Uncategorized – LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Planning for High-Risk Situations, explained:

Planning for high-risk situations is a way to protect future, you when you know your nervous system, habits, or environment might get activated and pull you off course. It’s used a lot in substance use recovery, trauma work, and relapse-prevention, but it’s really about anticipating vulnerability and adding support ahead of time.

Here’s a clean, practical breakdown.

What counts as a “high-risk situation”?

Anything that reliably increases the chance of:

relapse or acting out
emotional overwhelm
dissociation or shutdown
impulsive or self-defeating behavior

Common examples:

Strong emotional states (shame, loneliness, anger, grief)
Interpersonal triggers (conflict, rejection, criticism)
Environmental cues (certain places, people, times of day)
Internal states (fatigue, hunger, pain, stress)
Cognitive states (“I don’t care anymore,” “What’s the point?”)

High-risk ≠ weakness.
It means predictable nervous-system activation.

Core elements of planning for high-risk situations

1. Identify your personal risk profile

Not generic, yours.

Ask:

When do I usually lose access to my values?
What patterns repeat before things go sideways?
What sensations, thoughts, or urges show up first?

This is somatic + cognitive:

Body: tight chest, buzzing, collapse
Mind: all-or-nothing thinking, justifying, numbing logic
Behavior: isolating, seeking relief fast

2. Name early warning signs

Catching it early is everything.

Examples:

“I stop answering texts”
“My inner critic gets louder”
“I feel unreal / detached”
“I start bargaining with myself”

This shifts you from reactive to observant.

3. Pre-decide coping responses

You choose before the trigger, because during activation, choice narrows.

Good plans include:

Immediate regulation (grounding, breath, movement)
Delay strategies (urge surfing, 20-minute rule)
Connection (specific people, not vague “reach out”)
Environment changes (leave, remove access, change location)
Meaning anchors (values, commitments, consequences)

Simple beats clever.

4. Plan for impaired thinking

In high-risk moments, insight often goes offline.

So ask:

What will I forget when I’m activated?
What lies does my mind tell me?

Then write counter-statements in advance:

“This urge will peak and pass.”
“Relief now = pain later.”
“I don’t have to decide anything tonight.”

This is borrowing your wise mind ahead of time.

5. Rehearse the plan

This part gets skipped and it matters.

Visualize the trigger
Walk through the response
Feel it in your body

You’re training the nervous system, not just the intellect.

Why this works (psychologically & somatically)

Reduces cognitive load under stress
Interrupts habit loops
Restores a sense of agency
Builds trust in yourself
Shifts shame to strategy

Planning isn’t rigidity, it’s compassionate realism.

Shervan K Shahhian

Substance Abuse Counseling, an explanation:

Substance Abuse Counseling (often called Addiction Counseling or Substance Use Disorder treatment) is a therapeutic approach that helps people change their relationship with substances while addressing the underlying reasons the use developed in the first place.

Here’s a clean, structured overview

What it is

Substance abuse counseling supports people who:

Are using alcohol or drugs in ways that cause harm
Feel out of control with substances
Use substances to cope with emotional pain, trauma, anxiety, shame, or identity distress
Are in recovery and want relapse prevention support

It treats substance use as a learned coping strategy, not a moral failure.

Core goals

Reduce or stop harmful substance use
Understand why the substance became necessary
Build safer coping and regulation skills
Repair relationships and self-trust
Support identity reconstruction beyond “the addiction”

Common approaches used

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Helps resolve ambivalence (“part of me wants to stop, part of me doesn’t”)
Non-confrontational, autonomy-respecting
Especially effective early in treatment

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Identifies triggers, thought loops, and behavioral patterns
Builds relapse-prevention plans
Teaches urge management and alternative coping

Trauma-informed therapy

Addresses attachment injuries, chronic shame, or developmental trauma
Recognizes substance use as nervous-system regulation

Harm Reduction

Focuses on safer use if abstinence isn’t immediately possible
Meets people where they are, not where they “should be”

Group therapy / 12-step or alternatives

Provides belonging, accountability, and shared meaning
Alternatives include SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, etc.

What happens in sessions

Assessment of substance patterns and risks
Exploring emotional, relational, and somatic triggers
Learning skills for craving management and regulation
Planning for high-risk situations
Strengthening identity, purpose, and values

Who it’s for

People questioning their use (“Is this becoming a problem?”)
People with diagnosed Substance Use Disorders
People in early recovery or long-term maintenance
People whose substance use is tied to trauma, shame, or existential distress

Important reframe

Substance use is often:

An attempt to regulate pain, not a desire to self-destruct.

Effective counseling treats the function of the substance, not just the substance itself.

Shervan K Shahhian

Understanding Somatic Signatures:

Somatic signatures are the distinct, patterned ways your body signals a particular emotional or psychological state, often before your conscious mind catches up.

Think of them as your nervous system’s calling cards.

What they are, simply

A somatic signature is a reliable body pattern (sensations, posture, breath, tension, impulses) that shows up when a specific emotion, belief, memory, or survival strategy is activated.

They’re not random sensations—they’re meaningful, repeatable, and context-linked.

Examples

Anxiety signature: tight chest, shallow breathing, jaw clenching, forward-leaning posture
Shame signature: collapsed chest, downcast eyes, heat in face, urge to hide
Anger signature: heat in arms, clenched fists, pressure in jaw, urge to move forward
Grief signature: heaviness in chest, slow breathing, throat tightness
Safety/connection signature: warmth in torso, fuller breath, relaxed shoulders

Each person’s pattern is idiosyncratic, your anxiety may live in your gut, someone else’s in their throat.

Why they matter (clinically + practically)

They show up before thoughts, early warning system
They’re harder to lie to than cognition
They reveal which survival system is online (threat, attachment, collapse, mobilization)
They allow regulation without analysis

For trauma and attachment work, somatic signatures are gold because the body remembers what the mind rationalizes away.

Somatic signatures vs emotions

Important distinction:

Emotion = category label (fear, sadness, anger)
Somatic signature = the body configuration that carries that emotion

You can change the emotional trajectory by working with the signature directly (breath, posture, movement, grounding), without disputing thoughts.

In practice (micro-intervention)

Notice: “What is my body doing right now?”
Name the pattern (not the story): tight throat, shallow breath, pulled-in shoulders
Track it with curiosity (not control)
Offer a small counter-signal (lengthen exhale, widen posture, orient to room)This gently tells the nervous system: “You’re not in danger now.”

Specifically

Somatic signatures are also the interface layer, where perception, meaning, and regulation meet. They’re the substrate beneath cognition, belief, and even anomalous experience.

Shervan K Shahhian

Mental Looping, What is it:

Mental looping (aka rumination) is when the mind gets stuck replaying the same thoughts, images, or questions on repeat—without actually resolving anything.

Think of it as the brain’s threat-solver stuck in “search mode.”

What it feels like

Same thought keeps returning (“Why did I say that?” “What if I’m wrong?”)
A sense of urgency or pressure to figure it out now
Narrowed attention, reduced flexibility
Often paired with anxiety, shame, or dread

What’s really happening

Mental looping is usually not a thinking problem, it’s a regulation problem.

When the nervous system is activated:

The mind tries to regain safety through analysis
Context collapses (everything feels high-stakes)
The brain mistakes repetition for progress

So the loop continues.

Common triggers

Shame or self-criticism
Identity threat (“What does this say about me?”)
Uncertainty with emotional charge
Attachment injury or social threat
Trauma memory fragments without resolution

Why insight doesn’t stop it

This is key:
You can understand the loop perfectly and still be stuck in it.

Because the loop isn’t maintained by lack of insight, it’s maintained by arousal.

What actually helps (counterintuitive but effective)

Interrupt the body first
- Slow exhale (longer out-breath)
- Grounding through sensation (feet, temperature, weight)
Name it gently
- “This is a loop, not a problem to solve.”
Restore context
- Ask: Is this dangerous right now? Or just uncomfortable?
Delay thinking
- Tell the mind: “We’ll revisit this later when calmer.”
Relational safety
- Loops dissolve faster when witnessed or co-regulated

One-line reframe

Mental looping is the mind trying to protect you after losing regulation, not a sign that you’re failing to think clearly.

Shervan K Shahhian

Understanding Rumination:

Rumination is when the mind keeps chewing on the same thoughts over and over—usually negative, self-blaming, or threat-focused ones—without actually moving toward resolution.

Think of it as mental looping, not problem-solving.

What rumination feels like

Replaying conversations or mistakes
Asking “Why am I like this?” or “What’s wrong with me?”
Mentally arguing with someone who isn’t there
Feeling stuck, heavy, or agitated afterward (not clearer)

What it isn’t

Rumination is not reflection, insight, or analysis.

Reflection that brings perspective and options
Rumination narrows perception and drains energy

Why the brain does it

Rumination is a threat response, not a thinking flaw.

The nervous system senses unresolved danger (social, emotional, identity-based)
The mind tries to regain control by scanning the past
Shame, fear of rejection, or identity threat often fuel it

So the brain is saying: “If I replay this enough, I can prevent harm.”
But it rarely works.

Why it’s so sticky

It activates the default mode network
It’s reinforced by shame and self-criticism
It feels productive, but keeps the body in stress

What actually interrupts rumination

Not “thinking better,” but shifting state:

Orienting to the present (sensory input)
Gentle movement or breath
Naming the loop: “This is rumination, not insight.”
Bringing curiosity to the body, not the story

A useful reframe:

Rumination is a dysregulated body trying to think its way back to safety.

Shervan K Shahhian

Cognitive Coping, what is it:

Cognitive coping is about using your thinking to regulate emotion, stress, or threat—basically working with the mind to keep the nervous system from running the show.

Here’s a clean, useful way to understand it.

What cognitive coping actually is

Cognitive coping uses top-down processes (attention, meaning-making, appraisal) to change how a situation is interpreted, which then changes how it feels.

You’re not changing the event—you’re changing:

the story about it

the focus of attention

the meaning assigned to it

Common forms of cognitive coping

These are the big ones clinicians usually mean:

Cognitive reappraisal “Is there another way to understand what’s happening?”

Perspective-taking Zooming out in time, context, or role (e.g., “How will this look in a year?”)

Reality testing Checking assumptions: “What evidence do I actually have?”

Normalization “This reaction makes sense given the context.”

Self-talk / inner dialogue Using language to soothe, guide, or ground.

Meaning-making Integrating the experience into a larger narrative (“This is hard and it fits into my growth arc.”)

What cognitive coping is good at

It works best when:

arousal is mild to moderate

the nervous system is already somewhat regulated

the person has cognitive flexibility online

It’s especially helpful for:

rumination

anticipatory anxiety

moral injury / shame narratives

existential or identity-based distress

Where cognitive coping breaks down

This is key—and often missed.

Cognitive coping fails when:

the body is in high threat (fight/flight/freeze)

shame or attachment threat is activated

the prefrontal cortex is offline

That’s when it turns into:

intellectual bypass

arguing with emotions

“I know this isn’t rational but I still feel it”

increased self-criticism for “not coping correctly”

Cognitive coping vs body-based regulation

Think of it like this:

Body-based regulation: calms the signal

Cognitive coping: interprets the signal

Best practice (and what you’ve been circling lately):

Body first → cognition second

Once the body settles even 10–15%, cognitive coping suddenly works again.

A gentle integration move

Instead of “changing the thought,” try:

“What would a regulated mind naturally think right now?”

That question respects the nervous system and cognition.

Shervan K Shahhian

Body-Based Regulation, an explanation:

Body-based regulation is the practice of stabilizing your nervous system through the body, rather than through thinking, insight, or meaning-making.

In other words: you regulate bottom-up, not top-down.

What that means in plain terms

When you’re overwhelmed, ashamed, hypervigilant, dissociated, or flooded, the brain regions responsible for logic and reflection go partially offline. Trying to “think your way calm” often fails because the threat system is running the show.

Body-based regulation works by sending safety signals upward from the body to the brain.

What it targets

Body-based regulation directly affects:

The autonomic nervous system (sympathetic / parasympathetic)
The vagus nerve
Subcortical survival circuits (amygdala, brainstem)
Implicit memory and procedural responses

This is why it’s foundational in trauma-informed, attachment-based, and polyvagal-informed work.

Common body-based regulation practices

These are not about forcing calm—only about restoring enough safety to function.

Breath

Long, slow exhales
Coherent breathing (≈ 5–6 breaths/min)
Sighing or physiological double-inhale

Movement

Gentle rocking, swaying, walking
Stretching or shaking
Orienting movements (turning head, scanning)

Sensation

Temperature (warmth or cool water)
Weighted pressure (blanket, hands on thighs)
Texture (holding something solid)

Posture

Grounded feet
Supported spine
Relaxed jaw, soft eyes

Rhythm

Humming
Tapping
Slow repetitive motions

Why it’s especially important in shame and trauma

Shame collapses posture, narrows breath, and triggers immobilization or defensive withdrawal. Body-based regulation counteracts this without requiring self-evaluation, which is crucial when the inner critic or harsh superego is active.

You don’t have to “believe” anything or be compassionate yet. The body goes first.

How this differs from cognitive coping

Cognitive regulation	Body-based regulation
Reframing thoughts	Changing physiological state
Insight-dependent	Insight-independent
Often fails under threat	Works during threat
Top-down	Bottom-up

They work best together, but body-based comes first when someone is dysregulated.

A simple example

If someone is spiraling in self-condemnation:

Cognitive: “This belief isn’t accurate”
Body-based: Feet on floor, long exhale, slight forward lean, warm pressure on thighs

The second one restores capacity so the first can even land.

Shervan K Shahhian

Outdated Protection System, explained:

An outdated protection system is a survival or defense pattern that once made sense and may have been lifesaving but no longer fits your current reality.

Think of it as old armor: it protected you in a past environment, but now it’s heavy, rigid, and limits movement.

What it usually looks like
Hypervigilance when danger is no longer present

Emotional numbing long after the threat has passed

Control, perfectionism, or rigidity to prevent old harms

Avoidance or withdrawal even in safe relationships

Harsh self-criticism to preempt external criticism

These are not flaws—they’re intelligent adaptations that simply haven’t updated.

Why it persists
The nervous system updates slowly compared to life changes

Trauma encodes learning as “always” and “never” rules

Safety cues in the present may not be registering yet

Letting go of protection can feel more dangerous than keeping it

So the system keeps running because it believes:

“If I stop this, something bad will happen.”

The core issue
Not that protection exists—but that it’s overgeneralized and context-blind.

It’s responding to memory, not current conditions.

How updating happens (not forcefully)
Contextual awareness: distinguishing then vs now

Relational safety experiences that contradict old predictions

Body-based regulation (not insight alone)

Graded flexibility rather than sudden dropping of defenses

You don’t “disable” an outdated protection system.
You teach it that conditions have changed.

Shervan K Shahhian

Self-Sabotage, explained:

Self-sabotage is when a person undermines their own goals, wellbeing, or values, often outside of conscious awareness, even though they genuinely want things to go well.

In simple terms:
one part of you wants growth, safety, love, or success — and another part interferes.

What self-sabotage actually is (psychologically)

Self-sabotage is not laziness or lack of willpower. It’s usually a protective survival strategy that once made sense.

It emerges when:

Success, closeness, calm, or visibility feels unsafe
The nervous system associates growth with threat, loss, shame, or punishment
Old learning overrides present-day reality

So the system says: “Better to fail in familiar ways than succeed and risk danger.”

Common forms of self-sabotage

Procrastinating right before important steps
Avoiding opportunities after working hard for them
Starting strong, then disengaging when things improve
Choosing familiar but harmful relationships
Creating conflict when closeness deepens
Dismissing praise or minimizing achievements
Breaking routines that support health or stability

Often it shows up right at the edge of change.

Why people self-sabotage

Some of the most common roots:

1. protective survival strategy
Success may mean visibility, responsibility, envy, or abandonment.

2. Fear of failure
Failing confirms a painful internal belief (“I’m not enough”), but paradoxically feels predictable.

3. Internalized shame or harsh superego
A part believes you don’t deserve ease, love, or good outcomes.

4. Attachment injuries
If closeness once led to harm, the system disrupts intimacy to stay safe.

5. Identity threat
Growth can destabilize who you learned you had to be to survive.

The paradox

Self-sabotage often:

Protects against emotional overwhelm
Preserves attachment or belonging
Maintains a coherent identity

Even though it causes suffering, it’s trying to prevent something worse.

What self-sabotage is NOT

It’s not stupidity
It’s not moral weakness
It’s not a lack of motivation
It’s not “wanting to fail”

It’s an outdated protection system running on old data.

How it begins to resolve

Self-sabotage softens when:

The protective intention is recognized, not attacked
Shame is reduced (not argued with)
Safety is increased at the nervous-system level
Change is titrated, not forced
New success is paired with regulation and support

Compassion, not pressure, is what updates the system.

Shervan K Shahhian

Understanding Moral Shaming:

Moral shaming is a social control tactic where someone is made to feel morally defective—not just wrong, but bad—for a belief, feeling, or behavior.

It goes beyond feedback or accountability. The core move is:

“This proves something is wrong with who you are.”

Key features

Character attack, not behavior-focused (“You’re immoral,” “You should be ashamed”)
Invokes moral superiority (the shamer claims the “higher ground”)
Uses shame, not repair, to enforce conformity
Often public or performative (signals virtue to others)

Common forms

Religious moral shaming: “God would be disappointed in you”
Political/ideological shaming: “If you disagree, you’re a bad person”
Clinical/therapeutic shaming (subtle but real): “A healthy person wouldn’t feel that way”
Social justice shaming: moral language used without relational safety

Psychological impact

Activates the social threat system
Narrows perception and flexibility
Produces global self-condemnation rather than learning
Increases secrecy, dissociation, or defiance—not moral growth

Moral guidance vs. moral shaming

Moral guidance	Moral shaming
Focuses on behavior	Attacks identity
Invites reflection	Forces submission
Allows repair	Demands shame
Preserves dignity	Undermines it

Trauma-informed lens (your wheelhouse)

Moral shaming is especially damaging when:

A person’s behavior is survival-adapted
The nervous system is already in threat
The person lacks relational safety

In those cases, shame blocks ethical integration rather than supporting it.

Bottom line: Moral shaming doesn’t create conscience, it creates compliance, collapse, or rebellion.

Shervan K Shahhian