Spiritual Psychosis and its Effects on Self Image
Image Courtesy: Instagram
I want to disclose before we dive into “spiritual psychosis” that I am, in no way, discrediting spirituality or any beliefs in general. As a person who practices spirituality, I found it to be extremely beneficial and stabilizing throughout my life. However, I do think it is important to be aware of the negative influences certain content creators have on individuals consuming their “spiritual” content, specifically, the effects on their self image and ideas of beauty.
There is a certain corner of Tik Tok, and that corner is growing daily, that is dedicated to tarot readings and “channeled” messages. They often farm engagement by encouraging users to comment “claim” under videos of tarot readings promising a new love coming in, or financial gains, etc. Though not every spiritual creator is simply farming engagement, and I suspect a lot of them have genuine intentions with their readings, I believe this type of content can cause more harm than good.
"Spiritual psychosis" refers to a state in which intense spiritual experiences lead to psychological disturbances that resemble psychosis, such as delusions, anxiety, or a loss of touch with reality. A lot of the spiritual content out there, especially on platforms like Tik Tok, are targeted at people stuck in limerence, which is a state of intense emotional infatuation with another person, characterized by obsessive thoughts and delusional tendencies, or individuals who struggle with identity or conviction issues. The readings confirm the stuck person's behavior, and keeps them in a cycle of compulsive obsessiveness that is not healthy. Using tarot as a tool is beneficial, but it should be a personal and specific practice. One can learn tarot easily, as we all have the capability to become in tune with our higher selves. If you are wanting to connect with that part of yourself, I’d encourage you to research and learn yourself, instead of relying on strangers on the internet. Tik Tok readings reach thousands of viewers, and there is no way to make a general group reading specific, yet people can easily get stuck in a cycle of thinking their “for you page” is a channeled and personal message.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
Spiritual psychosis and compulsive obsessiveness have many negative effects on a person's well being, one of those effects being wavering self-image. If you are determining your relationships and identity based on general mass group readings, your idea of yourself is going to frequently change and falter. You may even begin to doubt your identity and your experiences. Though manifestation and tarot content from online creators may seem empowering, according to “ TikTok is triggering a rise in spiritual psychosis among gen Z” by Phoebe Snedker, “This sense of self-empowerment is skewed when it comes to TikTok’s take on spirituality. Manifestation trends tend to play on insecurity and low self-esteem as opposed to actual empowerment.” Instead of empowerment, this type of content actually dwells on frail and unstable self images. It can change the way we see the world around us, and ourselves in relation to it. It is vital to be aware of the mental toils consuming content like this can have on us.
Strike Out,
Indigo Carter
Saint Augustine
Editor: Maya Kayyal
Indigo Carter is the creative writing copy editor for Strike Magazine. She loves Hello Kitty and reading books about fairies. You can find her at indigocarterr@gmail.com or on Instagram @prettypretty.princesss
