The Law Of Attraction And Ptsd

[Red Feather]

Hi Albatross, Thank you. I don't really know what Seth is or who Jane Roberts is. I haven't heard of this before. I never understood that channelling talk either. Thanks for your input. I just find it really problematic when it comes to trauma because "teachings" always tend to promote a right and a wrong, no matter how much they try to avoid it, it happens anyways.

Nicolette, I agree with you a lot. I think what I am wanting to address is this very fine line of differenciation that needs to be made when it comes to dealing with abuse and trauma. I do not think these books address this issue in a way that is helpful for people who have suffered from abuse, especially who have suffered from child abuse, since a child is so very vulnerable and sensitive and needs so much love, care and nurturing. And also people who suffer abuse can still hold so much programming that these "teachings" can cause a much more negative effect than what is intended.

 

[The Albatross]

In this genre I am now quite jaded. One of the books I read and reread periodically is by James Allen (1902), As Man Thinketh. To me it just rings closer to true.

Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: —
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.

 

[The Albatross]

I actually had added the first bit of The Seth Material in the media section. There were 20 books in the material. I did't subscribe to all the information channeled, but found a lot of it beneficial.

[DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/media/the-seth-material-01.450/[/DLMURL]

 

[Gloria]

I believe that if during the critical early childhood development, we are not given the right skills to put our own well being first, it will cause problems in our relationships and actions as we mature. My favorite saying is... If you think something can happen it might but if you don't believe something will happen, then there is no possibility. If you grow in a very negative environment, you are not going to have that optimism that is essential to make good things happen.

I had a therapist once tell me (after way too may bad relationships and marriages) that I was like a wounded fawn in a forest and any predator could see that and preyed on me. It was the way I hung my head, my low self esteem, the constant apologies and it was always my fault no matter what the man did. It is definitely not like that anymore but it was a very difficult pattern to break.

By being afraid for example of socializing, we isolate thereby actually causing what we fear to come to fruition. We self sabotage ourselves all the time.

 

[Red Feather]

By being afraid for example of socializing, we isolate thereby actually causing what we fear to come to fruition. We self sabotage ourselves all the time.

That came at the right moment Gloria. Thanks.

 

[Meadowsweet]

A few of the posts here have mentioned healthy ways we can take back control by looking at how we think, what we are unconciously attracted to, how we react to situations etc. In this way, to take a little responsibility is actually empowering. It says, it's ok, with therapeatic work to change what you can, you stand a better chance of breaking abusive patterns in the future. From what I can gather, the effects of studies into interventions like CBT, show this to be an effective way of dealing with the past.

But I have to admit, when I first read a leaflet about CBt, it came across as if it said "some people view the world negatively and behave accordingly, and CBT will show you the positive way and change your bad behaviour". And I had panics that someone would tell me that I was viewing the trauma in a negative way and that it was me that was to blame. Ofcourse trauma focussed CBT isn't like that at all.

But from how I've heard people talk about the law of attraction, is that if you think or feel 'negative' thoughts or emotions, you will bring bad experiences into your life. My parents weren't spiritual, but I was taught that any display of emotion was a bad thing. It's something I did in private, and felt very guilty about because it showed weakness.

When I've heard people talk about the law of attraction, it has shown very much the same attitude - that feelings like hurt, anger, frustration are negative emotions that create bad things to happen. But if you could only smile and say it doesn't matter, everything is fine and wonderful, then you will make everything in the world magically better.

What is most sad, is that it kind of works. If you smile and hide your feelings and abuse from others, then they are happy and peaceful. But when people who've been abused try to tell people, or show them that they are hurting, too often they seem to be misunderstood or minimised and blamed for disturbing the peaceful world.

Regarding PTSD, I think the hide everything under the carpet and think positive is very detrimental. There is a process where I think you have to accept and process the harmful experiences of the past, with all the negative emotions attached to it. And it's after that step, that you can look more encouragingly on the future.

 

[Red Feather]

Thank you Meadowsweet. It is beautiful what you write.

 

[Tinyflame]

Yes, I agree, think MS is right. I know nothing of this 'Law', but from experience and the nature of ptsd itself, it seems counter-intuitive to suggest it as a 'cause' or explanation to someone with ptsd.

Because for one thing, it's the negative thoughts or experiences or memories we can't shake (not by choice nor 'fault')- not the positive ones. And then add in self-blame and always keeping it to yourself, (or you have more self-blame).

 

[Philippa]

Hi Meadowsweet.

It's great to see more people like you thinking for yourselves in regard to the law of attraction when it comes to ptsd.

I've had similar experiences, where people treat me like I can just get over the hard stuff by just "being happy" and it makes me feel like I am to blame, which I think is a very dangerous aspect of the whole "create your own reality" movement out there.

I even had one person, who worked as a social worker with people who live with ptsd show nothing but a lack of insight into the disorder by telling me that I was deliberately recalling the memories that were distressing me, and whilst mindfulness is a good suggestion, telling someone they just want attention when they are in real pain, just causes more damage in my opinion.

It's nice that people out there work with sufferers but if they have no idea of how the disorder affects the person, or that they aren't in fact choosing to think about any of it, then it makes me feel like telling them to shut the hell up, as they don't know what they are talking about.

On one hand yeah, if you stay positive then it's a good thing, and you will manifest what you want. It also puts pressure on you to always be positive, and sometimes that just isn't realistic. Pushing down all the neg gunk can be really the wrong way to go about it. It's more helpful to let it all rise and come out, but, as you say, people won't let us.

There is nothing more patronizing or ridiculous to have someone lecture you on how to be happy when you are going through hell and can't seem to muster a smile. Sure, it feels better to smile, and does make you feel happier, and it's good if you can do that...but I don't think it is helpful at all to shame someone into feeling better when they feel like crap and the stress in their lives is too much.

It's also unhelpful to make someone feel bad for their negativity making someone else feel uncomfortable. But noone wants to know why the person is neg in the first place. It's only human when you are going through stuff, and putting pressure on us to think more positively, when everything is so grey at the time...it doesn't help. It makes it worse in fact.

 

[Tinyflame]

I think they should tell people (with ptsd) to 'speak up'. The opposite.

I'm sorry you've had those experiences Philippa. :(

 

[OMNICELL]

Resentments can bring reenactment. One tries to cool the resentment by finding a similar relationship to the past relationship.

This is a brutal world. People take advantage of people because they want to. I have to get out of abusive situations. I have to turn around, walk out and never come back...

 

[Hashi]

I don't know the Law of Attraction in detail but I study metaphysics and I'm familiar with ideas about affirmations and attraction.

I think it's complex because in some ways/to some extent I agree with like attracting like - like you say, Nadia, I find affirmations can be helpful sometimes but that's doesn't mean I can just affirm my way out of all my problems and distress. I believe that often our journey is to learn things and make other changes, so however much we say affirmations we still need to do the other things.

I also think the outcome of things like affirmations and visualisations depends partly on how much power you're able to put into them. It's easier for a non-traumatised person to sum up enough personal power to manifest the car or relationship that they want, than it is for a traumatised person to do it, and it's definitely harder to manifest healing in relation to trauma.

So something like The Secret has some truth in it, but IMO it's not anything like the whole truth. That's a dangerous situation, and it's why things like this can be misused, misrepresented and misunderstood. That can be very damaging. It can also, unfortunately, make us want to turn away from the whole thing.

For me, metaphysics is not a smart or easy way to what I want, it's extremely difficult and challenging but it's also my way to healing. If I had only psychological approaches it would take years and years to address the damage and omissions I've experienced in my life, and there might be very little I could ever do about some things however long I spent. Using metaphysical principles as well as psychological therapy I don't have those kind of limits on healing. But I'm talking about doing a lot more than the sort of thing that's in the change-your-life bestsellers.