I"m the only one who truly exsisted (in my mind).

I'd like to share a belief I have had for many many years when I was younger. I've matured a bit since then. Their was a time, when I believed, I was truly the center of the universe. And everyone was just in my mind. Maybe it was a defense / coping mechanism. I believed my actions did not matter, because everything would right itself. Everything would just turn out O.k. nothing wrong could happen for long. I didn't particularly believe I was locked in a room, or in the matrix, just that my body may have also been unreal, and that my mind was all that existed. Not in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. The rituals I performed on a daily basis weren't even happening. My family and friends weren't real, but created from me. That no one lived in China, or Japan, or Russia, and the places didn't even exist.

Is their a name for this belief? I may have grown up since then, but topics on here have made me think about my "theory" or "feeling" from when I was younger.

Spot on, except your physical self is also a part of the illusion...

Mind is all that exists. We all share it, and everything comes from it.

Dissociative Disorders involve a dissociation or interruption from consciousness, awareness, identity or memory. They may result from psychological trauma or severe stress. Dissociative disorders are further categorized into dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, and depersonalization disorder. Dissociative symptoms can interfere with normal functioning, adversely affecting work, school or interpersonal relationships.

Dissociative Disorders develop in response to severe stress. Examples may include wartime experiences, natural disasters, rape, incest, or even psychotic episodes (including placement in psychiatric hospitals). Dissociative amnesia involves the inability to remember past experiences or personal information. Memory loss is more extensive than normal forgetfulness. Dissociative identity disorder was formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Alternate personalities arise related to exposure to stress. Individuals with this disorder experience the presence of one or more people talking and “living” inside of them. Dissociative identity disorder is also associated with dissociative amnesia. Depersonalization disorder is a period where a person has the sensation they are outside of their body, observing their own actions from a different vantage point. Depersonalization disorder can be associated with body image distortions and feelings that the world is “unreal.”

Originally posted by dc4lifeskater
Dissociative Disorders involve a dissociation or interruption from consciousness, awareness, identity or memory. They may result from psychological trauma or severe stress. Dissociative disorders are further categorized into dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, and depersonalization disorder. Dissociative symptoms can interfere with normal functioning, adversely affecting work, school or interpersonal relationships.

Dissociative Disorders develop in response to severe stress. Examples may include wartime experiences, natural disasters, rape, incest, or even psychotic episodes (including placement in psychiatric hospitals). Dissociative amnesia involves the inability to remember past experiences or personal information. Memory loss is more extensive than normal forgetfulness. Dissociative identity disorder was formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Alternate personalities arise related to exposure to stress. Individuals with this disorder experience the presence of one or more people talking and “living” inside of them. Dissociative identity disorder is also associated with dissociative amnesia. Depersonalization disorder is a period where a person has the sensation they are outside of their body, observing their own actions from a different vantage point. Depersonalization disorder can be associated with body image distortions and feelings that the world is “unreal.”

So maybe Depersonalization disorder is what I had, caused from family stress? Go to know .

Originally posted by DeReK DaRkLy


Spot on, except your physical self is also a part of the illusion...

Mind is all that exists. We all share it, and everything comes from it.

Your reply is merely a reflection of the latest 'belief' fad, which you are on board with.

If the physical realm is an "illusion", then the spiritual realm must be an "illusion" too, based on your definition of the word.

Why the urge to explain everything, anyway? Why can't people be content with feeling the sun on their face and a good meal on their tongue without having to be such a freakin killjoy?

We all find out the truth when we draw our last breath, so how about we enjoy it until then, eh?

Originally posted by Vaedur
I'd like to share a belief I have had for many many years when I was younger. I've matured a bit since then. Their was a time, when I believed, I was truly the center of the universe. And everyone was just in my mind. Maybe it was a defense / coping mechanism. I believed my actions did not matter, because everything would right itself. Everything would just turn out O.k. nothing wrong could happen for long. I didn't particularly believe I was locked in a room, or in the matrix, just that my body may have also been unreal, and that my mind was all that existed. Not in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. The rituals I performed on a daily basis weren't even happening. My family and friends weren't real, but created from me. That no one lived in China, or Japan, or Russia, and the places didn't even exist.

Is their a name for this belief? I may have grown up since then, but topics on here have made me think about my "theory" or "feeling" from when I was younger.

I believe the belief system you speak of is called "Solipsism."

Solipsism (i/ˈsɒlɨpsɪzəm/) is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. The term comes from the Latin solus (alone) and ipse (self). As an epistemological position, solipsism holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure.

The external world and other minds cannot be known, and might not exist outside the mind. As a metaphysical position, solipsism goes further to the conclusion that the world and other minds do not exist. As such it is the only epistemological position that, by its own postulate, is both irrefutable and yet indefensible in the same manner.

Although the number of individuals sincerely espousing solipsism has been small, it is not uncommon for one philosopher to accuse another's arguments of entailing solipsism as an unwanted consequence, in a kind of reductio ad absurdum. In the history of philosophy, solipsism has served as a skeptical hypothesis.
en.wikipedia.org...

Yeah it's strange looking back on it, but for years it felt very real to me.

Dear Vaedur-

I believe that as children we do tend to think that we are the only ones. I too, as a child, felt that. That if I left a room my parents or sisters would "disappear" and that, for the most part, all activity would cease till I entered a room. The idea that other people had lives and experiences outside of me was.....well, unrealistic. lol. I used to make doll houses out of boxes and that is how I pictured my world. The house I lived in was a doll house and God or whomever would check in on the "family" and move us around and present situations to us, but yet, as the only player with my doll house I guess I was acting as "God"....but anyhow, yeah, I think that most (or all) children go thru that phase.

reply to post by AwakeinNM

Your reply is merely a reflection of the latest 'belief' fad, which you are on board with.

Yeah... a "fad" that goes back to at least the dawn of Buddhism, if not further.

If the physical realm is an "illusion", then the spiritual realm must be an "illusion" too, based on your definition of the word.

Sure.

Why can't people be content with feeling the sun on their face and a good meal on their tongue without having to be such a freakin killjoy?

Can we enjoy broken limbs and diseased organs in this way, too?

We all find out the truth when we draw our last breath, so how about we enjoy it until then, eh?

Do we?

Reminds me of an episode from 'Growing Pains' where the oldest son Mike, believed the same thing.

Originally posted by Vaedur

I may have grown up since then, but topics on here have made me think about my "theory" or "feeling" from when I was younger.

It would be kinda tough for God to play hide-and-seek with you if you did otherwise...

reply to post by Vaedur


Hey, I went through a phase like this, and not that I blame new ageism, but the Idea that our thought is all that truly exist really pushed me over the edge for a while. I suppose it would be as another person mentioned Dissasociative disorder, and yes definitely brought on/increased by stress. I have a habit of avoiding things. When I get upset, I just push the emotions out or ignore the issue rather than deal with it.

For me this I'm the only real person delusion lasted from about 18-25, I also did a ton of drugs from 18-23 so that could have been a part of it too. As you have, I sort of grew out of it, or got over the self centered thoughts.

reply to post by DeReK DaRkLy


Apropos name.

Another killjoy trying to deconstruct reality and ruin it for others.

reply to post by Vaedur


I love this!

I've had similar thoughts to this for many years now. I was only talking to someone about it the other day. I always just end up coming to the conclusion, though, that it's a bit daft and that the endless amounts of things happening around me are too abundant to stem from myself only. All the Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Moons, Rocks. All the bees and birds, dogs, cats, atoms, electrons, algae what-ever. It's just not reasonable.

Technically it is correct when you go quantum because the act of you physically existing in a specific point in space allows other things to also be fixated through "observation". But if you didn't exist... all those things would still be there because they too help to make other things "stick" in reality.

OP, please research SOLIPSISM. It's the dirty secret that we all share. It is similar to what you describe. And ya know what--IT'S COMPLETELY UNFALSIFIABLE. Solipsism is anyone's most intellectually honest best guess. Check it out.

reply to post by Vaedur


well yes that is true, everything that comes from your mind is YOU re-constructing whatever you have seen or heard...to sort it, process it.

just like when you dream.

Just don't think your parents sole reason of existance was specially for you and even though we all exist in our own minds, those exist in a larger something which is how we are able to share while still existing in a space all alone.

reply to post by AwakeinNM

Apropos name. Another killjoy trying to deconstruct reality and ruin it for others.

On the contrary, you're the one with the negative attitude.

Stop being the imaginary turd in the illusory punch bowl.

Its really weird because I felt like this many a times too, to the point that I feel reality doesn't exists. But I did went through depression and it probably might be a defense/ coping mechanism that my own body/mind comes up with.
It feels good that someone has such a thought with me that I feel i'm the only odd one that has it.

reply to post by Vaedur


The Inside of our heads is the Outside of our Heads,
I am in your head and you are within mine.

"I am in the Father, And the Father is in me."

You are the Father.

you might like this. What if you were God?
watch the videos in my thread and u can have a higher understanding of "Being in your mind."
www.abovetopsecret.com...

its as they say "Life is but a dream, within a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves."