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r/therapists • … • u/Dust_Kindly

Maladaptive versus typical: adolescents "plane shifting"

Im sure we've all had our own fair share of spooky games and urban legends in adolescence - Bloody Mary, Cat Scratch, and many others.

Apparently on tiktok theres a "trend" of something called plane shifting. Participants use it to be able to transport themselves to fictional universes, such as Harry Potter/Hogwarts. More than one client has reported theyve been able to meet their favorite characters, and in one instance the client reports that theyve summoned a character to the real world who now follows them around. The whole concept is kinda reminiscent of the idea of astral projection, but not quite the same.

My question is where do you draw the line between being a harmless, normal experience typical of adolescence, versus a maladaptive, potentially even delusional belief?

On one hand, I can see this being a harmless, fun thing that the kid will grow out of, and shouldn't really be a focus of clinical attention. On the other hand, I worry if I'm not educating or exploring, I could be feeding into the belief/behavior.

I do plan to bring this up in supervision, but since I dont know if theres one clear cut answer, I was hoping for some additional perspectives :)

FWIW, none of the adolescents I'm referencing have religious or cultural backgrounds that would be an influence nor do I have any reason to believe this is a spiritual thing.

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