Meeting abstract

https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.294

Phenomenology of the Perception of Reality

Sara Belčić ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia *
Tin Matoš ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Daniela Šago ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Crkvena 21, Croatia
Igor Filipčić ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Crkvena 21, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Šalata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; University of Applied Health Sciences Zagreb, Mlinarska cesta 38, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Majda Grah ; University Psychiatric Hospital Sveti Ivan, Jankomir 11, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Crkvena 21, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

The case of a patient whose experience of the
world changed due to a preoccupation with determinism
is presented. Stepping away from learned
classifications, it can be observed that some individuals
with psychotic experiences describe unusual
perceptions, dreams, and ideas that arise
as part of creative or philosophical processes,
sometimes amplified by the use of psychoactive
substances. A 25‑year‑old man presented with
intense anxiety, depressed mood, and the conviction
that all behaviors are predetermined. His
view of the world was particularly altered in how
he experienced communication with other people,
which seemed robotic to him. He expressed
a sense that he was no longer able to function at
the same level as before. Recalling earlier periods
of adolescence, he reported feeling that others
were watching him, fearing other people’s opinions, and at the same time experiencing a sense
of belonging to certain groups while also feeling
set apart from them. He said that at that time
he had been happy, funny, and extroverted, but
that “recently I no longer have a sense of humor
and I am not interesting.” For eight years he had
regularly used cannabis, which calmed him and
allowed him to “immerse himself in topics from
philosophy and psychology.” After a short period
of abstinence and subsequent renewed cannabis
use, he felt as if his determinism‑based worldview
had solidified to such an extent that he developed
severe anxiety, followed by depression. We encountered
him in the context of a Day Hospital
program after a brief inpatient treatment. During
therapy, he appeared unmotivated, anxious, and
withdrawn in group psychotherapy sessions. He
explored scientific and philosophical positions on
determinism, which he discussed at length with a
chatbot, and he sought a therapist familiar with
this topic who could provide comfort and help
him with difficulties he struggled to verbalize.
The patient’s symptoms can be viewed through
the prism of the phenomenology of obsession on
the border of delusion, in which he feels fear and
loss of meaning due to the realization that he has
no control over his own life. In conversations, we
arrived at the hypothesis that he had experienced
disappointment and a kind of “unmasking” of reality
through the lens of determinism, and that
therapy should be directed toward re‑establishing
certain illusions (that is, rediscovering meaning
through interests and relationships), which could
enable better social functioning.

Keywords

determinism; psychoactive substances; phenomenology

Hrčak ID:

352991

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/352991

Publication date:

15.6.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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