Baseline

[rosey]

seem to be hearing the baseline term thrown around a lot recently. I haven't a clue what my baseline is, i understand what it means but I honestly dont think i have a "normal emotional state" I tend to be in either an emotional whirl wind or zoned out state. Anyone else in the same boat?

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I do not understand it either so you are not alone.

 

[Friday]

I tend to be in either an emotional whirl wind or zoned out state

So that would be your baseline. AKA your own personal version of normal (for right now) & your minimum starting off point.

Conversely, If your normal is usually different? The fluctuating back and forth from emotionally volatile vs disassociation would be a departure from your baseline.

In part it very much depends on how long you make the arc. If my arc is the past 5 years? Then my baseline is XYZ. If my arc include the past 15 years? Then the past 5 years is a departure from my baseline of ABC. If I shrink my arc to the last month? Or the last day? Then we see even more variation. If we want to change my baseline ________? Then we're working on changing what my normal ________ is. Whether that's my emotional state, or heart rate, or any other thing we choose to focus on.

Example, if an ambulance comes and takes your baseline heart rate? That tells them what your heart is doing right now. Any departure from that, up or down, gives them more info. Your baseline heart rate can be a bloody mess, and it needs to be stabilized. Once it is stable? That's a new baseline. If it's all over the place and can't be stabilized? That's still your baseline. Your baseline heart rate can be steady, and that let's them know that any departure from that needs to be stabilized.

It's just a subjective tool to measure normal, or right now, or where we're starting from... So we can compare it to other things.

 

[rosey]

brilliant explanation @Friday i shall be printing that off for use in future sessions. it confirms really what i have been thinking that in actual fact a baseline of emotions is too movable to be of any guidance to me. as i have said to my therapist in the past how i usually am makes little difference it is how i am at the moment that is important.

 

[shimmerz]

I think what you may be describing is your feeling your emotional dysregulation. Swings are wild aren't they? If that didn't feel like crazymaking to me I don't know what did.

SUDS levels are a way of getting to better regulation. It gives you something concrete that you can measure. For instance, I would do tapping (EFT) and I swear on a level of 1-10 I would be a 25. On the opposing side, I used to go into these coma like states. I called them a -25.

And somewhere in the middle there is something called the Window of Tolerance. That is, ideally, where you want your overall emotional experience to be in.

I noticed for myself that when I felt a SUDS rating of 20, lets say, I would grab my teddy and recognize that I went down to a 5. If there was perfume on the teddy, I would go down to a 3. So my teddy went with me everywhere so that I could recognize that I had a modicum of control over my SUDS level. Lilac candles really helped me too. It is a great way to learn self soothing.

A brief description of SUDS is here.
Link Removed

There is also a posting out there somewhere that is in social I think that encourages people to post their SUDS levels.

Ahhhhh, here it is.
What Is Your Subjective Units Of Distress (suds) Rating Right Now?

 

[rosey]

I think what you may be describing is your feeling your emotional dysregulation. Swings are wild aren...

thanks for those links really helpful and i will be looking into that more in the morning when brain in gear. starting emdr soon but might look at the EFT to combine with it have heard of it before so know it is worth trying out.