What Causes Paranoia? Looking Behind the Curtain at Paranoia - by Meli G

When you think about paranoia, what comes to mind?

What kind of scene do you envision of someone who’s paranoid?

When I searched Google for the definition of paranoia, the top two results described it this way:

Merriam Webster Dictionary: “Mental illness characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations. A tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.”

Cleveland Clinic: “Paranoia varies in severity and can be temporary or long-lasting. It’s the most common symptom of psychosis - over 70% of people with psychosis have paranoia. But you can have mild paranoid concerns without having psychosis. In fact, mild paranoia is quite common in the general population.”

Thus, paranoia can be commonplace or it can place you in a psych ward.

I’m not a big fan of labels - or the over-diagnosing of human emotional reactions - but I’ve had severe paranoia, and it was no picnic. Unless said picnic took place in a hellscape. But I also know that paranoia can be healed and overcome.

So what causes paranoia?

How can we heal from paranoia?

Let’s explore these questions and answers together…

Many factors can cause or exacerbate paranoia. I’ve categorized these influences by: 1. medical/physiological, 2. psychological & social, and 3. spiritual/metaphysical. AKA body + mind + spirit.

I cover some of the following factors in my piece about the nature of delusions: "Delulu and Beyond - Understanding the Nature of Delusions."

Medical and Physiological Causes of Paranoia:

> For paranoia resulting from psychosis and even altered states of consciousness, the following systems are generally impacted: the limbic system, the “salience network”, which can create “aberrant salience” or over-importance/meaning, "predictive coding" errors, “sense gating,” and the default mode network (DMN). Other systems are involved, like the HPA axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis), but these are the main ones.

> Neurotransmitters, especially elevated dopamine, can stamp events and stimuli as overly important and significant. Many environmental factors can impact dopamine. Antipsychotics also block dopamine receptors, which can stabilize someone who’s acutely manic or psychotic. There’s also a host of side effects, which I discuss in my piece "Where's the "Search for the Cure" for Psychosis? Exploring Psychosis on the Awakening Path."

> Sleep deprivation, which can alter the prefrontal cortex’s ability to effectively interpret social cues.

> Hyper-sensitivity to external stimuli and heightened senses for many people experiencing mania or psychosis (including hyper-vigilance).

> Environmental factors also play a role in paranoia, especially those that impact sleep & melatonin, along with pollution and toxicity (esp heavy metals, lead & mold), and sensitivity to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from cell phones, Wi-Fi routers and 5G cell towers, electronics, smart meters, and smart watches & other devices. Just look up "EMFs and neurotransmitters." Time spent in nature, whenever possible, is healing and grounding. Cleanses are also helpful for mental health.

> Substance use: both legal and illegal drugs. Paranoia can occur either during usage or the withdrawal stage. Also, not everyone experiences paranoia from the drugs listed below - and these drugs can have many healing attributes as well. But it’s worth noting the risks for some.

-- Marijuana and edibles, esp w skyrocketing levels of THC vs decades past, and synthetic cannabinoids like spice/K2.

-- Psychedelics like LSD, mushrooms, PCP, ketamine, DMT, Ayahuasca, mescaline/peyote, Ibogaine, NBOMe Series, DOx Series ie DOM or DOC.

-- Stimulants like meth/crystal/ice, cocaine/coke/blow, crack, and synthetic cathinones aka bath salts. Also MDMA/ecstasy/Molly and MDA/Sass.

-- Alcohol, particularly during withdrawal after heavy use.

-- Many OTC and prescribed meds carry warnings including corticosteroids (Prednisone and hydrocortisone), some antibiotics and antivirals, Accutane for acne, some antihistamines and cough medicines, and anti-Parkinson’s drugs. Also benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin. Stimulants like Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, and Concerta. Anticholinergic medications and certain drugs used for bladder control, COPD, or allergies. And opioid pain relievers.

Psychological and Social Factors:

> Severe or chronic stress.

> Isolation or prolonged loneliness. Periods of isolation can do wonders for some on the spiritual or self-healing paths, but it can be detrimental to others.

> For some, unresolved feelings of alienation, rejection, failure, betrayal, injustice, and abandonment. So common for so many of us.

> High levels of trauma, especially in the first years of a person’s life. PTSD definitely increases the chances of paranoia, for reasons that are totally understandable. Healing trauma can be so helpful to enable us to feel safe in our bodies and lives. I offer healing techniques in my piece "10 Free Mood Boosts to Lift Your Spirits!"

> Sometimes paranoid delusions are related to unresolved trauma, ie fear of being poisoned. It may sound totally irrational, but the mind may be trying to address an old trauma where a person accidentally imbibed something that made them very sick, especially in early childhood (& may be unaware of the memories that are stored in our sub/unconscious minds & bodies).

A fear of being followed may also sound paranoid, and sometimes it is, but many women and men have actually been followed, harassed, and/or stalked. The mind can definitely over-exaggerate this threat (due to some of the factors above), but if we can understand the feelings at the heart of these fears, we can better heal these underlying wounds and possibly prevent future episodes of paranoia.

> People who have psychosis and paranoia often have what’s described as “porous boundaries” - between self and others and the environment AND between internal thoughts and external reality AND there's a thinning of the veil between the unconscious and conscious minds. People can feel flooded with external energies from others and the environment. Some empaths, psychics, mediums, and energetically sensitive people can feel this as well.

> Paranoid delusions can foster “sense-making and meaning-making” when a person’s life is falling apart - or if their ego is losing its grip during a spiritual awakening (more on this below). Sometimes delusions help us feel less alone if we're seemingly famous or being monitored, even if it's negative. They can also help us feel special or significant (perfectly understandable & part of our human needs). We're ALL special and miraculous, but we forget this and are rarely told this (we need to remind ourselves :)

> Heightened pattern recognition and awareness of synchronicities. These can be beautiful gifts. But if we’re in a very fearful state, this level of awareness can become all-consuming or distorted.

> “Shadow projection,” in which a person unconsciously attributes their unacknowledged/rejected/suppressed aspects of themselves onto other people or circumstances. We can be hyper-aware or triggered by traits like aggression or hostility in others, that we may ourselves harbor in spades (all humans have a full range of emotions within us).

We all have our shadows - or parts of us that we rejected early in childhood, like traits that were deemed undesirable by parents/caregivers/society. Once we fully accept and love all parts of ourselves, and all of our exquisite human emotions, we can become much more complete, authentic, joyful, creative, and even trusting. On the whole, “our inner state reflects our outer world.”

> Mistrust in ourselves, the Universe, God, governments, institutions, corporations and the like.

> Fear of persecution. Such fears can arise from the feeling of "knowing too much" or disrupting the status quo or fear of being framed (which does happen to people). Some healers, in particular, carry a persistent fear of drawing too much attention to their wisdom, intuition, or even psychic powers etc.

These fears are ancient - and have been experienced by women, men, and children for centuries. These traumas and unresolved fears can be passed down inter-generationally. These fears can also be remembered through past life regression (some believe). There's also religious persecution that persists today and is echoed from generations past. There are fears/traumas of all kinds that have resulted from wars and genocides that ripple out beyond what's perceivable. Thankfully there are many ways to heal these wounds - which helps ourselves, the collective, and even our ancestral lineages (I personally believe).

> Government and corporate abuse. And abuse of power by any and all institutions and religions (although they all do good things too).

As many of us know, we’ve been lied to and gaslit many times over by a lot of people in power. It’s been happening for centuries, especially within empires. We’ve been programmed to doubt our intuition - to look outward to the “experts” or the “authorities” for truth, only to find out that many experts and leaders have been corrupted, compromised, blackmailed, or bribed. We’re all prone to the corruptable influence of power/control/dominance, so it behooves all of us to remain mindful, grounded, and humble.

> Paranoia also exists because of the lived realities of millions of people at every “level” of society (including the billionaire class) that have been heavily surveilled, harassed, stalked, targeted, censored, threatened, blackmailed, psychologically tortured, or worse. Unfortunately it’s happened to many people who have challenged power in any significant or public way, particularly activists, whistleblowers, journalists, researchers, scientists, politicians, former government officials, artists/performers and so on.

> Divide and conquer strategies used by the “powers that be” or “powers that were,” at the top of the proverbial pyramid can also fuel paranoia. Divisive rhetoric in politics and the mainstream media has turned every group of people into the enemy at one point or another, including each of the sexes, races, religions, sexual orientations etc. They’d rather us fight each other. To make us feel separate. Isolated. Vulnerable. To place us on watch lists - or just make us feel like we’re on watch lists. Fearful of our neighbors. Hating family members. You get the idea. When in reality, we all have much more in common than we’re ever led to believe.

> Other social factors that I believe are impacting paranoia include, but aren’t limited to:

-- Exponential rise of tech/AI/surveillance and uncertainty about the future. Also, how easily tech and centralized digitalization can be used to harass, manipulate, censor, de-monetize, and de-bank people. Many people are also generally uncertain about “what’s real or not.”

-- Global wars and a heartwrenching ongoing genocide.

-- Plethora of covert programs and weapons involving sound, weather, the atmosphere, and geological events (which have been happening for many decades and is well-documented). Also bioweapons and chemical warfare.

-- Environmental and food toxins, heavy metal toxicity, microplastics, and pollution. Glyphosate - or Round Up - is doing enormous damage to our planet and our minds/bodies. This is a topic unto itself.

-- Unaffordable housing due in large part to corporate buy-ups. Along with bankruptcies, foreclosures, and homelessness. Absentee landlords & out-of-town/country landlords that sometimes leave neighborhoods filthy, abandoned, and riddled with litter and trash.

-- All the $cams, cons, and schemes that flood our devices and lives. I was completely conned in 2017, which devastated my life. Before this, I was very trusting. I’d also had spiritual awakening experiences prior to this, and my heart was wide open. I felt blissful and deeply compassionate. I’d also been an activist, nonprofit worker, volunteer, empath etc. I was all about giving people 2nd and 3rd chances. My addictions, unhealed trauma, and codependency definitely played a role in falling prey. But after I was betrayed on such a deep level, I swung the other way into paranoia. It was a major cause of my first episode of manic psychosis. Thankfully I've done a lot of healing since then, and I'm sober.

-- Chronic disease epidemic that drastically affects mental health. High healthcare costs. Or having no healthcare at all.

-- Mass disclosure of corruption, psy-ops, false flags, mind control ops etc. Not to mention the massive web of abuse conducted by world leaders, leading experts, entertainers, and so on. SRA or satanic ritual abuse is another major topic, but heartbreaking to investigate. Human trafficking as well.

-- Disclosure of NHI or nonhuman intelligence is stirring unrest for some (although I believe most star beings are helping humanity).

-- Rapidly shifting demographics and global migration.

-- The pandemic also impacted mental health immensely and the effects will be felt for decades.

-- Unaddressed gang violence. There are 33,000 gangs in the U.S. that plague communities - and plague gang members themselves, who experience high rates of PTSD & psychosis.

-- Private prisons that capitalize on crime. This is just one example of one industry that profits from misery. Incarceration rates in the U.S. are the highest in the world.

-- On a similar note, fear of arrest, incarceration, and even involuntary psychiatric commitment is widespread. Along with fears among families of having their children taken away because of child protective services and “mandatory reporting.” This is a huge issue. It’s one of many reasons that so many families have decided to homeschool their children in the U.S. Not to mention the required vaccine schedule, which can average between 10-20 different vaccines for a child. It’s not controversial to say these vaccines have side effects. Pharmaceutical companies are legally required to list side effects for vaccines.

-- And lastly, a growing mental health crisis, despite loads of “wonder drugs” and ever-increasing diagnoses/labels. Also high rates of addiction, suicides, and self-harm. Suicides in the U.S. are up 32% from 2000. This is tragic.

There are preventative solutions to nearly all of these problems. There are case studies from around the world that prove what works. But too many people/govt’s/industries/1%ers are benefiting from the current structures. However, these systems are crumbling and are being forced to evolve.

The world is going through a massive awakening - and our collective vibration is rising so quickly, that such systems of control/dominance/greed will naturally dissolve - this is my deepest belief.

I mention the factors above to help validate what many of us have been struggling to process. It’s not to increase paranoia. It’s to underscore the justifiable reasons why so much paranoia exists in our modern age. Paranoia will persist - or keep rearing its head - until we address the issues and fears that keep us awake at night.

We can also become empowered to shape our lives based more on our consciously-determined values and dreams - not based on what we’ve been told and sold.

We can overcome paranoia. We can learn to love ourselves and trust ourselves. And trust that most people are good-natured - while also honing our discernment. And trust that the Universe and God has our back, even if it doesn’t always seem like it. That everything is happening for our Soul’s expansion and that our biggest challenges can catalyze the greatest growth. I also believe the darkness serves the light by showing us where we’re unhealed or where we need to take our personal power back.

We can first acknowledge the problems that are occurring - the actual root problems. Then we can focus on solutions that are actually sustainable, because they’re addressing the root causes - not the surface problems we’ve been instructed to obsess over by the “powers that were.”

When we heal our wounds and shift our inner-perspective, our outer reality can absolutely shift.

Spiritual and Metaphysical Factors:

> Overwhelming spiritual experiences, which can be amazing, can also turn our lives upside down. It can lead us to question our entire lives and existence. We can start to see through illusions. We can spot corruption, dishonesty, and inauthenticity more than ever. For some people, their psychic senses may begin to come online. I believe it’s our purpose in life to awaken - but it’s a harrowing journey. It pushes traumas and fears to the surface for healing, which can also manifest negative experiences in our reality until we’re able to heal them. Going through an awakening takes a lot of grounding and support, which many of us don't have in the West. If someone has no prior knowledge of spirituality or awakenings, they can be blindsided after a “spontaneous awakening.”

> Spiritual awakenings and kundalini awakenings can rock a person to their core and their whole lives can change - which can be blissful and also completely unstabilizing for many before integration occurs (and esp if they have a lot of trauma to heal).

> Many people who’ve experienced psychosis seem to experience other “realities,” like the spirit world and higher dimensions.

> People’s expanded awareness into other realms/dimensions can be difficult to grasp. We can experience glorious oneness and interconnection, but the oneness can also feel very confusing or disorienting (and trying to feel safe/grounded in oneself but also connected to all). This is also common with mystical and psychedelic experiences.

> 3rd eye chakra opening, which can be an exhilarating gift, and also distressing and overwhelming to some. Definitely explore this more if it resonates.

> People can feel watched or monitored by God and light & dark spirits. Spirits can follow people or attach to them. Haunt or possess them. Uplift them. Talk to them. Create thoughts in their minds. This is a big topic unto itself.

Interaction with the spirit world can feel wonderful and sometimes terrifying. Some people believe we’re being observed by intergalactic beings as well. This can be a thrill, or again, terrifying. These notions may sound “out there,” but there are numerous theories about the nature of reality, including that we’re living in a holographic universe, or that we have parallel lives, or that we’re living in a digital "simulation." Plus, sometimes science actually catches up to what mystics and indigenous cultures have intuited for centuries.

People can also feel judged when they feel watched/observed. Personally it was deeply helpful for me to pray for forgiveness, to forgive myself, and to forgive others (including forgiving corrupt systems). We’re all doing our best given our level of consciousness. We may also be playing a certain role in the divine cosmic play. We may also be here in “Earth School” to learn specific soul lessons.

> And the last factor on my list that can cause or exacerbate paranoia (it’s kind of a lot, so take a deep breathe): spiritual warfare, spiritual and/or psychic attacks, dark or demonic entities, bewitchment, sorcery, black magic, "dark arts," archons, negative egregores, persecution/targeting/harassment/gangstalking, mind control, satanism & SRA, curses/hexes/spells, and cursed objects. Negative experiences from such practices have been reported by people for millenia and across the globe. We can also heal from spiritual attacks and negative entities. There are many resources online and on YouTube that can help (along with lots of prayer).

People like mystics, mediums, shamans, psychics, energy healers, priests who perform exorcisms, and deliverance ministers also operate in the realm of spirit.

This may sound far out to some readers, but every major spiritual and religious path believes in spirits. In the West, these beliefs are often mocked by the mainstream. This includes mainstream media, academia, science, psychiatry, psychology, and medicine/healthcare.

However, this materialistic paradigm omits one major aspect of the trifecta of our human existence: mind + body + spirit. It’s like trying to stand on a 2-legged stool.

I understand skepticism. And I was once agnostic. But this denial of the spiritual aspect of our reality is leaving many people flailing. It’s leaving them confused. It’s contributing to paranoia because people’s actual experiences are being denied and labeled as false delusions and hallucinations. Yes, our reality can become distorted sometimes. But most of the world believes in God, so how can billions of people be delusional?

Thankfully we can empower and heal ourselves in many ways, especially with the internet nowadays (& AI is helpful in this way too). There are also plenty of amazing therapists, psychiatrists, researchers, advocates and the like - who are actually helping people to overcome their paranoia and mental health issues.

Some of these people are bucking the status quo to find real solutions that work. There are plenty of solutions that are free too! Here's the link to my piece "10 Free Mood Boosts to Lift Your Spirits!"

Some of these people are also truly listening to their patients. By attempting to understand the legitimate fears that underlie their paranoia.

There is a better way. We can overcome our fears and emerge stronger than ever before!

Thank you for reading and love & blessings to us all! :)

Photos in order of appearance: Darksight Image, Elina Araja, Nj Lanzaderas, Polina Tankilevitch, Soner Arkan, Debraj, Umudi Creative, Nina Hill, Zarina Khalilova, Rubenstein Rebello, Adedire Abiodun, Mikhail Nilov, Hamid Tajikph, RDNE Stock Project,