Tag: what other people think

What is Delusional?

You’ve probably been in a social setting and heard people in relatively normal conversation use the word delusional and wondered, “What does it mean to be delusional?” Just so you know, this word is often mis-and-over-used by people in a disrespectful manner, especially by predators and bullies, but also as a general characterization of a set of personality traits in therapy. So, what is delusional?

To understand what it means to be delusional you must comprehend that society and/or people have a certain set of normal (or widely held) beliefs to which they attach their sense of security. That is to say the masses, or general population, would agree on a particular precepts or ideals and affirm by congruent feelings that they are held to be “true.”

What is Delusional?

A person who highly regards any idea which is contrary to what is either a popularly held ideal, or appears to other people to not be supported by factual data, might be considered to be delusional, especially if the idea is extreme in comparison to popular belief or generally accessible and available data.

Everyone, at some point in time, might consider an idea which is not widely agreed to be factual or prudent, but these generally are dispelled relatively quickly, by gaining additional information which causes the idea to break down, or friends, peers, or counselors can help to assist the person who dares to believe such a thing that their perception is incorrect, convincing the person that the idea is unsound and cannot stand on its own.

If the subject continues to align his or her thoughts with this contrary thought pattern or philosophy, he or she might be considered as suffering from Delusional Disorder and referred to professionals for treatment. In a sense, to reel him or her back into a better sense of “reality” to which the masses agree is a more normal perspective.

There are many different types of delusions, such as a paranoid belief that one is under surveillance or secretly persecuted by some government or other unknown sources (may include spirits, demons, or aliens), which is the most common type of delusion.

Then there is the medical dysfunction type of delusion where the subject claims to suffer from a type (or many types) of physiological conditions, believing they have unsubstantiated diseases, bugs, implants (or extractions) where there is no physical evidence to support such claims.

The love delusion refers to a condition of a person who believes he or she has a romantic relationship with someone (usually someone in a higher position/stage of life, such as a celebrity) which is intense in nature, but not substantiated in any way, except in his or her own mind.

The delusion of superiority is indicated by the person who sees himself or herself as better than anyone else due to their own definition (which is not generally agreed to) of being smarter, wiser, imbued with special (magical) abilities, access to unsubstantiated “secret” information, or special relationship with a higher intelligence (or God).

Of course, there are many types of delusions which could be categorized but in most cases, these ideas are often considered as “bizarre” at first blush.

In clinical circles delusional disorders are considered psychiatric conditions and people who suffer from them can be treated by pharmaceuticals which alter brain chemistry, causing patients to think “normally,” and treatment may include cognitive therapies in an attempt to re-establish a normal paradigm of thought.

There is a great deal of concern among the psychiatric and therapeutic communities focussing on the normalization of all peoples, which could support the idea of there being those whosuffer from Individuality Psychosis.

You might see how many major breakthroughs in science and emerging technologies may not have been possible if their inventors or out-of-the-box thinkers had been diagnosed and treated for their delusional disorders.

It makes you wonder…

Just the Same Only Different

Different people do things for different reasons. Sometimes they do the same things for very different reasons, so we (especially those in the help professions) have to be careful about stating anything affirmatively as being true 100% of the time because the truth of the matter is that nothing is true 100% of the time (or at least, very little).

One person might do something or display a certain characteristic, while another might do exactly the same thing only for very different reasons. Just the same, only different.

One person might hang up the phone in the middle of a heated conversation defensively because they are fearful that they might say something in their defense which might hurt the other person’s feelings, make matters worse, or utter something they think they might regret later. Another person might hang up the phone in the middle of a heated conversation as an act of aggression, purposefully with the intent of making the other person enraged. Just the same, only different.

In Star Wars Episode 8, Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo tell the same story very differently. Each one from their own perspective, each one being truthful based on their own experience and understanding. Just the same, only different.

For instance, I spend a little of my time helping victims of psychopaths because I know what they’re going through. Even though this type of work does not resonate well with the rest of my work, I do a little of it out of reverence for my own experience and my empathy for others having to deal with this kind of tragedy.

So, I have put out a book, put up a website, and created a video in an attempt to help these people as much as I can. One of the ways I try to help victims of psychopaths and potential victims is by trying to help them to detect a potential psychopath early on, so I list six characteristics that can help someone identify a potential psychopath quickly and easily in a brief 10-minute video in an attempt to help as many people as I can as quickly as possible, without making it so complicated.

Of course, this is in no way an official diagnosis which would take a professional a great deal of time and study reviewing over 100 characteristics and behavioral expressions. It is what it is, a simple tool that is quick and easy to use.

As you know, if you put yourself out there to do anything good, haters will come out in droves to try to knock you down. Based on that 10-minute video, I have been attacked and ridiculed, but I don’t take it personal, nor do I take it too seriously. I am also more resilient and am for the most part unmoved by their attempts to hurt my feelings, so I am grateful to be their target, which might defer their inclination to attack someone else who might be devastated by such a virtual assault.

Thankfully, I get praised both by victims and potential victims for having the intention to help and put the information out there for them to find, far more frequently than I get put down by people who are just doing the best they can with what they have, as am I.

If I say (as I do in this brief video) that psychopaths are charismatic, it does not imply that anyone who is charismatic is a psychopath, nor does it imply that all psychopaths are charismatic, to assume so would be at the very least unwise.

No matter what human characteristic or action you are reviewing from your perspective, you cannot know what is, or was, actually going on at the time because you can never truly know what is going on inside another person’s head. It is just not possible. Even if the person in question desperately wants you to know what it was like to be him or her in that moment in time, no matter how they try to convey the totality of this information to you, you cannot really know.

Each one of us is very different, and there are personality traits that in general seem to accumulate around certain types of people but these are only generalizations, and they are not 100% accurate in all people at all times. These are only general observations over time, tracked and cataloged by people who are doing the best they can to help others.

People who help other people as part of their work, ministry, or in the answering of their calling, use these categorization techniques to try to ascertain how best to help someone in an analytical approach to whatever is challenging them at the particular time, without having to invest hours trying to uncover the complex backstory of a potential client or patient.

“I killed a man.”

This is a powerful statement, which at first blush evokes an emotional response and might have you thinking about the death penalty, an eye for an eye, or some other such notion. Nonetheless, many people might find themselves in a particular situation where such an act might be prudent, part of your job description, or even financed by a municipal, federal or other government agency.

Depending on not only the facts and circumstances surrounding the killing, but what was going on in the mind of the person who committed the act at the time, and ever since, can be very different than you might be able to conceive of from your perspective.

Of course, actions which we make, based on decisions that we make, in every step that we take of our life’s journey need not be tragic or life-changing and can range from littering or parking in a handicapped parking spot to cheating on a test or speeding on the interstate, all for reasons you and I could not possibly know unless you or I are the transgressor.

Still, if you witness such an act from your own perspective, it’s easy to jump to conclusions, make assumptions, or judge someone for doing something that you might feel would be against your own personal knowledge, convictions, or morals.

Like on Facebook, one person might want to post on their relationship status, “In a relationship,” because they’re engaged to be married, while the other partner has nothing on their relationship status because… well, who knows. And what difference does it make?

There’s no need to get yourself all worked up over someone else’s life. They (just like you and I) are just trying to do the best they can with what they have. It doesn’t make them a psychopath, sociopath, obsessive-compulsive megalomaniac with narcissistic tendencies or any other conclusion that you might jump to, it just doesn’t really matter, unless you are being attacked personally, then… maybe… some other steps might need to be taken.

But, if it’s just in the fantasy world of social media, try to take it for what it is. What you see there does not define you, nor anyone else. Just have fun with it and try not to let yourself get out of sorts over it.

Don’t let it get to you.

If someone says something crazy about you on the Internet, don’t pay it any attention. It’s not for real. If there is no foundation for it, do not dignify someone’s rant or attack with a response, even if it’s brought up to you in a real-life situation by an uninterested third-party.

Keep this in mind: If you don’t want to be judged, refrain from judging others.

It’s okay. There is much love here for you.

 

What Other People Think or Say

You know you’ve come to this planet with a unique Purpose, Message, Passion, and Mission (PMPM). Yours may not be hugely star-spangled and glorious with your name in lights and a guest spot on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday but yours is just as significant and meaningful, if not more so, because your intention and the effort you exert to communicate and engage with your calling helps to raise the vibration of our planet, encouraging and allowing others to begin to awaken and evolve.

All thanks to you and what you do, because all growth, expansion and inspired action has a cumulative effect on the world. Every inspired heartbeat, display of devotion, encouraging word, loving thought, meditation, smile, or tear shed increases the energy which positively charges our planet for our expansive evolution and makes the world a better place.

In many cases, fear will keep you from doing that thing you’ve been called to do. You’re intimidated by what other people might think of you, so you’re more likely to do what others want you to do, to look, act and try to feel like others expect from you. You’re likely to not pursue a track to your highest and best because of the people you love the most, your family, friends, co-workers, even people you barely even know, because of what they might think.

You spend your life in the service of others, adopting the people-pleaser mentality, for a meager sense of feeling as if you’re doing the right thing, as you neglect your own needs, wants, and desires, in a form of martyrdom. You’re probably engaged in work that is unsatisfying and feeling as if you are not respected or honored for the sacrifices you make on the behalf of others.

What Other People Think or Say

What if I told you that the most powerful people affecting the world for change and evolutionary expansion don’t really care what you, or anyone else, thinks?

If you want to do your thing, stop worrying about what other people think or say.

This is about you, your calling, your contribution to making the world a better place, even if in the smallest way, as you step into the inspiration and power of that which gives your life meaning and allows you to achieve your highest and best.

Loving Me Time

It’s time you carved out some sacred space for you to engage in some loving me time. As you may already have gotten wind of the idea that if you really want love, and to really love others, you have to start by loving yourself.

Dedicate your loving me time to loving yourself, everything about you, from the day you were born until now, and become your own best friend. The more you learn to fill you, your soul, and your life with an empowered higher vibration of love, the more you have to share with others, and the more love, the truest of loves, comes into your life. Turning you into a virtual love generator and love magnet.

From this powerfully love-energized position you are better equipped to positively charge and affect the world around you in your service to others. How much more effective can you be now, when you desire to care for and share with others, as your overflowing love cascades over everything you do?

What if someone puts me down?

When I was a young man, I found a way to make extra money by playing music in bar bands. As a tenor, I was able to harmonize with other band members and add value to the performance. I later decided to do my own music. Intimidated by what people said about my lack of professional singing voice, I surrounded myself with singers who could sing the songs I was writing.

This led to an endless rotation of singers, as well as other musicians, and any chance I might have had to establish “my sound” or make an impact with my music was lost. All because of what someone said about the quality of my singing voice (and my lack of self-confidence).

Later, when I got involved in the ministry, I was so inspired, nothing could stop me from speaking my piece, or singing my songs about God and our relationships with Him and each other. I had to come to the point that I would powerfully pursue my mission to spread love and help others achieve their highest and best, regardless of what other people thought or might say.

As my inspiration, commitment and resolve grew within me, as well as my love for myself and others, embracing my own unique gifts, skills and abilities, I had become bulletproof in my passion and in the expression of my ministry.

Your purpose, message, passion, and mission are your sacred birthright. Nothing anyone could say or do could make that untrue and the onus is on you to embrace your calling and forge your path being true to yourself, sharing your unique skills, gifts, and special abilities, which is the least you can do for being blessed with the opportunity to experience this life.

And,

what other people think or say doesn’t matter.

You are raising the vibration of our planet, encouraging and allowing others to begin to awaken and evolve.

Thank you for everything you do.