Tag Archives: Automatic Negative Thoughts

The Practicality of a Character Resumé in Recovery

October 23, 2024Anxiety, Automatic Negative Thoughts, Behavior, Mental Health, Positive Psychology, Psychology, Social Anxiety, Social anxiety disorderAutomatic Negative Thoughts, Coping Skills, Depression, LGBTQ+, Recovery, Self-esteemRobert F. Mullen, Ph.D.

Robert F Mullen, PhD
Director/ReChanneling

For each new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.

The Practicality of a Character Resumé in Recovery

Recent Posts

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.

The Character Resumé

Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything.
Maybe it is about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you,
so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.
– Paul Coelho

Our character comprises the mental, emotional, and moral qualities distinctive to our individuality. Traditional psychology and its extensions use the term “character” to refer to our patterns of behavioral traits such as passive-aggressive, narcissistic, anal, hysterical, borderline, and so on. The pathographic or disease model of mental healthcare, the modus operandi for centuries, continues to be the overriding psychological perspective, focusing on the biological and neurological origins of mental illness, i.e., the study of the origins of our harmful behaviors.

The wellness model, a pivotal concept in early positive psychology (1998-), shifted the focus from the pathography of mental illness to the healthy aspects of behavior – our character strengths, virtues, and attributes. It emphasized that character is not just a collection of traits but a dynamic expression of positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that underscore our emotional, mental, and moral character.

Positive psychology 2.0, a corrective evolution, embraced both positive and negative aspects of our character, recognizing the dialectical opposition of human experience. It proposed that optimal human functioning is not just about positivity but about living a balanced and meaningful life, engaging fully with our positive and negative aspects.

The next and current wave of positive psychology (3.0) broadened the scope of research and practice beyond the individual to include relationships, groups, organizations, and societies – how our character and values reflect and contribute to the community to which we belong, influence, and are influenced.

“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)

Character Strengths, Virtues, and Attributes

Positive psychology identifies 24 character strengths universally recognized for creating individual stability and resilience. These strengths are not just traits, but powerful tools that can empower us to overcome challenges and lead a fulfilling life.

These strengths are classified into six distinct virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.

Positive attributes refer to behavioral moralities contributing to our character and emotional well-being.

Recovery Goal and Objectives

The primary goal of recovery from social anxiety and related conditions is the alleviation of our irrational fears and anxieties. We execute these goals through a three-pronged, complementary 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.
Regenerate our self-esteem through positive reinforcement and mindfulness of our assets, utilizing methods targeted toward our individuality.

From childhood disturbance to our current emotional status, social anxiety has inundated our neural network with adverse stimuli through negative core and intermediate beliefs, SAD symptomatology, and cognitive biases, leading to destructive, irrational thoughts and behaviors. We call this SAD’s negative trajectory. Our brain’s current metabolism is replete with abundant negative information.

Why Create a Character Resumé?

Childhood disturbances generate negative core beliefs that influence our intermediate attitudes, rules, and assumptions. Our attitudes refer to our emotions, convictions, and behaviors. Rules are the principles or regulations that affect our behaviors, and assumptions are what we believe is accurate and authentic information.

Maladaptive attributions produce a cognitive bias that compels us to misinterpret information and make self-destructive decisions. Since humans are hard-wired with a negativity bias, we already respond favorably to adversity. Add our SAD-induced negative trajectory, and our neural network is replete with toxic information.

We convey this through our thoughts and behaviors and the words we use to express them.

Adversity consumes and conditions us throughout our lives. According to reliable sources, we have heard the word “no” from our parents roughly 135,000 times by age sixteen. Some of us use the same unfortunate characterizations repeatedly. It is not just the words we say aloud in criticism and conversations. The self-annihilating words we silently call ourselves support our adverse thoughts and behaviors.

A character resumé, a tool created and expanded during treatment, manages the three significant recovery objectives. It is a document that lists our positive qualities, achievements, and memories as reminders of our strengths and capabilities. Through introspection and memory work, we become mindful of the qualities that social anxiety’s overwhelming negativity has subverted.

This renewed awareness aids in replacing and offsetting our negative thoughts and behaviors with healthy, productive ones. Through proactive neuroplasticity, they become a vital component of the repetitive input of positive information into our neural network. Additionally, mindfulness and reinforcement of these assets dramatically regenerate our self-esteem.

Replace

Our goal is not just to replace or offset our adverse thoughts and behaviors but to empower ourselves with healthy, productive ones. We construct our character resumé with positive qualities, achievements, and memories to counter the abundance of negative self-beliefs acquired throughout life.

We retrieve and become mindful of them through recovery approaches, e.g., personal introspection and inventory, memory work, cognitive comprehension, and other tools and techniques. This process requires determination and commitment, but the rewards are immense.

Restructure

Proactive neuroplasticity is a powerful tool that produces rapid neurological stimulation to change the polarity of our neural network through the deliberate, repetitive neural input (DRNI) of information. In simpler terms, it’s the process of intentionally rewiring our brain by repeatedly exposing it to positive information.

Our brain receives around two million bits of data per second but processes roughly 126 bits, so providing substantial positive information, which we can pull from our character resumé, is essential.

A deliberate act is premeditated; we initiate and control the process. Repetition accelerates and consolidates neural renewal and connectivity. Sound, reasonable, goal-focused, and unconditional information determines its strength and integrity. The positive traits we include in our character resumé generate the most efficient words and statements to accelerate and consolidate the process of neural restructuring.

Regenerate

Regeneration is the process of renewing or restoring something damaged or underproduced. Due to our negative self-analysis, we tend to repress, misplace, and forget our inherent and developed assets. These self-qualities (e.g., confidence, reliance, compassion, and other self-hyphenates) are damaged but not lost.

Despite the disruptions in our optimal development, the qualities that establish our self-esteem are not lost. They may be latent or dormant but can be developed and restored. Disruption interrupts productivity, but it does not destroy it.

Like stimulating the unexercised muscles in our arms or legs, our self-esteem can be regenerated.

Space is Limited
For 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.

Supports Multiple Learning Styles

Learning styles are the methods clients use to understand and retain information. Creating a carefully crafted character resumé that identifies our positive qualities and achievements satisfies multiple learning styles and increases awareness and retention. A character resumé supports auditory learning through the repetition of positive neural input, visual learning through patterns and colors, verbal learning through the written word, logical learning through the patterns and logic of the outline, and linguistic learning through reading, writing, and listening.

Positive Psychology in Recovery

Positive psychology (1.0), which focuses on character strengths, virtues, and attributes, is a powerful tool in recovery. By recognizing and emphasizing our positive aspects, we counter the abundance of neural negativity and adverse self-appraisal.

When extended, positive psychology’s 24-character strengths provide a diverse array of attributes that can empower the client, shifting the focus from negative to positive. This shift is not just a change, it’s an inspiration, a motivation to embrace our potential and worth.

PP 2.0 and PP 3.0 are essential recovery components but do not directly contribute to our character resumé. However, they factor strongly in the evolution of our recovery.

Positive Psychology 2.0

Recovery is not just about recognizing our strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements. It’s also about acknowledging our shortcomings. This balanced perspective is critical to repairing our brokenness and moving forward.

Notwithstanding, due to decades of negative self-appraisal perpetrated by social anxiety, our neural network is already grossly imbalanced by negativity, and we are already abundantly aware of our flaws and deficiencies, real and perceptual.

Additionally, recovery is based on identifying the irrational fears and anxieties that perpetuate our thoughts and behaviors and establish our automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). PP 2.0 equips us with the tools to navigate these challenges.

Positive Psychology 3.0

Positive psychology 3.0broadened the scope of research and practice beyond the individual to include relationships, groups, communities, organizations, and societies – how we contribute to the community.

Self-esteem, a crucial aspect of our recovery, is the awareness of our qualities and character, including our imperfections. It encompasses our self-perception, our perception of how others view us, and how we process this information. A healthy level of self-esteem reassures us of our worth and significance.

Our renewed awareness leads to self-compassion and self-appreciation. As we recognize our unique contributions, we are inspired and motivated to share them with others. Interconnectedness is a natural and significant progression of self-esteem, fostering a sense of caring and empathy.

Positive psychology plays a significant role in our recovery journey. It’s not just about self-care but about understanding our worth and potential and championing these self-beliefs in others. This moral evolution is a natural development of recovery, and positive psychology is a critical player in this process.

Method Integration

It’s crucial to understand that positive psychology is just one component of an effective recovery program. A comprehensive plan includes closely related programs such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, active and proactive neuroplasticity, recovery-oriented cognitive therapy, schema therapy, cognitive-behavioral modification, acceptance and commitment therapy, rational emotional behavior therapy, and gradual exposure therapy. Recognizing the role of positive psychology in this comprehensive context underscores the effectiveness of a well-rounded recovery plan.

Elements of a Character Resumé

What goes into our character resumé? The answer is anything and everything that stimulates a positive personal response. The character resumé is not a static document but an evolving, living entity. Entries can include our rediscovered character strengths, virtues, and attributes; positive personal affirmations; positive autobiography; rational responses to our automatic negative thoughts (ANTs), happy memories; things we enjoy; and self-esteem self-analysis or other self-esteem inventories.

Positive Personal Affirmations. PPAs are self-motivating and empowering statements that help us focus on goals, challenge negative, self-defeating beliefs, and reprogram our subconscious minds. Providing all the neural benefits of positive reinforcement, PPAs self-describe who and what we aspire to in our emotional development.

PPAs are rational, reasonable, possible, positive, unconditional, problem-focused, brief, and first-person present or future time. Think of PPA’s as aspirations or self-fulfilling prophecies that, through deliberate repetition, help replace our abundance of negative with positive neural information. Practicing positive personal affirmations is a highly effective form of deliberate, repetitive neural input of information.

Positive Autobiography. Our positive autobiography helps regenerate mindfulness of our successes, achievements, contributions, personal milestones, talents, charitable deeds, and service to others. Mindfully retrieving these positive events and occasions encourages us to recognize and embrace the extraordinariness of our lives, confirming that we are valuable, desirable, consequential, and worthy of all the good things life offers.

Rational Coping Statements are the logical, self-affirming responses to our situational fears, anxieties, and automatic negative thoughts. Example: If we fear rejection in a social situation, rational responses might be, “I belong here as much as anyone.” “I am valuable and significant.” “I am equal to anyone here.” “My fear is irrational.” We execute rational responses through the following process.

Identify our Feared Situation. Where are we when we feel anxious or fearful, and what activities are involved? What are we thinking? What might we be doing? Who and what impacts these insecure feelings?
Identify our Associated Fear(s). One way to identify our fears (anxieties) is to ask ourselves: What is problematic about the situation? How do I feel (physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually)? What is my specific concern or worry? What is the worst thing that could happen to me? What do I imagine will happen to me?
Unmask our Corresponding ANTs. How do we express our fear or anxiety? What are our involuntary emotional expressions or images? How do we negatively self-label? What do we tell ourselves? “I am incompetent.” “I am stupid.” “I am undesirable.”
Examine and Analyze Our Fear(s) and ANTs. What are the origins of our fears and anxieties? How do we express them? Discovery approaches include cognitive comprehension, introspection, psychoeducation, and the vertical arrow technique.
Generate Rational Coping Statements. We become mindful of the irrationality and self-destructive nature of our associated fears, anxieties, and corresponding ANTs. We unmask, examine, and analyze the cognitive distortions and maladaptive that validate or reinforce them. Then, we devise rational responses to counter their false assumptions.

Happy Memories and Things We Enjoy. These two subjective lists are developed and expanded throughout the recovery program as introspection and other positive recovery methods reclaim them from the recesses of our minds. Due to our cognitive biases and distortions, we forget the pride, joy, and satisfaction these events and experiences bring to our thoughts, behaviors, and positive patterns within our neural network. Happy memories and joyful experiences are potent forces in regenerating our self-esteem.

Self-Esteen Self-Analysis. There are a plethora of clinically approved self-esteem inventories and scales, including, but hardly limited to, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and Sorenson Self-Esteem Test.

One that we utilize as a valuable element of our character resumé is called Self-Esteem Self-Analysis, a subjective evaluation that encourages introspection and self-awareness, helping us identify what we like about ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially.

In Conclusion

A written record of our achievements and strengths is a powerful tool for self-reflection and self-improvement, helping us stay organized and in control of our personal development.

When challenged by negative self-appraisal or automatic negative thoughts, our character resumé constantly reminds us of our qualities and assets—a written evaluation of our value and significance. This indispensable resource helps alleviate self-destructive thoughts, behaviors, and other adverse self-beliefs.

Proactive Neuroplasticity YouTube Series

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.

Clio’s Psyche

September 17, 2024Anxiety, Mental Health, Neuroplasticity, Psychobiography, Psychology, ReChanneling, Self-Empowerment, Social Anxiety, Social anxiety disorderAutomatic Negative Thoughts, Depression, LGBTQ+, Positive Psychology, Recovery, Self-esteemRobert F. Mullen, Ph.D.

Recovery from social anxiety and related conditions.

Robert F. Mullen, PhD
Director/ReChanneling

For every new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.

Recent Posts

Utilizing Psychobiography to Mitigate Symptoms of SAD

DOI: DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.26023399

Abstract: Putting practical application to theory, this paper illustrates how the research techniques of psychobiography are incorporated into a comprehensive recovery program for social anxiety disorder.

Keywords: character-motivation, childhood disturbance, emotional disorders, Maslow, recovery, self-esteem, social anxiety

Psychobiography can be a most helpful treatment method in alleviating the impact of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Which is one of the most common mental disorders, negatively impacting the emotional and mental well-being of millions of U.S. adults and adolescents who find themselves caught up in a densely interconnected network of fear and avoidance of social situations.

SAD is culturally identifiable by the persistent fear of social and performance situations in which we claim to be misunderstood, judged, criticized, and ridiculed. The irony is that we have far more to fear from our distorted perceptions than the opinions of others. Our imagination takes us to dark and lonely places.

SAD makes us feel helpless and hopeless. Trapped in a vicious cycle of fear and anxiety, and restricted from living a “normal” life. We feel alienated and disconnected—loners full of uncertainty, hesitation, and trepidation. Our fear of disapproval and rejection is so severe that we avoid the life experiences that interconnect us with others and the world.

Fearing the unknown and unexplored, we obsess about upcoming situations and how we will reveal our shortcomings. Experiencing anticipatory anxiety for weeks before an event and expecting the worst.

We feel like we are living under a microscope, and everyone is judging us negatively. Making us worry about what we say, how we look, and how we express ourselves. We are obsessed with how others perceive us; we feel undesirable and worthless.

Space is Limited
For 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.

As a SAD survivor, researcher, and workshop facilitator, I have found that the investigative methods utilized in psychobiography offer a unique understanding of how our motivation to succeed is seriously impaired by the symptoms of SAD. Until my psychology graduate study, I was convinced my emotional dysfunctions were the consequence of poor behavior rather than SAD-symptomatic. It was then I realized the immeasurable value of the in-depth case study that forms the crux of psychobiography.

Recovery can be encapsulated by the phrase: “We are not defined by our social anxiety; we are defined by our character strengths, virtues, and achievements.”

SAD is a product of our negative core and intermediate beliefs induced by childhood disturbance. Cumulative evidence that a toxic childhood is a primary causal factor in lifetime emotional instability has been well-established. Emotional disorders sense the child’s vulnerability and onset during adolescence. (In the later-life onset of narcissistic personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], the susceptibility originates in childhood.)

The disruption of emotional development subverts the child’s natural physiological and emotional evolution, denying the satisfaction of self-esteem. This does not signify a deficit, but both latency and dormancy are expressed by our undervaluation or regression of our positive self-qualities.

“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)

In a recent article, I stated the case that the psychobiographic emphasis on the eminent extraordinary limits its potential to understand the character motivations of the “ordinary” extraordinary who has achieved a significant personal milestone. To the average individual living with SAD, a noteworthy milestone is recovery-remission from emotional dysfunction. Putting practical application to theory, I have incorporated research methods of psychobiography into our comprehensive recovery programs.

The role of psychobiography is to generate a more in-depth understanding of the qualities and characteristics that motivate us to achieve and overcome adversity. A primary function of recovery is to galvanize the SAD person to reclaim mindfulness of their character strengths, virtues, and achievements. Recognizing and accepting our inherent and developed personal values encourages us to embrace the extraordinariness of our lives. Confirming we are consequential and valuable.

The lifetime-consistent influx of negative self-beliefs and images generated by SAD negatively impacts the natural development of self-esteem. Defined as the realization of one’s significance to self and community. Self-esteem is the complex interrelationship between how we think about ourselves, how we think others perceive us, and how we process and express that information.

The roots of this lacuna are illustrated by Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of developmental needs. Childhood physical, emotional, or sexual disturbance disrupts our emotional and physiological development. Our sense of safety and security as well as feelings of belongingness and being loved are subverted, denying the satisfaction of self-esteem. While access to Maslow’s hierarchal levels is nonlinear, when coupled with our negative core and intermediate beliefs, the impact on our self-esteem becomes a certainty.

Maslow and Psychobiography: Realizing Our Potential

The collaboration of psychobiography and positive psychology traces its origins to themes addressed by Maslow that stress the importance of focusing on our positive qualities to realize our potential—to become the most that we can be.

A function of psychobiography is to generate an understanding of the individual to learn what motivates our thoughts and behaviors. SAD functions by compelling irrational and self-destructive thoughts and behaviors due to its life-consistent negative self-beliefs and images. Psychobiography lays the groundwork for rational response.

The foundation of positive psychology is a human’s ability, development, and potential. The SAD symptomatic, life-consistent neural input of toxic information subverts our recognition and appreciation of our inherent and developed character strengths, virtues, and achievements—a trajectory initiated by our negative core and intermediate beliefs. It is the role of psychobiography to study the character attributes that generate the motivation to achieve and apply these understandings toward optimal functioning and improved life satisfaction.

The Influence of Core Beliefs in SAD

Core beliefs are determined by our childhood physiology, heredity, environment, information input, experience, learning, and relationships. Negative core beliefs are generated by any childhood disturbance that interferes with our optimal physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Perhaps we were subject to dysfunctional parenting, a lack of emotional validation, gender bullying, or a broken home. The disturbance can be intentional or accidental, real, or perceptual. A toddler whose parental quality time is interrupted by a phone call can sense abandonment, which can generate core beliefs of unworthiness or insignificance.

Core beliefs remain our belief system throughout life and govern our perceptions. They are more rigid in SAD persons because we tend to store information consistent with negative self-beliefs, ignoring evidence that contradicts. A recent Japanese study on emotional neuroticism found that core beliefs about the negative self-generate cognitive vulnerabilities in achievement, dependency, and self-control. SAD generates cognitive distortions and maladaptive behaviors counterproductive to logical reasoning, negatively impacting the rationality and accuracy of our perspectives and decisions.

Aaron Beck is the undisputed pioneer of cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety and depression. He assigned negative core beliefs to two categories: self-oriented (“I am undesirable”) and other-oriented (“You are undesirable”). Individuals with self-oriented negative core beliefs view themselves in four ways: we feel helpless, hopeless, undesirable, and/or worthless.

These beliefs can lead to fears of intimacy and commitment, an inability to trust, debilitating anxiety, codependence, aggression, feelings of insecurity, isolation, a lack of control over life, and resistance to new experiences. People with other-oriented negative core beliefs view people as demeaning, dismissive, malicious, or manipulative. By blaming others, we avoid personal accountability for our behaviors.

Intermediate Beliefs: Establishing Attitudes, Rules, and Assumptions

The accumulated negative core beliefs due to childhood disturbance and other early-life experiences heavily influence our intermediate beliefs that develop our adolescence. As with core beliefs, they support our natural negative bias, neurobiologically inputting toxic information that reinforces our negative self-valuations.

Intermediate beliefs establish our attitudes, rules, and assumptions. Attitude refers to our emotions, convictions, and behaviors. Rules are the principles or regulations that influence our behaviors. Our assumptions are what we believe to be true or real. A SAD person’s attitude is one of self-denigration, assumptions illogical and cognitively distorted, and rules interacted by destructive behaviors,

A comprehensive recovery workshop must consider the needs of the individual within the group. One-size-fits-all approaches are anathema to recovery. Just as there is no one right way to do or experience recovery and transformation, so also what benefits one individual may not be helpful to another.

The insularity of cognitive-behavioral therapy, positive psychologies, and other approaches cannot comprehensively address the complexity of the personality. Our environment, heritage, background, and associations reflect our wants, choices, and aspirations. If they are not given appropriate consideration, then we are not valued.

Devising a targeted recovery approach requires multiple perspectives from different psychological and scientific schools of thought developed through client trust, cultural assimilation, and therapeutic innovation.

A collaboration of science and East-West psychologies is essential to capture the diversity of human thought and experience. Science gives us proactive neuroplasticity: cognitive-behavioral modification, positive psychology, and psychobiography are western-oriented; and eastern practices provide the therapeutic benefits of Buddhist psychology. As well as a sense of self that embraces the positive qualities of the individual.

The qualitative and quantitative research elements of psychobiography, including the case study, hermeneutics, interpretations and explanations, personal data and evidence, and the narrative are useful tools for understanding the impact of SAD on our self-beliefs and images.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative research involves the empirical investigation of observable and measurable variables. It is used for testing theory, predicting and illustrating outcomes, and considering clinically-supported techniques. Quantitative research generates hypotheses and helps determine research and recovery strategies. It can include data-driven research, scales, personal inventories, and comparative or correlational studies. Although conceived as focusing on data articulated numerically, quantitative analysis is also used to study feared situations and the severity of anxiety.

Qualitative research provides a close-up look at the human side of SAD relative to behaviors, beliefs, emotions, and relationships, supported by such intangible factors as social norms, ethnicity, socio-economic status, philosophy, and religion. A comprehensive study of the status and motivations of a SAD person is partially compiled through interviews, open-ended questions, and opinion research to gain insight into perceptions and belief systems.

In-Depth Case-Study

The psychobiographic in-depth case study is a reconstructive clinical and systematic analysis of the life and productivity of an individual. The key is the availability of evidence. Accessing therapeutic notes and conclusions is legally impermissible. The workshop facilitator must lean heavily on experience and innovative methods of discovery.

A case study of a recovering SAD person relies heavily on personal interviews– testimony that is conditional and truthful to the extent that the individual believes it or needs the facilitator to believe it. Clinically-supported scales and inventories are useful, and statistical research and studies are abundant. Comparative and correlational evidence supports conclusions.

Interpretations and Explanations

Psychobiography is an interpretation of the life of individuals, extraordinary or otherwise. Interpretations and explanations compensate for the physiological and psychological resistance to personal revelation. Recollections are highly subject to inaccuracies.

We must ask ourselves, to what extent are memories of subjective experiences and events accurate portrayals of what happened, wistful recollections, or biased reconstructions? Whether correctly recalled or not, memories and recollections must be valued as authentic perceptions of the reality of the individual. In the case of Michael Z., his recollections of childhood physical and emotional abuse helped him understand and mitigate his avoidance of trust and intimacy.

Interpretation permeates all investigations from data to statistics, the case study, and hermeneutics. Psychobiography is an intuitive, interpretive method of comprehension based upon the synthesis of evidence culled from all available, relevant sources. Therapists must partially base their diagnosis on the interpretation of observable behaviors.

A facilitator must consider the multiplicities of truth. Which means different things to different people and is contingent upon the validity of the information provided by the subject. We must be willing to risk and value our interpretations, instincts, and even speculations while remaining cognizant that we are susceptible to incorporating personal sensibilities and subject to imperfect conclusions, due to the vagaries and ambiguities of the subject.

Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is essential to recovery due to the core beliefs of the child impacted by a dysfunction-provoking disturbance. The disruption in emotional development coupled with unjustifiable shame and guilt generates negative and often hostile perspectives in early learning which leans heavily on morality and religion. The unjustifiable shame and guilt expressed by Matty S. was a reliable indicator of his sense of undesirability and worthlessness. Recognizing his non-accountability for onset allowed him to realize the irrationality of his adverse moral emotions.

The negative belief system of the susceptible child cognitively distorts their understanding of self. And their relationship with others and the world. A major function of recovery is alleviating these irrational beliefs. This entails identifying and examining our disruptive thoughts and behaviors and generating rational responses, while proactively repatterning our neural network.

Narrative

The narrative aspect of psychobiography favors the “ordinary” extraordinary because of their ability to access experiences. While the narrative of the average individual may lack spectacularism it does not impede creativity. Every SAD individual’s life is distinctive, consisting of unique experiences, beliefs, and sensibilities. How we express that information is subject to our self-beliefs and images. Through the interview and narrative process, Liz D. could rationally comprehend and mitigate her intense situational fear of constructive confrontation. Its complex origins stemmed from her adolescent intermediate self-beliefs. The role of the personal narrative in addressing negative self-perceptions is significant.

Concluding Thoughts

This article illustrates the value of psychobiography in constructing an individually targeted approach to recovery from social anxiety disorder. A psychobiography generates hypotheses and helps determine recovery strategies. While offering a close-up look at the human side of SAD relative to behaviors, beliefs, emotions, and relationships. It provides support in evaluating and treating the individual within the workshop gestalt.

The investigative methods utilized in psychobiography, including the case study, hermeneutics, interview, narrative, and the relevant social sciences, are valuable to understanding the trajectory of and methods to alleviate life-consistent negative self-beliefs and images. Less reliable is the availability of an informed case study and personal data and evidence. This lacuna is compensated by the experienced facilitator’s interpretation of common threads in SAD recovery. Supported by statistical research and comparative and correlational evidence.

Clio’s Psyche is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, founded in 1994, and published by the Psychohistory Forum, holding regular scholarly meetings in Manhattan and at international conventions. Clio’s Psyche is unique in that it prefers experiential testimony over extensive citation.

Proactive Neuroplasticity YouTube Series

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.

Video #8: Coping Mechanisms, Part 1

August 20, 2024Anxiety, Mental Health, Neuroplasticity, Psychology, ReChanneling, Self-Empowerment, Social Anxiety, Social anxiety disorderAutomatic Negative Thoughts, Coping Skills, Depression, LGBTQ+, Positive Psychology, Self-esteemRobert F. Mullen, Ph.D.

Proactive Neuroplasticity Video Series

Recovery from social anxiety and related conditions.

For each new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.

LINK TO YOUTUBE

Recent Posts

“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)

This series of videos explains how, through proactive neuroplasticity, we compel our neural network to repattern its neural circuitry, generating a correlated change in behavior and perspective. The deliberate, repetitive neural input (DRNI) of information dramatically accelerates and consolidates learning through synaptic neurotransmission.

The series further describes how we replace or overwhelm our negative thoughts and behaviors through CBT, proactive and active neuroplasticity, positive psychology, psychoeducation, roleplay, gradual exposure, and other individually targeted approaches.

This 8th video in our series discusses recovery from social anxiety and related conditions by establishing coping mechanisms.

Coping Mechanisms, Part 1

Social anxiety is culturally identifiable by the persistent fear and avoidance of social interaction and performance situations. Which causes us to miss the life experiences that connect us with the world. Adaptive coping mechanisms help us cope with stress, anxiety, and their provoking triggers.

Our primary recovery goal is the dramatic alleviation of our irrational fears, anxieties, and their triggers. We achieve this through a three-pronged approach where we:

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.
Regenerate our self-esteem through positive reinforcement and mindfulness of our assets, utilizing methods targeted toward our individuality.

Coping Strategies versus Coping Mechanisms

Coping strategies are the methods or approaches that best execute our three objectives. In recovery workshops, we emphasize response-focused and solution-focused strategies. But multiple complementary strategies are utilized. Including problem and emotion-focused coping strategies that help us manage our response to feared situations.

Coping mechanisms are tools and techniques that implement our strategies. Tools and techniques that help us cope with stress, anxiety, and their corresponding triggers. They range from practiced skills in recovery to everyday stress reduction, like gardening, journaling, and listening to music. Coping Mechanisms, Part 1 focuses on the psychological benefits of coping methods and the three primary mechanisms: grounding, reframing, and rational response.

Coping mechanisms are adaptive – they can be tailored to our individual needs and circumstances, positively contributing to our emotional well-being. These empower us to manage our reactions and response to feared situations, giving us control over our recovery journey.

Video Series #8: Coping Mechanisms, Part 1

Coping mechanisms are tools and techniques that help us manage and alleviate our situational anxieties and stress triggers. Part 1 focuses on the psychological benefits of coping methods and the three primary mechanisms – grounding, reframing, and rational response. In Part 2, or video #9, we’ll delve into secondary coping mechanisms and their appropriate utilization, providing a comprehensive understanding of the most effective coping strategies for mitigating our situational fears and anxieties. LINK

Video Series #7: Constructing Our Neural Information

Neural information is constructed by establishing our goal, identifying the objectives or steps we take to implement that goal, and determining the Information – the self-affirming or motivating statement we deliberately and repetitively input into our neural network. We want our information to be authentic and of sound construction to engage the full capacity of positive neural response. The integrity of our goal, objectives, and information correlates to the durability and efficacy of the neural response. LINK

Video Series #6: Affirmative Visualization

By visualizing a positive outcome prior to a feared situation, we experience behaving a certain way in a realistic scenario and, through repetition, attain an authentic shift in our behavior and perspective. It is a form of proactive neuroplasticity, and all the neural benefits of that science are accrued. Just as our neural network cannot distinguish between toxic and healthy information, it also does not distinguish whether we are physically experiencing something or imagining it. LINK

Video Series #5: Challenging Our Self-Destructive Thoughts

In this video, we focus on the trajectory of our self-destructive thoughts that impact our emotional wellbeing and quality of life. They originate with our negative core beliefs generated by our disorder which influence our intermediate beliefs from life experiences and form our ANTs or automatic negative thoughts that underscore our situational fears and anxieties. LINK

Video Series #4: The Power of Positive Personal Affirmations

We drastically underestimate the significance and effectiveness of PPAs because we do not understand the science behind them. PPAs are brief, individually focused statements that we repeat to ourselves to describe what and who we want to be. PPAs help us focus on goals, challenge negative, self-defeating beliefs, and reprogram our subconscious minds. Practicing positive personal affirmations is an extremely effective form of DRNI or the deliberate, repetitive input of neural information that supports proactive neuroplasticity. LINK

Video Series #3: Tools and Techniques

Proactive neuroplasticity is the process of deliberately and repetitively inputting positive information into our neural network to consolidate learning and unlearning. What is that information? How is it constructed? The objective is to ensure the information is of the highest quality to effect change. What are the best tools and techniques? What methodologies and psychological support systems are best suited to support proactive neuroplasticity – to help us unlearn the toxicity of negative self-beliefs, replacing them with healthy, positive ones. LINK

Video Series #2: Three Forms of Neuroplasticity

Reactive neuroplasticity is our brain’s natural adaptation to sensory information. Active neuroplasticity is neural information acquired through conscious activity, which includes all forms of deliberate learning. Proactive neuroplasticity is the conscious, intentional repatterning of our neural network utilizing tools and techniques that facilitate the process. The deliberate, repetitive, input of neural information empowers us to proactively transform our thoughts and behaviors, creating healthy new mindsets, skills, and abilities. LINK

Video Series #1: Introduction

Research has established that our neural network is a dynamic organism, constantly adapting and rebuilding to each new input of information. Scientists refer to the process of neuroplasticity as the structural remodeling of the brain. By deliberately enhancing the process, we can proactively transform our thoughts, behaviors, and perspectives, creating healthy new mindsets, skills, and abilities. All information notifies our neural pathways to restructure, generating a correlated change in behavior and perspective. LINK

The video series describes the evolution of the science of neuroplasticity, differentiating reactive and active from proactive neural input. Videos diagram the trajectory of neural information. And how it impacts the various lobes of the human brain responsible for cognitive learning. The neural input of data, coded into electrical energy, causes a receptive neuron to fire that energy onto a sensory neuron. Which forwards the information to millions of participating neurons.

Benefits of Neural Restructuring

The videos demonstrate how this cellular chain reaction reciprocates that initial electrical energy in abundance due to the amplified neural response. Positive information input, positive energy multiplied millions of times, positive energy reciprocated in abundance. Each neural input of information impacts millions of neurons as they restructure our neural network to a form conducive to a positive self-image.

Subsequently, the natural hormonal neurotransmissions reward our activity with GABA for relaxation, dopamine for pleasure, endorphins for euphoria, serotonin for a sense of well-being, and hormones that support our motivation, enhance our memory, and improve concentration.

However, since our brain doesn’t distinguish healthy from toxic information, the neurotransmission of pleasurable and motivational hormones happens whether we feed it self-destructive or constructive information. That’s one of the reasons breaking a habit, keeping to a resolution, or achieving our desired goal is challenging. And why positive informational input is crucial for recovery and self-transformation.

Space is Limited
For 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.

Contemporary wisdom disputes the effectiveness of one-size-fits-all approaches to behavioral modification. So these videos evidence how integrating science and east-west psychologies is best suited to positively modifying our thoughts and behaviors. Science gives us proactive neuroplasticity, cognitive-behavioral modification, and positive psychology’s optimal functioning, which are Western approaches. Eastern practices give us Abhidharma psychology and the overarching truths of ethical behavior.

Our core and intermediate beliefs condition our neural system. Childhood disturbance and emotional malfunction negatively impact these beliefs, generating negative self-appraisal that affects our emotional well-being and quality of life.

The mechanics of Hebbian Learning define how the repeated proactive input of information correlates to more robust and practical learning. Hebb’s rule states the more repetitions, the quicker and stronger the connections. Harmful behaviors are unlearned, and healthy ones are adopted through deliberate and calculated activity. Negative core and intermediate beliefs are challenged and replaced by healthy and life-affirming ones. Videos demonstrate how deliberate, repetitive neural information alleviates emotional malfunction and empowers us to achieve our goals and objectives.

Proactive neuroplasticity is theoretically simple but challenging due to the commitment and endurance required for the long-term, repetitive process. We advance to Wimbledon with decades of practice on the courts. Philharmonics cater to pianists who have spent years at the keyboard. Proactive neuroplasticity requires a calculated regimen of deliberate, repetitive neural information that is tedious and fails to deliver immediate tangible results. Causing us to readily concede defeat and abandon hope in this era of instant gratification.

The positive impact of proactive neuroplasticity is exponential due to the abundant reciprocation of positive electrical energy and the neurotransmission of hormones that generate motivation, persistence, and perseverance. Proactive neuroplasticity dramatically mitigates symptoms of emotional dysfunction and advances our pursuit of goals and objectives.

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.

Coping Mechanisms

March 6, 2024Coping MechanismsAutomatic Negative Thoughts, Coping Mechanisms, Depression, LGBTQ+, Self-esteem, Social Anxiety, Social anxiety disorderRobert F. Mullen, Ph.D.

Recovery from social anxiety and related conditions

Robert F Mullen
Director/ReChanneling

For each new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.

Recent Posts

Coping Mechanisms

Coping mechanisms help us cope with stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions. They range from practiced skills in recovery (e.g., grounding, reframing, and rational coping statements) to everyday stress reducers like gardening, journaling, and listening to music.

Social anxiety is culturally identifiable by the persistent fear and avoidance of social interaction and performance situations, which causes us to miss the life experiences that connect us with the world.

Our primary recovery goal is the dramatic moderation of these symptoms. To achieve this, we identify three objectives: To

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.
Regenerate our self-esteem and reintegrate into society through mindfulness and reinforcement of our character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements.

Coping Strategies and Coping Mechanisms

Coping strategies are the methods or approaches that best execute our three objectives. On the other hand, coping mechanisms are tools and techniques that implement our coping strategies. The distinctions are important.

For example, to support a response-based strategy, we would utilize cognitive coping mechanisms that focus on our automatic negative thoughts and reduce the influx of our fear and anxiety-provoked chemical hormones.

A comprehensive recovery program employs multiple strategies sustained by cooperative coping mechanisms. These applications are not rigidly distinct solutions but complementary. One-size-fits-all approaches cannot address the underrated complexity of social anxiety.

Coping mechanisms alleviate our situational fears and anxieties, allowing us to step outside the bullseye and objectively analyze our irrational thoughts and behaviors to respond rationally and productively.

In general terms, coping mechanisms help us cope with stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions. They range from practiced skills in recovery (e.g., grounding, reframing, and rational response) to everyday stress reducers like gardening, journaling, and listening to music. Healthy coping mechanisms are situationally adaptive.

Decompensation

Without coping mechanisms, healthy or otherwise, we can experience decompensation – the inability or unwillingness to generate effective psychological stress response, resulting in personality disturbance or disintegration.

Defense Mechanisms

Defense mechanisms are temporary safeguards against situations that challenge our conscious minds. They are ostensibly automatic psychological responses designed to protect us from our fears and anxieties.

Cognitive distortions are exaggerated or irrational thought patterns that perpetuate our anxiety and depression. They are defense mechanisms that reinforce or justify our toxic behaviors. And validate our irrational attitudes, rules, and assumptions. They twist reality, painting an inaccurate picture of the self in the world with others. They interpret experiences through a glass darkly.

Any process that protects us from our fears, anxieties, and threats to our emotional well-being is a defense mechanism. Some, like avoidance, humor, and isolation, require no explanation. Others, such as compensation and dissociation, have positive applications in recovery.

Situations

A situation is a set of circumstances – the facts, conditions, and incidents affecting us at a particular time in a specific place. A feared situation provokes anxieties and apprehensions that negatively impact our activities and relationships.

Two Types of Situations

Two types of situations concern us: the anticipated situation and the unexpected one.

Anticipated situations are those that we know, in advance, trigger our fears and anxieties. They can be one-off situations like a job interview or social event. They can be recurring situations like the classroom or our daily work environment.

Knowing our feared situation in advance gives us ample opportunity to devise a structured plan to counter our fears and anxieties. We develop it utilizing situationally focused coping mechanisms in a workshop environment. We practice our plan in non-threatening simulations. This method is called graded exposure or systematic desensitization.

Exposing ourselves to a feared situation without a strategy and functional coping mechanisms is jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. In the words of a master of moderation, Benjamin Franklin, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Unexpected situations are those that catch us by surprise – stress-provoking chance encounters such as faulty plumbing, an unexpected guest, or losing a wallet.

Knowing how to respond effectively to unexpected situations is like playing bridge. We know what’s in our hand (our coping mechanisms) but don’t know which card to play until we see the others on the table. Accordingly, we assemble our emergency preparedness kit – a variety of practiced coping mechanisms proven subjectively effective.

Space is Limited
For 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.

Associated Fears and Corresponding ANTs

Automatic negative thoughts are immediate, involuntary expressions of our fears and anxieties. These thoughts can occur in advance of, during, or after a feared situation. ANTs are terse emotional responses, unbased upon reason or deliberation. They are the unpleasant expressions of our negative self-beliefs that define who we are, who we think we are, and who we think others think we are.

Alleviating Our Symptoms

Coping mechanisms are valuable tools in the recovery process. Their role is to offset the negative stimuli within the situation, allowing us to de-stress and reframe our responses.

We develop and practice detailed coping mechanisms in a workshop environment. Introspection, collective activities, and graded exposure are helpful to the client in determining the mechanisms that are most individually effective and adaptable.

Know the Enemy

Did you ever try to talk to someone about your social anxiety? It’s hard. Like it’s some alien disease or something. Nobody gets it. That is why we are reluctant to disclose it. Many of us deliberately choose to remain ignorant of SAD’s destructive capabilities. Others pretend it doesn’t exist or ignore it, hoping it will disappear or no one will notice. Our resistance is a significant impediment to our recovery.

It is disconcerting how many affected clients are unfamiliar with SAD’s causes, symptoms, and impact. The information is readily available. When we have the sniffles, we dash to the internet and familiarize ourselves with every snake oil remedy known to civilization. Nevertheless, despite experiencing social anxiety for decades, it remains as mysterious to some as the mating habits of the Loch Ness Monster.

It is essential to know the symptoms of our condition and how they impact us. To paraphrase Sun Tzu, our chances of recovery are negligible if we neither know the enemy nor ourself. It is pointless to assemble a puzzle if the pieces are missing.

There are multiple ways to mitigate the anxiety of negative triggers. Three of the more effective are grounding, positive reframing, and rational response.

Grounding

Grounding is turning attention away from anxiety-provoking thoughts, memories, or worries and refocusing on the present moment. It refers to any technique that brings our attention to the present physical moment. Whenever we feel anxious or stressed, we can use grounding techniques to distract ourselves from the emotional situation.

This research-based strategy helps us moderate our situational fears and automatic negative thoughts. If we find ourselves in moments of stress or panic, grounding techniques can help our body relax and return to the present moment.

One of the most common grounding techniques is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, which grounds us to the moment by reconnecting us to one or more of our five senses. We deliberately focus on objects, sounds, smells, tastes, and our bodies. Doing so moderates our emotional distress by distracting our anxiety.

Rational Response

Our automatic response to everything is emotional. To moderate negative emotions, we address them rationally. A rational response is a logical, self-affirming counter to our fears, issues of self-esteem, and automatic negative thoughts.

How do we respond to these triggers? First, we identify the situation where it happens: Where are we, what are we doing, who and what is involved, etc.? Then, we unpack our associated fears and corresponding ANTs.

Remember, fears are irrational, as is predicting what will happen. Knowing what others are thinking is also irrational unless we’re mind readers. It is all subjective projection.

So, we rationally respond to our fears to moderate them. Example: speaking in front of a group. What are our fears? (Again, they are subjective.) Let us go with our fear of criticism. What might our automatic negative thoughts FIX consist of? “They’ll think I’m stupid.” “They’ll make fun of me.” “I’ll make a fool of myself.”

Rational responses might be: “I am entitled to be here as much as anyone.” “I am valuable and significant.” “I am equal to anyone here.” These are accurate responses to unreasonable, self-defeating thoughts.

Positive Reframing

Our neural network is overwhelmed with negativity. Humans are hard-wired with a negativity bias, meaning we respond to negative things over positive ones.

Social anxiety and low self-esteem sustain themselves through our negative self-appraisal.

Positive reframing is turning a negative perspective into a positive one. By reframing, we identify our triggers and self-esteem issues and change how we react and respond to them. Any situation always offers multiple perspectives. While we cannot control everything that happens, we can control how we react and respond.

One example of reframing is viewing a problem or issue as a challenge or opportunity. We reframe an argument by looking at it from the other’s perspective. In a snowstorm, we can either be housebound and despondent or take the sleds and ice skates out of the closet and enjoy the day. Experts agree that positive reframing is critical for emotional well-being.

As we progress in recovery, grounding, positive reframing, and rational response become habitual and automatic.

Seek Progress, Not Perfection

SAD persons worry about their performance before and during a situation and obsess about the outcome long after. We fear criticism and negative appraisal. We set unreasonable expectations to compensate for our perceptions of incompetence and inadequacy, and then we beat ourselves up when our expectations are unmet. Perfectionism is not the desire to do well but the need to be faultless. Anything less is unsatisfactory. Perfectionism and social anxiety have a parallel relationship.

Recovery, however, is a life’s work in progress. There is no absolute cure for social anxiety, but with work and over time, we experience a dramatic and exponential alleviation of our symptoms. The key is progress over perfection.

Set Reasonable Expectations

An expectation, by definition, is a firm belief that something will take place in the future. When we set an expectation, we invest a fervid interest in its outcome. What happens in the likelihood that our expectations are unmet? Because we have a vested interest, we are psychologically attached to the outcome. Fixed In our minds, we see it as a reality. When it does not go our way, the general response is one of disappointment.

Experts describe the reaction to disappointment as a form of sadness – an expression of desperation or grief due to loss. While it is true that we cannot lose what we have not acquired, fixing the expectation in our mind makes it real and visceral. Loss leads to depression, self-loathing, and other traits associated with perfectionism and social anxiety.

Engender Joy and Laughter

The endorphins and chemical hormones transmitted by positive emotions dramatically enhance our psychological well-being. Joy and laughter counteract anxiety and defuse anger, resentment, and shame. They strengthen our immune system, boost energy levels, and enhance memory and concentration. When we smile and laugh, the influx of our fear and anxiety-provoking hormones decreases. Finding humor in stressful situations reframes our perspective and takes the edge off our anxiety. It provides a sense of shared comradery and community, which helps counter our fear and avoidance of intimacy and social events, improving our physiological and psychological health.

Remember, You Are Not Alone

Roughly 124 million U.S. adults and adolescents experience anxiety disorders. 60% of those have depression, and many resort to substance abuse. Persons experiencing SAD are too preoccupied with their center of attention to seek us out for judgment or criticism. Roughly two of five people in any situation are experiencing anxiety. So, when we worry and stress during a social event, we are in good company. Social anxiety is common, universal, and indiscriminate. We are never alone.

GENERAL COPING STRATEGIES

Controlled Breathing

Controlled breathing reduces stress, increases our mental awareness, and boosts our immune system, Scientific studies show that this simple grounding technique dramatically mitigates symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, and other stress-related conditions. Grounding distracts from negative stimuli by focusing on the present through our body and senses. It helps us manage our negative thoughts and reactions.

Our vagus nerve controls our heart rate and nervous system and manages our fight or flight (freeze, fawn, flop) response. Science tells us that the simplest way to manipulate our vagus nerve is to practice controlled breathing, which decreases the flow of cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine while releasing mood—and memory-enhancing chemical hormones like GABA and serotonin.

Positive Personal Affirmations

Positive personal affirmations are self-motivating and empowering statements that help us focus on goals, challenge negative, self-defeating beliefs, and reprogram our subconscious minds. We drastically underestimate the significance and effectiveness of PPAs because we don’t appreciate the neuroscience behind them.

Providing all the neural benefits of positive reinforcement, our PPAs self-describe who and what we aspire to be in our emotional development. PPAs are rational, reasonable, possible, positive, unconditional, problem-focused, brief, and in first-person present or future time. Think of PPA’s as aspirations or self-fulfilling prophecies that, through deliberate repetition, help replace our abundance of negative neural information with healthy, productive input.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

PMR is another grounding technique. We progressively relax our muscle groups, beginning with the lower extremities and extending to the forehead. Like controlled breathing, there are long and short applications. Abbreviated PMR takes less than a minute and can be executed surreptitiously during a situation. This coping mechanism relieves the discomforting muscle tension aggravated by stress. It also reduces the influx of our fear and anxiety-provoking hormones while momentarily distracting us from our negative thoughts and reactions.

Slow Talk

Our anxiety often compels us to mumble or rush our words under pressure. Slow talk is deliberately speaking slowly and calmly. It slows our physiological responses, alleviates rapid heartbeat, and lowers our blood pressure. It is also helpful to incorporate the 5-second rule, i.e., pause any response for five thoughtful seconds. Not only does this coping mechanism moderate the flow of cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress-provoking hormones, but it also presents the appearance of someone considerate and confident.

Affirmative Visualization

An affirmative visualization is a positive outcome scenario we mentally create by imagining or visualizing it. All information passes through our brain’s thalamus, which makes no distinction between inner and outer realities. Whether we visualize doing something or actually do it, we stimulate the same regions of our neural network. Visualizing raising our left hand is, to our brain, the same thing as physically raising our left hand.

Affirmative visualization activates our dopaminergic-reward system, decreasing the neurotransmissions of anxiety and fear-provoking hormones and accelerating and consolidating the beneficial ones. When we visualize, our brain generates alpha waves, which can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Research shows that visualizing a situation in advance improves our mental and physical aptitude. We consciously source information that will enhance our performance outcomes, dramatically improving the likelihood of success in the actual situation. IT also produces the same neural benefits as any other form of proactive neuroplasticity, i.e., the deliberate, repetitive neural input of positive information.

Character Focus

Focusing on our character strengths, virtues, attributes, and achievements channels our emotional angst to mental deliberation, mitigating our fears, anxieties and corresponding ANTs. It supports the regeneration of our self-esteem as we rebuild our latent self-qualities. By manifesting our character strengths and achievements, we reframe our perspective, empowering our asset awareness and generating renewed self-confidence.

Distractions/Diversions

Distractions are mental grounding techniques that engage our focus when confronted by anxiety. Also called directed attention, we focus our attention on a sensory target (i.e. sight, tactile, sound, smell, and taste) to supersede moments of stress and discomfort in our feared situation. Snapping a rubber band on our wrist to momentarily ground our attention is a prime example of a tactile distraction.

Diversions are activities that fulfill the same function (e.g., initiating small talk or humming a song to yourself.) A diversion rechannels the stress of a situational fear or anxiety into a diversionary tactic. These physical diversions and mental distractions temporarily alleviate our fears and anxieties and help manage our negative thoughts and reactions.

Persona

Our body language represents roughly sixty percent of communication. Ten percent is words, and thirty percent is sounds (sighing, laughing, moaning). Persona is the social face we present to our exposure situation, designed to make a positive impression while concealing the nature of our social anxiety. Developing personas is vital to preparing for and adapting to multiple exposure situations.

Our persona establishes our body language. It determines how we carry ourselves, the timbre of our voice, our attitude, and the clothes and shoes we wear (boots, sneakers, high heels). It reflects our character strengths best suited for the situation. (The actor, Paul Newman, allegedly crafted his characters by initially determining their walk and posture.)

We all have multiple personas. We present ourselves differently depending upon the context of the situation, e.g., a sports event versus an interview for a job, a funeral versus a wedding, or a family dinner versus a hoedown. Our personas are ostensibly unconscious – they reflect the environment. Deliberately crafting our persona is an essential learned skill that can dramatically alleviate the stress of a situation.

Persona is an extension of the Social Psychology of Dress, which is concerned with how our dress appearance affects our behavior and that of others toward us. Our outward appearance expresses our internal vision of who we want to present. Persona is more than appearance. It is attitude and performance.

Rooted in self-complexity theory, delivering personas indicates that individuals with diverse self-aspects–different dimensions forming their identity–navigate life more effectively Developing and utilizing personas is vital to preparing for and adapting to multiple exposure situations.

Personas are not other selves distinct from who we are but different aspects of our personality. To analogize, all the clothes in our wardrobe belong to us, but we choose an outfit for a specific occasion to appeal to our sense of self. The same pattern of thought-driven choice establishes our persona.

Projected Positive Outcome

Our projected positive outcome is the reasonable expectations we set for our feared situation. We already know the projected negative outcome if we capitulate to our ANTs. Therefore, we rationally respond by setting reasonable expectations. A projected positive outcome is rational, practical, and doable to ensure success. For example, being immediately hired with a fantastic salary at a networking event is not a reasonable expectation. Making an initial and fruitful contact is an effective projected positive outcome.

Purpose

Purpose is the primary motivation behind our exposure to a situation. What do we seek or hope to accomplish? Why are we exposing ourselves? If our feared situation is the barbershop or beauty salon (not uncommon sources of anxiety), it is reasonable to consider that our purpose might be to get our hair cut or styled comfortably. Our purpose is a subjective determination.

Attending a social event offers multiple purposes, e.g., networking, carousing, making friends, and seeking an intimate relationship. However, maintaining numerous purposes reduces the probability of success, leading to disappointment and self-recrimination. Therefore, we set a reasonable expectation a focus on the principal purpose. To paraphrase a Russian proverb: if you chase two pigs, you have less chance of catching either one.

Small Talk

Small talk is an Informal greeting, comment, or conversation – discourse absent any functional topic of discussion or transaction. In essence, it is polite, non-confrontational verbal interaction meant to acknowledge presence and or open channels of further communication. This activity is not as easy as it appears for those experiencing social anxiety. In interactive workshop activities, graded exposure defines the parameters and establishes the comfort zone critical to successful small talk.

SUDS Rating and Projected SUDS Rating

The Subjective Units of Distress Scale ranges from 0 to 100, measuring the severity of our situational stress. Additionally, it allows us to set reasonable expectations of success. We evaluate what level of distress we anticipate in our feared situation (SUDS Rating) and what we project it will be upon its successful completion (Projected SUDS Rating).

Again, we set reasonable expectations. A moderate projected SUDS rating will offer the probability of a successful venture. For example, if our SUDS rating of distress for making a presentation is 80, a reasonable projected SUDS rating might be 70 or 75. Projecting a 10 SUDS rating would imply that we expect a standing ovation and a national speaking tour. It’s possible, but it is an unreasonable expectation.

Coping Mechanisms for Everyday Stress

Anything that alleviates stress qualifies as a coping mechanism. From listening to music to tending a garden, coping mechanisms are as numerous and varied as individual experience and imagination.

To iterate, some will work for us, and others we will discard. Some will work sometimes and not at other times. Many are general activities like exercise, meditation, and creativity. Examples of coping mechanisms for everyday stress include:

Arts and Crafts:
DIY
Music
Creative Pursuits
Connecting with nature
Hobbies
Personal Time
Physical Activity
Body Relaxation
Self-Empowering Activities

Coping mechanisms are tools and techniques with a wide range of uses. They assist in moderating our situational fears, anxieties, and ANTs. They temporarily allow us to step outside the bullseye so that we can objectively analyze our thoughts and behaviors. And react and respond rationally and productively. They also help us cope with everyday stress and other negative emotions.

Proactive Neuroplasticity YouTube Series

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.

The Hostility of Mental Health Stigma

May 26, 2021Anxiety, Mental Health, Psychology, Recovery, Social AnxietyAutomatic Negative Thoughts, Coping Skills, Depression, LGBTQ+, Positive Psychology, Self-esteem, The Hostility of Mental Health StigmaRobert F. Mullen, Ph.D.

Recovery from social anxiety and related conditions.

For each new subscriber, ReChanneling donates $25 for workshop scholarships.

Recent Posts

The Hostility of Mental Health Stigma

Mental Health Stigma (MHS) is the hostile expression of the abject undesirability of a human being who has a mental illness. It is the instrument that brands the mentally malfunctional defective due to stereotypes. MHS is purposed to protect the general population from unpredictable and dangerous behaviors by any means necessary. MHS is fomented by prejudice, ignorance, and discrimination. The stigmatized are devalued in the eyes of others and subsequently in their self-image as well.

Between 50 and 65 million U.S. adults and adolescents have a mental illness; 90% of those will be impacted by mental health stigma, a presence that elicits unsupportable levels of shame and jeopardizes the emotional and societal well-being of the afflicted.

Trajectory

The Signaling Event. MHS is triggered by a set of signals or a signaling event, i.e., an occasion, experience, news story, or encounter where the visibility of behaviors and mannerisms associated with mental illness elicit a reaction.

The Label. Labeling defines the signaling event and distinguishes it from other labels. ‘Woman’ is a label; it is specific, restrictive to gender, and says certain things that distinguish it from other labels. A successful label elicits a strong public reaction. The defining characteristics of the label become the stereotype. Labeling is subject to the labeler’s belief system and, like stereotypes and stigma, is reliably inaccurate because of implied expectations of behavior.

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 Stereotype. Labeling gives the signal a moniker for identification; the stereotype defines it and gives it meaning. Stereotyping is a cognitive differentiation of something that piques one’s interest; everyone stereotypes. Mental health stereotyping is distinguishable by pathographic overtone that identifies the victim as unpredictable, potentially violent, and undesirable.

Ironically, 14^th-century asylums in Spain and Egypt were built to protect the mentally afflicted from the dangerous and violent members of society.

Mental health labeling and stereotypes support and collaborate with preconceived notions of mental illness, generated by the natural aversion to weakness and difference. This is supported by an ignorant and prejudicial belief system and, on occasion, personal experience. Labels and stereotypes are unbound by truth or evidence; believability is the ultimate criterion.

Stigma. A stigma is a brand or mark that negatively impacts a person or group by distinguishing and separating that person or group from others. The branding concept originated with the ancient Greek custom of identifying criminals, slaves, or traitors by carving or burning a mark into their skin. Stigma is identified by three types: (1) abominations of the body, (2) moral character stigmas, and (3) tribal stigmas. The first refers to physical deformity or disease; tribal stigmas describe membership in devalued races, ethnicities, or religions; and moral character stigma refers to persons perceived as weak, immoral, duplicitous, dishonest, e.g., criminals, substance addicts, cigarette smokers, and the mentally ill.

Mental Health Stigma

The objective of MHS is the perceptual protection of the general population from the unpredictable and dangerous behaviors associated with mental illness by any means necessary, including deception, misinformation, and fear-baiting. Its ultimate goal is to negatively impact the social reintegration of the victim.

Space is Limited
For 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.

Anticipatory stigma is the expectation of a stigma due to behavior or diagnosis, and subsequent adverse social reactions. This causes resistance by the potential victim to disclose any physiological aberration.
Stigma-avoidance identifies those who avoid or postpone treatment fearing the associated stigma will discredit them and negatively impact their quality of life. Studies indicate almost one-third of the potential victims resist disclosure, impacting the potential for recovery.
Family stigmatization occurs when family members reject a child or sibling because of their mental illness. Throughout history, it was commonly accepted that mental illness was hereditary or the consequence of poor parenting. A 2008 study found 25% to 50% of family members believe disclosure will bring shame to the family. (Courtesy-stigma reflects supportive family members.)

An active stigma is a parasitic one. If it finds enough suitable hosts, the parasitosis can spread rapidly by traditional means. Studies show the aversion to mental illness is prosocially hard-wired which provides an abundance of hosts.

Contributing Factors to MHS. The stigma triad of ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination is generated and supported by preconceived notions, general obliviousness, a lack of education, and society’s deep-rooted fear of its susceptibility. The primary attributions to MHS are public opinion, media misrepresentation, visibility, diagnosis, and the disease or pathographic model of mental healthcare.

How Mental Health Stigma Impacts the Victim

MHS impacts the victim through a series of stigma experiences:

Felt stigma. The anticipated or implied threat of a stigma.
Enacted stigma. The activated stigma.
External stigma. The victim holds the perpetrator responsible for the stigma.
Internalized stigma. The victim assumes behavioral responsibility for the stigma.
Experienced stigma. Victim’s reaction to the stigma.

The victim anticipates their mannerisms, behaviors or diagnosis will generate a stigma (felt stigma). When the stigma is realized it becomes an enacted stigma. The victim blames the person who originated the stigma (external stigma) or assumes responsibility due to behavior (internalized stigma). When the stigma impacts the victim’s well-being, it becomes an experienced stigma.

MHS Impact. Mental health stigma can negatively affect the victim’s emotional well-being and quality of life by jeopardizing their:

Safety, health, and physiological wellbeing
Livelihood
Housing
Social Status
Relationships

Solution

Mental health stigma will not be mitigated or eliminated until the mental healthcare community embraces the wellness model over the disease of mental health. The disease model of mental health focuses on the problem; creating a harmful symbiosis between the individual and the diagnosis. The wellness model emphasizes the solution. A battle is not won by focusing on incompetence and weakness but by knowing and utilizing our strengths, and attributes. That is how we positively function―with pride and self-reliance and determination―with the awareness of what we are capable of.

Establishing new parameters of wellness calls for a reformation of thought and concept. In 2004, the World Health Organization began promoting the advantages of wellness over disease perspective, defining health as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The World Psychiatric Association has aligned with the wellness model and it has become a central focus of international policy.

Evolving psychological approaches have become bellwethers for the research and study of the positive character strengths that facilitate the motivation, persistence, and perseverance helpful to recovery. Wellness must become the central focus of mental health for the simple reason that the disease model has provided grossly insufficient results.

A WORKING PLATFORM showing encouraging results for most physiological dysfunctions and discomforts is an integration of positive psychology’s optimum human functioning with CBT’s behavior modification, neuroscience’s network restructuring, and other personality-targeted approaches. including affirmations, autobiography, and methods to regenerate self-esteem and motivation.

This new wellness paradigm, however, should not be a dissolution of medical model approaches but an intense review of their efficacy, and repudiation of the one-size-fits-all stance within the mental health community.

Proactive Neuroplasticity YouTube Series

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.