Why Psychosis Happens: The Glass-Sphere and the “Second Brain”

When we ask “why does this happen,” it matters to speak not about schizophrenia in general but about the very mechanism of the breakdown. In Dr. Saulitis’s method this mechanism is described vividly — through images that help us understand the shift from an ordinary thought to psychosis.

The Split and the “Second Brain”

In the doctor’s view, the basis is a splitting of the normal brain: as if a second system, a second mind, appears. It is this that produces the experience of a parallel reality. A thought stops being just a thought — it begins to grow.

“This is a splitting of the normal brain, and a second brain, a second mind, a second system appears.”

The Glass Sphere: How the World Closes In

Then “these thoughts grow more, more, more,” and they pull a person in, becoming a single parallel reality. The doctor compares this to a glass sphere or cube: the delusion forms a screen around the person, the whole of life narrows to one single situation, and the other world disappears.

This is the warning sign: either a severe degree of neurosis, or — if the screen already “speaks and gives messages” — psychosis.

When the Thoughts Start to Speak

The boundary lies where the inner “screen” begins to address the person. As the doctor puts it, when the “film, the screen begins to speak, to give messages” — that is already psychosis. Below that threshold the experience is of a different order.

Why It Matters Not to “Burn Out” the Brain

The doctor describes psychosis as a state of tension, of overheating. Without help it is like “stoking a stove with coal” — the brain risks burning out. In his metaphor antipsychotics work “like a cooler,” relieving the tension of dopamine intoxication so the brain does not burn out during psychosis.

“It’s like stoking a stove with coal… and antipsychotics work like a cooler and relieve the tension.”

The Simple (Severe) Form — a Separate Case

Separately the doctor identifies a genetically determined severe form that begins early — in adolescence (16–18) — and quickly leads to a personality defect of the schizophrenic type with negative symptoms. This form responds poorly to medication. It is a small share of severe cases, and in recent years these are increasingly set apart — closer to neurodegenerative disorders.

Who Usually Asks “Could I Have This?”

A key observation of the method: the very fact of worrying about one’s own mental health speaks in favor of being well. If a person is anxious and worried that they have a disorder — that is normal.

“If a person worries, is troubled that they have a mental disorder… they are healthy, that is normal.”

Practice: Spotting the “Glass Sphere”

A simple guide from the logic of the method — watching whether the world is closing in:

1. Notice an intrusive thought and ask: is it growing “more, more, more”?
2. Check whether your whole life is narrowing down to a single situation, as if inside a sphere.
3. Ask: is the “other world” — other interests, people, prospects — disappearing?
4. Notice whether the “screen” seems to address you, to give you messages.
5. The very fact that you can calmly observe this and be concerned about it is a good sign; if symptoms persist, turn to a proper specialist.