"neuro-emotion" Whenever you're having an intense, disturbing feeling

[[no...]]

The term "neuro-emotion" was created by clinical psychologist Sheila Joshi. Below, you will find many of her very helpful ideas for coping with withdrawal from psychoactive drugs:

 

"For many reasons, our emotions are on a hair-trigger, amplified, and perseverative. We probably don't even know all of what's going on physically yet, but it includes diminished prefrontal lobe executive functions, rebound amygdala, dysregulated HPA, over-active adrenals, etc.

The neuro-emotions include --

• neuro-fear

• neuro-anger

• neuro-guilt

• neuro-shame

• neuro-hurt

• neuro-regret

• neuro-self-criticism

• neuro-grudge-holding

• ...and more!

It is very, very confusing to have these intense neuro-emotions and try to remember that they are not what they appear to be. Emotions are compelling. Emotions during recovery from psych meds are even more compelling.

Sometimes, the neuro-emotion is really totally artificial. Some of my neuro-fears have been so unlikely to come to pass as to bear no resemblance to reality or to my personal history.

For example, some situation might make you a bit angry under normal circumstances, but the neuro-anger is huge. This is when it's very difficult to

 

    catch it in the first place and notice this is a neuro-emotion,

    convince ourselves, yes, this is really a neuro-emotion, not a real emotion,

    contain the emotion, try not to act on it, or channel the energy into something safe and constructive -- like exercise or journaling.

 

[...]

 

Whenever you're having an intense, disturbing feeling, try to remind yourself that, right now -- even if it does have something to do with reality -- it is largely a neuro-emotion that you wouldn't be feeling if you were fully healed. And you *will* be fully healed.

 

[...]

Shame, guilt, and self-criticism

And the 5 revolutionary seconds

 

Illness of any kind tends to make these feelings worse, because when you're ill, you're not functioning in line with norms and expectations.

 

    "I should be getting better faster."

    "I shouldn't have gotten sick in the first place."

    "I must deserve punishment and that's why this happened."

    "I'm not handling this as well as other people."

 

And then, you add the fact that *our* particular illness involves temporary neurological damage that makes these feelings even worse. It may be that the prefrontal cortex, which makes us temperate in our assessments, is under-performing.

 

And the amygdala, which is reactive and negatively biased, is over-performing. Whatever you felt bad about before you took meds is now amplified. Plus things you never dreamt of feeling bad about have been added to the list.

 

So, now we have neuro-shame, neuro-guilt, and neuro-self-criticism.

 

This neurological damage will eventually end all by itself.

 

[...]

 

In the meantime, you can do a simple, yet revolutionary act that will make your life a tiny bit easier, and maybe even spur the healing a bit. The way to do this is to practice where you put your attention. Culture, family, personal history, illness, and toxic meds -- all these factors conspire to make you focus on your flaws (real and imagined). So, every time you choose to shift your attention from this for even five seconds, it is a revolutionary act.

 

You can focus on anything else -- the image of a tree, spaciousness, a beloved pet, your ideal future, God, a compliment someone gave you recently, your breath.

 

This may seem like nothing, but every time you *choose* where to put your attention, it is a revolutionary act that has profound ramifications. It's revolutionary just to notice that you're feeling shame, guilt, self-criticism. It's revolutionary to permit yourself to try, to dare to try, to dare to hope. These are the really big achievements. Everything else -- like five seconds of focusing on something relieving or cheering -- is icing on the cake."

 

http://www.toxicantidepressants.fr/english/withdrawal-symptoms/neuro-emotions.html

 

[[re...]]

NEURO-HURT... I FEEL LIKE I AM SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL. I FEEL LIKE I AM DYING. I CAN'T HANDLE SOCIETY. NEURO-FEAR

 

Thanks for posting this. I will have to read it more thoroughly. Right now I feel like I am out of my mind. I have to distract myself. I can't think so the TV has to do it for now. 

[[Cl...]]

Nova, thank you for sharing this good information! my looping thoughts are sometimes neuro-fear and neuro-anger, I seem to magnify certain things.

All the best 

[Guest [jc...]]

Great post!

[[re...]]

Thank you Nova 1...        I appreciate you saying we will heal and emphasizing that all these emotions are just that... emotions and not necessarily us. It is so comforting to know this addiction will end. I have been neuro-self-criticism too. Your post is one to read over and over again. I am going to copy it and send it to myself in an email. I need to remember to focus elsewhere and that This too shall Pass...  But mostly, "This is not me...  This is a medical issue and does not divine who I am."

 

redwoods

[[Wi...]]

Bumping this helpful post.

[[Nu...]]

This is a really helpful post... I'm glad it was bumped. Lots of good information here and presented very well. Thank you!