Cognitive distortions specific to ptsd

[Tinyflame]

Two I have believed I think are not so: hypervigilance does not keep me more safe, and I cannot re-write the endings to my traumas, no matter what, even re-enacting them or blaming myself.

What do you think? Do you have distortions specific to PTSD?

 

[lostforgottensoul]

TOTALLY!

 

[shimmerz]

hypervigilance does not keep me more safe, a

It does if you are still in danger from the original trauma. The problem is in recognizing when it gets stuck in the on position, although the threat is over.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

The problem is in recognizing when it gets stuck in the on position, although the threat is over.

Thats my issue

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Well i gotz MANY issues but thats one...stuck in a mind loop...

 

[anthony]

hypervigilance does not keep me more safe, and I cannot re-write the endings to my traumas

How are they cognitive distortions? The 10 most common are: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/primary-cognitive-distortions-negative-thinking-styles.87554/

 

[Chava]

I don't have many cognitive distortions related to my trauma (had more when deep in eating disorder because I became quite black and white in my thinking). Mainly I've had the general but difficult thought that I am flawed, but I also tend to sometimes conflate and catastrophize when triggered.

For me the my trauma symptoms come down to more basic regulation, less cognitive distortion. But related both to regulation and cognition, my therapist helped point out conflating when I was globbing present and past stuff together (I have some overwhelming time distortion stuff that is hard to explain, but could be described as conflating in cognitive terms).

 

[Chava]

hypervigilance does not keep me more safe

For me this part gets tricky because my brain knows this, but I still feel my hypervigilance. It's just there. It isn't a cognitive issue. My hypervigilance is wired into my nervous system, amygdala, etc. I don't have thoughts about it. I am simply tense, scanning, the way I am... But if you have thoughts about it, like you believe hiding out or keeping a gun with you at all times, or what not, is necessary to keep you safe, that might be a cognitive issue. I have very few mental tapes or messages regarding my trauma or my safety. It's all body-level stuff that I work to be aware of and respond in less ingrained ways.

That being said, it does take some awareness and thinking to catch and change the hypervigilant patterns and responses. So more often I find I'm adding correction cognitions where there simply weren't any cognitions at all, like "I'm okay. Right now, I'm fine." My mind didn't tell me I wasn't...my body or nervous system did, if that makes sense. But now my mind can jump in and see more clearly when I recognize a trigger (doesn't work perfectly, but better). Alright, sorry for a bit of a side track...

 

[lostforgottensoul]

How are they cognitive distortions? The 10 most common are: https://www.myptsd.com/threads/primary-cognitive-distortions-negative-thinking-styles.87554/

I LOVE that site too, bookmarked it! That 1 - 10 is me 100% which seems rather weird to me cuz i thought i was showing more Borderline sympthoms than PTSD. Pfftt, i dont know, i dont get me but my therapist seems to have me figured out pretty well. We dont really talk on terms of labels much, he said it can do more harm than the label its discribing.

 

[Chava]

side note: the list of cognitive distortions is general...prevalent in many disorders (and also non-disorders). The question about PTSD-specific distortions is a little more nuanced (and also why I don't think I actually have many related to my trauma...I have had them heavily related to eating in the past though, even if I could say the ED was fueled partly by trauma as well...EDs are notorious for distortions).

 

[anthony]

Distortions are not specific to PTSD, or any other disorder. Cognitive Distortions are just that, cognitive distortions. They are about the way you think (negative thinking), and then that thinking has actions (negative in nature). People should not try and link cognitive distortions to a disorder, because they just don't work that way.

That is why I commented on this, because the title of this thread is honestly misleading and way off base from the factual aspects of what a cognitive distortion is. Don't try and claim them for PTSD, don't try and link them to PTSD, because that is not how they work.

You should definitely not be trying to state symptoms as a cognitive distortion... symptoms are symptoms, they can be a consequence, but they are not the cognitive distortion itself. The cognitive distortion is a thinking style... that is all that should be talked about when referring to cognitive distortions.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Distortions are not specific to PTSD, or any other disorder. Cognitive Distortions are just that, cognitive...

Ah, that makes a TON of sense! Thanks!