Losing touch with reality and overwhelmed? Talk therapy helps you manage psychosis

Have you been experiencing psychotic episodes lately? Breaks with reality such as seeing and hearing things others aren't? Is it affecting your moods, and making life increasingly difficult to manage?

Define psychosis?

Psychosis means your mind experiences things as real that are not. This might be seeing or hearing things, or believing things are happening to you that aren't.

It’s not uncommon to experience a brief psychotic episode in life, such as after receiving difficult news. But when psychosis is a consistent experience it can be highly overwhelming, making things like relationships and a career a challenge.

Psychosis symptoms

The three main signs of psychosis are hallucinations, delusions, and confused thinking.

Hallucinations mean sensing things that aren't real, most commonly hearing voices. But you can also see, feel, smell, or even taste things.

Delusions are thoughts that can feel very real but others tell you aren’t. You might believe someone is out to get you, or that you have a special power.

Confused thoughts can be jumbled and obsessive. They make having logical conversations difficult, and can lead to out of character and even destructive behaviours.

Types of psychosis

Psychosis is not a mental health diagnosis in and of itself, but a symptom of other conditions, most notably schizophrenia.

But having psychotic episodes does not automatically mean you have schizophrenia. Psychosis can also be related to:

bipolar disorder
manic depression
major depression
postpartum depression
schizoaffective disorder
substance disorders.

Is there a cure for psychosis?

There is no cure for psychosis. But it is highly treatable, and with a combination of anti psychosis medication and talk therapy you can lead a normal life.

It is important to seek help if you think you are experiencing psychosis.

Does psychosis treatment really work?

Researchers at King’s College, London pioneered the use of CBT therapy for psychosis, discovering that at least half of patients improved and that the therapy provides symptom relief as effective as clozapine.

Since 2009 the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends CBT for psychosis and NHS trusts are now required to recommend it.

Other talk therapies offered for psychosis include psychodynamic psychotherapy and family therapies, such as systemic therapy.

Psychosis therapy - The Harley Therapy™ approach

CBT for psychosis helps you question your experiences and thoughts so that you are no longer controlled by them.

Psychodynamic therapy looks at root causes for your psychotic episodes, like unprocessed past experiences and unconscious beliefs you might hold.

Family therapy helps you and your loved ones communicate better and support each other, so that you don’t feel alone with what you are going through and you can work together during times of crisis.