986968:psychosis–suggestions:I often talk about reality checking and going along with it w
986968: psychosis–suggestions: I often talk about reality checking and going along with it when helping someone deal with delusions, but I felt as if I didn’t really make it clear to what I meant when I said it. Recently I saw a post similar to “how to sneakily give your delusional friend a reality check when they told you not to” and honestly, that’ll just make us lose trust for you. Because we can tell when you do that. “My friend is experiencing a delusion!” Have they asked you to give them reality checks when they have a delusion yes -> Reality Check no -> Let it be / Go Along With It no, but im still worried -> Have you asked if you can give them reality checks and they said yes? yes -> Reality Check no -> Let it be / Go Along With It they said no but im still worried -> Have you asked if there is anything else you can do instead? yes -> Do that instead no -> Let it be / Go Along With It What Letting it Be / Going Along With It Is NOT: adding new information to the delusion / trying to send your friend deeper into the delusion “that must be scary to believe something that isn’t real” “keep that to yourself, the more you talk about it the more you’ll encourage yourself” dismissing your friend’s delusions, saying “everyone thinks like that once in a while.” trying to distract your friend from their delusion or act as if it’s a game What Letting it Be / Going Along With It Is: allowing your friend to vent or express themselves ( sometimes just talking about their delusions out loud can help them question it ) “I’m so sorry that you’re going through that” encouraging your friend to express their delusions through poetry, song, art, or other non-harmful things they enjoy “If that becomes too over whelming for you, you can call me and ask for comfort or a distraction” allowing your delusional friend to feel safe around you, allowing them to healthily express themselves What Reality Checking Is NOT: “Snap out of it, it’s just a delusion.” “That’s impossible.” “Think about it for a second, then you’ll snap out of it.” forcing your friend into the hospital calling the police on your friend trying to fix or stop the delusion What Reality Checking IS: “Could you describe the evidence you have for your belief?” “How firm are you with this belief? Would you be okay with other suggestions on what could be happening?” “You’re going to be okay, what you’re fearing won’t hurt you.” “Can we take a step back? Is what you’re going through affecting those around you?” “Has what you believe happened to anyone else? What is the likeliness of this being real?” Helping your friend question the delusion or become aware of how the delusion is affecting them. -- source link