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Is all-or-nothing thinking part of ptsd?

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freya

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Is all-or-nothing thinking, or seeing things 'black and white' part of PTSD?

I'm fairly new to the diagnosis, and I am wondering about this.

Examples are: to make a small mistake and think that I am worthless and will never be able to function properly.
To react very strongly and feel completely broken over something that others may take more lightly. To feel utterly defeated by for example communication problems.

Freya
 
it is definately part of depression, which is thinking with your primitive fight or flight part of your brain which is hard wired by a traumatic event. So I believe it is, yes.


And i do it all the time! Trying to CBT myself out of this destructive thought pattern.
 
I have heard that thinking is part of PTSD and depression. Its called absolution. People with PTSD tend to see things "Black and white" with not a whole lot of grey. So yes, it is normal, using that word loosely.
 
When you thinbk of a negative thought..write it out and couteract it with a positive comment or more than one. Read over what you have written frequently and try to change the negative thinking to more appropriate positive...it is like changing your own internal dialogue.
 
This is part of our "faulty thinking patterns" and can be dealt with by working your way to a rational response. In CBT you learn a tool called the 5-column. It comes with a list of faulty thinking patterns (which by the way is listed somewhere in this forum) and you work your way through it til you get to the rational response which in turn lowers the intensity of your feelings. I don't remember which section of the forum it's in as it has been a long time since I've seen it. If you want me to teach you how to do this, pm me and I will do my best to explain it in detail.

Take care, Morgan

PS I will try to find the faulty thinking patterns also as I think thay have another name here.
 
IMO....I think that the all or nothing thinking, is basically the same as black and white thinking that we with PTSD do.

All or nothing...NO middle... Black and white....NO gray......JMO!!!!! Yes, it's part of PTSD...
 
Yes, I do this...I refer to it as "jumping off the cliff" or "going from zero to 100." Most people I know have a gradual process, whereas I go right to the extreme, with nothing inbetween. Sometimes I just don't have the ability to see those intermediates, especially when I'm triggered. It's especially prevalent in my fights with DH.
 
Mina, We're all like that. I remember when a started going down hill last year describing myself as 0-60 in 0.2seconds!

Best thing is the CBT approach where you write it out in five colmuns. Challenge the thoughts. It is difficult to do because you are using the rational and compassionate parts of your brain that haven't had enough exercise having been over ridde by the flight/fight response of PTSD.

As the more useful parts of the brain are exercised by the slow methodical process of writing our thoughts down and then arguing against them, they should get better and offer an alternative to the madness of flight/fight.

It is bloody difficult. It has taken me two years of councelling and a period of sick leave to even be able to begin doing the writing.
 
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