Myla, you are a master of prose and sacred spirit among the haunts and their horrors. I enjoy both and appreciate the fact that no one gets to that place and status without much pain and suffering and worse, lostness.

A point to consider has to do with your statement:

"Cognitive Dissonance is when you valiantly attempt to hold two or more opposite, incompatible, and conflicting ideas in your mind simultaneously."

The dissonance is not holding apposing views simultaneously. Arguably, that is wisdom. The dissonance comes with both... the apposing views being consciously domiciled in the mind and the mind not being able to reconcile with both simultaneously decides [typically unconsciously] to discard one or the other and thus, removing the conflict... ala, the dissonance. This is small mindedness and likely a result of what narcs create in their targets, a lack of self efficacy.

Lastly, stay the course and remain standing among the voices that the world needs when haunts and horrors come knocking.

Eric