Psychotic experiences occur along a continuum with ordinary mental life, but unlike mental states such as dreams, which are familiar to all, most people see few similarities between psychotic symptoms and their own experiences.  Take for example the experience of hearing voices, which is common in psychosis.  This symptom can be considered a special case of the capacity most people have to engage in an internal dialogue, where one part of the mind ‘speaks’ while another part ‘listens.’  For example, the runner approaching the finish line may say to himself/herself, “Just fifty yards more!”  In like fashion, a psychotic person might hear a voice offering direction or criticism.  We all engage in internal dialogues.  In the case of voices, the psychotherapist might interest the patient in the idea that hearing voices is a particular form of internal dialogue, similar to, but different from, the internal conversations we all engage in.

In the case psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, telling the patient “It isn’t true” is rarely, if ever, a useful approach, because these experiences are part of the person's subjective reality.  My work is person centered rather than diagnosis centered.  I attempt to establish a good faith conversation with the psychotic person about experiences that person finds distressing.  Then, with the aim of reducing that distress, I attempt to explore with the patient alternative explanations for psychotic symptoms.  For example, in the case of a person who hears a critical voice that he believes is a frightening, powerful entity outside himself, psychotherapy might lead to the alternate explanation that the voice is a meaningful expression of the patient’s own self doubts, where talking about those doubts can now become a focus for emotional growth.  In the early stages of psychotherapy for psychosis I use CBT techniques to explore the literal falsity of maladaptive, delusional beliefs; then, I use a psychodynamic approach to examine the figurative truth of psychotic symptoms that express personal meaning for the individual.  A more detailed outline of my approach is contained in my book,   Psychotherapy for Psychosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Psychodynamic Treatment (2019)  Guilford Press