4 ms·
But is relying on your own answers really better than relying on an external authority? Only if it's always the same authority. But always thinking you know bet
by mcv 4y ago
But is relying on your own answers really better than relying on an external authority? Only if it's always the same authority. But always thinking you know better than everybody else doesn't really sound any healthier.
- zdragnar 4y agoI know of a guy through a social worker friend who, if he goes off his medication (which he does with some frequency), becomes convinced that there are vampires who are out to get him. The human mind is not always a terribly reliable authority, especially your own (where you lack perspective).
- crawfordcomeaux 4y agoEffective approaches to this I've heard of involve learning to treat the hallucinations with respect, learning to communicate effectively with them, and learning from them. This is reflected both in how some tribal cultures approach hallucinations & modern approaches to schizophrenia and the like. Avoiding these things by medicating them away seems like a form of suppression that preserves the underlying thought/behavior processes (like avoiding one's fears of monsters or death) that are feeding into the hallucinations. Effective solutions usually don't pathologize or avoid experiences. If we get caught up in judging what's real or imagined, then we can lose sight of what's available for us to learn from.
- kibwen 4y agoThis is a misreading. Relying on your own judgment does not mean that you need to be an island who thinks that they know better than anyone else. What it means is that your judgment is founded on your own critical thinking, which still allows you to recognize when you lack some experience and perspective and defer to the wisdom of others when necessary.