OP and your reply are both beautifully written, and both touch on what I found to be the over arching message of this film: All details aside, her reality is real to her, and she often has trouble differentiating, as do we, the viewer. She has no support, and even if she did, she is trying to hide her disorder because it's embarrassing and possibly shameful to her...the way her step dad makes fun of her grandmother. (It kills me thinking about that wad of go-away cash he gave her.) Then she does get into care and the social worker seems initially empathetic, but he goes on to (inappropriately?) outright dismiss any talk of aliens. No matter, he is ultimately no help at all because her 72 hrs is up.
This film is about society's disfunctional approach to mental health. I love the Duplass Brothers, and I am not surprised they are behind this movie. The film effectively shows the very confusing perspective of the illness and how it is more commonly not as obvious as the "crazy" rambling man on the street. We have to be looking closer.
Your story is fascinating. I don't have schizophrenia, but life long anxiety/depression. I've done years of excavation of my own brain, and your talk of energy, push and pull, ebb and flow is exactly my belief and/or method of coping. You really got under my skin with "choice is energy." I happen to be dealing with that one RN in a huge way, and I hadn't thought of it that way. Thank you.
Anyway, my best to you. Your suffering has obviously afforded you wonderful intelligence and intuition re: this human condition.