VisualCognitionLab

Remember the expression “don’t bottle up your feelings”? Somehow this idea became conventional wisdom and I heard it constantly growing up—but it never intuitively made sense to me. The same goes for the idea that we need to talk about our traumas. I once had a therapist who insisted I had to revisit the traumatic things that happened when I was young. But what actually helped me was not thinking about it or talking about it. I coped by distancing myself from those experiences—like they happened to someone else. The more space I put between myself and that girl, the better. Something has always felt off about the idea that healing requires dwelling, ruminating, and rehashing the past. We need to start rethinking our approaches to mental distress because they aren’t working. I'm glad some are trying to challenge the old practices. I came across this 2023 study: "Improving mental health by training the suppression of unwanted thoughts."