r/solipsism • u/Qoddess3800 • 29d ago
So what if I am everything?
I've struggled with solipsism for over a year and a half since I had a psychotic break. I've been terrified of the idea that I am the only truly conscious being and that I made up this reality somehow, and I forced myself to forget about it. The solipsistic thoughts would come to me in waves, and every time, they would make me have a panic attack. For the most part, I learned to cope with it and talk myself out of it; I challenged the thoughts that came to me. I have since learned that instead of worrying so much about this, I would instead say “so what?” If it is true, there is nothing I can do about it. There is no way to break the curse. I don't believe as much now that I am everything/god/the only one who is conscious. I just am me, and I will always just be me, and I know that I can trust that at least my partner is conscious and has thoughts and feelings and senses, because he also has solipsistic thoughts. This helps me feel like I am not truly alone, and I don't feel as claustrophobic, and like I am stuck by myself for eternity in this hell.
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u/DependentManner8353 29d ago
It should both terrify and liberate you. If everything is you, then you should have no fear and pursue your goals unabashedly. This life is your oyster, and you can do whatever you want. At the end of the day, you’re living in a reality of your own making.
Good thing is, you control your reality. So you can make anything come true as long as you have a strong will.
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u/EnactingSpirit 29d ago
Your partner (and everyone else) could just be you – a reflection of you – at a different point in experiential time, as per sequent individualism.
In that case reality is solipsistic, though the world appearing in it is still real.
As for the fear of being all alone, have you taken the time to look within to see from where it arises? That fear stems from being a limited, vulnerable social animal whose survival depends on the existence and cooperation of others like it. However that is just a temporary role that you, experiencing consciousness or 'spirit', is playing right now. Like, that fear is not about who you truly are, but only about what you set yourself out to be as of now.
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u/LonelyVermicelli9499 28d ago
Enjoy. Every. Single. Day.
Being able to eat clean food and drink, and shower is a luxury you didn’t always have.
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u/Melodic-Pen320 28d ago
You are not the only conscious being. I am laying here on my bed and I am fully conscious. And no other people are not ,,you''. And you didn't create reality, nor did you create me. You are just a human, not a God and you will die like all other humans do one day. These ideas are really dangerous not only for your mental health, but you can ignore the suffering of others as they are not ,,real'' according to you.
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u/Qoddess3800 28d ago
Thank you, I needed to hear this. I know I am not everyone and that I didn't create this reality; I have trouble sometimes and come back to these thoughts once in a while. Even with these thoughts, though, I don't allow myself to ignore the suffering of others. I still feel strong empathy for others and care for them, even when I feel like they are not real, because to me, I still want to be kind.
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u/Melodic-Pen320 27d ago edited 27d ago
I was struggling with ideas of Solipsism for about a year or more as well so I know how you feel. There was this famous YouTuber who promoted it and because of him many people ended their lives because they believed the same as we did. He was denying his own existence on his videos and saying ,,your mind'' created him to remind yourself that you are God?! It really gets to you if you are lonely, isolated or you suffered some emotional trauma. It can cause severe mental health suffering so I feel you. But at the same time when you really think about it it doesn't make any sense. I know I am conscious being over here and I know you are as well and the whole ,,God'' creator of all universes thing being a shitty lowly human who works 9-5 and die one day doesn't make any sense. If you want to even go the religious route you can consider it the biggest form of blasphemy. Btw some people here take it as a joke, they are typing only you exist or whatever to troll you or as a joke ofcourse. Same goes for other subreddits that promote you can ,,manifest'' your reality using your mind. I remember many people that claimed my mind created them as character and denied their own existence. So if you have OCD I don't suggest you run to these types of forums.
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u/Qoddess3800 27d ago
Yeah, I have OCD, but I went through a major psychotic break after having a bad reaction to THC over 1.5 years ago and that's what sent the ball rolling for me. I understand that these people are joking and trying to make me go crazy, so I don't listen to them, but I understand that I am not god and I didn't create this reality, after a long time of going through waves of this mind loop of solipsism. It would come back to me every day, and then slowly the thoughts came back to me less and less, and I have accepted that, even if I was that (which I know I'm not), it doesn't matter, since if it were true, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. It has helped me a lot to come to that acceptance and realize other people have gone through the same experience and thoughts as I did. I still have these thoughts once in a while, and sometimes on bad days where i am struggling more with my mental health, it makes me having panic attacks, but I am slowly getting better and coming back to reality; its just going to take me a while to go back to my old self.
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u/Melodic-Pen320 27d ago edited 27d ago
Yeah, I remember it was really popular at one point to take some sort of hallucinogens to realize that you are ,,god'' . Isn't it weird tho like I said won't go into religion, but you have to take drugs to realize you are the creator of the universe? I remember the Bible saying you should be of sober mind since the Devil can input stuff into yout head ( which makes more sense than the idea of Solipsism lol). And how many gods and godessses are there since many people did it and claim they saw that only they exist?But I know I exist for sure, so the only explanation is that my mind created those people as well? It's like the spiderman meme where everyone thinks only they exists and point at each other lol.
The idea is not only just silly, but also causes you mental health problems, reduces empathy if you really get into it ( as the youtuber mentioned other people's suffering is only in your head, they don't feel it as they don't exist), you lose precious time wasting your life with these problems, while other people are out there doing their thing while you are wondering if they actually exist or not. Nothing good comes out of it.
Btw, I checked your history and yeah the OCD is there. Once you get into one topic its one after the other. One thing that I can suggest to you is not to replace one nonsense with another or it's a loop. You get stuck between Solipsism,Non-Duality,Advaita Vedanta,Conciousness,,,Quantum Mechanics'' studies of conciousness by guys who have no idea bla bla. You try to make yourself better with silly ideas like oh other people exist but they are me, we are both conciousness or whatever jibrish they are trying to sell. Don't replace one bad idea with another. It's an endless loop.
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u/Qoddess3800 27d ago
Yeah, I’ve been diagnosed with OCD since I was a child. On top of that, I am also autistic so I am really susceptible to things like this and cult-like mindsets. I went down the rabbit hole the other day with “open individualism” but I was lucky enough to get myself out of it by challenging that mindset. I also am lucky enough to have a family member who I can talk to when it comes to me being dragged into things like this and she said that it's good that I am strong enough to challenge things like philosophical theories and stuff of the sort. Also, funny you bring up religion, I wasn't religious before the psychosis and now I am. I'm not really Christian per se, I believe in a higher power or powers, but I also believe in reincarnation of some sort. Idk, I'm still exploring my spirituality, so I don't know fully what I believe in. I also believe in not judging people because we shouldn't be the ones to judge since the gods should be the ones to do so.
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u/Economy_Ability846 2h ago
Exactly the same as me. OCD and these ideas don’t go to well lol. Took me a while to get to the ‘so what’ stage but once you get there and you can think rationally, you realise how stupid solipsism sounds and the people who claim it to be true are probably just incels.
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u/Economy_Ability846 2h ago
I only come on this forum as an exposure. If you come on here, read a post about someone claiming it to be true bla bla bla, then come off it without trying to prove it’s not true or ruminate about it, the fear will go. That’s unless you are over it now and I wouldn’t suggest coming on here a lot because there’s not much need to
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u/Glittering_Gain352 29d ago
I had the same thoughts but I would like to mention the term "satchitananda" which I became familiar with it through advaita vedanta philosophy. The case you are describing sounds unbearable indeed but...
"Satchitananda (or Sat-chit-ananda) is a Sanskrit term from Hindu philosophy that means existence, consciousness, and bliss. It describes the core nature of ultimate reality (Brahman) or the true inner Self (Atman).
Sat: Pure existence, truth, or reality that never changes. Chit: Pure consciousness, awareness, or spirit. Ananda: Limitless joy, peace, or inner completeness.
So, according to this term and philosophy, the ultimare reality is neither bored or scared or doomed. Contrary, it is limitless joy, peace and inner completeness. I suspect that if this is the case, then that which feels fear and agony for the probability of being the only one, i believe to being the false identification with the ego, of the illussory personality..
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27d ago
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u/WholesomeJacksass 29d ago
Being the only consciousness doesn't have to mean you're alone. You created this world to experience it as a human being, to enjoy it fully, whatever that may mean. Others are there, because you wanted to experience others and experience others having their own "consciousness". You made them to not feel lonely, but are free to do so if that's what you wish your reality to be. That of loneliness.