Posted by Dinah on March 1, 2003, at 15:38:42
In reply to Re: My literal mind can't grasp this., posted by noa on March 1, 2003, at 14:47:26
The Flaming Amygdala Gang!!!!
Oh I love that, Noa (clapping my hands together in delight)!! As Gabbi told you, I use that expression all the time, it really meant something to me. And I always give you credit. (In fact, when you weren't posting, I thought of you and missed you and your wisdom whenever I said it.)
I think I'll print out your posts and bring them to my therapist. Because I think of the matter in the same way you do. And maybe his experience is different. When something that I find threatening happens (and what I find threatening depends a whole lot on my mental state at the time) the reaction is instantaneous.
The other day I asked my therapist if he was angry with me, and knowing that I had sensed the truth he answered affirmatively. I had a flaming amygdala attack at once. I felt sick and dizzy and had to put my head between my knees. And he was asking me what thoughts I had leading up to the dizziness. What did I think would happen if I was angry with him? Well, what thoughts? I didn't have time to have thoughts. If I had time, yes, I could have reminded myself that he has frequently been more angry with me than this and everything was ok. I could have reminded myself that just because he was angry didn't mean I was bad. It may or may not have affected my feelings (because it's easy to think the right things and less easy to have it affect you viscerally). But I didn't have time to do that! And once I was upset, I got into a state that was hard to get out of. I couldn't at that point just think logically and feel better. All the chemical emotional arousal processes were set in motion, and my ability to divert them was limited in the short term at least.
Sigh.
It would be so *easy* if thinking the right things could lead to feeling the right way.
poster:Dinah
thread:204842
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030203/msgs/205074.html