life.....your brain is trained to start to look for the signals of a "flood"...
So.....whenever there are any faint signs of things that look or smell like a flood...or any of the precursors...we start to get paranoid...
Its like your brain is like.. "Ok ...is this one single thing...just a sound?...or is it connected to 10 other things...and it is really the begging of a flood"? ( metaphorially)
So...after enough abuse / events...
Your brain can have a hard time in understanding ...is this just an isolated ...single things that means nothing?....or is it step 1 or 2...in a sequence of a patterns that will end in abuse?...OH no...Get ready....is it going to happen again?...what is that next thing that is happeneing?...oh no...when is step 3 coming?...is that it?...oh no...is this really happeneing?....
Ok see how that inner dialoge works?Like (2)
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Yes that makes sense, thank you for your insight. :)
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Keep in touch with your rational side ie is what I think / fear ba
sed on any reality, is it likely, I suffer from this in a minor way & understand how upsetting it can be. Like (2)
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thanks
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Have good look at yourself and ask why would anyone be after you
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I am able to rationalize away the paranoia lol. :P
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Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you
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Just because I am paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after me. :P
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Best Answer (Chosen By Asker):
Posted by HampshireHaystack Jun 3rd, 2012 at 8:39AM
If fear is related to past events, it is not paranoia ; paranoia is an unreasonable fear of something/someone with no basis for that fear.
That does not mean that the fear is not there, and having an effect. the advice given by ecpc is excellent.
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Reply by brighterbyday Jun 3rd, 2012 at 8:33AM
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