Our inner state is a powerful tool by which we not only perceive the facts of the surrounding world, but actively create our own reality.

The Power of the Mind: Constructing Reality Amid Emotional Turbulence

Our inner state is a powerful tool by which we not only perceive the facts of the surrounding world, but actively create our own reality. At the core of this process lies the active work of the psyche – emotional experiences, upbringing, and personal beliefs form a unique structure of perception, enabling external stimuli to acquire specific semantic nuances. That is why, when under the influence of strong emotions or intense thoughts, we may not even notice what is happening around us, as all our attention is directed inward.

This dynamic mental activity is especially evident during times of crisis, when inner conflicts and emotional wounds lead to the construction of skewed, sometimes even illusory, images of others. In such periods, negative signals can evolve into projections of threat and hostility, attributing non-existent traits and intentions to those around us.

Recognizing how our inner world influences our perception of reality becomes the key to personal growth and harmonious interaction with the world. Understanding one’s emotional reactions and structuring one’s inner state not only helps avoid distorted images but also enables us to see the world more objectively, transforming challenges into opportunities for self-improvement.

How does the mental state influence our perception of the world, forming images of enemies and provocateurs?

Our mental state plays a key role in how we “construct” the world around us. At its core, it is not a passive reflection of external stimuli, but an active work of the psyche through which a person organizes and interprets incoming information. For example, one source emphasizes that “Man does not perceive the world randomly, but structurally, meaning that the influences of the surrounding world are channeled into specific areas, places of bodily organization. He actively constructs a picture of the world. Therefore, the image of the world in our consciousness is not a mere reflection of reality… he actively builds this picture, and very actively so, depending on how he was brought up and how he is inclined...” (source: link txt). This passage clearly demonstrates that our mental state—including emotional experiences, upbringing, and personal beliefs—determines the way we process sensory data and how certain images are formed.

Another fragment discusses how concentrating on inner experiences influences our perception of the external world: when a person is absorbed in a strong emotional state or an intense thought, he may “not see or hear what is happening around him,” because his attention is focused on the inner rather than on objective perception (source: link txt). This indicates that in moments of intense emotional or mental load, our perception can be distorted, allowing internal structures to fill gaps in information, sometimes forming negative or even delusional portrayals of reality.

This phenomenon becomes especially pronounced when inner conflicts or mental illnesses lead to persistent images of enemies and provocateurs. In one text, for example, it is described a character who, under the influence of “a terrible, oppressive hypnotism,” began to manifest not so much real experience as “delusional images of provocateurs.” These images, emerging as projections of inner turmoil and painful experiences, allow the person to perceive the surrounding world through a distorted lens, where every negative signal is interpreted as a threat or hostile action (source: link txt).

Thus, the mental state, defined both by emotional problems and by individual experience and attitudes, can radically alter our perception of the world. It not only filters incoming information but actively “builds” the picture of the world, in which enemies and provocateurs may take on exaggeratedly negative and even illusory images.

Supporting citation(s):
"Man does not perceive the world randomly, but structurally, meaning that the influences of the surrounding world are channeled into specific areas, places of bodily organization. He actively constructs a picture of the world... depending on how he was brought up and how he is inclined..." (source: link txt)

"But here it is not betrayal or flight, but a terrible, oppressive hypnotism: he stepped out of the circle of help, and now the enemies are triumphant over him... This 'enemy' manifests itself in delusional images of provocateurs..." (source: link txt)