11 Signs Someone You Know Is In Spiritual Psychosis Right Now
microcosmos | ShutterstockConsidering spirituality and religion often shape how people deal with, seek out help for, and manage their own mental health, it's not surprising that certain pieces of advice or ideas can occasionally spiral into a negative experience. Spirituality can shape our existence in many helpful ways, making life easier and creating meaning or purpose, but it can also sometimes misguidedly distort someone's reality in harmful ways.
Whether it's frequently shifting moods or delusions of communicating with a higher power, the signs someone you know is in spiritual psychosis right now can be quite alarming. Yes, spirituality and religion help people prioritize their well-being, but there may also be indicators that someone has taken their devout values and beliefs too far, creating and amplifying a spiritual psychosis that's difficult to unwind.
Here are 11 signs someone you know is in spiritual psychosis right now
1. They experience delusions about their skills and abilities
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A spiritual awakening and an influx of new beliefs and perspectives can often give people an edge in managing their own lives, but when those things transform into delusions, it's more likely a sign of spiritual psychosis.
They may believe that they've been "chosen" to help people in misguided ways or feel that they're "untouchable" while engaging in harmful habits. While these special abilities and beliefs may feel important internally, they can sometimes isolate people from the grounded realities, individuals, and relationships they need to feel secure.
2. They struggle to keep their train of thought
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Even if it makes sense to them internally, when someone's going through spiritual psychosis, they often struggle to stay on a certain topic or keep their train of thought. One minute, they're talking about their spirituality or an experience. Next, they're veering completely off course and losing the understanding of whoever they're speaking to.
While the root cause may look different, most people experiencing psychosis struggle with this concentration and disorganization with their thoughts, at least according to a NeuroImage study.
3. Their moods shift quickly
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From getting overly annoyed or angry at small inconveniences to experiencing unexpected mood swings, this kind of emotional instability may be more common for someone experiencing a distortion of reality from spiritual beliefs.
Especially when their self-worth, mental health, or mood are directly tied to spiritual experiences, like "speaking" with a higher power, when those things wear off or don't happen, all of the former feel more reactive and unstable.
4. They have a justification for everything
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While spirituality can often make people feel more meaningful and secure in their lives, when it transforms into an excuse for bad behavior, it can quickly isolate someone from the people and relationships they need. They feel higher than the law or too "special" to act like everyone else, even if, in reality, they're only harming people from a place others can't understand.
Of course, there are nuances between psychosis and criminal behaviors, but on a personal level, you may notice someone's spiritual psychosis by their reliance on specialness or delusions to justify their behaviors.
5. They pull away from friends with different experiences
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There's often a cycle of harm and confusion that people with spiritual psychosis experience. Their spirituality is the foundation from which they manage stress and struggle, but when those beliefs also become the center of their delusions and distortions of reality, they can feed into a cyclical kind of distress.
They start to overly prioritize beliefs and values they think will help them get better, even if it means withdrawing from supportive relationships with people who don't hold those same beliefs, or, at least, to the same extent that they do. Unfortunately, it's this lack of support that further amplifies their struggles and mental health concerns.
6. They're suspicious of everything
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The behavioral changes that a person in spiritual psychosis experiences are often subtle and unsuspecting at first, like challenging people's beliefs and feeling a sense of confusion about reality as they experience it. However, in the end, these are the same symptoms that often spiral into larger struggles, whether that's hallucinations or becoming overly reliant on misguided spiritual practices for comfort.
If you notice someone in your life constantly questioning someone's good nature or being overly suspicious of innocent, harmless things in daily life, consider those behaviors a red flag that there's something deeper going on.
7. They adopt passionate beliefs that feel strangely inauthentic
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Even though we never know everything about the people in our lives that we love, over time we tend to get a good understanding of their values and morals. So, when someone begins to experience spiritual psychosis and adopts misguided, out-of-character beliefs, it can be shocking and confusing for everyone in their lives.
From resorting to spiritual communities or practices constantly to feeling superior with some supernatural ability, this confusing sidetrack from their typical nature is a huge red flag that only the people closest to them notice first.
8. They only ever talk about spiritual beliefs
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On top of adopting strange new morals or practicing abstract rituals they've never brought up before, someone in psychosis with their spirituality may center every interaction around it. Every word, phrase, conversation, and interaction is defined by their spiritual beliefs or experiences, even with people who don't necessarily share these beliefs.
They might bring meaning to someone's life and manifest as a positive symptom, which is part of what makes them so pervasive, as a 2013 study suggests. But for others, they're a strange, confusing red flag to manage.
9. They claim they're communicating with a higher power
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Whether it's grasping at "hidden meanings" or convincing other people they've been "chosen" to speak with a higher power or take on an important role, people with psychosis are often at the hands of religious or spiritual beliefs, and often experience a sense of grandiosity.
These people might have had strong, impassioned beliefs about their spirituality before, but it's clear now that they've adopted it in an entirely new way, often at the expense of honest connection and communication. They're experiencing delusions that shape their sense of reality, even when they seem like the most "real" thing in a swarm of mental health symptoms.
10. They get angry when they're challenged
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A study from Psychiatric Research found that people experiencing psychosis or paranoia are often at a higher risk for experiencing anger, especially in disproportionate ways. When they're challenged for the beliefs shaping their new sense of reality, or delusion, depending on how you look at it, they often get immediately defensive and frustrated.
Not only do the people closest to them feel like they're walking on eggshells trying to support their loved one, but they're also afraid to bring up anything to get someone the help they need.
11. They're clearly neglecting personal care
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From struggles with sleep, as are common in people experiencing psychosis of many forms, to neglecting basic hygiene needs, people struggling with their mental health may overlook the basic functions of daily life they need in order to stay healthy. They stop brushing their hair, following a normal schedule, or making space for the habits they used to love, usually in favor of spiritual experiences and investigations.
While sleep issues specifically may come before real psychosis symptoms, like delusions or hallucinations, according to a study from Clinical Case Reports, they can still be a red flag to get someone the help they need before taking a turn for the worse.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
