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AI Generated: Table of Contents | Publishing Update
Publishing Update
We forwarded our book, A Survivor’s Common-Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety to the publisher. At this stage, we do not yet have an estimated release date.
The publisher has asked us to refrain from sharing any of the book’s content until we receive formal approval. However, we are permitted to publish the table of contents, which should give readers a general idea of what to expect in the book.
Caveat
The primary distinction between social anxiety and social anxiety disorder lies in the severity of symptoms experienced. Not everyone is affected in the same way.The intensity and persistence of symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Although the characteristics and traits of these conditions may appear similar across individuals, each person’s experience is shaped by a unique combination of environment, life experiences, and the diversity of human thought and behavior.
Additionally, it is important to recognize that comorbidities—other mental health conditions that occur alongside social anxiety—are highly prevalent. This reality highlights the complex nature of these anxiety disorders. As such, effective recovery strategies must address not only social anxiety, social phobia, and social anxiety disorder, but also the multiple related conditions that often coexist. Throughout this book, when recovery methods are discussed for one of these conditions, they are intended to apply broadly to all three.
Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART I: ACCOUNTABILITY
Chapter One: It’s Not Our Fault Chapter Two: Trust the Process Chapter Three: Always Being Right Chapter Four: The Examined Life Chapter Five: The Destructive Nature of Blame
PART II: NEUROPLASTICITY
Chapter Six: Feeding Our Neural Network Chapter Seven: The Sky is Falling Chapter Eight: Reconstructing Our Neural Network Chapter Nine: Control Fallacies Chapter Ten: Hemispheric Synchronization Chapter Eleven: Emotional Reasoning
PART III: SELF-ESTEEM
Chapter Twelve: Reclaiming and Rebuilding Our Self-Esteem Chapter Thirteen: Filtering and Polarized Thinking Chapter Fourteen: The Importance of a Character Resume Chapter Fifteen: Stop and Smell the Roses Chapter Sixteen: Defense Mechanisms and Social Anxiety Chapter Seventeen: Fallacy of Fairness and Heaven’s Reward Fallacy
PART IV: FEAR-RELATED SITUATIONS
Chapter Eighteen: Origins of Our Automatic Negative Thoughts Chapter Nineteen: Identifying Fear-Related Situations Chapter Twenty: Coping Strategies for Anticipated Situations Chapter Twenty-One: Visualization and Suggestion Chapter Twenty-Two: Fear Situation Plan
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY? ReChanneling develops and conducts programs to alleviate the symptoms of social anxiety and help individuals tap into their innate potential for extraordinary living. Our unique approach focuses on understanding personality through empathy and collaboration, integrating neuroscience and psychology. This includes proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to reclaim and rebuild self-esteem. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports individuals striving to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. All donations go towards scholarships for groups and workshops.
For each new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.
AI Generated: Relationships | Social Anxiety’s Failure to Establish, Develop, and Maintain Healthy Relationships. Part II
The distinction between social anxiety and social anxiety disorder is in severity. We are not all affected by the same symptoms or relentlessness. The characteristics and traits are equivalent. These conditions originate homogeneously, their trajectories differentiated by environment, experience, and the diversity of human thought and behavior. While comorbidities dramatically benefit, the recovery methods identified are for social anxiety and social anxiety disorder, and reference to one includes the other.
I recognize that I have fallen behind on my weekly posts. We have been finalizing editing of our upcoming book, A Survivor’s Common Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety, which goes to the publisher next week. Accounting for the average four-month schedule to get to print, we hope to make this book available sometime in the spring.
Social Anxiety’s Failure to Establish, Develop, and Maintain Healthy Relationships. Part II
From C.-H. Mayer and E. Vanderheiden (eds), International Handbook of Love. Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025. 10.1007/978-3-031-76665-7_59-1
Categories of Interpersonal Love
In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle. (1999) encapsulates love as “a sort of excess of feeling.” Utilizing the classic Greek categories of interpersonal love is vital to this study; each classification illustrates how SAD symptoms thwart the subject’s means of acquisition in seven of eight categories (except healthy philautia ).
The three primary categories, (1) philia (comradeship), (2) eros (sexual), and (3) agape (selfless and unconditional), are followed by (4) storge (family), (5) ludus (provocative), (6) pragma (practical), and the two extremes of philautia: (7) narcissistic and (8) positive self-qualities. Forms of inanimate love are excluded from this study, “including love for experiences (meraki), objects (érōs), and places (chōros)” (Lomas, 2017):
Philia
Aristotle called philia “one of the most indispensable requirements of life” (Grewal, 2016). Philia is a bonding of individuals with mutual experiences—a “warm affection in intimate friendship” (Helm, 2017). This platonic love subsists on shared experience and personal disclosure. A core symptom of a SAD person is the fear of revealing something that will make them appear “boring, stupid or incompetent” (Ades & Dias, 2013). Even the anticipation of interaction causes “significant anxiety, fear, self-consciousness, and embarrassment” (Richards, 2014) because of the fear of being scrutinized or judged by others (Mayoclinic, 2017b).
Eros
Eros is reciprocal feelings of shared arousal between people physically attracted to each other, the fulfillment declared by the sexual act. The SAD person’s self-image of undesirability and fears of intimacy (Montesi et al., 2013) and rejection (Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014) has significant consequences in terms of acquiring a sexual partner and satisfaction of the sexual act. SAD’s culture of maladaptive self-appraisal poses severe challenges to their ability to establish, develop, and maintain romantic relationships (Cuncic, 2018; Topaz, 2018). A study by Montesi et al. (2013), examining the SAD person’s symptomatic fear of intimacy and sexual communication concluded “socially anxious individuals experience less sexual satisfaction in their intimate partnerships than nonanxious individuals, a relationship that has been well documented in previous research.” The study reported a lacuna of literature, however, examining the sexual communication of SAD persons.
Agape
Through the universal mandate to love thy neighbor, the concept of agape embraces unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance (Helm, 2017). SAD generally infects adolescents who have experienced detachment, exploitation, and or neglect (Steele, 1995). This form of love characterizes itself through unselfish giving; the SAD person’s maladaptive self-belief that she or he is the constant focus of attention is a form of self-centeredness bordering on narcissism (Mayoclinic, 2017a).
Storge
Again, the primary cause of SAD stems from childhood hereditary, environmental (Felman, 2018; NAMI, 2019), or traumatic events (Mayoclinic, 2017b). In each case, the SAD person is exploited (unconsciously or otherwise) in the formative stages of human motivational development: physiological safety, belongingness, and love (Maslow, 1943). As a result, storge or familial love and protection, vital to the healthy development of the family unit, are severely affected. The exploited adolescent (Steele, 1995) faces serious challenges recognizing or embracing familial love as an adolescent or adult.
Ludus
The SAD persons’ conflict with the provocative playfulness of ludus is evident in the fear of being judged and negatively evaluated by others (Mayoclinic, 2017b) as well as themselves (Hulme et al., 2012; Ritter et al., 2013). Persons experiencing SAD do not find social interaction pleasurable (Richards, 2019) and have limited expectations that things will work out advantageously (Mayoclinic, 2017b). Finally, SAD persons’ maladaptive self-beliefs generally result in inappropriate behavior in social situations (Kampmann et al., 2019).
Pragma
The obvious synonym for pragma is practicality—a balanced and constructive quality counterintuitive to someone whose modus operandi is discordant thought and behavior (Richards,2014; Zimmerman et al., 2010). Pragma is mutual interests and goals securing a working and endurable partnership facilitated by rational behavior and expectation. The SAD personality sustains itself through irrationality (Felman, 2018) and maladaptive self-beliefs (Hulme et al., 2012; Ritter et al., 2013). The pragmatic individual deals with relationships sensibly and realistically, conforming to typical standards. The overriding objective of a SAD person is to “avoid situations that most people consider ‘normal’” (WebMD, 2019).
Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
The onset of SAD is a consequence of early psychophysiological disturbance (Mayoclinic, 2017a). The receptive juvenile might be the product of bullying (Felman, 2018), abuse (NAMI, 2019), or a broken home. Perhaps parental behaviors are overprotective or controlling or do not provide emotional validation (Cuncic, 2018).
Subsequently, the SAD person finds it difficult to let their guard down and express vulnerability, even with someone they love and trust (Cuncic, 2018). Alden et al. (2018) note that SAD persons “find it difficult, in their intimate relationships, to be able to self-disclose, to reciprocate the affection others show toward them.”
There is a large body of research linking love with positive mental and physical health outcomes (Rodebaugh et al., 2015). Relationships, love, and associations with others lead one to recognition of their value to society “and motivates them towards building communities, culture and work for the welfare of others” (Capon & Blakely, 2007).
Love is developed through social connectedness. Social connectedness, essential to personal development, is one of the central psychological needs “required for better psychological development and well-being” (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Social connectedness plays a significant role as mediator in the relationship between SAD and interpersonal love (Lee et al., 2008) and is strongly associated with the level of self-esteem (Fatima et al., 2018).
Philautia
The seventh and eighth categories of interpersonal love are the two extremes of philautia: narcissism and positive self-qualities. To Aristotle, healthy philautia is vigorous “in both its orientation to self and to others” due to its inherent virtue (Grewal, 2016). “By contrast, its darker variant encompasses notions such as narcissism, arrogance and egotism” (Lomas, 2017). In its positive aspect, any interactivity “has beneficial consequences, whereas in the latter case, philautia will have disastrous consequences” (Fialho, 2007):
The good man should be a lover of self (for he will both himself profit by doing noble acts, and will benefit his fellows), but the wicked man should not; for he will hurt both himself and his neighbors, following as he does evil passions. (Grewal, 2016)
Unhealthy Philautia
Unhealthy philautia is akin to borderline narcissism—a mental condition in which people function with an “inflated sense of their own importance [and a] deep need for excessive attention and admiration.” Behind this mask of extreme confidence, the Mayoclinic Report (2017a) states “lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism.” SAD persons live on the periphery of morbid self-absorption through their self-centeredness. Their obsession with excessive attention (ADAA, 2019b) mirrors that of unhealthy philautia.
In Classical Greece, persons could be accused of unhealthy philautia if they placed themselves above the greater good. Today, hubris refers to “an inflated sense of one’s status, abilities, or accomplishments, especially when accompanied by haughtiness or arrogance” (Burton, 2016). The self-centeredness and self-absorption of a SAD person often present themselves as arrogance; in fact, the words are synonymous. The critical difference is that SAD persons do not possess an inflated sense of their own importance but one of insignificance.
Healthy Philautia
Aquinas’ (1981) response to demons and disorder states “Evil cannot exist without good.” The Greeks believed that the narcissism of unhealthy philautia would not exist without its complementary opposition to healthy philautia, commonly interpreted as the self-esteeming virtue—an unfortunate and wholly incomplete definition. Rather than only focusing on self-esteem, philautia incorporates the broader spectrum of all positive self-qualities:
Rather, we are concerned here with various positive qualities prefixed by the term self, including -esteem, -efficacy, -reliance, -compassion, and -resliance. Aristotle argued in Nichomachean Ethics that self-love is a precondition for all other forms of love. (Lomas, 2017)
Positive self-qualities determine one’s relation to self, others, and the world. They recognize that one is of value, consequential, and worthy of love. “Philautia is important in every sphere of life and can be considered a basic human need” (Sharma, 2014). To the Greeks, philautia “is the root of the heart of all the other loves” (Jericho, 2015). Gadamer (2009) writes of philautia: “Thus it is; in self-love one becomes aware of the true ground and the condition for all possible bonds with others and commitment to oneself.” Healthy philautia is the love that is within oneself. It is not, explains Jericho (2015), “the desire for self and the root of selfishness.” Ethicist John Deigh (2001) writes:
Accordingly, when Aristotle remarks that a man’s friendly relations with others come from his relations with himself … he is making the point that self-love (philautia ), as the best exemplar of love … is the standard by which to judge the friendliness of the man’s relations with others.
Positive self-qualities are obscured by SAD’s culture of maladaptive self-beliefs and the interruption of the normal course of natural motivational development. Positive psychology embraces “a variety of beliefs about yourself, such as the appraisal of your own appearance, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors” (Cherry, 2019). It measures “how much a person values, approves of, appreciates, prizes, or likes him or herself” (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1991). Ritter et al. (2013) conducted a study on the relationship of SAD and self-esteem. The research concluded that SAD persons have significantly lower implicit and explicit self-esteem relative to healthy controls, which manifest in maladaptive self-beliefs of incompetence, unattractiveness, unworthiness, and other irrational self-evaluations.
Healthy philautia is essential for any relationship; it is easy to recognize how the continuous infusion of healthy philautia into a SAD person supports self-positivity and interconnectedness with all aspects of interpersonal love. “One sees in self-love the defining marks of friendship, which one then extends to a man’s friendships with others” (Deigh,2001).
Self-worth and self-respect improve self-confidence, which allows the individual to overcome fears of criticism and rejection. Risk becomes less potentially consequential, and the playful aspects of ludus are less threatening. Self-assuredness opens the door to traits commonly associated with successful interpersonal connectivity—persistence and persuasiveness, optimism of engagement, and willingness to vulnerability.
A SAD person’s recognition of their inherent value generates the realization that they “are a good person who deserves to be treated with respect” (Ackerman, 2019). The philautia described by Aristotle “is a necessary condition to achieve happiness” (Arreguín, 2009), which, as we continue down the classical Greek path, is eudemonic. “To feel joy and fulfillment at being you is the experience of philautia” (Jericho, 2015). In the words of positive psychologist Stephen (2019), eudaimonia:
describes the notion that living in accordance with one’s daimon, which we take to mean ‘character and virtue,’ leads to the renewed awareness of one’s ‘meaning and purpose in life.’
Aristotle touted the striving for excellence as humanity’s inherent aspiration (Kraut,2018). He described eudaimonia as “activity in accordance with virtue” (Shields, 2015). Eudaimonia reflects the best activities of which man is capable. The word eudaimonia reflects personal and societal well-being as the chief good for man. “The eudaimonic approach … focuses on meaning and self-realization and defines well-being in terms of the degree to which a person is fully functioning” (Ryan & Deci, 2001). It is through recognition of one’s positive self-qualities and their potential productive contribution to the general welfare that one rediscovers the intrinsic capacity for love.
Let us view this through the symbolism of Socrates’ tale of the Cave (Plato, 1992). In it, we discover SAD persons chained to the wall. Their perspectives are generated from the shadows projected by the unapproachable light outside the cave. They name these maladaptive self-beliefs as useless, incompetent, timid, ineffectual, ugly, insignificant, and stupid.
The prisoners have formed a subordinate dependency on their surroundings and resist any other reality until, one day, they find themselves loosed from their bondage and emerge into the light. Like the cave dwellers, the SAD person breaks away from maladaptive self-beliefs into healthy philautia ’s positive self-qualities, which encourage and support connectivity to all forms of interpersonal love.
A study published in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Hulme et al., 2012) looked at the effect of positive self-images on self-esteem in the SAD person. Eighty-eight students were screened with the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and divided between the low self-esteem group and the high self-esteem group. The study had two visions. The first was to study the effect of positive and negative self-appraisal on implicit and explicit self-esteem. The second was to investigate how positive self-beliefs would affect the negative impact of social exclusion on explicit self-esteem and whether high socially anxious participants would benefit as much as low socially anxious participants.
The researchers used a variety of measures and instruments. The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale is standard in SAD therapy and CBT workshops; the Implicit Association Test reveals the strength of the association between two different concepts. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is a ten-item self-report measure of explicit self-esteem, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait (STAI-T) is a 20-item scale that measures trait anxiety, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) is a self-report scale measuring depression, anxiety, and general distress:
Social exclusion is inherently aversive and reduces explicit self-esteem in healthy individuals … the effect of exclusion has been measured in terms of its impact on positive affect and on four fundamental need scores (self-esteem, control, belonging, and meaningful existence) which contribute to psychological well-being. (Hulme et al., 2012)
The study’s results were consistent with evidence that was based on implicit self-esteem in other disorders; it found that negative self-imagery reduces positive implicit self-esteem in both high and low socially anxious participants. It provided supporting evidence of the effectiveness of promoting positive self-beliefs over negative ones, “because these techniques help patients to access a more positive working self” (Hulme et al., 2012). It also demonstrated that positive self-imagery maintained explicit self-esteem even in the face of social exclusion.
It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life. – Nick P.
Conclusion
For 25 years, since the appearance of SAD in DSM-IV, the cognitive-behavioral approach has reportedly been effective in addressing social anxiety disorder. It is structurally sound and would conceivably remain the foundation for future programs. However, it is not the therapeutic panacea it claims to be. Productive cognitive-behavioral approaches emphasize replacing SAD’s automatic negative thoughts and behaviors (ANTs) with automatic rational ones (ARTs). As defined by UCLA psychologists Hazlett-Stevens and Craske (2002), CBT:
approaches treatment with the assumption that a specific central or core feature is responsible for the observed symptoms and behavior patterns experienced (i.e., lawful relationships exist between this core feature and the maladaptive symptoms that result). Therefore, once the central feature is identified, targeted in treatment, and changed, the resulting maladaptive thoughts, symptoms, and behaviors will also change.
Clinicians and researchers have reported the lack of a precise, diagnostic definition for social anxiety disorder; features overlap and are comorbid with other mental health problems (ADAA, 2019a; Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014). Experts cite substantial discrepancies and disparities in the definition, epidemiology, assessment, and treatment of SAD (Nagata et al., 2015). More specifically, according to a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (Alden et al., 2018), “there is not enough attention paid in the literature to the ability to function in the close relationships” required for interpersonal love.
Standard CBT also lacks methodological clarity. Johnsen and Friborg (2015) cite the various forms of CBT used in studies and therapy over the years. Experts point to two predominant types of CBT: “the unadulterated CBT created by Beck and Ellis, which reflects the protocol-driven, highly goal-oriented, more standardized approach they first popularized” and the more integrative and collaborative approaches of “modern” CBT (Wong et al., 2013). This study maintains that neither faction should be ignored if we are to effectively address the complexities of positive self-qualities and their importance to the individual’s psychological well-being.
The deficit of positive self-qualities in individuals impaired by SAD’s symptomatic culture of maladaptive self-appraisal and the interruption of the natural course of human motivational development is a new psychological concept in our evolving conscious complexity. Cognitive-behavioral therapies focus on resolving negative self-imaging through programs of thought and behavior modification.
Positive self-quality in healthy philautia is not a new concept; it was discussed in symposia almost two-and-a-half centuries ago. However, the psychological ramifications and methods to address it are in their formative stages. There is a need for innovative psychological and philosophical research to address the broader implications of healthy philautia’s positive self-qualities, which could deliver the potential for self-love and societal concern to the SAD person, opening the bridge to procuring all forms of interpersonal love.
Kashdan et al. (2011) cite the “evidence that social anxiety is associated with diminished positive experiences, infrequent positive events, an absence of positive inferential biases in social situations, fear responses to overtly positive events, and poor quality of life.” Models of CBT that attempt only to reduce the individual’s avoidance behaviors would benefit from addressing, more specifically, the relational deficits that such people experience, as well as positive psychological measures to counter SAD’s culture of maladaptive self-beliefs. Non-traditional and supported approaches, including those defined as new third-wave (generation) therapies, with CBT serving as the foundational platform for integration, would widen the scope and perspective in comprehending SAD’s evolving intricacies.
One such step is the integration of positive psychology within the cognitive-behavioral therapy model which “despite recent scientific attention to the positive spectrum of psychological functioning and social anxiety/SAD … has yet to be integrated into mainstream accounts of assessment, theory, phenomenology, course, and treatment” (Kashdan et al., 2011). CBT would continue to modify automatic maladaptive self-beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors, and positive psychology would replace them with positive self-qualities.
Training in prosocial behavior and emotional literacy are valuable supplements to typical interventions. Behavioral exercises can be used to practice the execution of considerate and generous social skills. Positive affirmations have enormous subjective value as well. Data provide evidence for mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions, where the goal is not only to respond to the negativity of maladaptive self-beliefs but to pursue positive self-qualities despite unwanted negative thoughts, feelings, images, or memories. Castella et al. (2014) suggest motivational enhancement strategies to help clients overcome their resistance to new ideas and concepts.
Ritter et al. (2013) tout the benefits of positive autobiography to counter SAD’s association with negative experiences, and self-monitoring helps SAD persons recognize and anticipate their maladaptive self-beliefs (Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014). Finally, the importance of considering the “nuanced and unique dynamics inherent in the relationships among emotional expression, intimacy, and overall relationship satisfaction for socially anxious individuals” should be thoroughly considered (Montesi et al., 2013). As positive psychology focuses on the broader spectrum of philautia ’s positive self-qualities, integration with CBT’s behavior modification, neuroscience’s network restructuring, and other non-traditional and supported approaches would establish a working platform for discovery.
Competing Interest Declaration
The author(s) has no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this manuscript.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and conducts programs to alleviate the symptoms of social anxiety and help individuals tap into their innate potential for extraordinary living. Our unique approach focuses on understanding personality through empathy and collaboration, integrating neuroscience and psychology. This includes proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to reclaim and rebuild self-esteem. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports individuals striving to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. All donations go towards scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
For each new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.
Social Anxiety’s Failure to Establish, Develop, and Maintain Healthy Relationships: AI Generated: Relationships
The distinction between social anxiety and social anxiety disorder is in severity. We are not all affected by the same symptoms or relentlessness. The characteristics and traits are equivalent. These conditions originate homogeneously, their trajectories differentiated by environment, experience, and the diversity of human thought and behavior. While comorbidities dramatically benefit, the recovery methods identified are for social anxiety and social anxiety disorder, and reference to one includes the other.
I recognize that I have fallen behind on my weekly posts. We have been finalizing editing of our upcoming book, A Survivor’s Common-Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety, which goes to the publisher next week. Accounting for the average four-month schedule to get to print, we hope to make this book available sometime in the spring.
Social Anxiety’s Failure to Establish, Develop, and Maintain Healthy Relationships. Part I
From C.-H. Mayer and E. Vanderheiden (eds), International Handbook of Love. Springer Nature Switzerland, 2025. 10.1007/978-3-031-76665-7_59-1
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common psycho-physiological malfunctions. Affecting the emotional and mental well-being of over 15 million US adults who find themselves caught up in a densely interconnected network of fear and avoidance of social situations. These observations provide insights into the relationship deficits experienced by people with SAD. Their innate need for intimacy is just as dynamic as that of any individual. Still, their impairment disrupts the ability (means of acquisition) to establish affectionate bonds in almost any capacity. The spirit is willing, but competence is insubstantial. The means of acquisition and how SAD symptomatically disrupts them are the context of this research.
Notwithstanding overwhelming evidence of social incompatibility, there is hope for the startlingly few SAD individuals who commit to recovery. Integrating positive psychology’s optimum human functioning with CBT’s behavior modification, neuroscience’s network restructuring, and other supported and non-traditional approaches can establish a working platform for discovery, opening the bridge to procuring forms of intimacy previously inaccessible.
Keywords: Love -Social anxiety disorder -Intimacy –Philautia -Relationships
Social Anxiety Disorder
The distinction between social anxiety and social anxiety disorder is in severity. We are not all affected by the same symptoms or relentlessness. The characteristics and traits are equivalent. These conditions originate homogeneously, their trajectories differentiated by environment, experience, and the diversity of human thought and behavior. While comorbidities dramatically benefit, the recovery methods identified are for social anxiety and social anxiety disorder, and reference to one includes the other.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the second most commonly diagnosed form of anxiety in the United States (MHA, 2019). The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA, 2019a) estimates that roughly 15 million (7%) American adults currently experience its symptoms. Ritchie and Roser (2018) report 284 million SAD persons, worldwide, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2017) reports that 31.1% of US adults experience some anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. Global statistics are subject to “differences in the classification criteria, culture, and gender” (Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014) and “in the instruments used to ascertain diagnosis” (NCCMH, 2013).
Studies in other Western nations (e.g., Australia, Canada, Sweden) note similar prevalence rates as in the USA. As do those in culturally westernized nations such as Israel. Even countries with strikingly different cultures (e.g., Iran) note evidence of social anxiety disorder (albeit at lower rates) among their populace. (Stein & Stein, 2008)
SAD is the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States after major depression and alcohol abuse (Heshmat, 2014). It is also arguably the most underrated and misunderstood. A “debilitating and chronic” psychophysiological affliction (Castella et al., 2014), SAD “wreaks havoc on the lives of those who suffer from it” (ADAA, 2019a).
SAD attacks all fronts, negatively affecting the entire body complex, delivering mental confusion (Mayoclinic,2017b), emotional instability (Castella et al., 2014; Yeilding, 2017), physical dysfunction (NIMH, 2017; Richards, 2019), and spiritual malaise. Emotionally, persons experiencing SAD feel depressed and lonely (Jazaieri et al., 2015). Physically, they are subject to unwarranted sweating and trembling, hyperventilation, nausea, cramps, dizziness, and muscle spasms (ADAA, 2019a; NIMH, 2017). Mentally, thoughts are discordant and irrational (Felman, 2018; Richards, 2014). Spiritually, they define themselves as inadequate and insignificant (Beck, 2021).
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 9.1% of adolescents experience social anxiety disorder, and 1.3% have severe impairment (NIMH, 2017). The onset of SAD is generally considered “to take place between the middle and late teens” (Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014). Like other pathogens, SAD can remain dormant for years before symptoms materialize. Any number of situations or events trigger the initial contact. It may be hereditary, environmental, or the result of some traumatic experience.
SAD is randomly misdiagnosed (Richards,2019), and the low commitment to recovery (Shelton, 2018) suggests a reticence by those infected to recognize and/or challenge their malfunction. Roughly 5% of SAD individuals commit to early recovery, reflective of symptoms that manifest maladaptive self-beliefs of insignificance and futility. Grant et al. (2005) speculate that “about half of adults with the disorder seek treatment,” but that is after 15–20 years of experiencing the condition (Ades & Dias, 2013).
Resistance to new ideas and concepts transcends those of other emotional malfunctions and is justified by:
General public cynicism
Self-contempt by the afflicted, generated by maladaptive self-appraisal
Ignorance or ineptitude of mental health professionals
Real or perceived social stigma
The natural physiological aversion to change
Many motivated toward recovery are unable to afford treatment due to SAD-induced “impairments in financial and employment stability” (Gregory et al., 2018). The high percentage of jobless people experiencing social anxiety disorder in the United States is related to “job inefficiency and instability” (Felman, 2018), greater absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, and/or frequent job changes. “More than 70% of social anxiety disorder patients are in the lowest economic group” (Nardi, 2003).
Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
According to leading experts, the high percentage of SAD misdiagnoses is due to “substantial discrepancies and variation in definition, epidemiology, assessment, and treatment” (Nagata et al.,2015). The Social Anxiety Institute (Richards, 2019) reports that among patients with generalized anxiety, an estimated 8.2% had the condition, but just 0.5% were correctly diagnosed.
Social anxiety disorder is a pathological form of everyday anxiety. The clinical term “disorder” identifies extreme or excessive impairment that negatively affects functionality. Feeling anxious or apprehensive in certain situations is normal. Most individuals are nervous speaking in front of a group and anxious when pulled over on the freeway. The typical individual recognizes the ordinariness of a situation and accords it appropriate attention. The SAD person anticipates it, takes it personally, dramatizes it, and obsesses on its negative implications (Richards, 2014).
SAD’s culture of maladaptive self-beliefs (Ritter et al.,2013) and negative self-evaluations (Castella et al., 2014) aggravate anxiety and impede social performance (Hulme et al., 2012). “Patients with SAD often believe they lack the necessary social skills to interact normally with others” (Gaudiano & Herbert, 2003). Maladaptive self-beliefs are distorted reflections of a condition or situation, often accepted as accurate.
Maladaptive means we do not adapt to certain fears, thus amplifying our distress. The co-founder of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Aaron Beck, provides three types of maladaptive self-beliefs responsible for persistent social anxiety. Core beliefs are enduring fundamental understandings, often formed in childhood and solidified over time. Because SAD persons “tend to store information consistent with negative beliefs but ignore evidence that contradicts them, [their] core beliefs tend to be rigid and pervasive” (Beck, 2011).
Automatic negative thoughts are immediate, involuntary, anxiety-provoking thoughts, emotions, and images that occur in anticipation of or reaction to a feared situation. They are the unpleasant, self-defeating expressions of our negative self-appraisal that define who we think we are, who we think others think we are, and how we express our fears and anxieties. They are borne of our negative and intermediate core beliefs and the onset of our disorder:
Negative self-images reported by patients with social anxiety disorder reflect a working self that is retrieved in response to social threat and which is characterised by low self-esteem, uncertainty about the self, and fear of negative evaluation by others. (Hulme et al.,2012)
Halloran and Kashima (2006) define culture as “an interrelated set of values, tools, and practices that is shared among a group of people who possess a common social identity.” As the third largest mental healthcare problem in the world (Richards, 2019), social anxiety disorder is culturally identifiable by the victims’ “marked and persistent fear of social and performance situations in which embarrassment may occur” and the anticipation that “others will judge [them] to be anxious, weak, crazy, or stupid” (APA, 2017).
Although studies evidence “culture-specific expression of social anxiety” (Hoffman et al., 2010), SAD “is a pervasive disorder and causes anxiety and fear in almost all areas of a person’s life” (Richards, 2019). SAD affects the “perceptual, cognitive, personality, and social processes” of the afflicted, who find themselves caught up in “a densely interconnected network of fear and avoidance of social situations” (Heeren & McNally, 2018).
Often, mere functionality in perfunctory situations—eating in front of others, riding a bus, and using a public restroom—can be unduly stressful (ADAA, 2019a; Mayoclinic, 2017b). This overriding fear of being found wanting manifests in perspectives of incompetence and worthlessness (Richards, 2019).
SAD individuals are unduly concerned that they will say something that will reveal their ignorance, whether perceptual or otherwise (Ades & Dias, 2013). They walk on eggshells, supremely conscious of their awkwardness, surrendering to the gaze—the anxious state of mind that comes with the maladaptive self-belief they are the center of attention (Felman, 2018; Lacan, 1978). Their movements can appear hesitant and awkward, small talk clumsy, attempts at humor embarrassing, and every situation reactive to negative self-evaluation (ADAA, 2019a; Bosche, 2019).
Persons experiencing SAD are apprehensive of potential “negative evaluation by others” (Hulme et al.,2012), concerned about “the visibility of anxiety, and preoccupation with performance or arousal” (Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014). SAD persons frequently generate images of themselves performing poorly in feared social situations (Hirsch & Clark, 2004; Hulme et al., 2012), and their anticipation of repudiation motivates them to dismiss overtures to offset any possibility of rejection (Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014).
SAD is repressive and intractable, imposing irrational thought and behavior (Richards, 2014; Zimmerman et al., 2010). It establishes its authority through its subjects’ defeatist measures produced by distorted and unsound interpretations of actuality that govern perspectives of personal attractiveness, intelligence, competence, and other errant beliefs (Ades & Dias, 2013). SAD individuals:
crave the company of others but shun social situations for fear of being found out as unlikeable, stupid, or annoying. Accordingly, they avoid speaking in public, expressing opinions, or even fraternizing with peers … People with social anxiety disorder are typified by low self-esteem and high self-criticism. (Stein & Stein, 2008)
Anxiety and related disorders are branches of the same tree. “There is a significant degree of comorbidity between social anxiety disorder and other mental health problems, most notably depression (19%), substance-abuse disorder (17%), GAD [generalized anxiety disorder] (5%), panic disorder (6%), and PTSD (3%)” (Tsitsas & Paschali,2014).
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA, 2019a) includes many emotional and mental disorders related to, components of, or a consequence of social anxiety disorder, including avoidant personality disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia.
While there is less evidence of strong comorbidity with most personality disorders, there are symptomatic similarities. Personality disorders involve long-term patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are unhealthy and inflexible. “The behaviors cause serious problems with relationships and work. People with personality disorders have trouble dealing with everyday stresses and problems” (UNLM,2018).
Personality reflects deep-seated patterns of behavior affecting how individuals “perceive, relate to, and think about themselves and their world” (HPD,2019). A personality disorder denotes a “rigid and unhealthy pattern[s] of thinking, functioning and behaving,” which potentially leads to “significant problems and limitations in relationships, social activities, work and school” (Castella et al., 2014).
A recent article in Scientific American speculates that “mental illnesses are so common that almost everyone will develop at least one diagnosable mental disorder at some point in their life” (Reuben & Schaefer, 2017).
SAD and Interpersonal Love
In unambiguous terms, the desire for love is at the heart of social anxiety disorder (Alden et al., 2018). Interpersonal love relates to communications or relationships of love between or among people. The diagnostic criteria for SAD, outlined in the DSM-V (APA, 2017), include “Marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others.”
SAD persons find it difficult to establish close, productive relationships (Castella et al., 2014; Fatima et al., 2018). Their avoidance of social activities limits the potential for comradeship (Desnoyers et al., 2017; Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014), and their inability to interact rationally and productively (Richards, 2014; Zimmerman et al., 2010) makes long-term, healthy relationships unlikely. SAD persons frequently demonstrate significant impairments in friendships and intimate relationships (Castella et al., 2014). According to Whitbourne (2018), SAD persons’:
avoidance of other people puts them at risk of feeling lonely, having fewer friendships, and being unable to take advantage of the enjoyment of being with people who share their hobbies and interests.
There is a death of research directly investigating the relationship between SAD and interpersonal love (Montesi et al.,2013; Read et al., 2018). A study on friendship quality and social anxiety by Rodebaugh et al. (2015) notes the lack of relative quality studies, and Alden et al. (2018) report on the lack of attention paid to the SAD person’s inability or refusal to function in close relationships. The few existing studies report that the SAD person exhibits inhibited social behavior, shyness, lack of assertion in group conversations, and feelings of inadequacy while in social situations (Darcy et al., 2005).
This dominant culture of maladaptive self-beliefs results in the tendency to avoid new people and experiences, making the development of “adequate and close relationships (e.g., family, friends, and romantic relationships)” extremely challenging (Cuming & Rapee, 2010). Experiencing social anxiety disorder translates to less trust and perceived support from close interpersonal relationships (Topaz, 2018).
Although intimately related, the desire for love and the means of acquisition are binary operations. Most forms of interpersonal love require the successful collaboration of wanting and obtaining. The desire for love is the non-consummatory component of Freud’s eros life instinct (Abel-Hirsch,2010). The means of acquisition are the methods and skills required to complete the transaction. Techniques that vary depending upon the type of love.
Let us visualize love as a bridge, with desire (thought) at one end and acquisition at the other. The span is the means of acquisition (behavior). The SAD person cannot get from one side to the other because the means of acquisition are structurally deficient (Desnoyers et al., 2017; Tsitsas & Paschali, 2014). They grasp the fundamental concepts of interpersonal love and are presented with opportunities. But lack the skills to close the deal. Painfully aware of the tools of acquisition, they cannot seem to operate them.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy purposed for SAD is typically conceptualized as a short-term, skills-oriented approach aimed at exploring relationships among a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors while changing the culture of maladaptive self-beliefs into productive, rational thought and behavior (Richards,2019). CBT focuses on “developing more helpful and balanced perspectives of oneself and social interactions while learning and practicing approaching one’s feared and avoided social situations over time” (Yeilding, 2017).
Almost 90% of the approaches empirically supported by the “American Psychological Association’s Division 12 Task Force on Psychological Interventions” involve cognitive-behavioral treatments, according to Lyford (2017). “Individuals who undergo CBT show changes in brain activity, suggesting that this therapy improves your brain functioning as well” (NAMI, 2019).
Recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that CBT as an effective treatment for SAD compares favorably with other psychological and pharmacological treatment programs (Cuijpers et al.,2016). However, there is no guarantee of success, and standard CBT is imperfect (David et al., 2018). The best outcome someone experiencing SAD can hope for is the dramatic mitigation of symptoms through thought and behavior modification. And the simultaneous restructuring of the neural network, along with other supported and non-traditional treatments:
‘[M]any patients, although being under drug therapy, remain symptomatic and have a recurrence of symptoms,’ according to the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. ‘40–50% are better, but still symptomatic, and 20–30% remain the same or worse.’ (Manfro et al.,2008)
Behavioral and cognitive treatments are globally proven methodologies. Multiple associations worldwide are “devoted to research, education, and training in cognitive and behavioral therapies” (McGinn, 2019). CBT Conferences (2019) are offered across the globe, “where knowledge transfer takes place through debates, round table discussions, poster presentations, workshops, symposia, and exhibitions.” David et al. (2018) credit CBT as the best standard currently available for the following reasons:
(1) CBT is the most researched form of psychotherapy. (2) No other form of psychotherapy is systematically superior to CBT in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and other disorders. If there are systematic differences between psychotherapies, they typically favor CBT. (3) Moreover, the CBT theoretical models/mechanisms of change have been the most researched and are in line with the current mainstream paradigms of the human mind and behavior (e.g., information processing).
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) is “a worldwide humanitarian organization” fostering the “dissemination of evidence-based prevention and treatments through collaborations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)” (McGinn,2019). The World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT) is a global multidisciplinary organization promoting health and well-being through the scientific development and implementation of “evidence-based cognitive-behavioral strategies designed to evaluate, prevent, and treat mental conditions and illnesses” (ACBT, 2019).
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is arguably the gold standard of the psychotherapy field. David et al.(2018) maintain “There are no other psychological treatments with more research support to validate.” Studies of CBT have shown it to be an effective treatment for a wide variety of mental illnesses. Including depression, SAD, generalized anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, PTSD, OCD, panic disorder, and schizophrenia (Kaczkurkin & Foa, 2015; NAMI, 2019). However, David et al. (2018) suggest if the gold standard of psychotherapy defines itself as the best in the field, then CBT is not the gold standard. There is clearly room for further improvement, “both in terms of CBT’s efficacy/effectiveness and its underlying theories/mechanisms of change.”
The fault, however, does not lie with the methodology but with the abundance of therapists who believe that CBT is the golden panacea for all recovery. When the diversity of human thought and experience demands a collaboration of science, philosophy, and psychology. And philosophy, existentially defined, welcomes religious and spiritual insight.
A coalescence of science and east-west psychologies is essential to capture the diversity of human thought and experience. Science gives us proactive and active neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral self-modification, and positive psychology’s three waves of optimal functioning, which are Western-oriented. Eastern practices provide the therapeutic benefits of Abhidharma psychology and the overarching truths of ethical behavior. Individual targeted approaches and scales that focus on regenerating our self-esteem are crucial to recovery.
In her therapeutic sessions, CBT specialist Judith Beck (2021) incorporates techniques from acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion-focused psychotherapy, behavior therapy, Gestalt therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, person-centered psychotherapy, scheme therapy, psychodynamic therapy, schema therapy, and solution-based therapy, among others.
Lyford (2017) provides two examples of criticism. A 2013 meta-analysis published in Clinical Psychology Review comparing CBT to other therapies failed to “provide corroborative evidence for the conjecture that CBT is superior to bona fide non-CBT treatments.” An 8-week clinical study by Sweden’s Lund University in 2013 concluded that “CBT was no more effective than mindfulness-based therapy for those suffering from depression and anxiety.”
Another meta-analysis, conducted by psychologists Johnsen and Friborg (2015), tracked 70 CBT outcome studies conducted between 1977 and 2014. It concluded that “the effects of CBT have declined linearly and steadily since its introduction, as measured by patients’ self-reports, clinicians’ ratings, and rates of remission.” According to the authors, “Just seeing a decrease in symptoms,” he says, “doesn’t translate into greater well-being.” This is reflective of most one-size-fits-all approaches.
While this study recognizes CBT as the best foundation for addressing the SAD culture of maladaptive self-appraisal, it makes the point standard CBT alone is not necessarily the most productive course of treatment. New and innovative methodologies supported by a collaboration of theoretical construct and integrated scientific psychotherapy are needed to address mental illness as represented in this era of advanced complexity. A SAD person subsisting on paranoia sustained by negative self-evaluation is better served by multiple non-traditional and supported approaches. Including those defined as new (third)-wave (generation) therapies developed through client trust, cultural assimilation, and therapeutic innovation with CBT and positive psychology serving as the foundational platform for integration.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and conducts programs to alleviate the symptoms of social anxiety and help individuals tap into their innate potential for extraordinary living. Our unique approach focuses on understanding personality through empathy and collaboration, integrating neuroscience and psychology. This includes proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to reclaim and rebuild self-esteem. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports individuals striving to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. All donations go towards scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
The distinction between social anxiety and social anxiety disorder is in severity. We are not all affected by the same symptoms or relentlessness. The characteristics and traits are equivalent. These conditions originate homogeneously, their trajectories differentiated by environment, experience, and the diversity of human thought and behavior. While comorbidities dramatically benefit, the recovery methods identified are for social anxiety and social anxiety disorder, and reference to one includes the other.
Defense Mechanisms
Excerpts from our upcoming book, A Tough Love, Common Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety, currently in final editing.
The overwhelming thoughts and emotions caused by our condition can be challenging for our minds to manage. To cope, we develop defense mechanisms—unconscious strategies meant to protect our emotional health from threats.
We deny, avoid, or compensate for a problem rather than acknowledge it. We rationalize our actions, project them onto others, or displace them by kicking the dog.
When used temporarily, defense mechanisms offer an escape from situations that threaten our fragile self-image. Without these strategies, we can experience decompensation—a state where we cannot effectively handle stress, leading to a breakdown in our ability to function and maintain our mental health.
In simpler terms, decompensation is mental overload, where the stress becomes too much for us to handle, and we struggle with our daily tasks and our mental health.
Defense mechanisms are healthy when used to manage short-term trauma, but become problematic when we rely on them to avoid facing reality. Recovery involves examining and understanding how these strategies support our irrational thoughts and behaviors, helping us avoid conflicts with our fragile self-image.
Recognizing how we use defense mechanisms to bypass or avoid reality is a vital step toward recovery. It enables us to turn defense strategies into tools for growth and healing. It empowers us to take control of our mental well-being and navigate our recovery with confidence.
Psychologists have identified approximately thirty defense mechanisms to date. Eight are especially relevant to social anxiety:
avoidance (e.g., evading thoughts, feelings, or situations that cause anxiety or discomfort),
compensation (e.g., overachieving to hide feelings of inadequacy),
denial (e.g., refusing to acknowledge a problem),
displacement (e.g., taking frustrations out on others),
dissociation (e.g., mentally and emotionally distancing ourselves from unpleasant situations),
projection (e.g., attributing our flaws to others),
rationalization (e.g., justifying uncomfortable or inappropriate feelings or behaviors with seemingly logical explanations),
and the related triad of repression, suppression, and regression.
The thirteen cognitive distortions, also particularly relevant to our social anxiety, are also considered defense mechanisms—patterns of biased or distorted thinking that skew our perception of reality.
This post focuses on eight defense mechanisms germane to social anxiety.
Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
Avoidance
A primary SAD symptom is our intense fear or anxiety during social situations, causing us to avoid interacting with others. Human interconnectivity, however, is essential for emotional health. Turning down opportunities to socialize exacerbates our isolation and opportunities for intimacy and friendship.
This does not mean that we need to challenge every situation. There is a clear distinction between avoiding something out of fear and avoiding it for a good reason. Discretion about who and where we engage is essential, as is adhering to our established boundaries and avoiding situations that pose a threat to our physical well-being.
Avoidance can be a reasonable alternative.
Compensation
Compensation is a defense strategy we turn to when we try to excel in one area of our lives to hide perceived flaws in another. It helps us conceal or overcome struggles in one area by becoming skilled at something else. In simple terms, we overachieve in one part of our lives to make up for deficiencies or incapacity in another.
For example, a student might compensate for academic difficulties by excelling in sports or other extracurricular activities. Someone who feels intellectually inferior might become an artisan; a socially awkward person might become a performer; and someone with body dysmorphia may become a fitness enthusiast.
When used wisely, compensation can be a powerful tool for healing. We counteract our perceived flaws with positive, productive traits. We boost our self-esteem by reclaiming our character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements. And we replace negative thoughts with positive stimuli.
Overcompensation is common among those of us experiencing social anxiety. In fact, it is often part of our daily struggles. The term refers to an overreaction to feelings of inferiority, incompetence, or inadequacy, leading to overzealous attempts to overwhelm the feelings by striving for perfection or seeking validation from others.
We tend to overcompensate for our perceived shortcomings, going to extremes to make up for imagined deficiencies, and setting unrealistically high expectations we cannot meet.
Perfectionism closely resembles the characteristics of social anxiety. Understanding this connection helps us recognize the role of perfectionism in our condition. Perfectionism isn’t just about wanting to do well; it’s an obsessive need to be flawless, with anything less being unacceptable.
As perfectionists, we harshly criticize ourselves when we fall short of our standards. We worry excessively about our behavior before and during social situations, ruminating on these worries long afterward. When things don’t go as planned, we find it hard to move forward.
Social Anxiety and Perfectionism
Social anxiety and perfectionism are closely linked. Both tend to involve higher anxiety levels and lower psychological well-being.
People with SAD often see situations in extremes. To a perfectionist, anything less than perfect is disastrous. We view others as either supporting us or opposing us. The world appears black-and-white, with no middle ground or room for compromise. We see ourselves as either exceptional or failures.
This mindset fuels cognitive distortions such as the need to be always right, personalization, and polarized thinking.
Perfectionists and those with SAD tend to avoid situations that might lead to disaster, disappointment, or embarrassment. We fear saying or doing the wrong thing. We dread criticism and ridicule. These worries intensify our self-criticism and defensiveness.
Our perfectionism pushes us to set unreasonable expectations, like performing flawlessly, never making mistakes, and being in complete control. When we can’t meet these expectations, we become disappointed and feel even more incompetent and inadequate.
It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life. – Nick P.
Denial
Denial is a defense strategy that induces us to refuse to accept facts or recognize reality to avoid facing certain truths. It protects us from thoughts and emotions we cannot manage emotionally. It shields us from potentially destructive stimuli by blocking our conscious awareness of the harmful or threatening elements of our memories, experiences, and environment.
We can also be in denial about something we’re not ready to reveal or something that challenges our core beliefs and deeply held convictions.
Denial is a common way to avoid taking responsibility for our behaviors. Many individuals experiencing drug or alcohol addiction deny their habit. Trauma victims often deny that the disturbing experience ever occurred to avoid emotional confrontation.
While denial can offer temporary respite from things our minds find unmanageable, its persistent use can impede our ability to face our fears and control our lives. Freud called it the ostrich effect because denial is simply burying our problems in the sand.
Individuals denying their social anxiety is a pervasive problem. The inability or unwillingness to accept the personal impact of our condition is patently hostile to recovery. Even worse is the number of individuals who know they are affected but resist recovery. This reticence is rooted in our core beliefs of hopelessness and worthlessness, which preclude us from making the effort.
We must be fully aware (recognize, comprehend, and accept) of our social anxiety to recover from it. Denying it is like Blanche complaining that Baby Jane wouldn’t abuse her if Blanche weren’t confined to a wheelchair. ‘But you are, Blanche! You are in that chair.’
We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of ignorance.
Displacement
Displacement is a defense strategy where we redirect negative or hostile emotions to a less threatening or more acceptable target. Our minds find a safer outlet for triggers that are challenging or dangerous. Displacement allows us to cope with unmanageable feelings by transferring them onto something or someone else.
By displacing negative emotions or distressing experiences, we momentarily alleviate the anxiety associated with the source of distress. In common vernacular, we take our frustrations out on someone else.
Unleashing our unmanageable feelings onto those who pose a limited threat, such as a roommate, sibling, or associate, has obvious repercussions. A chastised worker might go home, shout at his wife, run the lawnmower into the flowerbed, and upend the cat. Each recipient of their displacement is adversely affected.
Examples of displacement include the student, upset about poor grades, who bullies someone on the playground during recess, and the wife, frustrated by her husband’s lack of attention, who seeks another sexual outlet to quash her feelings of rejection.
Another form of displacement is sublimation, where we redirect unacceptable urges into socially acceptable activities, such as the woman who sublimates her self-sabotaging desires by working out at the gym or the man who frequents the local tavern.
Individuals experiencing social anxiety are prone to displacement and sublimation as a relief from their continual self-doubt, isolation, and negative self-appraisal. For example, when we become overwhelmed by unresolved fears at the company convention, we might displace our anger and self-disappointment onto someone we dislike or sublimate them by getting out on the dance floor.
It is crucial to recognize that, like all defense mechanisms, the relief from displacement is temporary. It tells us that we must become more conscious of our emotional processes and the need for more productive coping strategies.
Dissociation
An essential component of our recovery is distancing ourselves from our condition—to step outside the bullseye, as it were. As long as we remain entwined with our social anxiety disorder, we tend to see ourselves as helpless, hopeless, and worthless. These are core beliefs that contribute to our social anxiety and depression, as identified by the pioneer of cognitive-behavioral therapy, Dr. Aaron Beck.
The concept of undesirability, characterized by the feeling of being unwanted or unattractive, is a common manifestation in our workshops, where we discuss and address negative self-appraisal.
Traditionally, dissociation is an unconscious disconnection from reality. It allows individuals to mitigate the effects of trauma by severing specific mental connections. Theoretically, our mind unconsciously blocks memories, emotions, thoughts, and impulses that are hazardous to our emotional well-being.
For instance, a person who has experienced a traumatic event might dissociate themselves from triggers that might rekindle the trauma, effectively ‘shutting off’ the emotions and memories related to the event.
Daydreaming or streaming television to avoid conflict is a harmless form of dissociation, while morphing into multiple personalities is a psychosis called DID (dissociative identity disorder) that requires specialized treatment.
Our first exercise in this book was to begin dissociating ourselves from our social anxiety. We redefine ourselves by our character assets, such as kindness, intelligence, creativity, and resilience, rather than by the symptoms of our condition. We’re not our social anxiety. We are intelligent and resilient individuals experiencing the reparable symptoms of social anxiety.
This shift in self-appraisal enables us to take control of our condition, which significantly weakens it.
Uncoupling ourselves from our condition enables us to objectively analyze our negative thoughts and behaviors, allowing us to respond rationally and productively. By consciously disassociating, we gain the power to deactivate the self-destructive aspects of our condition and activate our strengths, virtues, attributes, and accomplishments. This encourages us to focus on the positive aspects of our character, overriding the negative self-appraisals triggered by our social anxiety.
We are not our social anxiety. When we break a leg, we don’t become the broken limb; we experience the discomfort of a broken bone. The same logic applies to our condition. We are not our symptoms and traits. We are individuals experiencing the distress of a devious and powerful mental health condition. This understanding liberates us from the shackles of our condition, enabling us to thrive.
Projection
Projection is a psychological defense strategy in which we attribute our undesirable thoughts, feelings, impulses, or behaviors to another person or group to avoid confronting and dealing with them.
When we project, we subconsciously deny certain negative character traits but recognize or create them in others. For example, we might project our fears of negative evaluation by ridiculing someone else’s inept attempt at socializing. Or if we carry repressed anger to a company event, we might perceive others as belligerent and aggressive rather than acknowledging our hostility.
Projection acts as a protective shield for our emotional well-being, providing relief from anxiety-provoking thoughts or feelings. By attributing our problems to someone or something else, we create a safe distance from what we find distressing within ourselves.
For instance someone who is dishonest might constantly suspect others of lying, orthe bar patron on his fifth scotch, might criticize the obvious inebriation of the person at the other table.
Often, when we instinctively dislike or avoid someone, we unconsciously project our disagreeable traits and impulses onto them.
Psychological projection occurs when we are unable or unwilling to take responsibility for our fears, anxieties, prejudices, and irrational thoughts and behaviors. It is easier to recognize negative emotions in others than it is to acknowledge them in ourselves.
Like many defense mechanisms, projecting may be healthy in the short term; however, recovery compels us to address the causes of our projection.
The long-term effects of persistent anxiety projection are detrimental to our health and may aggravate traditional symptoms of our social anxiety, including chronic stress, the constant influx of fear- and anxiety-provoking chemical hormones, and decreased or static self-esteem.
Anxiety Projection
Anxiety projection is particularly relevant to our condition. Unconsciously projecting our anxious thoughts, feelings, or impulses onto others or external situations helps us cope with emotions that threaten our emotional stability. Rather than acknowledging our fears or insecurities, we deny them by attributing them to external sources.
The traits that lead to anxiety projection are not uncommon in social anxiety. They include social avoidance, overthinking, perfectionism, porous emotional boundaries, and codependency. Recognizing these traits can help us better understand and manage our condition, knowing that we are not alone in this struggle.
Socially, projected anxiety can create a cycle of misunderstanding and conflict. For instance, a person projecting their insecurities might accuse their partner of being unfaithful without evidence, which can easily lead to relationship conflicts. We tend to avoid companionship and intimacy in anticipation of rejection. Projecting these fears allows us to evade responsibility.
Practical strategies for managing anxiety projection are within our reach. They focus on increasing self-awareness, challenging cognitive distortions, and reframing our fears and self-appraisals. By implementing these strategies, we learn to manage our issues rather than projecting them onto some unsuspecting external source.
AI Generated
Rationalization
Rationalization is not the same as rational thought or rational coping statements. Which are logical, self-affirming responses to our automatic negative and intrusive thoughts and other irrational and destructive self-appraisals that threaten our emotional well-being.
Rationalization is a defense strategy in which we justify uncomfortable or errant feelings or behaviors with allegedly logical explanations rather than acknowledging the actual reason behind them.
In essence, we deny or distort reality to reduce our emotional discomfort and self-disappointment by inventing a plausible excuse to disguise the real explanation for our behavior or feelings. For example, if we are rejected socially, we might say that the person is already in a relationship. If our presentation is substandard, we blame the lighting and tech.
These excuses protect us from self-recrimination and disappointment.
Rationalization allows us to reframe our actions or feelings in a more socially and personally acceptable manner, protecting our self-esteem and avoiding emotions that challenge our self-image. Psychologists consider defense mechanisms like rationalization and projection, unconscious strategies that protect us from threats to our self-esteem.
Although rationalizations misrepresent our true motivations, they protect us from the feelings of shame, guilt, or anxiety we might experience when we fail to fulfill our true intentions. Rationalization plays a crucial role in maintaining our emotional stability by revising our interpretations of outcomes.
We rationalize our thoughts and behaviors to make them more acceptable, which shields us from negative self-appraisal and helps us maintain a positive self-image. This reassurance is a key function of rationalization.
We rationalize to protect our self-esteem and maintain a positive outlook, and in the short term, this provides comforting relief. It allows us to alleviate stress until we are better equipped to process our motivations.
However, excessive use of rationalization can lead to further problems. Denying, ignoring, or subordinating the truth of a traumatic situation, consciously or unconsciously, prevents us from honestly evaluating our reactions and responses and making positive changes.
Deflecting Responsibility
When we experience anxiety or guilt about our actions, rationalization offers an emotional escape. It replaces discomfort with emotionally acceptable explanations, but it also enables us to evade responsibility for the outcome, a crucial aspect to consider.
An excellent example of rationalization would be the dieter who opts out of the recommended exercises because they are too time-consuming and have failed them in the past —so what’s the point?
Rationalization versus Lying
It’s important to distinguish between rationalization and deception. While lying is a deliberate attempt to mislead, rationalization is a partly or primarily unconscious strategy. Both conceal the truth and disguise our real motives.
Rationalization, in its various forms—such as minimizing, deflecting, blaming, and attacking—is a common human experience. We’ve all been in situations where we downplay the importance of a task, shift blame to others, or make excuses for our actions. It’s a natural defense strategy that prevents us from taking responsibility and shields us from feelings that could challenge our self-esteem.
While it defends against distressing thoughts, erratic behaviors, and failed outcomes, rationalization avoids the deeper problems that require attention.
Repression, Suppression, Regression
Repression operates at the deepest level of our unconscious mind. It’s a process where we unknowingly suppress traumatic memories or thoughts that our minds find too challenging to handle. In psychology, repression refers to the process by which we prevent specific thoughts, memories, or feelings from surfacing into conscious awareness.
While repression may shield us from immediate distress, it’s crucial to understand that it can lead to enduring psychological issues. These memories, buried in our unconscious, subtly shape our thoughts and actions. For instance, a repressed memory of a past failure could breed self-doubt in similar situations, or a buried traumatic event might steer us from specific triggers without our conscious knowledge.
These occurrences can stir up anxiety, stress, and depression, underscoring the profound and potentially long-term implications of repression on our mental health. It’s essential to address these issues to prevent them from developing into enduring psychological problems.
Suppression
Suppression is a voluntary form of repression. It’s a conscious choice to subdue painful thoughts and memories to deal with them at a more appropriate time. This conscious control over our thoughts and emotions is a powerful tool in recovery. It allows us to resolve the issues that we have temporarily suppressed.
The distinction between suppression and dissociation in recovery is also essential to understand. Suppression is a conscious choice to postpone dealing with specific distressing thoughts and behaviors. Dissociation, as used in recovery, is a conscious decision to mentally separate ourselves from the symptoms of our condition to address them dispassionately and objectively.
Understanding these nuances can provide a deeper insight into our psychological processes during recovery. Making us more knowledgeable and better equipped to handle our emotional issues.
Repression is often confused with the defense strategy, denial, in which we refuse to admit to unacceptable thoughts and behaviors, even with evidence to the contrary. Denial involves a conscious refusal to accept the truth. For example, a person in denial about their addiction may refuse to acknowledge their problem despite clear evidence. Repression, on the other hand, involves unconscious mental dismissal. It’s like the mind’s way of protecting us from overwhelming trauma by pushing it out of conscious awareness.
Both are psychological attempts to unconsciously forget or block distressing memories, thoughts, or desires. However, regression is a severe psychological issue that requires more specialized treatment, something a traditional recovery program does not provide.
A primary objective of a treatment program is to unblock these memories and emotions to address the root causes of our unconscious unwillingness or inability to confront certain distressing or traumatic events or situations.
Certain aspects of our person are broken. It is impossible to fix something that is broken unless we have a clear understanding of its causes. It’s like a novice attempting to rebuild a transmission without knowing the basics of engine operation.
How do we identify the defense strategy we use to avoid dealing with an uncomfortable or unmanageable issue? It’s like recognizing a familiar face in a crowd. You may not be able to explain precisely how you know, but you do. Similarly, we often recognize our defense mechanisms when we see them in action. This underscores the importance of self-awareness in identifying, understanding, and accepting why we use certain defense mechanisms to avoid facing the true nature of our traumatic thoughts and experiences.
This suggests, correctly, that increased self-awareness is necessary to identify, comprehend, and accept our use of defense mechanisms to avoid facing the true nature of our traumatic thoughts and experiences. It’s important to note that during the recovery process, we learn specific coping strategies that help reduce our emotional reliance on defense mechanisms.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and conducts programs to alleviate the symptoms of social anxiety and help individuals tap into their innate potential for extraordinary living. Our unique approach focuses on understanding personality through empathy and collaboration, integrating neuroscience and psychology. This includes proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to reclaim and rebuild self-esteem. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports individuals striving to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. All donations go towards scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
The distinction between social anxiety and social anxiety disorder is in severity. We are not all affected by the same symptoms or relentlessness. The characteristics and traits are equivalent. These conditions originate homogeneously, their trajectories differentiated by environment, experience, and the diversity of human thought and behavior. While comorbidities dramatically benefit, the recovery methods identified are for social anxiety and social anxiety disorder, and reference to one includes the other.
Coping Strategies
Excerpts from our upcoming book, A Tough Love, Common Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety, currently in final editing.
A coping strategy is a technique we use to manage stress and negative emotions. It’s crucial to understand that there are both constructive (adaptive) and destructive (maladaptive) ways to cope with stress. Choosing adaptive strategies can significantly improve our mental and emotional well-being.
Adaptive coping strategies include relaxation and breathing techniques, rational coping statements, and exercise, which are healthy and supportive. Unhealthy or maladaptive coping strategies, such as substance abuse, negative verbal outbursts, and avoidance due to fear, can be harmful to the entire body system, causing mental, physical, and emotional distress.
Many people confuse unhealthy coping strategies with defense mechanisms. Both are meant to protect our emotional health from threats. However, defense mechanisms are usually unconscious reactions to unmanageable stress, while maladaptive coping strategies are intentional, like procrastination, codependence, or self-harm.
There are various types of coping strategies; some are listed here. Some of the more effective ones for recovery include:
Active or problem-solving strategies aid in identifying and solving problems that cause stress, such as seeking professional help, grounding, cognitive reframing, and many of the approaches we will utilize in our upcoming fear situation plan. This plan is a structured approach to facing and managing our fears in specific situations, providing step-by-step guidance and tools to help us cope effectively.
Accommodative coping strategies demonstrate how to set reasonable expectations and establish boundaries, which are like a safety net that protects us from overwhelming stress. These strategies, covered later in this chapter, provide a sense of security and control in our lives.
Emotional coping strategies help us regulate and control our emotions. Behavioral strategies include stress-reducing activities such as gardening, hiking, and going to the gym. Cognitive strategies help us change our irrational perspectives and thought patterns.
Let’s discuss the two major clinical approaches we use in recovery to develop the most effective coping strategies for specific problems or situations: cognitive-behavioral therapy and positive psychology.
Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy examines the significant relationships among our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, aiming to transform our negative self-appraisals into more productive, rational thoughts and behaviors. It is a corrective and rehabilitative process based on the concept that our thoughts determine our feelings and behaviors. By identifying their origins and validity, we engage strategies to challenge and overcome them.
Social anxiety distorts our perceptions of reality. As we recover, we learn to recognize that our problems, such as feeling constantly judged or fearing social situations, are primarily based on learned patterns of irrational thinking. CBT equips us with knowledge of the sources of these patterns and develops problem-solving skills and coping strategies to address them, instilling a strong sense of self-assurance as we take control of our mental health.
As previously stated, a one-size-fits-all solution cannot adequately address the complexity of the human experience. When utilized with complementary methods such as positive psychology and self-esteem-specific exercises, CBT is an effective support tool for recovery from SAD. This individualized approach ensures that each person’s unique needs and experiences are understood and addressed, fostering a sense of being valued and respected throughout the recovery process.
Positive Psychology
Positive psychology, with its focus on character strengths, virtues, and attributes, is a potent tool for reclaiming and rebuilding our self-esteem. It empowers us to become aware of and utilize our dominant, positive traits, gradually counteracting the years of negative self-appraisal caused by our social anxiety.
The first wave of positive psychology, which originated in the late 1990s, focused on our potential well-being by emphasizing our strengths, virtues, attributes, and positive experiences. By nurturing these assets, we can reclaim and rebuild our self-esteem, reintegrate into society, and ultimately improve our overall life satisfaction. This wave laid the foundation for the subsequent developments in positive psychology.
Positive Psychology 2.0
Positive Psychology 2.0, in recognizing the dialectical nature of human experience, emphasizes the importance of considering both the positive and negative aspects of our character. This balanced perspective is crucial for healing and advancement, fostering a sense of balance and self-awareness, and leading to a deeper understanding of ourselves.
Positive Psychology 3.0
The latest wave of positive psychology (3.0) has expanded research beyond the individual to include relationships, groups, and organizations, examining how our character and values influence society and how society influences our character and values.
PP 3.0 supports our final objective of reclaiming and rebuilding self-esteem as we reintegrate into society. This wave represents a shift towards a more holistic understanding of positive psychology, considering not only individual well-being but also the broader societal impact of positive character traits and values.
Positive psychology plays a vital role in our recovery. It helps us rediscover and identify our strengths and attributes, which have been dismissed or superseded by our social anxiety.
It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life. – Nick P.
Reframing
A core CBT tool is cognitive reframing, which helps us identify, challenge, and replace distorted thought patterns with healthier, positive perspectives. Reframing helps us develop a more positive view of ourselves, others, and the world, alleviating the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Reframing is a versatile cognitive technique that can be applied in various situations. It prompts us to shift a negative perspective into a positive one. For instance, we can reframe a problem or issue as a challenge or opportunity. We can defuse an argument by considering the other person’s perspective. Similarly, when faced with a difficult task at work, we can reframe the frustration as an opportunity to learn and grow. When stuck in traffic, we can reframe it as a chance to listen to our favorite podcast or audiobook.
In each of these situations, reframing helps us develop a more positive view of ourselves, others, and the world, thereby alleviating the symptoms of anxiety and depression
During a snowstorm, we can feel trapped and despondent, or we can take out the sleds and ice skates and make the most of the day.
Experts agree that reframing is crucial for emotional well-being.
Every situation has multiple perspectives. While we cannot control everything that happens around us, we can manage how we react and respond. We possess the inherent ability to choose how we view people and situations. If given the option to select emotional well-being over anxiety and depression, it is illogical not to seize that opportunity.
Childhood disturbances, negative core and intermediate beliefs, and adverse self-appraisal have rooted themselves in our minds like squatters resisting eviction. Moreover, we are exposed to ongoing cynical input from external sources, including misleading media, adverse public opinion, stigma, and disinformation. Overcoming negative thinking can be a significant challenge.
Reframing is not just an abstract commitment to changing every negative thought or situation into a positive one. Multiple strategies support our efforts to replace disagreeable prospects with a more favorable perspective.
Through these strategies, we create a more nuanced and balanced perspective that encourages positivity, growth, and resilience. A key component of this process is emotional self-regulation, which is the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences in ways that are healthy and productive.
It’s about being aware of our emotions, understanding what triggers them, and choosing how to respond in a way that aligns with our values and goals. By practicing emotional self-regulation, we reduce the frequency and severity of our adversarial perspectives.
Grounding
This involves intentionally shifting our attention away from anxiety-provoking thoughts or worries by focusing on what surrounds us in our present environment. Grounding techniques help us break free from the grip of traumatic memories or sensations by redirecting our emotional distress into a conscious awareness of the present. When anxiety or stress threatens to overwhelm us, we reframe our focus away from our triggers and other discomforting situations.
The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a practical and accessible grounding technique. It encourages us to connect with one or more of our five senses to anchor ourselves to our physical environment. This practicality makes it easy to remember and apply in various situations.
For instance, if we’re feeling overwhelmed at work, we can take a moment to focus on the click-clack of our typing, the visuals of our computer screen, the reassuring aroma of our cologne, the bitter taste of our coffee, or the sensation of our ergonomic chair against our back. Our anxiety takes a back seat to our senses, and we become more capable of managing our emotions.
For some of us, performing the entire 5-4-3-2-1 sequence is cumbersome. Focusing on one or two senses is just as effective, making the process more manageable.
The vagus nerve is a network of fibers that regulates heart rate, respiration, mood, and stress responses. A significant component of our parasympathetic nervous system, the vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body, running from our brainstem to the abdomen, and it plays a crucial role in deactivating the fight-or-flight responses.
Other effective grounding methods, such as progressive muscle relaxation and controlled breathing, stimulate the vagus nerve to slow our heart rate and breathing, which also moderates the level of our stress response.
A common symptom of social anxiety is the persistent worry that others will become aware of our condition by observing specific physical reactions such as blushing, hyperventilating, sweating, trembling, or vocal tremors. Grounding reduces our fear of visibility by refocusing our attention on the immediate environment and our presence in it.
Visualization
Visualization involves creating mental images to counteract fear situations, reduce anxiety, and boost performance and confidence. By visualizing a positive experience, we reframe our worst-case scenario projections. For instance, if we feel overly anxious before a public speaking event, visualizing a successful presentation in detail helps us replace negative thoughts and behaviors with healthier, productive ones.
The same activity benefits any fear situation by replacing a negative outlook with a positive, productive one.
All information passes through our brain’s thalamus, which makes no distinction between inner and outer realities. Whether we imagine an action or physically perform it, the same neural regions are activated.Visualizing raising our left hand is, to our brain, the same as physically raising it, providing similar neural benefits.
Visualization is a scientifically supported toolthat helps us manage anxiety and fear. It activates our dopaminergic reward system, decreasing the neurotransmission of anxiety- and fear-provoking hormones and accelerating and consolidating the transmission of beneficial hormones.
This dynamic tool helps manage anxiety and fear by activating our dopaminergic reward system, which releases dopamine—the neurotransmitter linked to pleasure and reward. When activated, it reduces the transmission of anxiety-inducing hormones and speeds up the release of beneficial ones.
Additionally, when we visualize, our brain generates alpha waves, which can significantly lessen symptoms of anxiety and depression, making us feel calmer and less stressed.
Research indicates that visualizing a situation beforehand not only improves mental and physical skills but also enhances social abilities. By consciously creating positive scenarios, we can significantly improve social interaction and increase our chances of success in real-life situations.
Since a key goal of visualization is to replace or overcome negative patterns with positive outcomes, it is important to visualize detailed, positive scenarios f situations where we tend to project worst-case outcomes.
Setting Boundaries
One of the best ways to avoid a potential threat is not to put ourselves in that situation in the first place. We do that by establishing boundaries.
Boundaries are the standards of treatment we believe we are entitled to and are comfortable with. They define which behaviors towards us are acceptable or unacceptable and shield us from invasions of our space, feelings, limitations, and expectations. They allow us to assert our identity, empower our goals and objectives, and prevent others from manipulating, exploiting, or taking advantage of us. Boundaries give us the power to shape our lives, instilling a profound sense of control and confidence.
Our social anxiety has a profound effect on our ability to express ourselves and hold others accountable. Our fear of criticism and rejection can lead to obsessive concern about how people evaluate us. And our yearning for acceptance often overshadows our need to set conditions for our own security and happiness. The fear of upsetting or distancing others can inhibit our ability to set boundaries.
It’s not uncommon for us to create codependent relationships where one partner prioritizes the other’s needs over their own, maintaining excessive emotional reliance on their partner. In these dysfunctional situations, our low self-esteem and craving for approval can lead us to attach ourselves to controlling or manipulative individuals, becoming dependent on them for a sense of worth.
Relationship Boundaries
Our social impotence often leads us to believe that setting boundaries hinders our ability to form and maintain healthy relationships. We fear asserting ourselves will lead to rejection and isolation, and think that setting boundaries will only aggravate our loneliness. Rather than saying no, we often overextend ourselves and prioritize others’ needs above our own, which can leave us feeling inferior, resentful, and exploited.
Learning to say no, however, brings a profound sense of relief, easing the tendency to put others’ needs before our own and lightening our emotional load.
Boundaries serve as the foundation of all healthy relationships. They don’t distance us from others but bring us closer by clearly defining our needs and wants. By setting boundaries, we encourage open communication, ensuring we live in alignment with our values while respecting those of others, fostering a deep sense of connection and understanding.
Social Anxiety’s Impact on Boundaries
Our obsession with perfection consistently reminds us of our insecurities. Our symptomatic negative self-analysis provokes those core beliefs of helplessness, hopelessness, undesirability, and worthlessness.
The long and short of it is that we want to be loved, but we don’t believe we are because we think we are unworthy. In pursuing perfectionism, we become consummate enablers and codependents, compensating for our feelings of inadequacy. We seek affirmation and appreciation, yet we allow ourselves to be bullied and taken advantage of.
Boundaries not only establish the standard of treatment we believe we are entitled to, but they also empower us to assert our rights. Like fences that provide us with privacy and help us feel safe, boundaries protect our emotional and mental well-being.
One client who held a degreeless job in the college system felt intimidated and frustrated at social events where everyone discussed their academic accomplishments and publications. He simply set a boundary with his employer, where he would not be required to attend these sessions. It may seem like an insignificant demand, but it helped him maintain his sense of self-esteem and value to the institution.
Setting boundaries can be particularly daunting for those grappling with issues of self-worth. However, there are strategies we can employ to prioritize our needs and avoid feelings of inferiority, resentment, and loneliness.
Let’s focus on eight types of boundaries that we should consider establishing.
Physical boundaries include the autonomy of our bodies and personal space. Healthy boundaries establish our comfort zone. We might say, ‘I prefer not to hug people,’ to set a physical boundary. ‘It’s a personal choice,’ or ‘It’s a cultural thing.’
Intellectual boundaries comprise our ideas, beliefs, and thoughts. A thoughtful boundary also respects others’ boundaries. Dismissing or belittling ideas, beliefs, thoughts, and opinions about us invalidates our intellectual boundary. If we disagree, it’s better to say, ‘I appreciate your opinion, but I don’t fully support it,’ or ‘Let’s agree to disagree.’
Our feelings and personal details are part of our emotional boundaries. When someone criticizes, minimizes, or shares our feelings or personal information without our permission, they violate these boundaries, leading to feelings of betrayal, loss of trust, and emotional distress.
Material boundaries refer to our financial resources and possessions. When we feel pressured to lend or give things away or to spend money when we prefer not to, our boundaries for financial resources and belongings are breached. One effective response might be, ‘I’m on a tight budget. I prefer to share expenses this evening.’
Internal boundaries support self-regulation. Occasionally, we prioritize the energy we expend upon others over our personal needs. This is especially relevant to our desire for acceptance and companionship. When someone attempts to invade our internal boundaries, an acceptable response might be, ‘I’ve been working all week. I need time to recoup and spend quality time with myself. I’ll call you tomorrow.’
Conversational boundaries establish topics we may or may not feel comfortable discussing. Money, religion, and politics easily fall within this category. So, an adequate response to someone infringing on these boundaries might be, ‘ I am uncomfortable discussing this and would rather not be part of this conversation.’
Maintaining healthy time boundaries can be challenging as we juggle a job, relationships, children, and other responsibilities. These boundaries are crossed when others make unreasonable demands or requests for our time and attention. We overextend ourselves by taking on more than we can handle. Establishing time boundaries early avoids miscommunication. ‘I can only stay for half an hour. I have another commitment later this afternoon.’
Sexual boundaries protect our intimate personal space. When someone pressures us into unwanted or unwarranted intimacy, touching, or sexual activity, or when someone expresses hostility toward our choices, they invade our sexual boundaries.
We establish and maintain healthy boundaries when we:
Retain the ability to decline anything we don’t want to do.
Express our feelings responsibly.
Talk about our shared experiences freely and honestly.
Set our boundaries in the moment.
Address problems directly with the person involved rather than with a third party.
Make our expectations clear. It is irrational to assume people will figure them out.
Can say ‘no’ comfortably and accept when someone else says ‘no.’
Communicate our wants and needs clearly.
Honor and respect the needs of others without compromising our own.
Respect the values and beliefs of others even if they conflict with our own.
Unhealthy Boundaries
Where unhealthy boundaries exist, safety in the relationship is compromised, leading to dysfunctional relationships where needs remain unmet. Here are some examples of times we failed to set appropriate boundaries. When we:
Find it challenging to say ‘no’ or have difficulty accepting ‘no’ from others.
Neglect to communicate our needs and wants clearly.
Easily compromise our personal values, beliefs, and opinions to satisfy others.
Become coercive or manipulative to persuade others to do something they don’t want.
Overshare personal information.
How to Set Healthy Boundaries
Setting healthy boundaries is about being transparent about our expectations and creating a safe and respectful space where needs are met. It requires good communication skills that convey clarity and assertiveness, ensuring that our interests are valued and that we are in control of our lives.
Assertiveness is a key component of setting healthy boundaries. It’s not about making demands, but about expressing our feelings openly, respectfully, and without hostility. It’s a communication style that fosters understanding and respect by asserting our needs and priorities.
Here are a few things to consider when we set our boundaries:
Have a Clear Goal. What is the outcome we want to achieve in setting this boundary?
Understand Our Motivations. Why do we need to set this boundary?
Be Courageous. Setting boundaries can have repercussions, such as people becoming defensive, argumentative, or even ending the relationship.
Keep It Simple. Setting boundaries doesN’t have to be complicated. In fact, less is often more when it comes to communicating our boundaries. It’s prudent not to overload the other with too many details.
Be kind to yourself and others. Remember, setting boundaries is not about being biased or manipulative. It’s about respecting yourself and others. So, be thoughtful with your words and actions, and always consider others’ feelings and needs.
Completions
Our need for perfectionism causes us to procrastinate completing tasks because we fear they will not meet our expectations. Our constant fear and worry that we will be criticized or rejected causes us to put off attending social events or scheduling classes. Delaying or postponing things leaves things we need or want to do unfinished, creating self-disappointment and resentment.
Completion is not just about ticking off a task from our to-do list; it’s about achieving a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It involves taking action, finding resolutions, and achieving fulfillment. When we finally complete tasks, especially those we’ve been procrastinating on, we experience a profound sense of relief and liberation.
Completions create mental space for new learning, ideas, and concepts to emerge. Psychologically, these completions provide a sense of closure, crucial for our emotional well-being.
Experts recommend adding items to an active list whenever a task or idea comes to mind. Sometimes, small projects seem unimportant, causing us to skip listing them and forget about them. Writing down ideas, projects, and other important or productive tasks does two things: it prevents us from forgetting something crucial and frees up our minds for other activities.
I prioritize my tasks using a color-coding system: turquoise for urgent tasks, pink for high-priority projects, and so on. This system helps me stay organized and in control. I review this list regularly to see how well I am managing my tasks.
During recovery, we use graded exposure (systematic desensitization) to address completion anxiety – the fear or discomfort that can happen when facing a task that needs finishing. We start with smaller projects, like cleaning out the garage, weeding the garden, or reconnecting with family members.
These small victories are not insignificant; they are formidable steps to greater accomplishments. Achieving a sense of completion and closure is essential for our emotional health. And it also clears mental space for other pursuits.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and conducts programs to alleviate the symptoms of social anxiety and help individuals tap into their innate potential for extraordinary living. Our unique approach focuses on understanding personality through empathy and collaboration, integrating neuroscience and psychology. This includes proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to reclaim and rebuild self-esteem. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports individuals striving to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. All donations go towards scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
Excerpts from our upcoming book, A Tough Love, Common Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety, currently in final editing.
Brief History of Social Anxiety
While Hippocrates wrote of shyness and social inadequacy roughly 2,500 years ago, the term’ social anxiety’ is a relatively recent diagnosis. The 1930s saw the introduction of ‘social neurosis’ to describe extreme shyness, which later evolved into ‘social phobia’ in 1980 and eventually ‘social anxiety disorder’ in 1994.
This historical evolution of the term’ social anxiety‘ provides us with a deeper understanding of its complexities and helps us navigate its modern manifestations. Over this period, SAD was conflated with generalized anxiety disorder and avoidant personality disorder. Even today, experts sometimes confuse social anxiety with social phobia, agoraphobia, and other emotional issues.
In fact, most of us dealing with social anxiety also have at least one additional comorbid disorder, further highlighting the need for individualized treatment. This prevalence of comorbid disorders is a common experience among those with social anxiety, and it’s important to recognize that we are not alone in our struggles.
Major depression and substance abuse are the most common, followed by simple phobias and generalized anxiety disorder. Comorbid anxiety disorders, such as OC-D, panic disorder, and agoraphobia, are also evident.
When I returned to university in my late forties, recovery methods for our condition were still in their formative stages and, as I later discovered, poorly invested in social anxiety. It remains the most underrated and misunderstood of all disorders.
Research indicates that social anxiety exists on a continuum, from mild shyness to severe social anxiety disorder. The key distinction lies in the severity of the condition. We use the acronym SAD for social anxiety and social phobia/social anxiety disorder, as each indicates a moderate to high level of disability and functional impairment.
In addition to the common symptoms, individuals experiencing SAD are statistically more likely to face challenges such as dropping out of school, unemployment, underemployment, being unmarried or divorced, reduced social interaction, dissatisfaction with leisure activities, and experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Sixty to eighty percent of us also experience depression, substance abuse, and at least one other anxiety disorder. Because of its proximate comorbidity to depression, we are subject to the same sense of helplessness, hopelessness, undesirability, and worthlessness alluded to by the pioneer of cognitive behavior therapy, Dr. Aaron Beck.
Not only does SAD convince us that recovery is hopeless, but our negative self-appraisal is so overwhelming that we deem ourselves unworthy of happiness and convince ourselves we are helpless to do anything about it. We can’t envision a light at the end of the tunnel because so much negativity is blocking our view.
Understanding social anxiety is a deeply personal journey. Often referred to as the ‘neglected anxiety disorder’, it became clear to me that traditional treatments were not working, but the reasons remained elusive.
After extensive research and personal application, I came to understand that the complexities of social anxiety, much like the mysteries of the ancient Greek Eleusinian cult, are only revealed to those who have experienced it firsthand. This personal journey of understanding is something many of us can relate to, and it forms a crucial part of our recovery process.
In other words, only someone who has walked in our shoes and mastered the intricacies of social anxiety can effectively guide us through recovery. Clinically sound and well-intentioned recovery methods are problematic because they are designed for disorders that do not sustain themselves through irrational thoughts and behaviors.
“Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information.” – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
What is SAD
SAD is a multifaceted and intricate health condition – a master of disguise that withholds its secrets from those who haven’t experienced its enigmatic and catastrophic nature. It is more emotionally complex than a hormonal teenager.
Social anxiety steals our autonomy, hopes, and dreams. It makes us feel unwelcome and exposed. It crushes our self-esteem, causing us to doubt our worth and abilities. And it saps our confidence and desirability, causing us to avoid social activities and personal connectivity.
Social avoidance is one of the most prevalent behaviors in SAD. Social connection improves our physical health and mental and emotional well-being. And SAD does not want us to be healthy and happy because that diminishes its power and releases us from its insidious grasp.
I have worked with far too many incredible individuals who approach recovery with the best intentions but lack the resolve because their fears overwhelm them.
SAD sustains itself by compelling irrational thoughts and behaviors that become so habitual that they normalize. Although our condition causes a considerable amount of suffering, many individuals experiencing SAD do not seek medical attention because they do not perceive their condition as abnormal.
SAD traps us in a vicious cycle of fear and anxiety, restricting us from taking advantage of opportunities. Our fear of disapproval is so severe that we avoid the life-affirming experiences that connect us with others and the world. We fear the unknown and unexplored. We worry about how others perceive us and how we express ourselves.
While occasional anxiety is a regular part of life, we tend to personalize and dramatize our anxiety, ostensibly blowing it out of proportion and obsessing over its alleged power and influence, not recognizing that we fuel its authority.
We endure anxiety for weeks before a situation, engaging in anticipatory processing, a term that refers to the habit of predicting worst-case scenarios. We project criticism, rejection, and embarrassment in every social engagement, and we mold our behaviors to make our self-fulfilling prophecy happen.
Afterwards, we engage in post-event processing, where we ruminate obsessively about every negative aspect of our participation, agonizing over every perceived mistake or flawed interaction.
It’s no wonder we avoid social and performance activities.
Experiencing SAD is like one of those movies in which aliens invade human bodies, controlling their thoughts and behaviors. The only remedy is logic and self-awareness, causing them to wither and die. Social anxiety feeds off our misery and hopelessness, surviving through our fears and anxieties.
Understanding how our social anxiety deceives and manipulates us is a crucial step towards recovery. By recognizing the symptoms and characteristics of our condition, we gain the tools to ameliorate its power. Enabling us to take control of our lives.
We fear situations in which we may be judged negatively, criticized, or even ridiculed. Since it is human nature to evaluate others and form opinions, we avoid situations and activities where there is even a slight likelihood of being scrutinized.
Subsequently, we avoid engaging with people, fearing we will embarrass or humiliate ourselves. Our self-esteem is so fragile that we often feign disinterest when someone approaches us. Convinced that we will be rejected as undesirable, awkward, or inferior.
We fear that others will notice our anxiety by revealing physical symptoms like blushing, sweating, nausea, or speaking incoherently. We desperately want to make a favorable impression and are unduly concerned that any detection of our anxiety will expose us and make others uncomfortable.
Social anxiety instills in us unsound fears and apprehensions that are disproportionate to the actual situation. It limits our expectations, causing us to miss opportunities for friendship and intimacy.
Knowing Ourselves
It is essential to understand how we are individually affected by SAD. Each of us, as unique individuals with diverse experiences, environments, beliefs, needs, and aspirations, experiences SAD in a highly subjective way.
Some of us are more severely affected than others. Some relate to specific symptoms, while others do not. And some individuals are afraid of all or almost all social situations. While others are afraid of only a few of them. Some coping mechanisms may be more effective than others or may work sporadically.
It is productive to distinguish the primary focus of our anxiety, e.g., anxiety related to social interaction versus anxiety related to performance.
Simple tasks, such as eating in front of others, talking on the phone, or using public transportation or a public restroom, can be unduly stressful. We often find ourselves seeking invisibility to avoid participation.
One client bravely shared, “I spent high school trying to hide in every dark corner with a book in my face. I never once ate lunch in four years, and never once went to the bathroom in four years at my high school, for fear of having to interact with people.”
Living with SAD means navigating a paradoxical emotional landscape. We find ourselves craving companionship while shunning intimacy. Fearing that we will be deemed unlikable. This internal conflict can be overwhelming, leading to a constant state of anxiety and fear.
It’s not fear that destroys our lives, but the strategies we develop to avoid confrontation. At the peak of my social anxiety, I would circle the block repeatedly before a social situation to bolster my courage. Often, I ended up in the bar across the street rather than the event, a clear example of self-loathing through avoidance.
Our social interactions are often clumsy, small talk is inelegant, and attempts at humor are embarrassing. Our anticipation of rejection motivates us to dismiss overtures that could offset any possibility of being turned down.
SAD is repressive and intractable, imposing self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors. It establishes its authority through defeatist measures, which are actions or thoughts that reinforce a sense of failure and inadequacy, produced by distorted and unsound interpretations of reality. These defeatist measures can include self-criticism, avoidance of social situations, and negative self-talk, all of which perpetuate the cycle of anxiety and fear.
Sharing our experiences with social anxiety is like trying to describe an obscure mathematical equation to someone who doesn’t understand math – a solitary and often fruitless endeavor, as others struggle to comprehend our issue. ‘So, you have anxiety. Who doesn’t?’ is a typical response. This leads to a reticence to disclose our condition, as we fear being misunderstood or ridiculed.
Alleviating the symptoms of social anxiety is a gradual process that requires patience, introspection, and persistence. It’s not about rushing to find the answers, but about understanding the journey and the process that leads to them.
What makes us tick? What triggers our fears and apprehensions? Where do we feel anxious or fearful? What activities are we engaged in, and what thoughts arise? How do we feel (physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually)? What specific concerns or worries do we have? What is the worst thing that could happen? What do we imagine might occur? Who, where, or what do we avoid due to these feelings?
“It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life.” – Nick P.
Associated Fears
Associated fears are the fears we experience during a fear-inducing situation. To identify these fears, it’s essential to pay attention to our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations when we find ourselves in such situations. For example, if our fear involves a social gathering, our associated fears might include that no one will talk to us, that we will feel like we don’t belong, or that our physical symptoms will become obvious.
If our situation is the barber or beauty shop, our fears may stem from difficulty making small talk with our hairdresser. Or feeling like we are the glaring center of attention while trapped in the chair. If our fear occurs during Sunday dinner with family, our fears may stem from parental disapproval. Or the belief that our achievements are overshadowed by those of our siblings, making us feel small and inferior.
Every fear situation and associated fear are subjective, diverse, and extremely meaningful.
One Size Does Not Fit All
It’s essential to recognize that social anxiety is a complex condition, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. A comprehensive treatment program must take into account our unique environment, heritage, background, and relationships. To achieve this, it employs a range of traditional and non-traditional methodologies, developed through a combination of client trust, cultural understanding, and therapeutic innovation.
This complexity underscores the uniqueness of your journey and the need for a personalized approach.
It incorporates complementary approaches, such as proactive and active neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral therapy, positive psychology, recovery-oriented cognitive therapy, schema therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, and gradual exposure therapy, among other methods developed through research and our workshops.
AI Generated
Counterintuitive and Counterproductive
Remember when our parents and teachers advised us to trust our intuition? Unless we’re sociopaths, that’s good advice. Unfortunately, social anxiety sustains itself by perpetuating irrational thoughts and behaviors, which, by their very nature, are counterintuitive to rational productivity.
Counterproductive means that any attempt to do something has the opposite of the desired effect. Social anxiety thrives by introducing thoughts and behaviors that are counterproductive to our emotional well-being.
Everything that stems from our condition – every idea, instinct, expression, thought, and behavior – is counterproductive unless we understand how social anxiety sustains itself. This is why our attempts at recovery have been ineffective. They have been nonproductive, generating the opposite of the desired effect.
Counterintuitive means that our instincts and intuitions lead us to actions that are not in our best interest. For example, if our intuition tells us that something is logical and correct, it is likely wrong. This is why it’s important to remember that our intuition is likely counterproductive.
When our intuition prompts us to do something, it is prudent to do the opposite or do nothing. Because our actions will be counterintuitive and therefore counterproductive. And, if our intuition tells us that something is logical and correct, it is likely wrong.
Like the toddler given the choice of candy or a carrot, social anxiety compels us to choose the unhealthy option. The devil sits on our right shoulder, our angel on the left. Our condition deafens our left ear.
When we later discuss hemispheric synchronization, we learn that our cerebrum consists of two hemispheres. Our left hemisphere is the hub of logic, analysis, and rationality. While the right is the seat of creativity, imagination, and intuition. Before recovery, our actions are driven by emotions.Our right hemisphere overwhelms the left, leading us to make judgments and decisions based on our feelings rather than evidence.
Like salmon, we swim against the current.
Even when the logical choice is clear, SAD steers us in the opposite direction. It operates in its own ‘Bizarro’ world, where the rules of logic and reason are turned upside down. What appears right is usually wrong, and what makes sense is nonsensical.
While traditional recovery programs may be effective for most mental health conditions, social anxiety requires a distinct and specializedapproach from someone who has journeyed with social anxiety and reached the destination of recovery. I understand social anxiety intimately. I’ve been there, experienced it, and have the T-shirt to show for it.
I’m here to tell you that there is a way out of this darkness. An escape from the sewer you find yourselves in. Recovery is a reality. However, contrary to some well-intentioned misinformation, there is no absolute cure for social anxiety disorder. But there is dramatic mitigation of its symptoms. Someone may have told you otherwise, or you may have read Internet success stories, but there is no magic pill.
Some experts claim pharmaceuticals cure our condition, but drugs are short-term solutions. Contrary to popular thought, medication does not permanently change brain chemistry.
Recovery provides us with new, positive perspectives, but we cannot dismiss decades of negative self-appraisal. And that’s a blessing because these memories and experiences make us more aware and compassionate human beings.
Ultimately, it’s a fundamental choice. Are you content with who you are now, or do you aspire to change for the better? Do you choose to be miserable or to be happy? The power to make this choice is in your hands. Choose self-satisfaction, choose happiness. Don’t fall for SAD games. Choose recovery.
In the words of John Greenleaf Whittier.“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been.”
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and implements programs to (1) mitigate symptoms of social anxiety and related conditions and (2) pursue personal goals and objectives – harnessing our intrinsic aptitude for extraordinary living. Our paradigmatic approach targets the personality through empathy, collaboration, and program integration utilizing neuroscience and psychology including proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to regenerate self-esteem. All donations support scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly, no-cost Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
Automatic Negative Thoughts: Why We Have Them and How to Alleviate Them
Excerpts from our upcoming book, A Tough Love, Common Sense Approach to Recovery from Social Anxiety, currently in final editing.
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are the immediate, anxiety-provoking thoughts, emotions, memories, and images that occur when we are triggered during daily events and situations. ANTs reflect unpleasant and self-defeating expressions of our negative self-evaluation, affecting how we see ourselves, think others perceive us, and express these insecurities.
The question is, why are automatic negative thoughts so prevalent in social anxiety, and what can we do to alleviate their effect on our emotional well-being?
Our Neural Network
Our neural network, a complex system of interconnected nerve cells, circuits, and pathways, has the remarkable ability to adapt and change. This means we can continuously processinformation and respond favorably to our experiences, mitigating our self-sabotaging.
Social anxiety traps us in a cycle of fear and anxiety, hindering us from leading a normal life. We avoid opportunities to connect with others and the world around us. We are unduly conscious about how others perceive us and how we express that information.
Over the years, the metabolism of our brain has been inundated with an overabundance of adverse stimuli, but this does not mean we are destined to be trapped in a cycle of anxiety.
Despite its peculiar tendency to make traditional recovery efforts counterproductive, a robust awareness of the symptoms and traits of our condition provides a framework for reversing the lifelong path of emotional damage.
By examining the underlying causes and responding rationally, we can significantly reduce our social anxiety and create a brighter future.
You may be telling yourself all of that is well and good, but how did we get ourselves in this predicament in the first place? The following breaks down social anxiety’s negative trajectory, revealing how it developed into the irrational thoughts and behaviors we demonstrate daily
“Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information.” – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
The Trajectory of Our Belief System
Our belief system, which is the foundation of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, shapes how we see and interact with the world. They are broken down into three primary, interactive patterns: core beliefs, intermediate beliefs, and automatic thoughts.
Core Beliefs
Core beliefs are our most deeply held attitudes about ourselves and others, shaped by our childhood caregivers, environment, and experiences. Attitudes are our initial ways of thinking and feeling about someone or something, and how we express those mental and emotional beliefs.
When we decline to question our core beliefs, we accept them as facts, ignoring evidence that contradicts them. Thus, we create or interpret situations that reinforce these beliefs. While deeply rooted and formed early in life, core beliefs are malleable, influenced by our intermediate beliefs. This flexibility of beliefs encourages an open-minded and receptive approach to change, as it means we can challenge and alter our core beliefs with new experiences and evidence.
Intermediate Beliefs
Intermediate beliefs act as a bridge between our core beliefs and automatic thoughts. Unlike core beliefs, they become more flexible through the acquisition of knowledge and awareness generated by further thought, experience, and the senses. Our intermediate beliefs profoundly influence our attitudes, rules, and assumptions.
Our attitudes are how our feelings, beliefs, and actions define our general evaluations of people, things, and concepts. Rules are guidelines or principles we believe must be followed to support our beliefs and actions.
Assumptions are the decisions defined by our rules. We accept these assumptions as accurate, but they are just subjective assessments of life developed by our attitudes, rules, and assumptions.
Our intermediate beliefs are the conduit to our automatic thoughts. Our trajectory from negative core and intermediate beliefs to the manifestation of our social anxiety adversely impacts the thoughts and behaviors we carry with us in social and performance situations.
Automatic Thoughts
As described, automatic thoughts, those quick, involuntary mental or emotional responses to triggers in our environment, are heavily influenced by our intermediate beliefs. These beliefs, which are shaped by our experiences, play a significant role in how we perceive ourselves and the world around us.
Our automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) sustained by our social anxiety define our adverse automatic feelings and emotions.
Emotions are our automatic neurological responses to stimuli, and feelings are our unconscious interpretations of those emotions. It’s crucial to actively recognize and examine the feelings that arise from an emotion. This awareness is a vital part of engaging with our mental processes and understanding the triggers of our automatic negative thoughts.
Understanding the core and intermediate beliefs behind our automatic thoughts is a powerful tool. For instance, if we were often chosen last for high school events, we might develop the intermediate belief that we are unlikable and incapable, rooted in a core belief of insignificance. Conversely, if were are the captain of the popular girls’ volleyball team, our automatic thought might be, ‘I am talented and popular.’
“It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life.” – Nick P.
The Trajectory of Our Social Anxiety
Now that we’ve explained the evolution of our belief system, let’s explore the predictable, negative trajectory of our social anxiety. It starts with childhood disturbance.
Childhood Disturbance
We’ve discussed how childhood disturbance interferes with our optimal physical, cognitive, emotional, or social development. Stemming primarily from poor parental rearing (although environment and genetics may play a part), the disturbance fosters core beliefs such as abandonment, neglect, expendability, and inadequacy.
The disturbance may be a one-time occurrence or a series of events. It may be accidental or intentional, real or imagined. It is not the fault of the child, yet it greatly significantly influences our core beliefs, making the two mutually interactive.
Core Beliefs
Childhood Disturbance
Negative Core Beliefs
Negative Intermediate Beliefs
Automatic Negative Thoughts
SAD Onset
Social anxiety disorder commonly emerges during adolescence, typically around age thirteen, but it can also surface later in life. This delayed onset can sometimes lead individuals to believe they didn’t have social anxiety until their later years. However, the susceptibility to SAD ostensibly begins with childhood disturbance and manifests during early adolescence.
As I recall, I was fearless as an eleven-year-old, visiting the alleys and tenements of Skid Row searching for my father until I found him in a room with a dirty sink and no toilet. My social anxiety seemed to take hold in the summer before high school when I was thirteen, which supports the statistics.
The development of intermediate beliefs extends roughly from childhood through adolescence (roughly ages three through eighteen). Therefore, placing SAD onset between negative core beliefs and negative intermediate beliefs is not fully accurate, but reasonable.
Core Beliefs
Childhood Disturbance
Negative Core Beliefs
SAD Onset
Negative Intermediate Beliefs
Automatic Negative Thoughts
Situations
We understand a situation as a specific set of circumstances, including the facts, conditions, and events that affect us at a particular time and place. Our focus is on fear situations where we anticipate specific anxieties and worries will surface. These can vary widely and include social events, classroom settings, public swimming pools, beauty salons, and other common triggers for anxiety.
Each fear situation is as unique and subjective as the individuals experiencing it. By understanding these fear situations, we can better prepare for them.
Anticipated situations are those we know in advance will trigger our fears and anxieties. They may be one-time events, like a job interview or social gathering, or recurring events, such as a weekly class or everyday work setting.
Unexpected situations can catch us off guard, involving stress-inducing incidents such as a plumbing problem, an unanticipated guest, or losing a wallet.
By distinguishing between these two types of situations, we can better prepare ourselves to handle either scenario. For expected situations, we can strategize ahead of time to address our potential threats. This preparedness is a key tool in managing fear.
For unexpected situations, creating an emergency preparedness kit with practiced coping mechanisms is a practical reassurance.
To identify our expected fear situations, we ask ourselves several questions: Where are we when we feel anxious or fearful? What activities are we doing, and what thoughts might come up? What specific parts of the situation do we perceive as problematic? How do we feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially? What worries or concerns challenge us? What’s the worst outcome we believe could happen? What might we imagine could occur? Who or what do we avoid because of these feelings?
The situations that provoke our fears and anxieties obviously precede our automatic negative thoughts, and we have placed them appropriately on our chart.
Core Beliefs
Childhood Disturbance
Negative Core Beliefs
SAD Onset
Negative Intermediate Beliefs
Situation
Automatic Negative Thoughts
Triggers
A trigger is a psychological stimulus that evokes distressful feelings or memories and prompts an adverse emotional reaction or behavior. These triggers often originate from past experiences, incidents, observations, memories, images, and the behaviors of others.
It’s essential to acknowledge that even sensory reminders of a disturbance or traumatic event – such as sound, sight, smell, taste, or physical sensation – can trigger reactions, underscoring the profound impact of our past on our present responses.
For example, consider our toddler, Laura, from Chapter One, who developed core beliefs of insignificance and undesirability due to a lack of emotional support from her parents.
Years later, Laura’s difficulty making friends during high school lends credibility to her core and intermediate beliefs. Laura’s negative self-assessment is automatically triggered when a friend rejects her at a social event. She is consumed by automatic negative thoughts about her attractiveness and self-worth.
It’s important to recognize that automatic negative thinking is a common response to social anxiety and does not indicate personal weakness.
Automatic Negative Thoughts
As we defined at the beginning of this chapter, automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are the immediate, anxiety-provoking thoughts, emotions, memories, and images that arise when we are triggered during everyday events and situations.
ANTs reflect unpleasant and self-defeating expressions of our negative self-appraisal, influencing how we view ourselves, think others perceive us, and how we express these insecurities.
These thoughts are irrational, self-defeating, and originate from our negative core beliefs, which are sustained by intermediate negative beliefs and our condition.
Fortunately, these self-sabotaging thinking patterns are not set in stone and can be replaced with self-affirming, productive thoughts that we actively develop during recovery, leading to a significant improvement in our emotional well-being.
Solutions
Triggers lead to the activation of our automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). Once we have a basic understanding of these triggers and the ANTs they generate, we can explore solutions.
Coping mechanisms are learned psychological tools and techniques that reduce anxiety and discomfort during stressful situations. These can be traditional or non-traditional methods to counteract our triggers, automatic negative thoughts, and behaviors that harm our emotional well-being.
These can include deep breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques, or even engaging in a favorite hobby. As we progress, we will learn to identify and practice situationally effective coping mechanisms in simulated and real-world conditions.
There are many coping mechanisms to choose from. Some will be personally effective and others will not. Some may work only once or in specific situations. We practice, analyze, and determine which mechanisms prove most subjectively effective, ensuring that each individual’s unique needs are met.
Our automatic negative thoughts are emotional reactions rooted in our negative core and intermediate beliefs, as well as the self-defeating symptoms of our condition. But we are not powerless against these ANTs. Understanding them and challenging them with reason and objectivity enables us to regain control over our thoughts and behaviors, fostering a sense of empowerment and capability.
The three most powerful coping mechanisms include grounding, which is focusing on our physical presence in the present moment to redirect anxiety; reframing, where we consciously and spontaneously choose a positive perspective over negative stimuli; and rational coping statements.
AI Generated Image
Rational Coping Statements
A rational coping statement is a logical, self-affirming response to automatic negative thoughts, intrusive thoughts, and other irrational or destructive self-assessments that threaten our emotional health. Once again, automatic negative thoughts are the immediate, involuntary, anxiety-provoking statements provoked by the thoughts, emotions, memories, and images that manifest when we are triggered.
For example, if we fear being criticized in a social setting, our intermediate thoughts might include, ‘I will be rejected,’ or ‘No one will talk to me.’ When triggered, these fears generate automatic negative thoughts, such as ‘I don’t belong here’ and ‘I am unwelcome.’
Remember, ANTs can be triggered by thoughts, emotions, memories, images, and sensory recall, but they stem from our core beliefs—like abandonment or detachment—that are reinforced by our negative intermediate beliefs.
It is crucial to recognize that our ANTs are not based on facts but on assumptions. An assumption is something we believe is true or likely to happen, but we have no proof (unless we’re mind readers or fortune tellers). Recognizing this can bring relief, as it reminds us that assumptions are generally inaccurate.
The ANTs, ‘I don’t belong here’ and ‘I am unwelcome’ are assumptions. We can effectively fight these assumptions by responding with rational coping statements. These statements, such as ‘I have every right to be here,’ or ‘I am deserving of acceptance and belonging,’ Are not just words. They are powerful tools that affirm our worth and dispel false beliefs, putting us back in control of our thoughts and emotions.
Remember, our anxieties are not real. They feel real but are intangible. Anxiety is an abstract idea; it has no power of its own. We create and nurture it, giving it strength and influence. This understanding puts us in the driver’s seat, reminding us that we are in control; anxiety is just a false projection that we can dismiss. It is a subjective, illogical projection, and we have the power to change it.
Devising Rational Coping Statements
First, we identify the situations that trigger our fears. Where do we feel anxious or scared? What activities are we involved in? What thoughts come up? Is it a networking event, speaking in front of a class, a social outing, a family dinner, or being in a public swimming pool? Everyone is different.
Next, we unpack the fears or anxieties associated with the situational triggers. What exactly is problematic? How do we feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? What worries do we have? What’s the worst that could happen? What do we imagine might occur? Who or what do we avoid because of these feelings? What is being said or inferred?
From there, we unmask our corresponding ANTs. What negative messages do we tell ourselves when triggered? How do we express them? What involuntary emotional images or expressions do we experience? How do we negatively view ourselves during these moments?
Remember, our automatic negative thoughts are the immediate, involuntary, anxiety-provoking statements provoked by the thoughts, emotions, memories, and images that manifest when we are triggered. Statements such as ‘No one will talk to me,’ ‘I am unattractive,’ or ‘I will say something stupid.’
After thoroughly examining and analyzing our fear situations, triggers, associated fears, and corresponding ANTs, we generate rational coping statements. We know our fears and ANTs are irrational reflections of our negative self-appraisal. By examining and analyzing the reasons behind them, we view them in the context of the situation. Are they practical? Are they real or false assumptions? How would a confident, self-assured individual respond to them?
With this information, we devise rational coping statements to counteract or alleviate our ANTs.
Eventually, we will expose ourselves to our fear situations by confronting our associated anxieties and corresponding ANTs in real life. This exposure occurs after a suitable period of graded exposure – usually in a workshop or therapeutic environment – which involves gradually increasing the intensity of the fear situation to establish a comfort zone and familiarity with the prescribed tools and techniques.
Steps to Devising Rational Coping Statements
Identify Our Fear Situation
Unpack Our Associated Fear(s)
Unmask Our Corresponding ANT(s)
Analyze Our Associated Fear(s) and Corresponding ANT(s)
Generate Rational Coping Statements
Intrusive Thoughts
Not all thoughts are caused by specific situations or unexpected events. Intrusive thoughts are unpleasant thoughts, memories, or images that suddenly come into our minds without any clear reason. They tend to be strange, disturbing, repetitive, and difficult to dismiss.
While they can be linked to stressful situations, we differentiate intrusive thoughts from automatic negative thoughts, which are responses to specific situations, because intrusive thoughts appear out of nowhere, usually without identifiable triggers.
It’s important to remember that intrusive thoughts are common. They often produce disturbing and offensive images, such as violence, sexual explicitness, or socially inappropriate behavior. These are not reflections of our true selves, but rather dark fantasies that most of us have entertained at some point.
Some common examples of intrusive thoughts include thoughts of suddenly swerving your car into a crowd of people. Or tossing a brick through a store window at a rude salesclerk. Maybe we fantasize about shoplifting to see if we can get away with it. Or cheating on our significant other who has been dismissive.
It’s normal to experience intermittent intrusive thoughts. However, some can be especially difficult to manage. These might be repetitive thoughts that keep us awake at night. Or violent images that we can’t seem to shake off.
The unwanted and unexpected nature of intrusive thoughts sets them apart from other thoughts, worries, ruminations, or desires. These disturbing thoughts are often so opposite to our character and wishes that they can cause distress or disgust when we have them.
Other Negative Influences on Our Thinking
People experiencing social anxiety often cling to information that confirms their negative self-view while ignoring evidence that contradicts those beliefs. This behavior leads to cognitive biases—unconscious errors in thinking that distort how we perceive information, ultimately affecting the accuracy of our perceptions and decisions.
Adding to this problem is our inherent negativity bias. Humans are biologically predisposed to notice, react to, and remember negative stimuli more easily than positive ones. This tendency can worsen the symptoms of our condition.
We often expect the worst-case scenarios, anticipate criticism, fear ridicule and rejection, worry about embarrassing ourselves, and imagine undesirable outcomes. This pattern can create self-fulfilling prophecies, supported by behaviors that turn our negative predictions into reality.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and implements programs to (1) mitigate symptoms of social anxiety and related conditions and (2) pursue personal goals and objectives – harnessing our intrinsic aptitude for extraordinary living. Our paradigmatic approach targets the personality through empathy, collaboration, and program integration utilizing neuroscience and psychology, including proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to regenerate self-esteem. All donations support scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is missed in group activities is provided in our monthly, no-cost Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
Lecture: Neuroplasticity and Positive Behavioral Change Lake Shore Unitarian Society, Winnetka, Illinois
Neuroplasticity and Positive Behavioral Change
Italicized portions were omitted from the lecture due to time constraints.
What is the role of neuroplasticity in positive behavioral change? It is to access and utilize both hemispheres of the brain to accelerate and consolidate learning. I am a radical behaviorist. What does that mean? Radical behaviorism not only considers observable behaviors but also the diversity of human thought and experience. That calls for a collaboration of science, philosophy, and psychology. And philosophy, existentially defined, welcomes religious and spiritual insight. All this information requires full implementation of our neural network.
“It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life.” – Nick P.
The definition of recovery is regainingpossession or control of something stolen or lost. Self-empowerment is making a conscious decision to become stronger and more confident in controlling our lives. In neuroses such as anxiety, depression, and comorbidities, what has been stolen or lost is our emotional well-being and quality of life. In self-empowerment, it is the loss of self-esteem and motivation. So, both recovery and self-empowerment deal with regaining what has been lost. And both are supported by neuroplasticity.
If there is an underlying theme in recovery, it is that we are not defined by our disorder, but by our character strengths, virtues, attributes and achievements.
Neuroplasticity
Plasticity is the quality of being easily shaped or molded. Neuroplasticity is our brain’s constant adaptation and restructuring to information.
Before 1960, researchers thought that neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, stopped after birth. Today, science recognizes that our neural network is dynamic and malleable – realigning its pathways and rebuilding its circuits in response to information.
What is information? Thought, experience, phenomena, sensation, sights, sounds, smells, tactile impressions – anything and everything that impacts our neural network. Our wonderful brain never stops learning and unlearning. Absent that, we would be incapable of replacing unhealthy behaviors with productive ones.
What is significant is our ability to dramatically accelerate and consolidate learning by compelling our brain to repattern its neural circuitry. Our neural network is structured around negative information. The primary objective in recovery and self-empowerment is replacing or overwhelming that negative information with positive neural input.
Three Forms of Neuroplasticity
Human neuroplasticity comes in three forms. The two that concern us are active and proactive. Reactive neuroplasticity is our brain’s natural response to things over which we have limited to no control – stimuli we absorb but do not initiate or focus on. Our neural network automatically restructures itself to what happens around us.
Active neuroplasticity is cognitive pursuits like teaching, aerobics, journaling, and creating. We control this aspect of neuroplasticity because we consciously choose the activity. An important component of active neuroplasticity is ethical and compassionate social behavior. We’ll expand on that shortly.
The third form is proactive neuroplasticity – the deliberate, repetitive, neural input of information called DRNI. It is the most effective means of accelerating and consolidating learning and unlearning.
Both active and proactive neuroplasticity empower us to transform our thoughts and behaviors, creating healthy NEW mindsets, skills, and abilities. Through informed and deliberate engagement, we compel change rather than reacting to it.
What does all this mean? It confirms that our psychological health is self-determined. We control our emotional well–being. Now bad things happen, much of which we have limited to no control over. We are impacted by outside forces: life experiences, physical deterioration, hostilities, the quirks of nature. Psychological well–being means how we react to things is self–determined. How we respond to adversity as well as fortune and prosperity
Trajectory of Negative Self-Beliefs
So, where does all this negative information come from? What are its origins and trajectory? Why are our neural networks so clogged with harmful, growth-impeding information?
It starts with our core beliefs. Core beliefs are the deeply held convictions that determine how we see ourselves in the world. We form them during childhood in response to information and experiences, and by accepting what we are told as true. Core beliefs can remain our belief system throughout life unless challenged.
Childhood Disturbance
Cumulative evidence that a toxic childhood is a primary causal factor in emotional instability or insecurity has been well established. During the development of our core beliefs, we are subject to a childhood disturbance – a broad and generic term for anything that interferes with our optimal physical, cognitive, emotional, or social development.
Disturbances are ubiquitous – they happen to all of us. What differentiates us is how we react or respond to the disturbance – our susceptibility and vulnerability. Any number of things can precipitate childhood disturbance. Our parents are controlling or don’t provide emotional validation. Perhaps we are subject to sibling rivalry or a broken home. It is important to recognize, the disturbance may be real or imagined, intentional or accidental.
I give the example of the toddler, whose parental quality time is interrupted by a phone call. That seemingly insignificant event can foster in the child a sense of abandonment, which can then generate feelings of unworthiness and insignificance. We are not accountable for childhood disturbance or subsequent behaviors. As we mature, we are responsible for addressing our destructive behaviors, but we are not accountable for their origins. It’s important to remain mindful of that.
Negative Core Beliefs
Feelings of detachment, neglect, exploitation are common consequences of childhood disturbance, and they generate negative core beliefs so rigid, we refuse to question them, and ignore evidence that contradicts them. This establishes what is called a cognitive bias – a subconscious error in our thinking that leads us to misinterpret information, questioning the accuracy of our perspectives and decisions. This is why we have such societal divisiveness. We don’t challenge our hard-core beliefs.
Intermediate Beliefs
The confluence of childhood disturbance and negative core beliefs impacts our intermediate beliefs,the next phase of our psychological development. Intermediate beliefsestablish our attitudes, rules, and assumptions. Attitudes refer to our emotions, convictions, and behaviors. Rules are the principles or regulations or moral interpretations that influence our behaviors. Our assumptions are what we believe to be true or real. These intermediate beliefs, of course, are influenced by our social, cultural, and environmental experiences.
Let me emphasize, that none of this negative trajectory is extraordinary. It is a natural progression common to all of us. Our unique personalities and experiences determine our susceptibility to it and the severity of its impact.
Self-Esteem
This accumulation of negative core and intermediate self-beliefs impacts the development of our self-esteem. Self-esteem, loosely defined, is a complex interrelationship between how we think about ourselves, how we think others think about us, and how we process and present that information.
We are social beings, driven by a fundamental human need for intimacy and interpersonal exchange. Human interconnectedness is necessary for our mental and physical health. Low levels of self-esteem jeopardize our social competency and impact our motivation to recover and pursue certain goals and objectives, to self-empower.
We also have an inherent negative bias, similar to our cognitive bias, which compels us to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones. When we lie in bed reminiscing about experiences, it’s usually about bad ones. Add to our accumulation of negativity are the experiences of life – outside forces over which we have little to no control. Hostility, divisiveness, illness, social media. The long and short of it, our brains are structured around an overabundance of negative information. Proactive and active neuroplasticity counter that negativity with positive neural input. That is their role.
Let’s briefly talk about what goes on [in our brain] with active and proactive neuroplasticity. Neurons are the core components of our brain and central nervous system. They convey information through electrical impulses or energy. Whether that energy is positive or negative depends upon the integrity of our information. Our brain receives around two million bits of data per second but is capable of processing roughly 126 bits, so it is important to provide substantial and incorrupt information.
Neural Trajectory of Information
Information alerts or sparks a receptor neuron that algorithmically converts it into electrical impulse energy which forwards that energy to a sensory neuron that stimulates presynaptic or transmitter neurons that pass that energy to postsynaptic or receiving neurons that then forward that energy to millions of participating neurons, causing a cellular chain reaction in multiple interconnected areas of our brain. Confusing? Absolutely.
Here’s an easy way to visualize it.
Neural Benefits
Neurons don’t act by themselves but through circuits that strengthen or weaken their connections based on our information. Like muscles, the more repetitions, the more robust the energy of the information, and the stronger the circuits.
In addition to positively restructuring our neural network, proactive and active neuroplasticity trigger what is called long-term potentiation. Neurons repeatedly stimulate succeeding neurons sometimes for weeks on end. This strengthens the nerve impulses along the connecting pathways, generating more energy and more neural chain reactions.
They produce higher levels of BDNF(brain-derived neurotrophic factors) – proteins associated with improved cognitive functioning, mental health, memory, and concentration.
The positive energy of our information is picked up by millions of neurons that amplify the impulse (or energy or activity) on a massive scale. Positive information in, positive energy reciprocated in abundance. Conversely, negative information in, negative energy reciprocated in abundance. Thus the significance of positive reinforcement.
Chemical Hormones
When the activity of the connecting pathways is heightened, the natural neurotransmission of chemical hormones accelerates, releasing cognitive and physiological support. GABA for relaxation, dopamine for pleasure and motivation, endorphins to boost our self–esteem, and serotonin for a sense of well-being.
Those are the highlights. Scientists have identified over fifty chemical hormones in the human body. Every input or bit of information or data accelerates and consolidates the neurotransmission of these hormones.
Unfortunately, as physics would have it, we receive these same neural benefits whether our information is positive or negative. All information is rewarded by restructuring, long–term potentiation, BDNF, reciprocation, and supportive hormones. The same neural responses are activated. That’s one of the reasons breaking a habit, keeping to a resolution, or mitigating our behaviors is challenging. O
ur brain acclimates to whatever we input and every time we repeat a destructive behavior or a bad habit, our neural circuits adapt and reward us. Thus, the importance of the integrity of our information.
Physiological Aversity to Change
We are alreadyphysiologically averse to change. Our bodies and brains are structured to attack anything that disrupts their equilibrium. A new diet or exercise regimen produces uncomfortable, physiological changes in our heart rate, metabolism, and respiration. Inertia senses and resists these changes, and our basal ganglia – the group of nuclei responsible for our emotional behaviors and habit formation – resist any modification in our patterns of behavior. Thus, habits like smoking, gambling, or gossiping are hard to break, and new undertakings like recovery, improvement, and self-empowerment, are challenging to maintain.
We inherently desire to be better persons and to contribute to others and society. But we are entrenched with negative self-beliefs. We have tried everything to overcome our condition and achieved less than desired results, which makes us feel incompetent and worthless, generating an overriding sense of futility.
We beat ourselves up daily for our perceptual inadequacies. Our inherent negative bias causes us to store information consistent with our negative beliefs and image. Psychology still focuses on what’s wrong with us. We consume ourselves with our problems instead of celebrating our achievements, and we constantly look for ways to justify or support our thoughts and behaviors. We blame ourselves for our defects as if they are the pervading forces of our true being, rather than celebrate our character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements.
Additional Negative Influx
We are consumed and conditioned by negative words. By the age of sixteen, we have heard the word no from our parents, roughly, 135,000 times. That’s a statistic and we take statistics with a large grain of salt but, you get the drift. Some of us use the same unfortunate words over and over again. The more we hear, read, or speak a word or phrase, the more power it has over us. Our brain learns through repetition.
It is not just the words we say aloud in criticism and conversations. The self-annihilating words we silently call ourselves convince us we are helpless, hopeless, undesirable, and worthless – the four horsemen of emotional dysfunction. They cause our neural network to transmit chemical hormones that impair our logic, reasoning, and communication, impacting the parts of our brain that regulate our memory, concentration, and emotions.
Our neural network is replete with toxic information.
Proactive Neuroplasticity
Proactive neuroplasticity is initiated by DRNI – the deliberate, repetitive, neural input of information. What is this information? It is self-motivating and empowering statements that help us focus on our goals, challenge negative, self-defeating beliefs, and reprogram our subconscious minds. Individually focused statements that we repeat to ourselves to describe what and who we want to be. Think of them as aspirations or self-fulfilling prophecies. We incorporate them into positive personal affirmations and rational responses to our negative self-beliefs.
I belong here.
I am valuable and significant.
I am confident and self–assured.
I am strong and resilient.
I am worthy of success and abundance.
Neural Information
We drastically underestimate the significance and effectiveness of these self-affirming statements when we do not understand the science behind them. Practicing positive personal affirmations and rational responses dramatically accelerate and consolidate the positive restructuring of our neural network and weexperience a perceptible change in our thoughts, behaviors, and outlook on life.
It is the integrity of the information that compels the algorithmic conversion into positive electrical impulse or energy. Information of integrity is honest, unconditional, sound, and of strong moral principles. We have established certain criteria so that our neural network will recognize the integrity of our information and restructure accordingly. Our information is rational, reasonable, possible, positive, goal–focused, unconditional, and first–person present or future time. Again, we recognize that actual wording is not as important as its integrity, but it is better emotionally if we are secure in our intent.
Information Criteria
Rational. The only logical recourse to irrational thought.
Reasonable. Unreasonable aspirations get us nowhere. It’s unreasonable to expect a grammy for song of the year if we’re tone-deaf.
Possible. If we are incapable of achieving our goal, it is ridiculous to pursue it.
Positive. Negative information is counterproductive to positive neural restructuring.
Goal-focused. If we do not know our destination, we will not recognize it when we arrive.
Unconditional. Our commitment must be certain. The affirmation, I will give up drinking – when my wife is in the room, defeats the purpose.
First-person present or future. The past is irrevocable so let’s concentrate on what we have control over.
Brief. Succinct and easily memorized. Our personal affirmations are mantras; they evolve. We change them according to need and circumstance.
Let’s talk about how proactive and active neuroplasticity support each other and how their collaboration advances our goal. While proactive neuroplasticity accelerates neural restructuring because of our deliberate, repetitive, neural input, incorporating both active and proactive neuroplasticity consolidates the process. It reinforces and strengthens our efforts. DRNI is a mental process designed to initiatetherapid, concentrated, neurological stimulation that transmits the electrical energy. It is proactive because we construct the information prior to utilizing it.
However, we are more than mere mental organisms. We are also emotional, social, and spiritual beings. Neglecting these human components is limiting and irrational. Mind, body, spirit, social, and emotions are the gestalt of our humanness. Proactive neuroplasticity is a mental exercise.
Active Neuroplasticity
Active neuroplasticity taps into the emotional, the social, and the spiritual. Beyond healthy activities like yoga, journaling, creating, and listening to music, is our ethical and compassionate social behavior. Altruistic contributions to society are extraordinary assets to neural restructuring. The value of volunteering – providing support, empathy, and concern for those in need, random acts of kindness – is extraordinary, not only in promoting positive behavioral change but in enhancing the integrity of our information. The social interconnectedness established by caring and compassion supports the regeneration of our self-esteem and self-appreciation.
One more rather mundane reason we turn to active neuroplasticity. DRNI requires a calculated regimen of deliberate, repetitive, neural information that is not only tedious but also fails to deliver immediate tangible results, causing us to readily concede defeat and abandon hope in this era of instant gratification. I can tell you from experience, it is challenging to maintain the rigorous process demanded of DRNI – the tedious repetition. Tedium generates avoidance, and we know how difficult it is to establish and maintain new habits. Active neuroplasticity fills any gaps and brings our entire being into play.
In Closing
Proactive and active neuroplasticity are formidable tools in neural restructuring and the corresponding positive transformation of our thoughts, behaviors, and perspectives. Recovery and self-empowerment are achieved through a collaboration of targeted approaches that compel the rediscovery and self-appreciation of our character strengths, virtues, and attributes. While the realignment of our neural network is the framework for recovery and self–empowerment, a coalescence of science and east-west psychologies is essential to capture the diversity of human thought and experience.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and implements programs to (1) mitigate symptoms of social anxiety and related conditions and (2) pursue personal goals and objectives – harnessing our intrinsic aptitude for extraordinary living. Our paradigmatic approach targets the personality through empathy, collaboration, and program integration utilizing neuroscience and psychology, including proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to regenerate self-esteem. All donations support scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly, no-cost Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
Our brain’s neural network is inundated with abundant negative information from childhood disturbance, negative core and intermediate beliefs, low self-esteem, negativity bias, and social anxiety – not to mention the constant negativity of world events and life in general.
Goal and Objectives
The primary goal of recovery from social anxiety is the mitigation of our irrational fears and apprehensions. In self-empowerment, it is the rebuilding of our self-esteem and motivation. We execute these goals through a three-pronged approach.
Replace or overwhelm our negative thoughts and behaviors with healthy, productive ones.
Produce rapid, concentrated positive stimulation to offset the abundance of negative information in our brain’s metabolism.
Reclaim and rebuild our self-esteem and reintegrate into society through recognition and reinforcement of our character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements.
Our brain’s metabolism involves the complex chemical and electrical processes that impact our neural circuitry. Our neural network is the biological system of interconnected brain neurons that processes data.
Positive neurological stimulation changes the polarity of our neural network from toxic to healthy.
The deliberate, repetitive neural input of information (DRNI) accelerates and consolidates the process. Through proactive neuroplasticity, we compel change rather than reacting or responding to it.
The obvious question is: How can a regiment of deliberate neural input – no matter how often we repeat and practice it – offset the abundance of negative information accumulated over decades?
There are two factors to be mindful of:
Abundance is defined as a larger quantity of something. Negative neural abundance means that our brain has accumulated a larger quantity of negative than positive information. The amount can be offset or overwhelmed with practice and repetition.
Not all accessible information impacts our neural network. Our brain’s metabolism only accumulates registered information.
“It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life.” – Nick P.
Three forms of neuroplasticity:
Reactive neuroplasticity is our brain’s response to accessible information – stimuli we do not initiate or may not register, such as a car alarm, lightning, or the smell of baked goods. Our neural network automatically restructures itself according to what we access.
Proactive neuroplasticity is our deliberate, repetitive neural input of information.
For something to register, it must be detected (noticed) and recorded. Obviously, proactive and active neuroplasticity are deliberate actions. We detect and record them because we initiate and control the process.
Our response to the majority of reactive information amassed over the years is nugatory. If the information has no personal relevance, it does not register, i.e., our brain’s metabolism does not detect and record it.
“Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is the pioneer of proactive neuroplasticity utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information.” – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
Our neural network receives around two million bits of data per second but can process roughly 126 bits. If our brain does not register the information, our receptor neurons are not stimulated, and subsequently, nothing is forwarded to participating neurons (pre– and post-synaptic and onward). Proactive and active neuroplasticity are intentional inputs and, therefore, register.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL? ReChanneling develops and implements programs to (1) mitigate symptoms of social anxiety and related conditions and (2) pursue personal goals and objectives – harnessing our intrinsic aptitude for extraordinary living. Our paradigmatic approach targets the personality through empathy, collaboration, and program integration utilizing neuroscience and psychology, including proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to regenerate self-esteem. All donations support scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly, no-cost Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
As many of you know, I have the distinct advantage of experiencing severe social anxiety disorder for the first half of my life, and extensively studying how it impacts each of us, creating recovery options in the second half. This shared experience, combined with my academic studies and practical application, provides a distinctive perspective. Everything I have experienced in my life influences who I am today, and I wouldn’t change or forget any of it. Experts believe that the most effective analysts and facilitators of recovery from social anxiety are those who have lived in the sewer and escaped to share the path out of it into the light and freedom of emotional well-being. – Robert F. Mullen
Winding Roads: A Profile of Robert F. Mullen
by Madelyn Winger
Writing in Various Settings San Diego State University October 13, 2024 Revised: August 15, 2025
Diverse Paths
The thought that we only have one life to live can be daunting. There’s an idea that we are limited to only one profession and excel in it throughout a lifetime. There are some people, like Dr. Robert F. Mullen, who challenge this concept. He has navigated a diverse career path, from the entertainment industry to corporate negotiations to helping clients who suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).
Mullen’s dark eyes light up behind his glasses when he talks about his work with anxiety and depression, discussing the recovery approaches he’s pioneered, which have significantly improved the lives of his clients. His experiences working with students and conducting workshops have been instrumental in shaping his understanding of SAD. One might assume from his graying hair that Mullen has been in this field for his entire adult life, but it was a relatively recent change. He concluded his Ph.D. studies in his early fifties.
Lived Experiences
Dr. Mullen has lived many lives in this one and has found a way to bring his lived experiences together, turning them into a passion for helping others. His dedication and empathy in this field are truly inspiring.
He took many different paths to get him to where he is today. He spent years working in the entertainment industry – from playwriting and directing to teaching Stanislavski, familiarizing himself with every B-list actor (his words) in Hollywood. As a performer, he earned his Equity card working with James Burrows and Bob Crane at San Diego’s Off-Broadway Theatre, and his SAG membership staring up from the cutting room floor of Report to the Commissioner.
Dr. Mullen is doing impressive work helping the world. He is thepioneer of proactive neuroplasticity, utilizing DRNI – deliberate, repetitive, neural information. – WeVoice (Madrid, Málaga)
Early Life
Much of this was during what he calls his “delinquent” era, where his stories are better kept secret, credit given to his severe social anxiety disorder. He did, however, have a few stories to share, such as living with Brenda Dickson, star of The Young and the Restless, partying with Sal Mineo, or getting underage drunk at the Insomniac in Hermosa Beach with Caesar and Cleo, later known as Sonny and Cher.
Family
He speaks fondly about this time, but it was also a decade-long period where he distanced himself from his family, leaving behind three young nephews: Brian, Kevin, and Geoff. When asked to identify what prompted his return to the fold, Mullen once stated, “I don’t think anyone knows why they do anything. It’s a whole cacophony of things.”
His return to his family marked a significant turning point in his life, reflecting his growing understanding of the importance of human connection. Now, as a humanist who believes in the inherent potential and capacity of humankind, he has revised his thinking.
Post Graduate
Dr. Mullen’s lived experiences became better understood in university when he first learned of the existence of social anxiety disorder, recognizing how it had adversely impacted his life since adolescence. Exploring his affliction, which often left him feeling isolated and misunderstood, was a significant hurdle in his personal and professional life. It also fueled his passion for understanding and helping others experiencing similar struggles.
His return to university was, admittedly, due to government support, but his growing interest in psychology, religion, and philosophy soon molded his overriding perspective. With his PhD in tow, Mullen has spent the past fifteen years researching SAD and its comorbidities, pioneering proactive neuroplasticity and other innovative approaches to recovery.
It is one of the best investments I have made in myself, and I will continue to improve and benefit from it for the rest of my life. – Nick P.
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt to new information more quickly and effectively. The deliberate, repetitive neural input (DRNI) of information, a concept he developed, involves consciously and repeatedly exposing the brain to positive, productive thoughts and behaviors to replace the accumulated toxicity in our neural network.
Mullen’s unwavering commitment to scientific inquiry is a cornerstone of his approach. As a radical behaviorist, he considers a wide range of thoughts from philosophy and psychology to spiritual perspectives to gain a deeper understanding of those he serves.
Career
Mullen’s life is now centered around his work and his passion for helping others. He starts his mornings with writing, finding a sense of purpose and permanency in it. Currently, he is focused on finishing a book about recovery from social anxiety. In addition to writing, He loves everything about working with people, and although it can be challenging at times, he thrives on their growth and transformation.
His personal experiences, having lived through similar situations, allow him to empathize with his clients: “I have been where you are now, and I want to show you that there is a way out. I know the controlling, devious, and manipulative nature of this disorder” (Mullen).
Turning something negative into a positive and productive part of life is an incredible achievement for individuals experiencing social anxiety.
Influences
While he might not fully understand how his earlier life connects to his current one, Mullen credits many of the people he worked with, including Dr. Edith Eva Eger, who shared stories about dancing as a young girl for the angel of death, Josef Mengele, and John Cleese, a member of Monty Python. Although he is not actively working in television and film, Mullen still enjoys attending the theater and improvisational groups to watch and participate.
As someone who had to learn to value relationships, Dr. Mullen makes sure to stay in contact with his nephews, as he sees each as a personification of his own life. Brian is most like him, a family-oriented workaholic who also overcame a troubled adolescence. Kevin is the compassionate nephew with an enduring zest for life, and Geoff shares Robert’s talent for writing.
The Winding Road
Mullen’s journey is a testament to the idea that life is not a straight path but a series of winding roads, each offering unique lessons and opportunities. His ability to pivot from the entertainment industry to helping others navigate their struggles with social anxiety exemplifies the power of resilience and perseverance.
He shows us that it’s never too late to make a change. and commends those who travel diverse paths to discover their life’s niche. The legacy he leaves behind is rooted in his unwavering dedication to witnessing others find their way out of darkness, a passion for knowledge and exploration, and the belief that we can all make a difference.
Ultimately, Dr. Mullen’s career reflects the understanding that professional trajectories are rarely linear, instead comprising winding paths replete with distinct lessons and possibilities. These lessons include the importance of empathy, the value of diverse perspectives, and the power of resilience. Mullen’s legacy extends beyond individual accomplishments—it embodies his unwavering dedication to helping others, passion for continual learning, and the ability to transform personal challenges into meaningful contributions.
__________
Madelyn is majoring in communication at San Diego State University. She enjoys reading and rock climbing and aspires to build a career that enables her to make a positive impact on others, although she is still exploring the specific path that she may take.
WHY IS YOUR SUPPORT SO NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL?ReChanneling develops and conducts programs to alleviate the symptoms of social anxiety and help individuals tap into their innate potential for extraordinary living. Our unique approach focuses on understanding personality through empathy and collaboration, integrating neuroscience and psychology. This includes proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and techniques designed to reclaim and rebuild self-esteem. Every contribution, no matter the size, supports individuals striving to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others. All donations go towards scholarships for groups and workshops.
INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY. The symptoms of social anxiety make it challenging for some to participate in a collective workshop. Dr. Mullen works one-on-one with a select group of individuals uneasy in a group setting. ReChanneling offers scholarships to accommodate the costs. What is absent in group activities is provided in our monthly Graduate Recovery Group. In this supportive community, graduates interact with others who have completed the program. Contact ‘rmullenphd@gmail.com’.
Committing to recovery is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It takes enormous courage and the realization that you are of value, consequential, and deserving of happiness.
