Force psychosis Force psychosis was a mental disease that began affecting several young Jedi during the time following the Second Galactic Civil War . The disease caused mental deterioration in the individual ' s brain which manifested itself as a paranoia resulting in the belief that everyone that the being knew — except for other affected beings — was an impostor . Several of the afflicted subjects were captured by the Jedi Order to be studied , and it was found that the Jedi who developed the psychosis were able to display rare Force powers that Jedi Knight Jacen Solo had learned , but the psychotic Knights could not have learned themselves . However , another afflicted Knight , Bazel Warv , showed the ability to alter the density of matter , a power that Solo never possessed . Members of the Mind Walkers — a group of Force - sensitives who lived at Sinkhole Station , a space station in the Maw — had contracted and experienced similar symptoms earlier in their lives . However , after living at the station and traveling to a realm of the Force known as beyond shadows , their paranoia was replaced with a belief that nothing was real except for the Force itself . Eventually , Luke Skywalker and his son , Ben , allied themselves with a group of Sith and embarked on a mission to the Maw to destroy Abeloth , a dark side entity whom they suspected was the cause of the psychosis . Despite the attempt of the Sith to betray the Jedi and force Abeloth to serve them , Skywalker defeated Abeloth , and the beings who had been affected by the psychosis were then instantly cured . As the Sith and Jedi continued investigating Abeloth , however , they learned that she had survived and fled . When Sith High Lord Sarasu Taalon bathed in the Pool of Knowledge , he began to turn into the same kind of entity as Abeloth , until he was killed by Sith apprentice Vestara Khai , although Abeloth escaped once more . Since she was not dead , Luke suspected that keeping her weakened was the only thing keeping the minds of the formerly psychotic Knights free . However , following the rescue of Valin and Jysella Horn from carbonite , they retained their psychosis . Another battle with Abeloth freed the Horn siblings from her control . As Abeloth recovered , however , she was able to influence several Sith into betraying their Tribe and joining her . History . Rise of the psychosis in the Jedi Knights . The dark side being Abeloth used her influence over the minds of Force - sensitives to draw them to her in the Maw , so that she could feed off of their life energy and strengthen herself . She used her powers to make the Force - sensitives believe that only the Force was real , thus making them believe that everyone who had not fallen under her influence was an impostor . She exercised her influence from at least the days of the Galactic Republic and Old Jedi Order , although she did so only rarely at first , and the situation remained unnoticed by the Jedi . The Jedi Knight Seff Hellin fell under Abeloth ' s influence and was the first Jedi to be noted by the New Jedi Order for acting strangely . Later , the Jedi Knight Valin Horn contracted the psychosis and was apprehended by his father , Corran , and mother , Mirax . He later escaped , however , and was finally captured by the Jedi Order after a long manhunt . The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances decided that Horn was too dangerous to be confined in a normal prison , though , so he was encased in carbonite and placed in the Armand Isard Correctional Facility . Hellin discovered Horn ' s presence there and attempted to rescue him , but he was instead captured by Darkmeld — an organization formed by Jedi Knight Jaina Solo to counter Chief of State Natasi Daala ' s anti - Jedi policies . Jedi Master Cilghal then began to conduct a secret study of the disease in Hellin in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant . Shortly afterward , Horn ' s sister Jysella also contracted the psychosis , and after a duel with fellow Knights Bazel Warv and Yaqeel Saav ' etu , she was captured by Galactic Alliance Security forces . Natua Wan , a Falleen Knight , also fell under Abeloth ' s influence . She was subsequently apprehended by Jedi Knights Radd Minker , Jaina Solo , and Leia Organa Solo , and brought to the Temple to be studied . After studying Hellin ' s brain , Cilghal discovered that he had been experiencing dreams while he was awake . It was also found that several of the affected Knights were able to display rare Force powers that Jacen Solo had possessed and that the Knights could not have learned themselves . Additional research found that the symptoms of the disease were lessened if the victim was cut off or isolated from the Force for extended periods of time . This revelation led some healers to suggest that the disease may have been transmitted through the Force itself . It was noted by Cilghal that all those who were affected with the disease had been stationed on Shelter in the Maw during the Yuuzhan Vong War . Rising tensions with the Galactic Alliance . After being isolated inside an ysalamir - induced Force bubble , Hellin began showing signs of recovery . Meanwhile , Saav ' etu and Warv also contracted the disease , although Warv was able to recognize Organa Solo as a non - impostor for a brief time . The two Knights were captured by Organa Solo , her daughter , Jaina , Imperial Remnant Head of State Jagged Fel , and Han Solo . A Galactic Alliance Security force under the command of Captain Atar attempted to arrest the two psychotic Jedi , but Fel and the Solos managed to get the Jedi to safety . It was also noted that Warv was able to alter the density of matter , a power which Solo never displayed . Later , Warv , Saav ' etu , Wan , and Hellin were smuggled offworld to Shedu Maad in the Hapes Cluster in order to escape conviction by the Galactic Alliance . A group of Jedi and press also gained access to the blockhouse where the Horn siblings were being held . They found the Horns ' carbonite blocks suspended over a fish tank in the executive offices of the building , garnering sympathy for the Jedi from the public . Meanwhile , exiled Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker and his son , Ben Skywalker , had embarked on a quest to learn more about the cause of Darth Caedus ' fall to the dark side of the Force . During their travel they saw Jedi Knight Qwallo Mode — who had gone missing a year previously and had been presumed dead — floating in the vacuum of space without a vac suit . Their journey soon after led them to Sinkhole Station , a space station in the Maw that was home to a group of Force - sensitives known as the Mind Walkers . There , they found Mode and discovered that he had also been inflicted with the psychosis . However , he recognized the Skywalkers and did not believe them to be impostors . The Jedi interacted with the Mind Walkers , who possessed the ability to separate their minds from their bodies in order to travel in a realm of the Force known as beyond shadows . Luke Skywalker traveled in the realm as his Mind Walker guides showed him the places that they had taken Caedus during his visit . Ben eventually grew concerned for his father and convinced the Mind Walker Rhondi Tremaine to take him beyond shadows , too . After catching up to his father , they saw Abeloth — known to the Mind Walkers as the " Lady in the Mists " — in the Mists of Forgetfulness . They intended to travel toward her to discover what exactly she was , but after speaking with the spirit of Caedus in the Lake of Apparitions , they decided that they needed to return to their physical bodies . The decision proved to be correct — the Jedi were ambushed by a strike team of Sith from the Lost Tribe on Kesh . They defeated the Sith , however , and Ben later conjectured that Abeloth was causing the illness . Shortly after , a Chev Jedi Knight , Sothais Saar , developed the psychosis while reporting to Wynn Dorvan , Daala ' s personal aide , in the Senate Building . After escaping to the Senate Plaza , Saar was confronted by Cilghal , who captured him before Coruscant Security Forces could arrive . The Security Forces attempted to force the Jedi to hand Saar over , but the Jedi refused . In retaliation , Daala sent a task force of Mandalorians to attack the Jedi Temple . Abeloth ' s defeat . Later , the Sith confronted the Skywalkers on Dathomir and allied with the Jedi in an effort to eliminate Abeloth ; although the Sith ' s true motive was to betray and kill the Jedi and force Abeloth to serve under them . The allied forces traveled first to Klatooine to restock on supplies before embarking on their mission . There , the Force - sensitive Dyon Stadd succumbed to the psychosis while planet - side with Ben Skywalker and the Sith apprentice Vestara Khai . He was captured and taken into custody aboard the " Jade Shadow " . Meanwhile , several more Jedi on Coruscant began to develop the psychosis , including the Human Jedi Kunor Bann and Turi Altamik , prompting Cilghal to write a report on the psychotic Jedi , presenting her worry that the number of Jedi developing the illness was rapidly increasing . While Bann had been captured inside the Jedi Temple , Altamik had managed to escape the Temple and lead a chase that was caught on holocam by journalist Javis Tyrr before she was finally captured by the Jedi . The Galactic Alliance began demanding custody of Altamik and Saar , and when the Jedi refused to turn the two over , Daala ordered a Mandalorian siege of the Jedi Temple . The Jedi , trapped inside the Temple , began to run low on supplies , including the medications they were using on their psychotic captives . However , Leia Solo came up with a plan to use the Force to compel some rodents into service . She then used them to sneak supplies in to the Jedi Temple . Meanwhile , as the Sith and Jedi continued on their mission , they discovered that Sinkhole Station had been destroyed , and suspected that Abeloth had been confined there , but that she had finally grown powerful enough to break free . They traveled straight to a planet in the Maw where Khai and the strike team that attacked the Jedi at Sinkhole Station had met Abeloth . There , the Skywalkers realized that the locations they had seen beyond shadows corresponded to real locations on the planet . As Skywalker and three Sith attempted and failed to locate Abeloth by traveling beyond shadows , Khai pretended to help Stadd by allowing him to escape his confinement aboard the " Jade Shadow " . In reality , however , she had placed a homing beacon on him . The Jedi and Sith followed him to Abeloth ' s cave , where they found that Abeloth had drained his life force and then fled deeper into the cave , leaving Stadd for dead . After coming into contact with her , Stadd finally realized that Abeloth was not what she claimed to be . Although he still felt as though he were surrounded by impostors , he realized that this was based solely on her influence and thus knew it was a lie . The Jedi and Sith finally found Abeloth , but she took on the appearance of Callista Ming and pretended to be Skywalker ' s long - lost lover . He soon realized that it was a lie , however , and attacked Abeloth . During the ensuing skirmish , Skywalker apparently killed Abeloth , resulting in the termination of her induced psychosis and the instant cure of all affected beings . Cilghal reported the sudden cure of Saar , Altamik , and Bann to interim Grand Master Kenth Hamner . Recovery . Saar and Altamik were then presented to Daala in the Fellowship Plaza and examined by Doctor Thalleus Tharn under Daala ' s orders . They were proclaimed sane , and the siege was lifted . However , the Sith and Jedi on Abeloth ' s planet meanwhile discovered that the entity had not actually died . As they continued to search for her , the Sith High Lord Sarasu Taalon bathed in the Pool of Knowledge and began to change into the same kind of entity as Abeloth . However , the Sith and Jedi alliance ended , and the Skywalkers and Khai tracked Abeloth to the moon Pydyr . They soon learned that she was living among the Fallanassi , and Luke found that she was using the White Current to create the illusion of a planetary plague — succeeding in tricking all of the Sith and Jedi except for Luke Skywalker . Meanwhile , on Coruscant , strife grew within the Jedi Order . The Jedi Council desired to act quickly to rescue the Horns and help the Skywalkers by sending out a strike team of StealthX s , but Hamner wanted to negotiate with Daala for the Horns and delay the launch , since he had made a deal with Admiral Nek Bwua ' tu during the siege of the Temple to wait until the Admiral ' s word to send the StealthXs , in return for cooperation of the Alliance navy with the Jedi . However , Bwua ' tu had since been attacked by assassins , leaving him in a coma . The Jedi Masters grew frustrated with Hamner ' s inaction , and when they learned of the deal he had made with Bwua ' tu — in which he had neglected to consult with them — they removed him as acting Grand Master and decided to launch the StealthXs . Hamner attempted to stop the launch , but failed , and fell to his death from a catwalk in the hangar . Afterward , Master Saba Sebatyne was voted unanimously to take his place as interim Grand Master . On Pydyr , Khai had called for reinforcements , and three shuttles of Sith arrived with Taalon . Taalon decided not to kill the Jedi yet , as they might still prove useful , but in the ensuing confrontation with Abeloth , Skywalker killed another of Abeloth ' s bodies — the Fallanassi Akanah Norand Goss Pell — and Taalon was killed by Khai in order to prevent him from becoming another Abeloth . However , when the other Sith learned that Khai had killed him , unaware as they were of why , she was forced to flee with the Skywalkers , who escaped under cover of the arriving StealthX wing , and continued to chase after Abeloth . Luke suspected that it was their constant pressure on Abeloth , keeping her weak , that was making her lose control of her influence over the Jedi Knights ' minds , and thus did not want to lose her . Meanwhile , the rescue of the Horns was successful , and they were brought back to the Jedi Temple to be freed from carbonite . Though they acted normal upon their reawakening , it was just an attempt to throw the Jedi off — the Horn siblings retained the psychosis . Through a careful pretense of full recovery , the Horn siblings succeeded in being assigned missions , giving them the chance to escape from Coruscant . Upon coming into contact with journalist Kandra Nilitz , they traveled to the planet Nam Chorios , where Abeloth was in hiding . There , they deserted Nilitz , and Jysella commandeered one of the planet ' s defending gun platforms while Valin located Abeloth on the surface . However , Khai and the Skywalkers were also searching for Abeloth on Nam Chorios , and they found her and severely weakened her , causing the Horn siblings to be freed from their psychosis . The Skywalkers , Khai , and the Horns escaped while a Jedi StealthX wing defeated Sith forces in orbit . Soon afterward , however , Sith Saber Gavar Khai , Vestara Khai ' s father , and several other Sith defected from the Sith Tribe to join Abeloth ' s forces , as her influence over him grew stronger . Khai was later killed in a duel with his daughter , and during the duel , she realized that he had fallen under Abeloth ' s influence . Symptoms . The symptoms of the psychosis included a general paranoia , accompanied with the belief that everyone had been replaced by impostors , except for other similarly affected beings . Moreover , the infected Jedi were able to instinctively use rare Force powers which they did not have before contracting the psychosis . Several Mind Walkers experienced similar symptoms before joining the group at Sinkhole Station , where they came to believe that nothing was real except for the Force . This belief eased the psychotic beings ' paranoia — Mode and the other Mind Walkers did not believe the Skywalkers to be impostors . Another symptom was the belief that Abeloth and the other affected beings were the only truthful , trustworthy beings in the galaxy . While affected , Stadd felt that Abeloth desired him , and he viewed her as beautiful until the moment he came into true contact with her , when she began to draw upon his life energy and he realized that her influence had been a lie . Later , when Gavar Khai fell under Abeloth ' s influence , he was convinced to desert the Lost Tribe even though Abeloth had just killed his wife . He later made a claim that losing his wife and even his daughter did not matter to him , as he could replace both . The irrationalities he showed during his duel against his daughter revealed to her that he was no longer the same being he had once been . Behind the scenes . Force psychosis first appeared briefly in the novel " Millennium Falcon " . It later played a significant role in the " " series . Force psychosis is similar to the real - life condition known as .