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Think Psychology

@think.psychology

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Sometimes, in addiction there can be a self-derived notion that a stimulus (e.g., substances of abuse) is needed to bring oneself back to homeostasis - a sense of “normal” both physically and emotionally. It is much more troubling to overcome than other deliberate associations such as using drugs to “fit in”/“be comfortable” in society or mask greater emotions. The trouble lies in that tolerance can make a biological need to drugs a reality, but even our thoughts and assumptions can make these kinds of things realisms before they’ve even occurred. Giving power over one’s own emotional regulation or social psychology to the perceived “benefits” of substance use is unarguably maladaptive. Over time one would be overly-sensitive to challenging thoughts/emotions and find it difficult to engage in social settings sober because of these assumptions set by the self. Nevertheless, having a notion that the body isn’t the same without a drug is arguably more challenging to rekindle balance within the central nervous system.
If one feels a sensation serves to make them feel normal, that will become their reality, and this can become the case physically over time. Mental associations like these will likely be much harder to break down than if the stimulus is socially/environmentally reinforced even through the unconscious. This is because the brain cannot tell the difference between reality and what one truly believes, for deliberate thinking can be more troubling than beliefs set by others. Oftentimes our bodies adapt to the notions we have about ourselves and the world, not just mentally but physically, and not just in the context of substance abuse. Substances merely over-enhance what the brain and body does naturally, and many solutions and discoveries in brain processing can be found in the pathology that results from and drives substance abuse.

Contact via Direct Message for more information and research opportunities. by @think.psychology

One of the greatest foundations of the mental health epidemic in Western society is the widespread belief that people can go through life without any help to see things differently. by @think.psychology

•Whichever emotion you are experiencing mirrors the way life appears• by @think.psychology

The reason why some dependency experts emphasize looking at the comorbid symptoms (i.e. depression, loneliness, anxiety, etc…) in recovery, and not just the complete or significant reduction of behavioral or substance activity in treatment, is because people have various goals. One’s individualized goals have unique effects on their cognition and, in turn, their psychological state. Those who seek substance abuse treatment have the right of autonomy to choose their treatment goals (especially on a mild or moderate severity level). In addition, practitioners have the ethical obligation of fidelity to not only acknowledge but abide by the client’s goals. Even if it is not in alignment with theirs. A prime example would be if a client willingly engaged in treatment but wanted to be able use substances in a way that wasn’t problematic, whereas their therapist wishes abstinence. Unless unfeasible, a practitioner should abide by a client’s aspirations. The capacity to become more self-governing in one’s decisions and demonstrate non-problematic usage may arguably be better than abstinence itself. Such an outcome may not be for everyone, though this decision is not necessarily meant to be made by the person providing treatment. by @think.psychology

You have a choice (most of the time). by @think.psychology

Our motivation tends to decrease the closer we get to achieving our goals. We generate a cognitive distortion - this false idea - that if we prolong our tasks then we prolong our comfortability. However, the opposite is true. This phenomenon occurs because of entropy, or a state wherein we do not know what will happen in the future. It is exemplified by students who tend to “put things off” at the end of the semester and begin to feel more lazy. Those who have been in that position before understand that fulfilling the distortion only brings stress and more entropy. It is only when we are comfortable with being in an entropic state that we obtain the ability to remain motivated regardless of adversity or uncertainty. by @think.psychology

People may not learn from their mistakes because they’re too busy rationalizing to themselves why it was wrong. Instead of paying attention in the moment to understand the dynamic of one’s doing, the mind may alternatively wander to prevent the ego from “taking a hit” and rupturing what you believe is true or right. It is maladaptive to compare what is right with your own individual reality as opposed to others and/or the general culture - a more objective reality. by @think.psychology

One may hypothesize that the feeling of intuition resides from an even more instantaneous process than that of simply thinking. To think (the voice in your head) we utilize the brain’s regions and it’s capacity to predict or make sense of the world based on past experiences or knowledge obtained. This is the process behind divergent rationalization or active thinking, and occurs in nanoseconds which seems instantaneous. Though for intuition, it could be that the brain is unconsciously doing the same processes involved with thinking, subsequently provoking an emotional or somatic response (“that feeling”) to the individual directly from the subconscious. Such could explain why this process doesn’t seem to occur on a conscious level and thus hard to describe the origins of a rationale. In other words, it’s difficult to articulate the reasoning of an intuitive decision consciously because the process originated from a deeper more sophisticated level of our consciousness. Rather, we tend to say, “I feel it in my gut” or, “For some reason I know this is what we need to do”. It’s because this activity utilizes significantly more learned/innate information in an even smaller period of time than classical thinking. Moreover, it takes place on a deeper level of consciousness. It could be then be inferred that the emotional response of intuition serves as a translation of what we have concluded about a particular person/decision/event in that seemingly instant process. Therefore, we don’t need to take the time to manually process but actually rely on learned information that is readily available for intuitive mechanisms. It’s likely the evolutionary psychological purpose for intuition is to allow us to make decisions faster while also veering us away from maladaptive choices in regard to survival. Also, without needing to consciously interpret which requires a great deal of cognitive energy. by @think.psychology

An emerging concept in the world of mental health and pop psychology is maintaining personal well-being, even if it means pivoting themselves away from those close to them. It is this process wherein one limits availability to a particular person(s) due to the fact or perception they are “not a positive energy for me”, or more reasonably, “they are holding me back”. This is often called setting boundaries, which is a very valid approach to maintaining a positive overall well-being in many situations. Though it’s often considered a unilateral move. Many don’t think of themselves as being that person that holds another back, or even themselves. In reality, everyone can be and likely is that to someone in their immediate or outside circles. But people direct more attention to understanding how the world influences the Self rather than how the Self influences the world… In a nutshell, if one is willing to outgrow others for the sake of their own life trajectory, then one themself must be content with being outgrown by others for theirs.

media courtesy of: @sterlingshootsfilm by @think.psychology

There’s a general perception of understanding across the globe. It’s essentially this idea that one comes to recognize the point of view of another individual’s tenets or POV. Something that a great deal of humans crave is to be understood. It induces a sense of connectedness when transparency is enforced. Though perception can sometimes blind us to the anecdotes within these broad generalizations.

Who wouldn’t want to be understood? Why would someone be pleased with being misunderstood?

The secret ingredient within many of these personalities, if not all, is something called “grandiosity”. For many, it seems that when an individual does not understand another’s perspectives in life, the recipient feels invalidated or unheard. It’s even annoying at points where an individual feels they’re clearly articulating their context and still feel like they’re talking to a brick wall. Sometimes, people run into others committed to misunderstanding them (or intentionally being that brick wall): which are harmful relationships, especially in frequent doses being it destabilizes the subconscious in a negative manner. As for those with symptoms of grandiosity, when such an individual is misunderstood, it is not so much an invalidation but the opposite. Not being understood provokes a feeling that they’re MUCH more complex than the other and, thus, a sustained view of one’s self is formed and “unrealistic sense of superiority” is reinforced. The secret ingredient, grandiosity, which creates this alternative perception of the notion of understanding, is often found in those with narcissistic personality tendencies. If not, it’s found in those with schizophrenic and bipolar disorders. It’s fascinating how one’s own perception of themselves and who they are in the world can redirect the processing for such a seemingly universal concept. With that in mind, the idea of behavior prediction becomes much for simplistic and feasible: knowing how people will act and react based on trends & symptoms. Moreover, knowing that the cognitions associated with grandiose behaviors can be broken down - allowing opportunity for an individual to see themselves and the world with a clear lens. by @think.psychology

Looking at addiction over time, substance and behavioral, insight has come about that such behaviors are a symptom of alienation from ourself and others. As social beings, our brains are wired to induce reward following the states of unity. If the actions of survival, nurturing and reproduction were not pleasurable, human life would cease to exist. Being obligatory gregarious as we are means social connection facilitates life. When we become estranged from ourselves and others, we are hypersensitive to the things that are insignificantly pleasurable than social connection. It is the poverty of the spirit that allows addiction to thrive in order to mesh with the discombobulation of common culture. Moreover, to overcome the resulting sense of dislocation. In areas of cataclysmic recovery we see influxes in substance abuse, mostly due to the estrangement of society. With the idea that the opposite of addiction is conjoined with the choice to engage in these behaviors, it has become apparent that the polar is heavily reliant on social connection. by @think.psychology

Peace is one of the most important states of being to achieve as it is completely vital for a soul. However, peace is very frequently misconstrued for carelessness, or not caring enough. This difficult definition is a result of many different perception predecessors. At times, going with the flow and taking things in as if they were seldom can often be determined as lacking effort and holding pessimistic outlooks. Though despite this skewed interpretation, the peace of mind is valuable and facilitates “being” as opposed to simply “living”; two terms of which seem quite similar but, in action, can furnish entirely different experiences.. Objectively and subjectively.

media courtesy of @sterling__smith by @think.psychology