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Unexplainable bouts of sadness

Discussion in 'Support Subforum' started by invincible, Aug 22, 2024.

  1. invincible

    invincible Peer Supporter

    In the last week or so I've been getting these random bouts of sadness at the most weird moments. I've actually been getting them during moments where I feel like I should be feeling happiness.
    For example I'll get these bouts while playing sports or while I'm at choir practice, which are confusing for me because these are activities that I enjoy.
    It just feels like this heavy sadness and I feel kind of disengaged and detached from my body and the present moment.

    Something that also happens from time to time is while I'm turning my attention inwards I find myself sometimes searching for last bad feeling I've felt, whether it's sadness, anger or whatever it may have been.

    Feeling kind of strange about this. Any advice or thoughts would be super helpful, thanks!

    (PS. I'm in the process of doing the SEP, could it be related to that?)
     
  2. Sita

    Sita Well known member

    You can go out and help someone else. With something, anything. Just get out of yourself, me, me me, mine, I, thinking patterns. I know that it sounds weird, harsh, unusual but this is what I did in the past and it was helpful. Always helpful. And you forget about the pain, sadness or other things. You can try it and see how it goes.

    Maybe others have different suggestions. Take care.
     
    Ellen and invincible like this.
  3. Cactusflower

    Cactusflower Beloved Grand Eagle

    Is it really sadness, or do you simply feel like crying for joy yet your mind and body associate that with something you shouldn't be doing at the moment.
    Then again, sometimes our bodies just have mixed up signals. You're doing a lot of work to untangle the messiness, but perhaps there is just still some messiness that will sort itself out over time. Someone once told me that the sensation of falling apart doing this work is actually a coming together, and not to place too much importance on these things.

    As an alternative, you could also try journaling or meditating on this, and see what is underneath the feelings of sadness.
     
    invincible likes this.
  4. JanAtheCPA

    JanAtheCPA Beloved Grand Eagle

    At this stage in your process I'm inclined to see these feelings as the phenomenon that Dr Sarno called Symptom Imperatives.

    It's super-common for people to encounter resistance from the TMS brain mechanism, which is basically doubling down on distracting repressive symptoms as the individual starts becoming more open to the repressed emotions. People report symptom imperatives in many different ways or combinations, including worse symptoms, changing locations of symptoms, brand-new symptoms, increasing or new anxiety and increasing or new depression.

    In other words - it sounds like you are probably experiencing a normal response to doing the work!

    I will even suggest that someone who does NOT experience any signs of the symptom imperative might be rushing or skimming through the program instead of committing to an honest effort.
     
    invincible likes this.
  5. Diana-M

    Diana-M Beloved Grand Eagle

    I say it’s 100% related to digging around inside yourself. But it’s good! Feelings are live. You’re bringing it all up. Just go with it. Don’t worry.
     
    invincible likes this.
  6. sleepyjay

    sleepyjay Peer Supporter

    Hi invincible!

    I actually had the exact same thing happen to me while i worked through the SEP. What ultimately helped (and still helps when it comes up again) is somatic tracking and outcome independence.
    So yeah, as the others said, it seems to be a pretty common phenomenom, though absolutely uncomfotable.
     
    JanAtheCPA and invincible like this.

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