What is reality?

Acute psychosis due to burnout. That was the official diagnosis. I awoke soaked in sweat, panicked, and convinced that my soon-to-be ex-sister-in-law was possessing me so that she could stay in the family. I could feel my mother-in-law shaking me, insisting that Alison leave my body. Believing I was losing my mind, I contacted my sister to assure her I was not suicidal. Not only was I delusional, but I was also paranoid that the government was involved in the plan. Did any of this make sense? No. Was it my reality? A thousand times yes.

My sister called me, while simultaneosly contacting our mother to come check on me. She could hear the panic in my voice.

My mom came to pick me up and take me to the ER. This part of the story felt like an out-of-body experience. One moment, I was sitting on my front porch talking to my mom, and the next, I was in her car racing towards the hospital. The entire drive was surreal; it seemed like we didn't pass a single car. Upon arriving at the hospital, I was convinced we were in an episode of the Truman Show, with every staff member acting as if they were part of a script. The lights in the building seemed to illuminate as I moved towards another room. It felt like I was the main character in a bizarre Lifetime movie.

All the tests came back with negative results, as I was confident they would. My delusions transitioned from believing I was possessed by Alison to imagining various storylines from popular movies and entertainment news. At this time, they told my mother to return home. I was to be placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold and transferred to a psychiatric hospital in the morning. At 37 years old, I was experiencing a break from reality. I was fearful of falling asleep, convinced that I might not wake up or that something dreadful might happen to my son and husband. My husband, unaware of my whereabouts at the time, was soon about to face his own personal hell.