24/01/2017
Nameless Dread (莫名的惶恐）
Ever come across people who seem constantly anxious that "something bad is going to happen” ?
These are often people who have experienced over-whelming life situations before, possibly much earlier in their life. Not only do these experiences affect their belief system, but they also cause extreme arousals in their nervous system, compromising its ability to restore equilibrium. Their bodies remain stuck in a hyper-arousal state even long after the original danger is gone.
This state of hyper-arousal is often associated with a sense of dread. They often feel ill at ease, as if something bad were lurking, and they become hyper-vigilant, investing a lot of energy in search of that something which matches their feeling tone. It could be suspicion of an illness, signs of a deteriorating relationship, or anything that helps them make sense of their feeling.
They may experience some sense of relief when they find that something that “seems” to offer an explanation for their feeling of dread, but this relief is often short-lived. Very soon, the search for threats may start all over again if their internal arousal is not addressed.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy seeks to address this internal arousal through helping a person get in touch with his or her body sensations, discharge the intense energy locked in the body, re-access his or her innate ability for self-regulation in a gradual and safe manner, and ultimately restore his or her sense of well-being.
(Reference: Healing Developmental Trauma, Laurence Heller, PhD and Aline LaPierre, PsyD)
