05/20/2024
Trauma can affect one’s beliefs about the past, present or future. It can look like giving yourself limited expectations about life, fear that a relationship will end abruptly, or anticipation that life events will or will not occur. Maybe now you experience overthinking and you struggle differentiating with what feels real, or maybe what feels familiar, versus what actually is real.
You don’t have to know trauma to find yourself struggling with negative thoughts or beliefs. You may struggle with thoughts like, “I’m not good enough,” “they're ignoring me because they don’t like me,” “I’m too messed up to have a happy relationship,” “no one cares about me” and so on. Sometimes that feeling like something is true arises because you’ve actually experienced that reality in the past. But just because it feels true, does not make it true. You can weaken many inaccurate and distressing beliefs by noting the discord between your felt truth and your observed truth.
Are you currently struggling with a thought you know to be untrue but you still have that feeling of doubt? Find the evidence. What evidence exists to support what you're telling yourself?
If you know the truth but can’t feel it, try to ground yourself. Pull yourself out of that distorted thinking. Negative thought patterns don’t stop until we acknowledge them and prove them wrong. Is what you’re thinking worthy of concern? OR Is it a product of your perceptions? Practice recognizing felt and observed truths and eventually it can help free you from their grip.
Can you think of any situations where you let your felt truth overshadow the observed truth?
If you think you might need help navigating these thoughts, we are accepting new clients and we accept most insurance plans. Give us a call today to get registered!
