Psychosis as a dialectic of aha- and anti-aha-experiences: a qualitative study

Irrelevant insights make worldviews ring true

“…For Sips 1 , the uncontrolled cascade of aha moments marked the deconstruction of his beliefs, leading to an unstable grasp on reality—like a multidimensional duck-rabbit illusion that will not stop shifting. A recent qualitative study suggests Sips was not alone in this experience 7 .…”

Subjective experience and meaning of delusions in psychosis: a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis

“…In the remaining 18 studies (325 participants), classification system criteria were not used consistently, limiting our ability to reliably discriminate participants based on diagnosis. Of these 18 studies, two 58,60 confirmed diagnosis through a diagnostic interview based on ICD or DSM criteria, one 49 confirmed diagnosis through consensus, and 15 5,18,37,39,[45][46][47][48]51,53,54,56,57,59,62 current or past experience of delusions were included in nine studies, 18,35,46,48,51,54,58,59,61 one study 34 specified that psychotic symptoms were recent, and the remaining eight studies 5,37,41,43,45,47,60,62 did not provide information on timing. Two remaining studies specified that delusions were past 39,57 (table).…”

“…Studies differed in whether they focused specifically on one kind or theme of delusion (eg, persecutory) or investigated delusional phenomena more generally as a unified category (table). 13 studies 5,34,42,43,[45][46][47]51,53,54,56,59,62 did not differentiate delusion subtype, six studies 35,37,39,48,57,60 investigated specifically the experience of participants with persecutory delusions or paranoia, one study 18 investigated experiences of grandiose delusions, and another 61 had a subtheme discussing grandiose content. One study 49 investigated delusional experiences of possession, and two studies 41,58 focused on religious content, where religious content was intertwined with persecutory, grandiose, and referential themes.…”

“…Pff… everything is possible…everything is possible." 59 Across some of the studies, the sense of mistrust and abandonment stood in contrast with a deep desire for connection and belonging. Being respected, complimented, and supported by others were needed to regain a sense of safety, stability, and order.…”

Delusions beyond beliefs: a critical overview of diagnostic, aetiological, and therapeutic schizophrenia research from a clinical-phenomenological perspective

“…As phenomenological research and firstperson accounts indicate, primary delusions do not possess the feel of reasoned conclusions arrived at on the basis of particular experiential premises, but of sudden and spontaneous revelations and insights that passively affect and surprise patients and which they can neither readily integrate within their everyday beliefs nor simply leave behind. 32,122 In this sense, primary delusions seem to bypass both rational and irrational inferential processes involved in ordinary belief fixation.…”