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Over-sensitivity

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Intent 
#1 ·
Gilian Butler wrote that a >highly reactive arousal system< can be one of the SA causes.

Ok, so I understand that I can change my beliefs, my thoughts and thinking patterns by conscious efforts.

But how can I naturally alter brain's chemistry? Is it even possible to desensitize a mind just by cognitive tools?
 
#2 ·
Cognitive tools can only mitigate the effect of underlying sensitivity, not eliminate it: the sensitivity and thoughts (and the anxiety) are not entirely independent; so, for example, having negative thoughts increases both anxiety and sensitivity levels. Also, being more sensitive (and it often varies within the same person) can increase anxiety levels and negative thoughts.

Therefore, cognitive tools, due to this mutual dependency, can be considered one important element in both anxiety and sensitivity reduction, although they cannot fundamentally alter the innate traits.
 
#3 ·
Changing the way you think will improve your mood over time, but it takes time and persistence. The brain has to relearn what it has thought for years, you need to construct new neuropathways. Medication can help with the seritonin part of it and making sure that any chemical imbalance in addressed, the rest is about challenging belief systems using therapies like CBT.

I don't know of any other way of treatment social anxiety other than address the underlying beliefs that cause it. There is memory desensitisation found it treatments like EMDR, EFT and TFT, but that still relies on finding the underlying beliefs and eliminating them.
 
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