I should probably open a new thread about this subject of paranoia, because it may help some people. I know I'm not the only one who has been attacked this way, since the conspiracy theorist crowd talk about being "targeted individuals," meaning that complete strangers will often come up to them and say things suggesting they know intimate details about their lives.
I have a religious spin on all this, as you might expect. The devil wants to make people paranoid because paranoia leads to mistrust, mistrust leads to the freezing of charity, and this of course is death to the soul. Look at how William Cooper ended up, people like that. That is why Hollywood makes films like They Live, it leads to an isolationist, paranoiac stance.
So maybe, in our lives, we will meet with a handful of people who, inspired by the arch-fiend of the universe, will have the power of suggestion and will know how to play with our minds.
So what?
What is crucial to understand is that, though I believe such people do exist, they are not and never can be the majority. But if this happens to you enough, if you have reason to believe that you are "targeted," you can easily start to see everyone as part of some gigantic plot. You will have no charitable interpretation of any action or any word that is said to you. This leads to massive egotism and the notion that you are a hero in a world of monsters. And that is when you yourself become the monster.
It's really a perfect way to trick certain people, because certain people, due to pride, are already predisposed to think that way ( including myself ). The only solution to this attack is humility, and seeing your brother as BETTER than yourself. That is what has helped me.
In my life I have often found that what at first seemed like a battle with the devil, was in reality only a battle with my own pride... Which was being played like a violin by the devil. Interesting, eh? Everything comes down to pride vs. humility, is what I'm beginning to comprehend. The more you exalt God while humbling yourself, the more clearly you will see, and the less you can be tricked.