Note: you may have to look at this presentation in the full screen view to see the whole slide. Where do all the distortions that are common to what we see as psychosis come from? That’s the question I took on in a short series of PowerPoint slides that I created this morning. In these slides, I suggest that these distortions come about out of attempts to resolve two kinds of stress. One type is stress that can result when we are over-estimating the level of external threat, and the second is stress that can result when we under-estimate such threat and so are vulnerable to jarring encounters that we hadn’t anticipated. I will be using these slides in presentations I do, where I will be able to explain the concepts in more detail. But I just thought I would post them here, to see how much sense they might make to you standing on their own.

1. Stressed by one’s over-reactions Extreme reaction to un-anticipated stressor Cope by forming bias toward comforting perceptions & beliefs Notice the possibility of, or actually run into, harsh parts of reality that weren’t on one’s map Map of reality becomes unrealistically positive or even grandiose Feel better for awhile, living in a rosy bubble Cycle of Grandiose Delusions

2. Stressed by one’s unpreparedness for external threat & betrayal Blame the new problems on external sources Cope by forming bias toward seeing signs of threat & betrayal Encounter problems due to one’s exaggerated response to imagined dangers Map of reality becomes unrealistically threatening Feel safer for awhile, because it seems all threats are anticipated Cycle of Paranoid Delusions

3. Maps of Self Note that maps of self are prone to similar distortions Bias to see self as competent protects against problems caused by lack of self confidence Bias to see self as incompetent protects against being surprised by unexpected threats

4. Relationship between paranoid and grandiose distortions Both types of distortion can be seen as a “correction” for the other type So when people feel overwhelmed by one cycle, they may switch to the other Creating inconsistency, flip/flops, from one kind of distortion to another Or they may do some of each simultaneously Creating an overall mess

5. Attempted solutions that lack balance: Sometimes try to consciously think one’s way out Resulting in too much reliance on conscious control of perception Sometimes try to escape by relinquishing conscious thought, just being spontaneous, dreamy Resulting in a willingness to accept highly irrational interpretations

6. Better solution: When lots of bias exists, need a fresh look at things A look that balances spontaneous interpretations with conscious reflection This “fresh look” is sometimes seen as a rebirth of the self Needs a safe place to occur The therapy relationship is one way of creating this safe place