Cognitive distortions specific to ptsd

[Tinyflame]

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.

Thank you @anthony , although I apologize for the poor choice of wording, but perhaps you can help me determine what to call them, if I try to explain more below? (Perhaps "Unhelpful Beliefs in Response to Symptoms"-??)

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.

What I've been trying to do is figure out which cognitive distortions I'm defaulting to; some did not fit the top 10 (or top 50). But being as honest as I can with myself, I can say I 'believe' hypervigilance keeps myself & others more safe. (I don't control the hypervigilance, that's not what I mean, but I see it as a positive or at least necessary.) But I think the truth is vigilance would keep myself & others more safe; hypervigilance just exhausts me & I'm likely missing the real smaller risks I'm overlooking while watching for large ones. Can a person reduce that by adopting this new belief & changing patterns- not sitting with their back against the wall etc? Are we sending a message to the part of the brain that can have some control that hypervigilance is the only way?

Also, trauma re-enactment, I don't know what cognitive distortion thinking choosing that fits. In my case, I was thinking, why would I agree to see again a rapist, or be 'pleasant' to a guy who threatened to kill me? I mean, what 'end' does my brain think it's going to accomplish with that? Surely I'm harboring some distortions in if nothing else thinking applying past failures will produce a different result? Or a false sense of control, or thinking a do-over would prove how much affect I could have had? Things like that?

 

[Tinyflame]

I guess what I'm wondering too, is if we can communicate somatically to the brain, can we communicate (send a message) to parts of the brain also semi-consciously by challenging our responses to things like hypervigilance? (I don't think we can take it away, but maybe slow down the body's response & then the mind by repeatedly showing it hypervigilance isn't providing anything more useful? Starting by recognizing cognitively it's wearing us down, not preparing us to fight or flee?)

Oh God, my apologies if this doesn't make sense. :(

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@Junebug dont know if this helps as i dont know the situation you stating you're hypervillegent about; imo HYPER anything isnt really good, and i appologze if im not understanding your question (im the last person to know about signals in the brain) but JL gave me this site today http://www.cognitivetherapyguide.org/thought-records.htm and im liking it, A LOT. It seems to be useful for just about any emotional thought or reaction as im just throwing a few in my head and playing them out to see how it works (super new at this).

Sorry if im not being helpful, maybe it would help to create a thread about specifics as its hard (for me anyway) to advise w/o knowing what im advising about.

 

[anthony]

Can a person reduce that by adopting this new belief & changing patterns- not sitting with their back against the wall etc? Are we sending a message to the part of the brain that can have some control that hypervigilance is the only way?

Ok, hypervigilance is a behaviour, so lets leave that alone for now, as that is not the distortion, but the consequence of distortion/s.

Sitting with your back to the wall typically comes with a thought that, "I'm not safe unless I can see the entire room." Or such thoughts. Can you tell me the specific one that applies to you? You do think it, and will know it, if you sit with your back to the wall.

why would I agree to see again a rapist, or be 'pleasant' to a guy who threatened to kill me?

This isn't an outright distortion so much, as you looking to understand your decision. You're struggling with a behaviour, and need to first know the reason. With the reason will come the distortion which will allow you to look at the behaviour differently for future events. You can't change the past, but you decide on your future choices.

The simple way is... question time.

Did you intentionally seek out your rapist to see them?

 

[joeylittle]

@Junebug - it strikes me more that you are looking for places where you use Emotional Reasoning instead of balanced thinking. That thing called 'thinking with your feelings'. Hypervigilance is just what it is, a state of high arousal, generally involuntary. But if you are consciously putting yourself into that state because you feel like it will work 'better' than just having awareness, then that could be attributed to emotional reasoning. Does that sound closer?

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I like these processes. Still very new at it all but im liking them!

 

[Tinyflame]

Yes @joeylittle put that way I suppose it does. Thank you. I was just wondering today if I think with my feelings because they are more dependable than my reasoning. :rolleyes: Perhaps just thinking there must be a way to stop/ solve these things.

Thank you @lostforgottensoul it is a useful approach. I like how it includes "what are the long-term consequences of holding a particular belief".

Yes I've questioned it a lot @anthony. Yes I do sit that way to see everyone, to know my exits, & to defend who I can see within my field of vision (because it gives forewarning).

Yes I did seek them out in one case (should clarify that one was attempted rape. defining rape only including the old sense meaning of the word); put myself (or left myself) alone with a second one more than once (very violent attempted rape & battery, threatened to kill me & family as well), neither were long-term partners, one I was not even dating.

I will begin at the beginning again. Thanks @anthony. (Feel free to change to any title. :rolleyes: ) I get a lot of "why's?" (questions to myself) but no answers. Closest thing I've got goes back to childhood. Doesn't really satisfy me though.

 

[Tinyflame]

I did read today that damage to the amygdala results in not being able to put happenings/ situations in to proper context, & then we unconsciously use present emotions to try to fill in the blanks (versus supposedly we'd use short & long term memory, along with a properly functioning amygdala, to weigh situations and based on the past & present know how to react.) That's just paraphrasing of course, but I read it 3 times. I did not know that, I thought of the amygdala as basically only the 'rage centre'.

 

[anthony]

Yes I do sit that way to see everyone, to know my exits, & to defend who I can see within my field of vision (because it gives forewarning).

Ok... with having your back to the wall, how many times over what period have you absolutely required to use those exits from a threat or defend yourself or another in such society settings?

Closest thing I've got goes back to childhood. Doesn't really satisfy me though.

I don't want you to think about your answers, just write what comes into your head... here, and I will help you get to the issue so that you can take it from there. What you deem important and what may quickly help me to help you, two very different things.

 

[Tinyflame]

Oh @anthony thank you I didn't get it.

Yes the sitting- assinine- maybe 3 times in 10's of thousands, & then I was able to help others, health related problems (theirs), but not violence. And ironically 2 other times there were dangers (violence)- one was nearly fatal- I couldn't help but chose the back seat only because in that one it was a smoking section.

I also fear getting grabbed from the back of my neck. That was once only and yes-never again occurred. But it stuck with me I could not do anything about it, zero. and I have long hair, just feels like preventative.

The seriously violent rapist it took about a week but I dd get the police. I thought he'd let up if I ignored it. (I saw him daily, through work.

The less-violent guy I sought out did feel like trying to re-write it, not for his sake but mine. Two things came to me: maybe I'd fight back more this time. and also he said "I should like it". That reminded me of what I heard in childhood. But, though I did experience sexual assaults s a child outside of the home I didn't within my immediate family. Though I did have a couple of incomplete disturbing memories, but they may not be real Idk. Also, the 3rd thing I wondered about myself if it was some kind of self-destructive wish/ recklessness. Oh ya, & the fourth thing I wondered was if you just go along with rapists & don't make such a big deal bout it, or let it bother you, if life would just be simpler? Up to quite recently also I pretty much thought of rape as black or white (happens or doesn't) & anything else just a 'perv'. Being also a 'freezer' I hate myself for that, but can't seem to physically fight back when warranted/ useful too often (I did twice.)

Ugh. It all sounds so F'ed up, really.

Thank you for the help.

 

[anthony]

Ok... so what if you tried to find a seat in the middle of a cafe or such, somewhere that you would normally seat with back to the wall... do what you do for as long as you can, just get a coffee, something small, and see whether anything happens to you that requires you to have your back to the wall, eyes alert at all times.

Just try it... don't run, just baby steps. Then assure yourself of the factual outcome of you sitting in the middle and what happens to you, or does not. It takes practice to do. Don't confuse that if you sat in a cafe or such in a high crime, high violence area, then sitting with your back to the wall and knowing the exists, is not a cognitive distortion under such circumstances, and is the reality of the situation. But if this is not the case, and your cafe, restaurant, or such is as safe as anywhere else, then try for the middle and assure yourself at all times of the factual reality around you. Is the threat real, or in your head only?

It takes practice to reassure yourself... not once or twice.

Lets work on one... we'll come back to the other once you try this a few times. Please remind me if I miss this...

 

[Tinyflame]

I will do it if then @anthony .

Thank you.