Existential OCD

[Kumichan1]

Hey all,

New to this site not wasting any time and getting right down to it. I have been diagnosed with OCD and have been wrestling with it for about a year now. It came on after an acid trip with a friend, though as I explore it more I'm realizing that I've been struggling with this for probably as long as I can remember in subtler ways.

I am specifically plagued with the idea that the world could be a simulation, and that there is some nefarious force orchestrating this simulation, where every action and detail is in some way designed to make it seem more ~real~ and that I am the only definitively real person trapped in said simulation. It's a horribly egotistical way to look at reality, and is so so distressing to me in that it could mean I am truly alone.

I am a VERY social person. I love my friends, and find that when I'm engaging with people in a meaningful way these thoughts tend to fade. Additionally, I've found that when I'm immersed in something and very focused, these thoughts fade as well. Drumming, playing guitar, playing sports, coding, etc.

I'm not looking so much for a solution as I think through therapy I've come to understand it: I need to be at peace with the possibility that this all could be unreal, and that it's out of my hands to KNOW, and I'm working on that.

What I would LOVE to hear is some other peeps who've dealt with this an have OVERCOME it. Is it POSSIBLE to overcome? Would greatly appreciate some concrete evidence of that

[phil06]

I have suffered this it’s a kind of solipsism not fully over come it but I found that I had to think of other stuff so it’s not great to think about it often. But yes I have felt long periods days, weeks where I believed stuff was a simulation.

[Prospector]

I used to suffer from this. No matter what you do, you will never truly be able to cope with the idea that what you experience isn't real, because it's too big of a doubt for anyone to carry. I managed to overcome it fully over a number of years (with rather great difficulty) not by accepting uncertainty, but instead through research; and by putting these things in to perspective and learning truths about the mind through science rather than through philosophy (philosophy/metaphysics is just imaginary nonsense for the most part, I'd ignore most of it). Essentially, the way to overcome it is to literally learn why such a scenario does not, and can not exist.
The good news is, that truthfully speaking, the world is not a simulation, or part of your imagination It is a naturally occurring , material world (made of all of the elements we learn about in chemistry, and behaving in all the ways you learn about in physics) and your consciousness and mind exists as a property of this matter. In other words, your mind emerges from the processes of your brain, and is incredibly subjective in the way it interprets light, emotion, sound and pretty much everything else, which is obviously why your awareness of existence and reality is all centered around you. It exists both within your own brain as 'your' consciousness (if that makes sense), but also in the brains of other people, who have their own subjective experiences, based on the sensory information they are receiving. Also, a tip when you get anxious about deep thoughts; try not to use thoughts alone to understand reality. You've got to use evidence, to back any theory up!
The mind is an incredibly complicated entity, and learning about it requires an understanding of how the brain truly operates, which will come in time as we learn more about the world through empirical research and most likely through the use of AI.

Getting better from this has also allowed me to apply the same level of pragmatic realism to other stuff that I used to get anxious about, so I no longer get superstitious fears, or fears about acting violently towards someone else. Anxiety never disappears overnight though, it takes years for your brain to adapt and reduce the fight or flight drive. Over time I'm sure you will recover

[Kumichan1]

Thank you so much for your replies guys. I really appreciate it. I am still struggling but have had as long as a month more or less of relief, which I am grateful for.

Will continue to fight the good fight.

[Prospector]

I don't think your goal should be about being comfortable with the idea that there's a realistic chance that reality might not 'be real'. It's a rather uncomfortable idea in the first place and its presence in your head could lead to confusion and unnecessary doubt and overthinking. I think a far better approach is working out how and why the world around you is real and using this to rationalize your fears. It is real and this is a fact of the universe that will be proven to be certain. What you've got to avoid is assuming that abstract concepts like "I'm the only one that's real because I think so and it seems like it's true" or imagining scenarios like the one you proposed originally " I'm in a simulation that's convincing me that what I perceive does not have concrete existence because... it seems like it's true in my head" You can't use thoughts alone to understand reality, you have to use evidence. That is why we use science, rather than philosophy to understand the world.
If you want to understand how the mind exists in yourself, and how it exists in the brains of other organisms, this is where you should start.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neural..._consciousness