Emotional Reasoning is a.....

[TrailofTears]

Emotional Reasoning is a ...
Problem that affects me a lot. It is a distorted thinking pattern that I can't seem to shake, which is to say that I tend to believe that what I feel should control my thoughts and actions, but in a totally automatic way. If I hurt..I think I must be a bad person for all of the pain I have suffered. If I feel good...then all the world is a wonderful place and I must have been forgiven (for whatever I have done)etc.
How do you argue against this type of problem?

 

[Jaysen]

No arguement here, it just sucks to base your view of situations, yourself and others on the way you're feeling. I don't know much about you so I don't want to assume it has anything to do with the abuse. But it's just an automatic habit, you probably don't even realize you're doing it until you think about it later on. Have you ever been hurt by this way of thinking? or caused anyone else to get hurt by it? Maybe you could just try and practice a different way of thinking, like just a little at a time?
I don't know, I'm no doctor, I can just relate.

Jay

 

[jesse7]

In my experience I've found that it helps me to just let the feeling be. If I'm angry then I feel the anger. If I'm sad then I feel the sadness. Just be aware of yourself and watch the thoughts.

It is the thoughts that want to convince me to hurt another person or myself. When I feel hurt, I don't ask why I feel hurt. I just let it be for what it is. If I think I need to hurt another person or myself, I'm no longer feeling--I'm thinking. Once I become present in the feeling, the mental chatter stops and I'm not compelled to go do things. It's almost like the feeling goes right through me like a filter. This technique doesn't always work for me but it's getting better all the time.

Jesse