mental-health – Page 2 – LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Bereavement-Related Anomalous Experiences, what are they:

Bereavement-Related Anomalous Experiences (BRAEs) could be unusual perceptual or psychological experiences reported by people after the death of a loved one. They could be widely discussed in both clinical bereavement research and Parapsychology. These experiences might often feel very real and meaningful to the bereaved person.

What They Are

Bereavement-related anomalous experiences could be subjective experiences in which a grieving person perceives contact, presence, or communication from the deceased.

They typically occur during the early stages of grief but may also appear years later.

Some researchers in grief psychology might sometimes call them After-Death Communications (ADCs).

Common Types of Bereavement Experiences

1. Sense of Presence

A person feels the deceased nearby even though no one is physically there.

Examples:

Feeling the loved one sitting beside them
Sensing someone in the room
Feeling watched over

2. Visual Experiences

Seeing the deceased briefly or in dreams.

Examples:

Seeing the loved one standing in the room
A vivid waking vision
Extremely realistic dreams of the deceased

These are sometimes called grief visions.

3. Auditory Experiences

Hearing the voice of the deceased.

Examples:

Hearing their name called
Hearing them speak a brief message

4. Tactile Experiences

Physical sensations associated with the deceased.

Examples:

Feeling a touch on the shoulder
Feeling someone sit on the bed

5. Symbolic Coincidences

Events interpreted as meaningful signs.

Examples:

Unusual animal appearances
Objects moving or appearing unexpectedly
Music associated with the deceased playing suddenly

6. Dream Encounters

Dreams where the deceased appears alive, healthy, and communicating.

Some people might report these dreams as emotionally healing rather than disturbing.

How Common Are They?

Surprisingly, they could be very common.

Studies in bereavement research might suggest:

Some of widows and widowers report at least one experience
Many people might never report them because they fear being judged

Possible Psychological Interpretation

Possibly in clinical psychology, these experiences could often explained as:

Normal grief phenomena
Memory activation and emotional processing
Attachment system responses
Temporary sensory misperceptions during intense mourning

Importantly, they may not usually be considered symptoms of mental illness unless they are persistent, distressing, or impair functioning.

Possible Interpretation in Parapsychology

Some researchers in Parapsychology might sometimes explore other possibilities:

Survival hypothesis: consciousness continues after death
Super-Psi Hypothesis: the bereaved mind unconsciously produces psi information
Psychological coping mechanisms

Some parapsychologists acknowledge that multiple explanations may coexist.

Possible, Key Characteristics

Bereavement anomalous experiences might have these traits:

Brief and spontaneous
Occur during emotional vulnerability
Feel comforting rather than frightening
Do not typically impair reality testing

Example Report

A typical report might be:

“After my husband died, I woke up one night and felt him sit on the bed and place his hand on my shoulder. I wasn’t scared, it felt comforting.”

Experiences like this might be reported cross-culturally and throughout history.

Possibly Important Clinical Perspective

Some modern grief specialists might view these experiences as:

Common
Usually healthy
Often helpful in the grieving process

Unless they become persistent hallucinations with loss of insight, they are not treated as psychiatric disorders.

Shervan K Shahhian

Understanding Grief Hallucination:

A grief hallucination (often called a bereavement hallucination or post-bereavement experience) is a sensory experience of a deceased loved one that occurs during the grieving process. These experiences are very common and usually not considered a sign of mental illness.

Psychologists and parapsychologists might refer to them as bereavement-related anomalous experiences.

Common Types of Grief Hallucinations

People may experience the deceased in different sensory ways:

1. Visual experiences

Briefly seeing the deceased person
Seeing them sitting in their usual place or walking by

2. Auditory experiences

Hearing their voice
Hearing them call your name

3. Sense of presence

Feeling strongly that the person is nearby

4. Tactile sensations

Feeling a touch or pressure on the bed or shoulder

5. Olfactory experiences

Smelling their perfume, cologne, or cigarette smoke

How Common Are They?

Research in bereavement psychology shows they are surprisingly frequent.

Studies suggest some of the grieving people might report at least one such experience.

These might occur across cultures and age groups.

How They Might Differ From Psychiatric Hallucinations

Some psychologists might distinguish grief experiences from disorders such as Schizophrenia.

Key differences:

Grief Hallucinations	Psychiatric Hallucinations
Occur after a loss	Occur without bereavement trigger
Usually brief and comforting	Often distressing or threatening
Person knows the loved one died	Often involves loss of reality testing
Do not disrupt daily functioning	Often impair functioning

Some grief hallucinations fade might naturally as the grieving process progresses.

Some Psychological Explanations

Modern grief psychology suggests several mechanisms:

1. Attachment system activation
The brain is still expecting the loved one to be present.

2. Memory integration
The mind is reorganizing emotional memories of the person.

3. Sensory expectation
The brain briefly “fills in” expected perceptions.

Parapsychology Perspective

It’s worth something that researchers in Parapsychology sometimes classify these as crisis apparitions or after-death communications (ADC).

Three interpretations could be often discussed:

Psychological grief process
Psi-mediated experiences (Super-Psi model)
Actual survival-related contact

The field does not claim certainty, but it studies the experiences seriously.

Important Clinical Point

In some cases, grief hallucinations are:

Normal
Transient
Part of healthy mourning

They only might become a concern if they:

Persist for long periods
Cause distress
Impair functioning
Occur with other psychiatric symptoms

Interesting fact:

Many bereavement researchers now consider these experiences part of “continuing bonds”, where the relationship with the deceased psychologically continues in a new form.

Shervan K Shahhian

Grief & Loss Recovery Support and Therapy, an explanation:

Grief & Loss Recovery Support refers to the range of emotional, psychological, social, and sometimes spiritual services that help people process and adapt to the experience of loss. The loss can involve many things, not only death.

Types of Loss People Seek Support For

Grief support may address losses such as:

Death of a loved one
Divorce or relationship breakup
Loss of health or disability
Loss of a job or career
Loss of identity or life role (retirement, empty nest)
Loss after trauma or disaster
Existential or spiritual crisis

In psychology, grief might often be understood as an adaptive process of adjusting to a changed reality.

Main Forms of Grief & Loss Recovery Support

1. Grief Counseling

Provided by psychologists, therapists, or licensed counselors.

Goals:

Process painful emotions
Integrate memories of the lost person or life situation
Reduce complicated grief reactions
Restore functioning and meaning

Approaches might include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Meaning-Centered Therapy
Complicated Grief Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

2. Grief Support Groups

Peer-based groups where individuals share experiences with others who have had similar losses.

Benefits:

Reduces isolation
Normalizes grief reactions
Provides community validation
Encourages emotional expression

These may be hosted by:

Hospitals
Community centers
Religious organizations
Bereavement programs

3. Bereavement Coaching / Grief Coaching

More practical and guidance-focused than therapy.

Coaches might help with:

Daily life adjustment
Decision-making after loss
Rebuilding life routines
Meaning reconstruction

4. End-of-Life & Bereavement Support

Support before and after death through roles such as:

End-of-Life Doula
Death Midwife

They help families with:

Emotional preparation
Rituals and closure
grief transition

5. Spiritual or Existential Support

Some individuals seek support from:

clergy or spiritual advisors
existential therapists
meditation teachers

This is common when grief triggers questions about meaning, consciousness, or the nature of existence.

Psychological Goals of Grief Recovery

Modern grief psychology does not aim to “eliminate grief.” Instead, it helps a person:

Accept the reality of loss
Process emotional pain
Adjust to a new life structure
Maintain a healthy continuing bond with what was lost
Rediscover meaning and purpose

Signs Someone May Need Professional Support

Grief counseling is often recommended if a person experiences:

persistent numbness or despair
inability to function months after loss
severe guilt or self-blame
suicidal thinking
prolonged isolation

This condition may relate to Prolonged Grief Disorder.

Interesting psychological insight:
Some research shows grief recovery improves when people can tell the story of their loss in a coherent narrative, which is why both therapy and support groups are effective.

Shervan K Shahhian

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), an explanation:

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a psychological treatment that combines mindfulness meditation practices with principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It could have been originally developed to help people prevent relapse in depression, but it could be also used for anxiety, stress, and emotional regulation.

Core Idea

MBCT teaches people to observe their thoughts and emotions without automatically reacting to them.

Instead of trying to change or fight thoughts, you learn to notice them as mental events, “just thoughts,” not facts.

Example:

Thought: “I’m a failure.”
Traditional reaction: Believe it and feel worse.
MBCT approach: “I notice my mind is producing a self-critical thought.”

This creates psychological distance from the inner critic.

Key Components

MBCT usually could run as an 8-week program with group sessions.

1. Mindfulness Meditation

Participants practice:

Breath awareness
Body scan meditation
Mindful walking
Mindful eating

These practices strengthen attention and awareness of the present moment.

2. Cognitive Awareness

People learn to notice:

automatic negative thoughts
self-critical inner dialogue
rumination patterns

This is especially relevant to depression relapse, where people often fall back into habitual thinking loops.

3. Decentering

One of the most important MBCT skills.

Decentering: seeing thoughts as mental events, not reality.

Example:
Instead of “This thought is true,” the shift becomes:

“I’m noticing that my mind is generating this thought.”

4. Breaking the Rumination Cycle

MBCT helps interrupt cycles like:

negative mood
self-critical thinking
rumination
worsening mood

Mindfulness interrupts the loop before it spirals.

Conditions MBCT Helps

Research shows benefits for:

recurrent major depression
anxiety disorders
chronic stress
trauma-related rumination
emotional dysregulation

Many studies show MBCT can reduce relapse in depression by ~40–50% in people with multiple past episodes.

A Simple MBCT Exercise

3-Minute Breathing Space

Awareness
Notice what is present: thoughts, feelings, body sensations.
Breathing
Focus attention on the breath.
Expanding
Expand awareness to the whole body.

This short practice is used to interrupt automatic negative thinking.

Possible Psychological Mechanism

MBCT could work through:

metacognitive awareness
reduced cognitive fusion
improved emotional regulation
decreased rumination

It could train the mind to move from “doing mode” to “being mode.”

Interesting Information

MBCT is interesting, because:

intense self-monitoring and inner criticism can suppress intuitive cognition
mindfulness reduces cognitive noise and evaluative filtering

Many researchers believe mindfulness increases open monitoring awareness, which may facilitate subtle perception and intuition.

Shervan K Shahhian

Intense Inner Criticism Might Block Intuitive Perception or Creative Cognition, why:

Intense inner criticism might block intuitive perception and creative cognition because it activates psychological processes that might interfere with the mental states required for intuition and creativity. Several mechanisms could be involved:

1. Threat Activation in the Brain

When the inner critic becomes harsh, the brain might interpret it as a threat.

Certain parts of the brain, might activate a stress response.
Stress hormones might (like cortisol) increase.
The mind might shift into defensive or survival mode.

This state might suppress the open, associative thinking needed for creativity and intuition.

2. Overactivation of the Analytical Mind

Intuition might to emerge from quiet, non-linear processing.

However, intense self-criticism might force excessive activity in the mind, particularly areas involved in:

self-monitoring
error detection
judgment

This produces hyper-analytical thinking, which might crowd out subtle intuitive signals.

3. Cognitive Load and Mental Noise

Harsh self-evaluation might create constant mental commentary:

“That idea is stupid.”
“You’re wrong.”
“You shouldn’t think that.”

This internal noise might interfere with spontaneous insights that arise from the Default Mode Network, a brain network that could be associated with imagination, internal reflection, and creative incubation.

4. Suppression of Psychological Safety

Creativity might require permission to explore imperfect ideas.

An intense inner critic:

punishes mistakes
discourages risk-taking
blocks experimentation

Without psychological safety, the mind might stop generating novel associations.

5. Reduced Access to Implicit Processing

Intuition could relay on implicit processing information that the brain has learned but cannot easily verbalize.

Harsh internal judgment disrupts this because it demands immediate logical proof, preventing intuitive impressions from surfacing.

6. Interruption of “Flow States”

Flow requires:

relaxed concentration
reduced self-consciousness
minimal self-judgment

The inner critic might do the opposite, it might increase self-conscious monitoring, which might break the flow state.

Psychological Summary

Intense inner criticism produces:

fear of error
hyper-analysis
cognitive overload
suppression of exploratory thinking

All of these block the mental conditions could be required for intuition and creativity.

A Useful Psychological Paradox

Many creative and intuitive breakthroughs occur after the mind relaxes—during:

meditation
daydreaming
walking
sleep transitions

These states quiet the inner critic, allowing deeper cognitive processes to emerge.

Shervan K Shahhian

Softening the Inner Critic, how:

Softening the “inner critic” means reducing the harsh, self-judging voice in your mind and replacing it with a more balanced, compassionate internal dialogue. In psychology, the inner critic is linked to patterns like self-evaluative thinking, automatic negative thoughts, and chronic self-criticism.

It could be a mix of internalized authority figures, maladaptive schemas, and overactive self-monitoring.

Here are some possible effective approaches used in psychology:

1. Identify the Inner Critic Voice

The first step is awareness.

The inner critic usually sounds like:

“I’m not good enough.”
“I always mess things up.”
“People will judge me.”

There could be examples of the scientific concept Automatic Negative Thoughts described in Aaron T. Beck’s cognitive theory.

Practice:
Write down the thoughts when they appear. Seeing them on paper weakens their authority.

2. Separate the Critic from the Self

Treat the critic as a mental part, not your identity.

Instead of:

“I am a failure.”

Try:

“A negative part of me is saying I failed.”

This creates psychological distance.

3. Challenge the Cognitive Distortions

The inner critic often relies on distortions like:

Catastrophizing
Mind reading
Black-and-white thinking
Overgeneralization

These patterns could be central in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Ask:

What evidence supports this thought?
What evidence contradicts it?
What would I say to a friend in this situation?

4. Replace Criticism with Self-Compassion

Research might show that self-compassion reduces anxiety and depression while increasing resilience.

Three steps:

Mindfulness: notice the criticism without fighting it
Common humanity: remember others struggle too
Self-kindness: respond like a supportive mentor

Example shift:

Critic: “You’re incompetent.”
Compassionate voice: “You’re learning. Mistakes are part of growth.”

5. Understand Where the Critic Came From

Maybe the inner critic is internalized early authority:

parents
teachers
social expectations

Understanding its origin reduces its power.

6. Develop a “Wise Inner Coach”

Instead of eliminating the critic, transform it.

A healthy internal voice says:

“You can improve.”
“Here’s what to do differently next time.”

This keeps self-reflection without self-attack.

7. Use Mindfulness to Quiet the Critic

Meditation helps you observe thoughts rather than identify with them.

Mindfulness practices come from traditions such as Buddhist Mindfulness and are used clinically in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

You begin to see:

“A thought is just a mental event, not a fact.”

In summary:
Softening the inner critic involves:

Awareness of critical thoughts
Creating distance from them
Challenging distortions
Practicing self-compassion
Understanding their origin
Developing a supportive internal voice

Shervan K Shahhian

The Psychology of the “Inner Critic”, explained:

The psychology of the “inner critic” refers to the internal voice in a person’s mind that judges, criticizes, or attacks the self. It is a form of self-evaluative thinking that often becomes overly harsh or unrealistic.

1. What Is the Inner Critic

The inner critic is an internalized psychological process where a person mentally says things like:

“You’re not good enough.”
“You’re going to fail.”
“Everyone thinks you’re incompetent.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

In psychology, it might often be understood as a self-critical cognitive pattern rather than a literal “voice.”

2. Where the Inner Critic Comes From

Possibly, Early Relationships

Some psychologists might believe the inner critic develops from internalized authority figures, such as:

Parents
Teachers
Caregivers
Social norms

For example, a person who hears constant criticism may later internalize those voices.

A related concept is the Superego, introduced by Sigmund Freud, which represents the internal moral judge.

Social Conditioning

Society reinforces critical self-monitoring through:

Perfectionism
Social comparison
Cultural expectations of success

Trauma or Chronic Criticism

Repeated criticism can create:

Shame-based self-identity
Fear of mistakes
Hypervigilant self-monitoring

The person eventually becomes their own critic.

3. Psychological Functions of the Inner Critic

Interestingly, the inner critic originally might have protective intentions.

It tries to:

Prevent rejection
Avoid failure
Enforce moral standards
Maintain social belonging

However, when extreme it may become psychologically harmful.

4. When the Inner Critic Becomes Pathological

An overactive inner critic is associated with:

Major Depressive Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Perfectionism
Chronic shame

Typical features include:

Harsh self-talk
Catastrophizing mistakes
Constant self-monitoring
Feeling “never good enough”

5. Psychological Models Explaining the Inner Critic

Cognitive Psychology

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the inner critic maybe seen as automatic negative thoughts.

Example:

Situation: Mistake at work
Thought: “I’m incompetent”
Emotion: Shame

Self-Compassion Research

Some research shows that people with strong inner critics might often lack self-compassion, meaning they treat themselves more harshly than they would treat others.

Parts Psychology

In Internal Family Systems Model, the inner critic might be seen as a protective “manager part” trying to control behavior to prevent rejection or pain.

6. Signs Your Inner Critic Is Dominant

You replay mistakes repeatedly
Compliments feel uncomfortable
You expect failure
You compare yourself constantly
Achievements never feel “good enough”

7. Healthy vs Unhealthy Inner Critic

Healthy Self-Evaluation	Harsh Inner Critic
“I made a mistake.”	“I’m a failure.”
Learning from errors	Shame and self-attack
Realistic standards	Perfectionism
Encourages growth	Paralyzes action

8. Psychological Goal: Transforming the Inner Critic

Modern therapy may focus not on eliminating the inner critic but transforming it into a more balanced inner guide.

Helpful practices might include:

Cognitive restructuring
Self-compassion
Mindfulness
Mentalization (which connects to Mentalization-Based Therapy)

Interesting psychological insight:
The inner critic often speaks in the voice of past authority figures, but feels like your own identity.

Shervan K Shahhian

Understanding Medical Trauma:

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST”

Medical trauma is a psychological or emotional injury that might occur as a result of medical events, treatments, or interactions with healthcare systems. It happens when a medical experience is perceived by the person as threatening, overwhelming, painful, or out of their control.

It can possibly be closely related to trauma responses seen in conditions like Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Key Idea

Medical trauma may not only be about the illness or injury itself, it can also come from:

Fear of death or severe disability
Painful procedures
Loss of control or bodily autonomy
Feeling ignored, invalidated, or mistreated by medical staff
Prolonged hospitalization or intensive care

Some of the Common Possible Causes of Medical Trauma

Severe medical emergencies
- heart attack
- stroke
- major accidents
Invasive procedures
- surgeries
- intubation
- emergency interventions
Medical experiences
- repeated hospitalizations
- painful treatments
Birth complications
- traumatic labor
- emergency C-section
Chronic illness treatment
- long-term painful treatments like chemotherapy
Possible medical system experiences
- misdiagnosis
- medical neglect
- feeling powerless during treatment

Possible Psychological Symptoms

Some people with medical trauma may develop symptoms similar to PTSD:

Intrusive memories of hospital events
Nightmares about medical procedures
Avoidance of doctors and/or hospitals
Panic during medical appointments
Hypervigilance about bodily sensations
Dissociation during examinations

Possible Behavioral Signs

Examples include:

Avoiding necessary medical care
Anxiety before checkups
Refusing procedures
Extreme fear of needles or hospitals

Medical Trauma in Some

Some are especially vulnerable because they often:

don’t understand what is happening
cannot control procedures
may feel physically restrained during treatment

This possibly, can later lead to lifelong medical anxiety.

Related Psychological Fields

Medical trauma could be studied in areas like:

Health Psychology
Medical Psychology
Trauma Psychology
Behavioral Medicine

Treatment Approaches

Possible, Common treatments include:

Trauma-informed therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Somatic therapies
Gradual exposure to medical settings
Psychoeducation

Clinical Perspective

Some psychologists might, now emphasize “trauma-informed care”, meaning healthcare providers are trained to understand that medical procedures themselves can become traumatic experiences for patients.

Possibly, some patients report near-death experiences, altered states, or anomalous perceptions during severe medical events. These experiences can interact with trauma processing in complex ways.

“CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST”

Shervan K Shahhian

Deception and Sarcasm, what are they really:

Understanding deception and sarcasm involves several cognitive and social abilities. Both require you to interpret what someone says vs. what they actually mean. These skills are closely related to social cognition and to the psychological concept of Theory of Mind.

1. Understanding Deception

Deception occurs when someone intentionally provides false or misleading information to influence another person’s beliefs.

Key cognitive skills involved

Theory of Mind
- Recognizing that other people have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge different from yours.
Intent detection
- Determining whether the person is trying to mislead or manipulate information.
Context analysis
- Understanding the situation in which the statement is made.
Inconsistency detection
- Noticing contradictions between:
- words
- tone
- body language
- known facts

Psychological cues of deception

People often look for signals such as:

Changes in speech patterns
Micro-expressions
Delayed responses
Avoidance or excessive eye contact
Overly detailed explanations

However, psychology research shows there is no single reliable sign of lying.

2. Understanding Sarcasm

Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony where someone says the opposite of what they mean, usually to mock, criticize, or joke.

Example:
Someone spills coffee and says:

“Well, that was just perfect.”

The literal meaning is positive, but the true meaning is negative.

Skills needed to detect sarcasm

Tone recognition
- Sarcasm often involves exaggerated or flat tone.
Context awareness
- The situation usually contradicts the literal statement.
Emotional cues
- Facial expressions or body language reveal the real meaning.
Social experience
- People who understand social norms detect sarcasm more easily.

3. Possibly: Brain Areas Involved (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)

Research in social neuroscience might link sarcasm and deception detection to:

Prefrontal cortex: reasoning and intentions
Temporal lobes: language and social meaning
Right hemisphere: interpreting irony and tone

4. When People Struggle with These Skills

Difficulty understanding deception or sarcasm can occur in:

Autism spectrum conditions (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Certain brain injuries (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Severe stress or trauma
Some psychiatric disorders (CONSULT WITH A PSYCHIATRIST)

These difficulties often relate to challenges in mentalizing (understanding other minds).

Simple summary

Concept	What it means
Deception	Someone intentionally tries to mislead
Sarcasm	Someone says the opposite of what they mean
Key skill	Understanding others’ intentions

Understanding deception is also very relevant in areas like interview analysis, anomalous experiences, and belief formation.

Shervan K Shahhian

Theory of Mind, what is it:

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to understand that other people have their own thoughts, beliefs, feelings, intentions, and perspectives, which may be different from your own.

Simple Definition

It is the mental capacity to “read minds” indirectly, not literally, but by inferring what someone else might be thinking or feeling.

Key Idea

People with Theory of Mind recognize that:

Others can believe things that are false
Others have different knowledge
Others have intentions and emotions separate from theirs

Example

Imagine a husband sees that a cookie jar was moved.

Husband with Theory of Mind:
“Wife doesn’t know the jar moved, so she will look in the old place.”
Without Theory of Mind:
“Wife will look where the jar actually is because I know where it is.”

Importance

Theory of Mind is crucial for:

Empathy
Social interaction
Communication
Moral reasoning
Deception and sarcasm understanding

For example, understanding sarcasm requires recognizing that someone’s literal words differ from their actual intention.

Clinical Relevance

Difficulties with Theory of Mind are often seen in:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST)
Schizophrenia
Borderline Personality Disorder

These conditions may affect how a person interprets others’ intentions or emotions.

In Psychology Research

Theory of Mind could be studied in fields such as:

Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience

In short:
Theory of Mind: the ability to understand that other minds exist and think differently than yours.

Shervan K Shahhian