Alternate Realities

One thing that fascinates me is that whilst experiencing an episode of psychosis, I experienced an alternate version of reality. Within a medical paradigm, this is labeled as being something undesirable or indeed wrong. This can have a catastrophic effect on your sense of self-worth. It feels like if you do not subscribe to societal norms, then you are not to be trusted or believed. I'm curious as to why a temporary difference in perception has such a devastating effect on the perceived value we can contribute to society. Why do we perceive a difference in perception as being so threatening to us as a culture? In Zulu culture, they have a word 'Sawubona'; it means 'I see you'. It means on a societal level that one recognizes the worth, dignity, and humanity of another person. I would have liked it when I experienced an episode of psychosis if this was applied to my experience. I would have liked it if, whilst experiencing an episode of psychosis, I was treated as a whole person, incorporating my life experiences such as my previous job and my extensive communication skills. To help me to ground myself whilst at the same time honoring the interesting way I was interpreting reality temporarily. Just because we have an alternate version of reality presenting itself, it does not mean this is wrong. It does not mean we are wrong. Having these experiences has brought a lot of clarity for me on our social conditioning and how I wish to conduct myself in day-to-day life. My cognitive abilities and my spiritual and emotional inclinations have all improved through my experiences with psychosis. It opens up your understanding of 'real'. Let's begin to demedicalize a mental health experience; there is a mystical quality about these experiences, and by denying them, we are missing out on a rich understanding of the human experience.