Why wanting to save others is not always psychologically healthy - the short story of the messiah complex

Note! The term "messiah complex" is neither a clinical term nor an official name for a diagnosis. To be honest, it is extremely difficult to find information about it in the literature of psychological science, because this phenomenon of the psyche has been little studied.

What is a messiah or saviour complex? 

Messiah complex (messiahcomplex,messianic complex), also the lifeguard complex (savior complex) is a state of perception in which a person feels convinced that his destiny and mission is to be a saviour to others, or that he will become the chosen saviour in the near future. 

Nianse! This is not about the routine, everyday act of helping (rescuing) another person in situations where it is objective and justified, especially if the other person asks for help, but about an obsessive-like belief and behaviour in which one seeks to save almost the whole world and humanity or a particular group of humanity.

It is essentially a delusion (delusion), or a state of delusional belief, and its symptomatology is similar to that of spiritual narcissism, where a person feels greater and more powerful than others (Clarke, 2010), and is characterised by a tendency to become a leader of humanity or a group of humanity, preaching, healing and sowing hope (Goldwert, 1993).

The little Messiah in each of us

I like the way this phenomenon has been paraphrased in simple words Scott Bessenecker - it is the "they need rescuing, I have the solution" view (they are the needy ones, I have solution), and these beliefs can be "poisonous and toxic". Recognising the false Messiah in oneself, renouncing him, and discovering the true Messiah in oneself and bringing him out - "this change of perspective is one of the most difficult things I have had to make my students and myself aware of (Bessenecker, 2013)".

Although in what follows I will talk more about the very vivid and strongly pronounced messiah complex, which denotes its unhealthy form, I would like to mention that I think that the little Messiah and saviour of the world lives in each one of us - it is just a question of the expressiveness of this characteristic and whether we use it in an adequate and constructive way. 🙂

A social system that normalises rescue and even supports it

Seriously, I think we live in a cultural space where rescue (not always in its healthiest form) is cultivated as a benevolent and encouraged act (we even have award ceremonies where rescuers get special recognition, and the biggest profits in the film industry today come from superhero-rescuer-centred works). 

We live in an environment where it is constantly emphasised, for example, that we are the generation that is capable (or even destined) to end human suffering, hunger, war, poverty... Similarly, we live in a society where the victim is honoured and vindicated and the perpetrator is condemned and vilified. This way of thinking seems to us normal and even legally correct, even though it is not always justified.

Without going into a deeper analysis of why this is so, I will mention that in this context it is worth reading a popular psychological theory - the Karpman triangle (The Karpman Drama Triangle). In short, Karpman's triangle represents a relationship between saviour, victim and abuser in which the roles are constantly reversed (victim becomes saviour, abuser becomes victim and saviour becomes abuser), thus becoming trapped in a destructive cycle of relationships. This can be observed both in simple everyday situations (e.g. family disputes) and in societal processes.

If it's more about being a rescuer, then yes, rescuing another person often makes us feel very good because it makes us feel important, significant, valuable, empowered and boosts our self-esteem. However, when we take the position of rescuer, we sometimes unconsciously put the other person in the position of victim and perceive them as less important and weaker. Often, through the gesture of rescuing, we deprive the other person of their psychological strength and capacity. By rescuing, it is possible to reduce the other person's ability to stand on his or her own, to learn the skills that are important for him or her in the ongoing process of overcoming difficulties.

Relationship with human spiritual beliefs

In the context of spirituality, the messianic complex is characterised, for example, by the beliefs that we are the generation destined to welcome the newborn Jesus and the Last Day; to experience the transition of the Earth into a new 4D and 5D reality; to participate in the victory of light over darkness. We are the special ones, the chosen ones, and all those who don't understand - they are all to be saved, trained and awakened, because they have not yet found their way towards becoming a being of light or a lightworker... And, at the same time, we (the white, good and empathetic ones) understand them (the black ones) because they have chosen the path of darkness... Don't we? 🙂

At present, the messiah complex can be observed in the field of spirituality, for example in the following cases:

• a man has gone to Peru to a shaman for a ceremony in which he experiences an expanded state of consciousness. On his return, he drastically changes his lifestyle, becoming a "spiritual teacher" who preaches the beliefs of his new life;
• a person has experienced the Time Line Healing Method and as a result has realised that they are a chosen one with special abilities, given to them to help other people find their true path in life;
• a man makes a spiritual journey to Jerusalem and realises that Jesus has incarnated (the second coming) or that the Archangel Michael has incarnated in him. There is even a term for this - the Jerusalem Syndrome (Jerusalem syndrome) (Acharya & Murdock, 2013).

This state of mind is aptly described by the quote: "There are plenty of these 'Jesus Christs' running around in the world, and none of them is likely to agree that any of the others are sincere and in their right minds (Acharya & Murdock, 2013)." 🙂

Mental development borderline with mental illness

In terms of predisposition and association with psychiatric illness, a very prominent messiah complex tends to manifest as part of psychosis and is most commonly associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (Goldwert, 1993).

There is also a borderline with the theme of spiritual awakening, as the messiah complex also tends to emerge after experiencing intense expanded states of consciousness, such as mystical experiences (this is also the case in my personal experience).

Essential! Here it is important to understand one thing: intensely expanded states of consciousness are inherently beneficial for mental health and may indicate spiritual development, but they tend to be similar to psychosis in their course and form. How a person experiences such a state (whether in terms of spiritual development or clinical consequences) depends largely on how well he or she is able to integrate this extremely vivid experience into his or her everyday life. For more detailed information, see my previous articles.

A bit of subjective interpretation 

It is not yet clear to science exactly what causes the messiah complex. However, if I may offer my interpretation based on personal experience... During intense states of expanded consciousness, one experiences a merging with the all-encompassing field of consciousness that many choose to call "God" (also Cosmos, Universe, Consciousness, etc.). In essence, in this state one experiences the "indisputable fact" that all is one and all is God - including the person experiencing it. Moreover, during these experiences one tends to have a sense of one's uniqueness, chosenness and deep belonging to the existing order of the Universe, and that "God dwells within me", that "I am God", because "everything is God, including me". And in this expanded state of consciousness it seems infinitely logical, right and perfect.

However, when we return from this experience (back into a narrower space of consciousness), our mind tends to translate and explain the experience into images, symbols and terms that we can understand, and sometimes this happens in a broader state of consciousness verbatim by transferring it to individual consciousness (although the translation should be more symbolic than literal). This results in a thinking error: the individual mind tries to adapt to itself a meta-consciousness level of understanding, which is not really realistic because they are two different levels of understanding.

To sum up, I think that the messiah complex is the result of a thinking error that arises because what is experienced in the wider field of consciousness is literally transferred to everyday reality. This is due to lack of information, ignorance and, above all, an unstable Ego and lack of critical thinking. In essence, the manifestation of the messiah complex indicates the difficulty of a person to return to normal everyday functioning after a spiritual experience and/or psychosis.

How to solve?

Several of you have asked me how to help someone who is showing signs of spiritual bypass, and I suppose the same question will arise on this topic. 

To be honest, I have no idea how to help a person with an acute messiah complex, and there is a big question about whether it should be done at all. The only thing that comes to mind is the influence to keep our own personal boundaries and filter information. In this state one is absolutely convinced of one's own righteousness and believes that one does not need help. So what is unlikely to help is trying to convince them otherwise.

To solve something, a person you have to want it yourself to make a difference (this applies not only to spiritual apostasy, spiritual narcissism and the messiah complex, but also to every other difficulty and problem in life). As long as a person does not perceive his behaviour as a problem, it is not a problem for him. If we cannot live with it, it is our problem and we have to do the work - with ourselves.

I really don't have the right answer, but the good news is that an acute messiah complex tends to change over time as life makes its adjustments. Most often, after a while, the person experiences a huge emotional fall and disappointment because his messiah consciousness has not been fulfilled (such people usually face rejection, rejection, ridicule and ostracism) and sometimes this works as a reason to "come back to reality".

After "conversion", the person will need all the emotional and psychological support that can be given - understanding, acceptance and empathy and, above all, a non-judgemental perception of their past actions.

This free content is produced in my spare time without pay. If you see value in what I do, I'd be happy to make you a coffee! It's like a spur to create new content! 🙂

Sources:

Acharya, S., Murdock, D.M. (2013, Dec 16). Dangerous delusions: The Messiah Complex and Jerusalem Syndrome. 

Bessenecker, S. (2013, Apr 18) Messianic Complex and Entitlement.

Brooks, D. (2010, Jan 08). The messiah complex. New York Times. 

Clarke, I. (2010). Psychosis and Spirituality: Consolidating the New Paradigm, Second Edition. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 240.

Goldwert, M. (1993). The messiah-complex in schizophrenia. Psychological reports, 73(1), 331-335.