This explanation is based on my personal experience coupled with what I was told by my therapist. It has worked for me. I am not a doctor.
I learned about negative cognitions during my first ever EMDR (which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-processing) therapy session. As I’ve done research so I can explain the phenomenon to others, I’m realizing the concept of negative cognitions is one that is mostly used in EMDR approaches, but I have found it extremely relevant and useful to the process of recovering from trauma.
So what are negative cognitions?
Negative cognitions are bad things we believe about ourselves. They are deeply rooted in traumas we have experienced, and we have absorbed them in childhood. They come from our subconscious and are behind our “natural” reactions to situations we face in our lives. They can even worsen psychotic symptoms (Fowler, et al 2012)!
I have found them to be at the root of many personal “glitches.” For example, my not being able to cry for years after someone close to me dies stems from the deeply rooted negative cognition “I can’t let it out.” That cognition has seeped into my being and creates a block I can actually feel, which then inhibits my natural grief process making it much longer and more painful.
So if I have negative cognitions, how do I change them?
The good news after you realize that you have negative cognitions is the knowledge that with time and effort, it is possible to flip out of the negative thought pattern and into the opposite positive thought pattern.
1. Be here now. Be present. Right now. For better or worse.
When the past gets in the way, remind yourself daily, or hourly if necessary, that you cannot change anything that happened in the past no matter how much you replay the scenarios or how many tears you shed.
When the future gets in the way, write your plans and fears for the future in your journal and then move on with your day.
Ground yourself in the moments of your day by reciting what you see around you or just focusing a hard visual with some deep breathing for a few seconds. No matter what, force yourself to stay in the current moment.
2. Force yourself to notice your reactions to things. Write them down and journal to explore them.
At first it will be annoying. You won’t want to do it, and it will likely be uncomfortable. That’s when you borrow from the practice of mindfulness and just allow the discomfort. Why did the chicken go through the discomfort? To get to the other side.
Once you start to realize which deep-set negative beliefs are at the root of your reactions, then you can begin the process of actively replacing them with their positive polar opposites.
Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long)
so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m
thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still
new to everything. Do you have any recommendations for inexperienced blog writers?
I’d definitely appreciate it.
Hi Cecil, glad to hear from you! Honestly, I got started with WordPress.com. Later I got a web developer to help me move to a paid site with WordPress.org so I would fully own my site, but sometimes I wish I had stayed longer on the .com one. On there, it’s like a community. You can subscribe to other people’s blogs and comment, and such. They then get notified, which often makes them check out your blog! Then some of them subscribe in return. This gives you more followers and a networking base, as well as people you can learn from. It’s super easy to set up there, and free! I recommend picking a theme and starting there (ex: my theme is poetry & mental health). Best of luck! Keep me posted! 🙂
Great blog.Really thank you! Cool.
Hi there, I enjoy reading through your article. I like to write a little comment to support you. Cris Leland Shepherd
Sikis, hello. Thanks so much for commenting and I’m so glad you enjoyed the article.
I think you have mentioned some very interesting points, thanks for the post. Babette Keene Sisto
Hi Babette, thanks so much for your feedback. I try to share things I have learned in therapy and on my own journey. I’m really glad you got something out of this post.
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