1. something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.

2. the state or condition of being deceived; misapprehension.

3. an instance of being deceived.

You might have heard of kids having imaginary friends, been deceived by a professional magician or heard someone calling out to you only to realise there’s no one around. These are occurrences that are part of the realms of illusion, of distorted reality and to the uninitiated, a horror movie.

 

Illusions can serve us – A magic show has entertainment value, having imaginary friends helps children develop socially (More about that here). And then, there are voices – some remind us of a friend or a relative we haven’t been in touch with and urge us to call or text them immediately.

Some is the keyword here. Because there are some voices that could outright freak you out.

As an example, you could consider this voice:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoDWoxXxQaA

Illusions when experienced outside a magic show, are like mind games, albeit they can help you set your priorities right unlike the usual occurrences we consider to be mind games. They give you a sense of what you really want to be, do or achieve. They introduce you to who you really are while also reminding you of your current situation. We are accustomed to treating illusions with wonderment – clueless about how they come into being. Unaware as we are, of the fact that they come into existence by way of our thoughts, actions as well as our circumstances.

Part of this approach stems from the fact that they are easier to fathom when treated with astonishment. After all, don’t we all fancy a life brimming with awe, of moments that leave us speechless, of unbounded happiness derived from an occurrence of wonder?

Fear, in this case, would be an unfortunate approach – for it takes away all of the fascination and replaces it with doubt, the most malignant of all living experiences. Doubt can cripple and take away any traces of inner peace. The answer? Illude yourself into believing otherwise. That positive boost of energy might just work for you. Here’s proof.

This works perfectly well when used to change one’s mood for the better and to facilitate a more joyous state of being. It does for me, and as a normal human, I can testify it could well work for anybody else. Associating a feeling a wonderment with anything makes life look like an exciting journey. So the next time you feel low on hope, excitement or hunger, bring in a bit of self-deception and soar!

Illusions can also spark creativity, making something that was never thought of a possibility. Chances are, taking a break from being real is good for you, after all.

However, the other side of the coin is that illusions aren’t always hunky-dory. For some, they are signs of a psychotic problem and no matter how hard they try, ridding themselves of these harmful distortions seems impossible to them.

Intense illusion in the form of hallucinations is not a healthy sign.

In such cases, treatment is mandatory.

Want to be captivated some more?

Head here.

And here.

Our brain is a fascinating little piece of flesh – processing or skipping bits and pieces of information at will. Time we took a moment to acknowledge the power of our mind.

Have more to say? Anything I missed out on? Let me know in the comments.