Mystical or Messianic Delusion: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Each and every one of us is unique and unrepeatable, and we have very different experiences and perceptions of the world and reality. Most of them are interpretations that allow us to make sense of what we experience in a way that allows us to survive and adapt to the environment that surrounds us.

But sometimes alterations appear in the content of thought that They make us interpret reality in a specific way that is maladaptive and even harmful to oneself or the environment, preventing our correct adaptation and biasing our vision in such a way that we make false judgments about the world. This is what happens with delusions.

Within delusions we can find different typologies, differentiated by the aspect or theme to which they refer. One of them links states of psychotic sensory alterations to spiritual beliefs, making us consider, for example, a being with a divine mission or even a messiah. We are talking about mystical or messianic delirium

What is mystical delirium?

We understand mystical delirium to be an alteration of the content of thought, the product of an anomalous interpretation of reality, with a religious-spiritual theme.

As a delusion, it represents an unchangeable and fixed judgment or idea that persists with great intensity despite the existence of evidence to the contrary, which usually generates a high level of worry or anxiety in the sufferer (or prevents the person from functioning usual) and that it is at least very unlikely, there being also a complete lack of social or cultural support for such an idea It is often the product of the interpretation of an altered perception (such as a hallucination), and usually involves a certain break with reality.

In the case at hand, the delirium in question It has content linked to spirituality and religiosity An interpretation of the world, of oneself and of others is made solely on the basis of faith, seeing in everything that happens a confirmation of one’s beliefs and the consideration of one’s role in the world.

They tend to consider that most of the acts carried out are sinful and seek to atone for their faults or those of others, in some cases even in a violent way. It is also not uncommon for there to be ideas of self-reference or even greatness, with the subject being considered a superior entity, a divine envoy or even a deity.

Difference between religious belief and mystical delusion

For a person without religious beliefs, it may be relatively easy to attribute this type of delusion to people who do have religious beliefs, given that religious beliefs per se They tend to be little modifiable and self-explanatory (While most people consider these beliefs to be moldable and interpretable, others present them as fixed). But this is not the case, in the same way that having a good level of self-esteem does not imply a delusion of grandeur: we are simply facing a psychotic exacerbation of beliefs that were already based.

In mystical delirium, the existence of revelation and mission is required, lived with ecstasy by the person who suffers from it, in addition to the sensation of having clear knowledge of the truth through said revelation. The abandonment of lifestyle is also common carried until then and the total abnegation towards what they consider their mission All of this separates mystical delirium from normative religious-spiritual belief, in which confusion does not appear followed by the idea of ​​significance of the hallucinatory experience.

Causes of this delirium

The mystical delirium, as can be seen, has a strong religious and cultural influence as one of its main bases. However, the causes of the appearance of this delirium do not depend only on this factor but rather there are multiple factors that contribute to its genesis. The delirium is perceived as a rational explanation by the subject often serving to justify the existence of a hallucinatory experience that disturbs them.

Religiosity itself is a relevant but not necessarily determining factor (there are controversies depending on the study as to whether its role is fundamental or just another variable), although the specific religious beliefs of a person with this type of delusion usually determine the type of delusion. content of delirium. For example, in the Christian religion delusions related to guilt tend to be more prevalent, while in Judaism There is usually a greater nocturnal hallucinatory experience associated with the connection of the night with spirits

Of course, many people with this type of problem do not have any specific religious beliefs, so it will not have an effect on everyone. Other relevant factors are the person’s level and type of education and their marital status.

Likewise, the existence of this type of mystical delusions has mainly been associated with the presence of intoxication with drugs, food or drugs, some medical or psychiatric illnesses (including especially psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia), acute or chronic pain (interpretable as a sign), or dementia. It is usually typical of people who suffer from what Emil Kraepelin called paraphrenia, a chronic psychotic disorder in which the delusions are relatively fantasy-like in nature and that except for the topic in question, people do not present major alterations.

Treatment of this type of delusions

Treatment of delirium, regardless of its type, is complex and relatively slow. And we all have a tendency to hold our beliefs more or less firmly. This means that delusional experiences, which for those who have them represent reality better than others, are attempted to be perpetuated and attempts at direct modification are directly rejected. In addition the interpretative biases of the phenomena that occur they make the subject reinforce their delusional ideation.

In all cases, first of all it is necessary to stabilize the patient if we are facing a psychotic disorder or to combat the infectious or toxic agent if we are facing an infection or poisoning of some type. Once the psychological process has begun, it is first necessary to overcome the patient’s attitude of vigilance and aversiveness towards the therapist and gain his trust, without making a direct confrontation with his delusional beliefs. It seeks to promote the therapeutic relationship and achieve access little by little and as confidence increases to the core of ideation.

It is proposed that the patient gradually introspect and visualize what has led him to think in such a way. Generate an increase in communication and little by little adjusting thought processes towards a more adaptive scheme of reality.

The type of environment that the patient has can also play a relevant role in their treatment, because it is possible that at the beginning the symptoms are not considered aversive until after a long time. This increases the risk of chronicity and consolidation of delirium. In this sense, some psychoeducation in the environment regarding the problem that the subject presents (always respecting the religious beliefs they have), could be beneficial for both the subject and the patient.