How can you tell the difference between reality and delusions?

[Chad32]

I figure if everyone else can see/hear/ect what you're experiencing, then it's reality. And if we're all in the Matrix? We still have to work with the reality we're given.

[brewer]

Are you worried about delusions of grandeur?

[bennyboy]

I figure if everyone else can see/hear/ect what you're experiencing, then it's reality. And if we're all in the Matrix? We still have to work with the reality we're given.

I'd say in this case, the world you are experiencing is an illusion, and the idea that you are The One is a delusion.

---

You're thinking of "illusion."  If you think you can punch me without serious consequences, you are suffering from a delusion.

If there are serious consequences, that would convince me that you're not a delusion. Pay attention.

Boru

Another person can't be a delusion.  He can only be an illusion.

I'd put it this way: an illusion is external, and a delusion is internal.  A magic trick is an illusion.  My belief that magic is real is a delusion.

With regard to the OP, I'd say that the idea that we have access to truth beyond what's right in front of our noses is probably a delusion.

[Chad32]

Yet we still have to work within the "illusion" as if it's reality, otherwise no one would be able to get anything done.

[bennyboy]

Yet we still have to work within the "illusion" as if it's reality, otherwise no one would be able to get anything done.

^

Right.  That's the truth-in-context.  Whatever reality is, I have to choose whether to get out of bed in the morning and live life as though it matters, to pull the covers over my head and sucking my thumb while I wait to die, or to go find a busy bus to masturbate on to prove to myself that those real-seeming "people" are really just figments of my imagination.

All these actions will have consequences, and that's real enough.

[brewer]

OP: Don't confuse delusional disorder with personality disorder.

[Neo-Scholastic]

From a mental health perspective, delusions are more maliable than actual reality. A member I know described being tormented by a tiny Mexican who lived in a power outlet. He was encouraged to interact with the fantasy and to pay close attention to it's responses etc. With time the member was able to recognize that it wasn't real and was able to negotiate it away.

[henryp]

This is a very interesting question, thanks to someone else chatting with me whose name I won't disclose in the best interests of everyone's safety and anonymity.

For someone who's delusional, how to tell the difference and find reality?

What sorts of thinking do you do? What kind of research do you do? What kind of experiments and experiences do you try out to verify if something is real or not?

I don't know good ways to it but I guess, one should identify the sources of delusions, get to the root of it and evaluate.

Existentialistically speaking, one may evaluate if delusions are practical, positive or not... and whether to live with it or change it.

I think the key to avoiding delusion, is to be very aware that you are susceptible to delusion.  The foundation of delusion, in my opinion, is certainty.  

Playing Devil's Advocate to yourself is a handy practice.  Just constantly and sincerely trying to break down everything you believe in, and find the flaws.  It's the opposite of what we usually practice, which is to have an opinion, and find as much to support it as possible.

I read a while back that someone thought the evolutionary purpose of reason wasn't to discover the truth, but to be able to convince others.  No idea if that's accurate or not, but when you look at the pitfalls of humans attempting to use reason, it fits pretty well in a lot of places.

[brewer]

From a mental health perspective, delusions  are more maliable than actual reality. A member I know described being tormented by a tiny Mexican who lived in a power outlet. He was encouraged to interact with the fantasy and to pay close attention to it's responses etc. With time the member was able to recognize that it wasn't real and was able to negotiate it away.

Was it this guy?

[The Valkyrie]

The taste.