Posted by noa on February 10, 2003, at 17:36:08
In reply to Re: Yes, that is a great metaphor. Thanks! » noa, posted by Dinah on February 9, 2003, at 18:28:06
I think another aspect of the varied mood state question that you posed is control--the question was worded as "how much do your moods define you?" which puts the "you" in the passive part of the sentence, and the "moods" in the control seat. What I'm dealing with now a lot in therapy is how much this feeling of not having control over the moods has made me feel less and less in control of everything in my life. And I think this applies whether it is depression or whatever different mood states.
I think you are saying that not only do you have distinct mood states with distinct perceptions, etc., but that there are so many and sometimes they get all scrambled up. Do they overlap sometimes?
BTW, my therapist and I have been using the word "dissociative" or "dissociative-like" (I introduced the idea) to describe my experience of different mood states, even though we know it is not true dissociation. But the mood states really transport me, in a way that is kind of like dissociation(I think). I don't lose orientation to person, place or time, I know who I am, etc. etc. but it seems to me to be a mild form of dissociation, or at least some kind of related phenomenon.
Also, I do seem to space out about time a lot, when lacking any structure like work, etc., not necessarily when in a very strong mood state, but more likely when anxious and avoidant, but I don't think this is true dissociation either--maybe it would be better to call my loss of time due to self-numbing avoidant behavior(often with help from computer games) "pseudo-dissociation".
A young relative of mine seems to have what I call an associative/dissociative regulation problem. Sometimes she spaces out a lot and gets into her own dream world, seeming to lose touch with those of us around her, but she also has too much association going on sometimes--her mind is always leaping from one idea to other interesting-but-very tangential ideas. It is fascinating to see how she thinks, but also annoying because often she can't stay on topic and have a focused conversation. So it is not just that she DISsociates but also that she OVER-associates, as well, which makes me think there is some kind of regulation ability that most people have and she doesn't have enough of, to kind of balance the system out.
poster:noa
thread:2464
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20030203/msgs/2579.html