[bpcyclist]

Just wondering how rare this is among us. It is a classic sign, but I don't hear it mentioned here much. It has been a giant problem for me over the last 15 years. Thanks!!

[cogladaid]

I’m atheist on a regular day. During at least one hypomanic episode I became obsessed with Islam and read everything about it and wanted to convert and pray four times a day and not eat pork or drink alcohol the whole shebang.

Mostly my religious experience with hypomania is thinking I’m god-like, not becoming obsessed with religions.

[HALLIEBETH87]

When I get psychosis it usually focuses on satan attacking me

[Nammu]

I’m like cool dad. I once gave an impassioned speech for the university that “all gods were one god” and that Christianity had no monopoly on god. I convinced a few students and got an A I was quite hypo at the time.

[bpcyclist]

Originally Posted by cogladaid

I’m atheist on a regular day. During at least one hypomanic episode I became obsessed with Islam and read everything about it and wanted to convert and pray four times a day and not eat pork or drink alcohol the whole shebang.

Mostly my religious experience with hypomania is thinking I’m god-like, not becoming obsessed with religions.

Hyperspiritual, then? Sounds similar, your version of it.

[bpcyclist]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

When I get psychosis it usually focuses on satan attacking me

I got into a huge battle with satan when manic once. Turned out badly.

[PsychoPhil]

For me, becoming religious is a feeling. I get a sensation of happiness and energy from being present in the moment. How much energy varies to a great degree. I never feel powerful or god-like, but I may get an impression of having gained major insights towards enlightenment. And this impression is not based on any knowledge, but just a feeling.

Interesting your experiences of fighting with or being attacked by Satan. I once had an illusion of being attacked, but never linked it to Satan. I always thought of it as just an illusion, but still a very frightening one.

[bpcyclist]

Yeah, I was trying to prove how strong God was. Ended in disaster for me.

[BipolaRNurse]

I've had religious delusions before. Not that I was God or Jesus or even Mary, but I was on a special mission for the Almighty and if you didn't believe it, ask me! I couldn't figure out why I was getting so many odd looks from folks when I held forth on the true meaning of my work as a nurse. I really believed God had put me in that particular place at that particular time because I was supposed to rescue the person I was taking care of. See, it sounds weird now, even to me. LOL

[Wander]

I once believed I was THE God who could create universes. My religious mania was very metaphysical. I believed I was telepathically talking to fish while snorkelling. I felt super-human. I thought the experience was wonderful, but those in my presence at that time say otherwise.

[bpcyclist]

Originally Posted by Wander

I once believed I was THE God who could create universes. My religious mania was very metaphysical. I believed I was telepathically talking to fish while snorkelling. I felt super-human. I thought the experience was wonderful, but those in my presence at that time say otherwise.

This is similar in concept to the level and type of my own. Thank you.

[FluffyDinosaur]

When I was 16 or so I became kind of obsessed with the whole Mayan thing. I thought I was one of the "indigo children" and that I was psychic and so on. I seemed to notice paranormal things everywhere, thought I knew things before they happened, thought I could feel people's moods and know things that happened in their past, all that sort of stuff. It hasn't happened since then and "normal me" is not religious at all. Still not sure if it was bipolar-related or if I was just an impressionable teen.

[fern46]

Hand raised. I am very spiritual anyway, but it kicked into high gear when manic. My mind is smart and uses my most powerful connections in these episodes.

My theory of why it occurs is based on some theories of Jung's that seem to add up. He theorized that patients sometimes allow their subconscious mind to eclipse their conscious mind. The language of the subconscious is symbols and archetypes. All of the figures represented in this thread are archetypes of the collective human subconscious. Essentially, I feel my subconscious was attempting to communicate with me and I projected it outward through an archetype instead of working with it on my own.

When I get like this it is like my entire world stares back at me. Everything is a symbol and speaking to me and holds deeper meaning. If I view the experience through the lens of dream analysis it makes much more sense.

Bpcyclist, you mentioned 2 brains and possible DID feelings. I know what you mean. I think it is your waking mind and your dream mind fighting it out for dominance. Or you could call it your conscience and your shadow. Or God and Satan... Satan means adversary. I fought that battle in my first episode. It is fitting my repressed subconscious that I had pushed down and not listened to would adopt such a form.

yes.

I am religious anyway but have been known to exagerate it

[bpcyclist]

Originally Posted by FluffyDinosaur

When I was 16 or so I became kind of obsessed with the whole Mayan thing. I thought I was one of the "indigo children" and that I was psychic and so on. I seemed to notice paranormal things everywhere, thought I knew things before they happened, thought I could feel people's moods and know things that happened in their past, all that sort of stuff. It hasn't happened since then and "normal me" is not religious at all. Still not sure if it was bipolar-related or if I was just an impressionable teen.

Do you think you were ever able to actually predict the future?

[Miss Laura]

I just become very much into singing hymns and saying prayers. I was raised a Catholic so I remember a lot from childhood. I will YouTube hymns and will sit happily singing them. Loudly btw

I'm unsure if this is due to psychosis or weirdness when manic

[Soupe du jour]

My first hypomanic and manic episode was in my mid teens. At that time, I became hyper religious. My family were mostly First Baptists, but my parents almost never went to church except maybe some Christmases to satisfy my grandmother. Though as a younger kid, my mom sent me to a couple meetings of bible study (Methodist) that ended quickly.

But when hypomanic/manic I yearned to find God. With various family friends I went to a few different churches and felt most "with God" at the Roman Catholic church. I started going every Sunday then decided to to go through RCIA and get baptized and confirmed (about 16 years old) . My parents didn't care. They were very laissez faire types (with just a few exceptions), and were used to my odd and often wild behavior. The couple years leading up to that were definitely "teen angst" years for me. I was ultra religious, impulsive and disinhibited. I was once asked to give a speech in front of the large congregation (around 100 or more, at 16 years old), which turned out to be almost as Kanye West is now acting. That experience seemed amazing at the time, but became a traumatic one later, because of what I said. I had loud arguments at school with a precalculus teacher that inappropriately preached atheist thinking, and he ordered me out of class a couple of times. I was often in trouble and in detention because of my behavior (mouth).

My religious fervor eased significantly by my freshman year of college. Since then, during a couple of hypomanic or manic spells I would want to return to church again, but as they eased, that desire ended. I have had hallucinations regarding the devil, in the past. I also experienced delusions of persecution where I felt God wanted to kill me. Those led to psych hospitalizations (and forced sedations) and multiple cops showing up. Also emergency psychiatrist appointments. Only when psychotic.

[Trippin2.0]

I used to become super spiritual, praise and worship Jesus till the cows come home. Believed I was chosen for a higher spiritual purpose.

Then during one episode I was suddenly wiccan and wrote a shytloada spells (funny thing is, I had no prior knowledge of.Wicca but the language I used in my 'spells' matched what I learned about it years later).

I was quite startled.

I am now agnostic and not prone to hyper religiousness, my mania presents differently, even before I became agnostic.

[FluffyDinosaur]

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

Do you think you were ever able to actually predict the future?

At the time I did, and I "got it right" a few times, but now I attribute that to confirmation bias and maybe a few deja vu experiences. I don't believe any of the stuff I believed then anymore but back then I had a lot of weird beliefs. I remember I even thought I could use my thoughts to just "choose" to stop living when I wanted (I tried to do that a few times), and sometimes I believed I might already be dead but my spirit didn't notice and just sort of carried on. I wrote a short story about that at some point.

[Aviza]

I believe I'm interacting with the souls of people. And fighting for my soul from Satan. I don't think I'm anyone other than myself by I have parallel lives cause I'm off course, and it angers me that I'm not living my best life.

God performed healing on me. He healed my ankle so i can walk without pain. Satan wanted my soul so he healed my vision. For a year i didn't need glasses. Than one day bad vision returned. I gave up the 20/15 vision for my soul.

I'd rather be with God. It was a fight. Satan promised me my dreams. Had already given me perfect vision. I said no I choose God. Even if i have to struggle my whole life i choose God. And well i wear bifocals now but i can walk without pain.

Later when I got out of the hospital and back to mom's God healed my ankle. It was my blessing. Miss my perfect eyes but would rather have my soul.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Last time I was Ip this year I was convinced satan would
Attack my friends and family if I didn’t hurt myself aka self harm. I was also suicidal. It was rough.

But you know I also thought I could fly and hear colors.

[*Beth*]

The most recent major mania I had was during the last few months of 2018. I was not hyper-religious, per se...I just believed and felt that I had the responsibility to make a public piece of art beautiful (I still think it was ugly, lol). As a result of doing that I was taken in handcuffs to IP..."arrested to the hospital."


So it was more that I felt I was doing God's work. I felt as though God had chosen me to do certain things, take certain actions. But then, I do believe that there is some kind of energy in the universe that creates and harmonizes...I pretty much call that energy "God." I believe that when I'm stable, I mean.


So...I think when I'm manic the natural belief I have about God-energy becomes condensed and narrow, and focused into one action that I must take.

I've had a few religious hypomanias and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were completely benign. Last Fall i scribbled the lyrics to a song of Mormon oratory i had become fascinated with all over my kitchen cupboards. I don't care. It reminds me of feeling so good and i like to think of myself as quirky.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by whatever2013

I've had a few religious hypomanias and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were completely benign. Last Fall i scribbled the lyrics to a song of Mormon oratory i had become fascinated with all over my kitchen cupboards. I don't care. It reminds me of feeling so good and i like to think of myself as quirky.

Well, that's when "is it only crazy if it bothers you?" can be asked. If the behavior isn't hurting you or anyone else (sometimes difficult to discern, of course), maybe there's nothing wrong with it.


Also, I would ask myself if the behavior is accelerating and, if so, where is it leading me?

[lacerta]

Before I was diagnosed I converted to catholic. I was so much into it. Not anymore.