A Voice in my Head

I think I'll call a psychiatrist today.

A short time ago, my intrusive thoughts were getting the better of me again (the recent nightmares haven't helped); I was shaking and sweating. I nearly convinced myself I caused my sister's death, even though there is no evidence of it. I kept thinking I might hurt other people, like maybe my old boss and coworkers at the bookstore.

Then a Voice entered my mind.

"Stop worrying," it said. "There is no need to fear. You have done nothing wrong. The Shadows do not have your best interests in mind. They are trying to keep you afraid, under their control. They want you to do what they will. They want you to resist any changes; that's why they mete out such harsh punishments, like your sister's death.  They want you to continue in your usual routine. Forever. Quitting work and disobeying their warnings to stay away from Doors warranted, in their minds, a powerful and effective discipline that would scare you back to normalcy. None of what they have striven for has worked; it has only made you change parts of your routine, such as the aforementioned leave of your job and longer bouts of depression and grieving. And Others are starting to show up.

"You must fight them at every turn. This is a war first and foremost for your mind. To start with, you need to relax. Concentrate on relaxing. Relax all the muscles in your body, one at a time. Whenever you become aware of a thought of a distressing sort entering your mind, blinking several times may distract your mind long enough until it passes. If this is not enough, do your best to clear your mind. Distract yourself. And whatever you do, don't hold your breath. Breathe steadily. Holding it in as a nervous reaction undermines everything else.

"Do not be afraid of these entities. They only exist because of people's fears. They are ancient, even more ancient than man, for even beasts have been afraid of some of the same things as man. And they will exist as long as there are creatures who feel fear. Without fear, They have nothing to work with, nothing to torment you with. You must become stronger.

"You can fight them. It certainly will not be easy, and you may yet see death, but being fearless is your only possible defense. Remember, I am here to help you."

I tried the techniques outlined by this voice, and they actually helped a great deal. I felt...overjoyed, even excited. A GOOD excitement for once.

I want to see a psychiatrist, though, because even though it helped, this Voice may be another hallucination. I want to know what a psychiatrist might have to say.