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Showing posts from March 16, 2024

A Shattered Lens: Living Through Psychosis

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  Psychosis, a symptom of several mental illnesses, is often portrayed in movies as monsters or voices inciting violence. But the reality is far more nuanced, a terrifying and sometimes beautiful distortion of reality. To understand it, we need to step through the shattered lens of those experiencing it. The Technicolor World: Sarah, a young artist with schizoaffective disorder, describes a world amplified to an almost unbearable degree. "Colors are sharper, edges more defined," she says. "It's like walking into an oil painting, everything bursting with life." This hyperawareness can be overwhelming, but for some, it sparks creativity. Sarah's artwork is filled with swirling colors and fantastical creatures, a direct reflection of her psychotic episodes. The Whispering Walls: Michael, a war veteran with PTSD, struggles with constant auditory hallucinations. "It's like a radio playing in my head," he says. "Sometimes it's snippets ...