mental-health – Page 2 – LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Complementary Mental Health Services are non-primary, supportive approaches:

The strength of evidence varies by condition. Complementary Mental Health Services are non-primary, supportive approaches that are used alongside conventional mental health treatment, not as replacements. Their goal is to enhance emotional well-being, reduce stress, improve coping skills, and support recovery.

These services maybe combined with psychotherapy, psychiatric care, medication: (Consult with a Medical Doctor), and lifestyle interventions.

Common Complementary Mental Health Services

1. Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Loving Kindness Meditation
Breath awareness
Guided imagery

Research suggests these practices may help reduce stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms while improving emotional regulation.

2. Clinical Hypnotherapy

As a complementary intervention, clinical hypnotherapy may help with:

Anxiety
Stress management
Pain management: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)
Smoking cessation
Sleep difficulties
Habit change
Confidence building

It is generally most effective when integrated into a broader treatment plan by a qualified professional.

3. Relaxation Training

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
Autogenic Training
Deep breathing exercises
Visualization
Body scan exercises

These techniques may reduce physiological arousal associated with stress and anxiety: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)

4. Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)
EEG Neurofeedback
EMG Biofeedback

These approaches teach individuals to regulate certain physiological responses and may benefit some people with anxiety, ADHD, chronic pain: (Consult with a Medical Doctor), or migraines: (Consult with a Medical Doctor). The strength of evidence varies by condition.

5. Exercise Therapy

Regular physical activity: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)

Improve mood
Reduce anxiety
Decrease stress
Improve sleep
Increase self-esteem

Examples include: For all Physical Activities Pleas: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)

Walking
Swimming
Cycling
Strength training
Yoga
Tai Chi

6. Yoga

Yoga combines:

Physical movement
Controlled breathing
Relaxation
Mindfulness

Research indicates it may improve stress, anxiety, mood, and overall well-being for people.

7. Tai Chi and Qigong

These mind body practices emphasize:

Gentle movement
Breathing
Balance
Meditation

They may improve stress management, balance, and emotional well being.

8. Art Therapy

Creative expression through:

Drawing
Painting
Sculpture
Collage
Mixed media

Art therapy may help individuals process emotions and experiences that may be difficult to express verbally.

9. Music Therapy

Delivered by trained music therapists, it may include:

Listening to music
Singing
Playing instruments
Songwriting
Guided music experiences

It maybe used to support people with depression, anxiety, trauma, dementia: (Consult with a Medical Doctor), and neurological conditions: (Consult with a Neurologist/Medical Doctor).

10. Dance and Movement Therapy

Uses movement to:

Express emotions
Improve body awareness
Reduce stress
Enhance emotional regulation

11. Animal Assisted Therapy

Working with trained therapy animals may:

Reduce stress
Increase social interaction
Improve mood
Lower feelings of loneliness

12. Massage Therapy: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)

Massage may help:

Reduce muscle tension
Lower stress
Promote relaxation
Improve sleep

While it does Not treat mental disorders directly, it may complement overall stress management combined with Professional Psychotherapy

13. Nutrition Counseling with a Licensed Clinical Dietitian

A balanced diet supports:

Mind health
Stable energy
Mood regulation
Overall physical health

Emerging research in nutritional psychiatry: (Consult with a Psychiatrist) suggests diet may influence mental health, though it is only one part of comprehensive care.

14. Sleep Hygiene Education

Focuses on:

Consistent sleep schedule
Healthy bedtime routine
Limiting caffeine and alcohol
Reducing evening screen exposure
Optimizing the sleep environment

Improving sleep may have a significant positive impact on mental health.

15. Peer Support

Peer specialists with lived experience provide:

Encouragement
Recovery support
Practical coping strategies
Hope and connection

Peer support complements, rather than replaces, professional treatment.

Potential Benefits

Complementary mental health services may:

Reduce stress
Improve emotional resilience
Enhance coping skills
Improve sleep
Increase relaxation
Support trauma recovery
Improve quality of life
Promote overall wellness

Important Considerations

These approaches are intended to complement, not replace, evidence based treatments such as psychotherapy and, when appropriate, medication: (Consult with a Medical Doctor)
Effectiveness varies depending on the individual, the condition being treated, and the quality of the intervention.
Some complementary therapies have a stronger evidence base than others. Practices such as mindfulness, exercise, yoga, relaxation training, and certain forms of biofeedback are supported by a substantial body of research for specific conditions, while others require more study.

A comprehensive mental health plan may combine conventional treatments with carefully selected complementary services based on the individual’s goals, preferences, and clinical needs.

Shervan K Shahhian

Psychological Domination refers to the use of psychological tactics to,…

Psychological domination refers to the use of psychological tactics to gain, maintain, or exert power and control over another person’s thoughts, emotions, decisions, or behavior. It may occur in many different contexts, and whether it is healthy or harmful depends on the nature of the relationship and whether it is consensual.

There maybe two broad forms:

1. Harmful Psychological Domination (Coercive Control)

This is the form most commonly discussed in psychology and mental health. It involves manipulating or controlling another person against their will.

Common tactics include:

Coercive manipulation: (using fear, guilt, or obligation)
Gaslighting: (making someone question their memory or perception of reality)
Isolation: from family and friends
Emotional blackmail
Intimidation and threats
Excessive criticism or humiliation
Love bombing: followed by withdrawal of affection
Monitoring and surveillance
Controlling finances, communication, or daily activities
Creating dependency: so the person feels unable to leave

The goal may be to reduce the person’s independence and increase the dominator’s power.

Possible effects on the victim include:

Anxiety
Depression
Low self-esteem
Self-doubt
Learned helplessness
Confusion
Trauma symptoms
Difficulty trusting others

2. Consensual Psychological Domination

In some adult relationships, psychological dominance is part of a mutually agreed upon dynamic, such as in certain forms of power exchange. In these cases:

Both individuals freely consent.
Clear boundaries are established.
Either person can withdraw consent.
Mutual respect and communication are essential.

This differs fundamentally from abusive psychological domination because it is voluntary and negotiated.

How Psychological Domination Works

People seeking psychological dominance may often exploit normal human needs, such as the need for:

Love and acceptance
Security
Belonging
Approval
Predictability
Identity

Over time, they may condition another person to seek their approval while becoming increasingly fearful of disagreement or independence.

Warning Signs

Someone may be attempting psychological domination if they:

Need to control every decision.
Punish disagreement.
Constantly tell you what you should think or feel.
Rewrite events to make you doubt yourself.
Encourage dependence while discouraging independence.
Use guilt or shame to influence your choices.
Alternate kindness with cruelty to keep you emotionally off balance.

Psychological Concepts Related to Psychological Domination

Several concepts overlap with psychological domination:

Coercive control
Gaslighting
Trauma bonding
Learned helplessness
Psychological manipulation
Narcissistic abuse

In Clinical Psychology

Mental health professionals may view harmful psychological domination as a pattern of coercive control rather than a single behavior. It is recognized as a significant form of emotional and psychological abuse and is associated with increased risk of anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms.

In short, psychological domination is the systematic use of psychological influence to establish power over another person. When it is non-consensual, it is generally considered a form of emotional or psychological abuse. When it is fully informed, voluntary, and consensual between adults, it refers to a very different type of interpersonal dynamic.

Shervan K Shahhian

Dissociative Amnesia is a psychological condition:

Dissociative Amnesia is a psychological condition in which a person is unable to recall important personal information, usually related to traumatic or highly stressful experiences. The memory loss is more extensive than ordinary forgetting and it might not be explained by a physical condition, substance use, or typical memory problems.

Key Features

Inability to remember important autobiographical information.
May be linked to trauma, abuse, accidents, disasters, combat, or overwhelming stress.
Memory loss may involve specific events, certain time periods, or, in rare cases, a person’s entire life history.
The forgotten information is stored in memory but becomes temporarily inaccessible to conscious awareness.

Types of Dissociative Amnesia

Localized Amnesia
- Inability to remember events during a specific period of time.
- Most common type.
Selective Amnesia
- May recall some, but not all, aspects of a traumatic event.
Generalized Amnesia
- Loss of memory for one’s entire life history or identity.
- Rare.
Systematized Amnesia
- Memory loss related to a particular person, place, or category of information.
Continuous Amnesia
- Inability to form conscious memories for ongoing events from a certain point forward.

Possible Symptoms

Memory gaps concerning personal history.
Confusion or distress about missing memories.
Difficulty recalling traumatic experiences.
Feeling detached from oneself or reality (sometimes occurring alongside other dissociative symptoms).

Dissociative Fugue

A rare subtype in which a person:

Suddenly travels away from home or work.
Becomes confused about their identity.
May assume a new identity temporarily.

Possible Causes

Severe trauma or overwhelming stress.
Childhood abuse or neglect.
Combat experiences.
Natural disasters.
Interpersonal violence.
Major emotional conflicts.

Possible Treatment

Treatment may focus on safety, stabilization, and gradual processing of underlying trauma:

Psychotherapy (the primary treatment)
Trauma-focused therapies
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Clinical hypnosis (when appropriate and conducted by trained professionals)
Stress management and grounding techniques

Shervan K Shahhian

Stress Induced Dissociated Behavior:

Stress Induced Dissociated Behavior may refer to dissociative symptoms or behaviors that emerge when a person is overwhelmed by acute or chronic stress.

What Is Dissociation?

Dissociation may be a disruption in the normal integration of:

Awareness
Memory
Identity
Emotion
Perception
Body sensation

It may exist on a spectrum, from mild spacing out to more severe fragmentation.

How Stress Triggers Dissociation

When stress becomes overwhelming, especially if it feels inescapable, unpredictable, or threatening, the nervous system may shift from:

PLEASE, CONSULT WITH A MEDICAL DOCTOR

Fight or flight: sympathetic activation
to
Freeze / shutdown: parasympathetic dorsal vagal dominance

This shutdown response may produce dissociative phenomena.

From a trauma framework, dissociation is understood as a survival adaptation when active defense fails.

Common Stress Induced Dissociative Behaviors

1. Depersonalization

Feeling detached from oneself

“I feel like I’m watching myself.”
Emotional numbness
Robotic functioning

2. Derealization

Feeling detached from surroundings

World feels unreal, foggy, dreamlike
Sensory distortions

3. Dissociative Amnesia

Memory gaps during stressful events
“I don’t remember parts of what happened.”

4. Behavioral Auto Pilot

Functioning competently but with reduced awareness
Emotional disconnection while performing tasks

5. Identity Shifts Under Stress

Sudden personality changes
Childlike states under overwhelm
Regression patterns

Neurobiological View

“CONSULT WITH A NEUROLOGIST”

Under extreme stress:

Amygdala: hyperactivation: consult with a Neurologist
Prefrontal cortex: reduced regulation: consult with a Neurologist
Hippocampus: memory fragmentation: consult with a Neurologist
Opioid system: emotional numbing: consult with a Neurologist

This creates a protective analgesic state, emotional and sometimes physical: consult with a Neurologist.

Acute vs. Chronic Patterns

Acute stress dissociation

During accidents
During conflict
During panic episodes

Chronic stress dissociation

Trauma history
Attachment disruptions
Prolonged relational threat
Complex trauma patterns

Chronic forms may evolve into clinical conditions such as:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

Why the System Does This

Dissociation is adaptive when:

The threat cannot be escaped
The person cannot fight
Emotional pain is overwhelming

It reduces subjective suffering, but long term it impairs integration and embodied presence.

Clinical Markers to Watch For

Flat affect during intense material
Sudden cognitive fog
Rapid shifts in eye focus
Voice tone change
Time distortion reports
Memory inconsistencies

Treatment Considerations

Nervous system regulation (bottom-up): consult with a Neurologist
Somatic grounding
Trauma processing (carefully titrated)
Attachment repair
Strengthening executive functioning before deep trauma work

Premature trauma exposure without stabilization may increase dissociation.

Shervan K Shahhian

Parapsychology: After-Death Communications (ADCs) are experiences,…

After-Death Communications (ADCs) are experiences in which a person feels they have had contact or communication with someone who has died. These experiences are commonly reported by bereaved individuals and may occur spontaneously, often during periods of grief.

Common Types of ADCs

People report a variety of experiences, including:

Sensing a presence of the deceased nearby.

Hearing a voice or receiving a message.

Seeing an apparition or visual image of the deceased.

Dream visitations that feel unusually vivid, meaningful, or real.

Feeling a touch, such as a hand on the shoulder or a hug.

Receiving symbolic signs, such as meaningful coincidences, specific songs, scents, animals, or objects associated with the deceased.

Inner communication, where a message seems to arise in the mind unexpectedly.

How Common Are They?

Research suggests that ADCs are relatively common among bereaved individuals. Some studies have found that a significant percentage of people who have lost a loved one report at least one such experience during the grieving process.

Psychological Perspectives

Psychologists and grief researchers offer several possible explanations:

A normal part of the grieving process.

The mind’s way of maintaining a continuing bond with the deceased.

Memory, emotion, and attachment systems creating vivid experiences.

Meaning making during bereavement.

Importantly, ADCs are not automatically considered signs of mental illness. Many mentally healthy individuals report them.

Parapsychological Perspectives

Researchers in parapsychology have explored whether some ADCs might represent genuine communication from a deceased person. Evidence remains controversial, and there is no scientific consensus that survival of consciousness after death has been proven.

Characteristics Often Reported

Many experiencers describe ADCs as:

Comforting and reassuring.

Clear and vivid.

Different from ordinary imagination.

Accompanied by feelings of peace, love, or certainty.

Example

A widow may suddenly smell her late husband’s distinctive cologne when no source is present, or dream of him appearing healthy and saying, “I’m okay.” She may interpret this as an ADC.

Clinical View

Some grief counselors and mental health professionals may view ADCs as potentially meaningful experiences for the bereaved. Unless they are causing significant distress, impairment, or are accompanied by other symptoms of psychosis, they are generally not treated as pathological.

In grief counseling, ADCs may be discussed within the framework of continuing bonds, a theory suggesting that maintaining an ongoing psychological connection with a deceased loved one may be a healthy part of adapting to loss.

Shervan K Shahhian

Parapsychology: Audio Apparition (sometimes called an auditory apparition):

An audio apparition (sometimes called an auditory apparition) is an experience in which a person hears a voice, sound, music, knocking, footsteps, or other auditory phenomenon that seems to originate from a source that is not physically present.

In psychical research and parapsychology, audio apparitions may be classified as a type of apparitional experience, similar to visual apparitions but involving hearing rather than seeing.

Common Types of Audio Apparitions

Hearing the voice of a deceased loved one call your name.
Hearing footsteps in an empty room.
Hearing knocks, bells, or door sounds with no identifiable source.
Hearing music, singing, or conversations that others cannot hear.
Receiving a spoken message that appears meaningful or relevant to a current situation.

Psychological Explanations

Many audio apparition experiences may be explained by:

Misinterpretation of ordinary sounds.
Stress, fatigue, grief, or sleep deprivation.
Hypnagogic or hypnopompic states (between sleeping and waking).
Memory and expectation effects.
Certain medical or neurological conditions: Please, Consult with a Medical Doctor.

Bereavement Experiences

Research has found that some grieving individuals report hearing the voice of a deceased loved one. These experiences are often called after-death communications (ADCs) or bereavement related anomalous experiences. They are relatively common and do not necessarily indicate mental illness.

Parapsychological Perspective

Some parapsychologists have suggested that certain audio apparitions may represent:

Survival related phenomena (communication from deceased persons).
Telepathic impressions.
Crisis related experiences occurring around the time of a person’s death or emergency.
Other unexplained forms of consciousness related phenomena.

Example

A person suddenly hears their mother’s voice clearly say, “I’m okay,” shortly after learning of her death. A psychologist might explore grief related processes, while a parapsychologist might consider whether the experience could represent an anomalous communication. Both perspectives acknowledge that the experience may feel very real and emotionally significant to the experiencer.

The interpretation of audio apparitions remains controversial, with psychological explanations generally favored in mainstream science and paranormal explanations explored primarily within psychical research and parapsychology.

Shervan K Shahhian

Podcast Episode: Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), also known as Metta Meditation:

Pip: Liberty Psychological Association covers territory that most of us quietly need a map for — the inner kind.

Mara: Today we're looking at a contemplative practice with deep roots and measurable effects, courtesy of Shervan K Shahhian at Liberty Psychological Association, The Most Comprehensive Online Library Regarding Mental Health, Psychology and Parapsychology in the World. Let's start with Loving-Kindness Meditation — what it is, how it works, and why the research behind it is worth taking seriously.

Loving-Kindness Meditation: Training the Heart and Mind

Pip: The premise here is straightforward but easy to underestimate — that you can deliberately practice goodwill the way you practice anything else, and that doing so actually changes something.

Mara: The post frames it clearly from the start: "Loving-Kindness Meditation is a contemplative practice that involves intentionally cultivating feelings of goodwill, compassion, warmth, and kindness toward yourself and others."

Pip: Intentionally cultivating. That word choice matters — this isn't passive mood management. It's structured repetition with a direction.

Mara: The structure is quite specific. You begin with phrases directed at yourself — "May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be safe. May I live with ease." — then extend those same wishes outward, moving from a loved one to a friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and eventually all beings.

Pip: The difficult person step is the one that earns its keep. Anyone can wish a friend well on a Tuesday.

Mara: The post is careful to define what loving-kindness is not — it doesn't mean approving harmful behavior, ignoring personal boundaries, or forcing yourself to like everyone. The phrase used is "recognizing the shared humanity of all people while maintaining healthy boundaries."

Pip: Which is a useful clarification, because the practice could easily be misread as emotional bypass.

Mara: From a psychological standpoint, the post explains that repeated practice may strengthen neural pathways associated with empathy, emotional regulation, and social connection. Research suggests it can increase positive emotions, reduce self-criticism, lower stress and anger, and support overall psychological well-being.

Pip: So the upshot is: this is less about feeling warmly toward the universe and more about retraining a threat-detection system that runs a little hot by default.

Mara: That's exactly how the post frames the mechanism — counteracting the mind's tendency toward threat detection and negative mental commentary. Modern therapies including mindfulness-based interventions and compassion-focused approaches already incorporate it for exactly that reason.

Pip: Goodwill as a trainable skill — that reframe does some work.

Mara: It does. The inner architecture turns out to be more malleable than most of us assume. More on that next time.

Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), also known as Metta Meditation:

Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), also known as Metta Meditation, is a contemplative practice that involves intentionally cultivating feelings of goodwill, compassion, warmth, and kindness toward yourself and others.

The word “Metta” comes from the ancient Pali language and means loving-kindness, benevolence, or unconditional friendliness.

How It Works

During Loving-Kindness Meditation, you silently repeat phrases such as:

May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be safe.
May I live with ease.

You then gradually extend these wishes to others:

Yourself
A loved one
A friend
A neutral person
A difficult person
All beings everywhere

Example Practice

Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and repeat slowly:

May I be safe.

May I be healthy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be happy.

After a few minutes, bring someone you care about to mind:

May you be safe.

May you be healthy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be happy.

Continue extending these wishes outward.

Benefits

Research suggests Loving-Kindness Meditation may help:

Increase positive emotions
Enhance empathy and compassion
Reduce self-criticism
Improve social connection
Lower stress and anger
Increase emotional resilience
Support overall psychological well-being

What Loving-Kindness Is Not

Loving-kindness does not mean:

Approving harmful behavior
Ignoring personal boundaries
Suppressing anger or hurt
Forcing yourself to like everyone

Instead, it involves recognizing the shared humanity of all people while maintaining healthy boundaries.

A Psychological Perspective

From a psychological standpoint, Loving-Kindness Meditation can help counteract the mind’s tendency toward threat detection, self-criticism, and negative mental commentary. By repeatedly practicing goodwill and compassion, individuals may gradually strengthen neural pathways associated with empathy, emotional regulation, and social connection.

Some modern therapies, including mindfulness-based interventions and compassion-focused approaches, incorporate elements of Loving-Kindness Meditation as a way to promote emotional well-being and resilience.

In simple terms, Loving-Kindness Meditation is the practice of training the heart and mind to relate to oneself and others with greater kindness, compassion, and goodwill.

Shervan K Shahhian

Controlling Behavior refers to actions used to dominate, direct, or excessively,…

Controlling behavior refers to actions used to dominate, direct, or excessively influence another person’s thoughts, feelings, choices, or activities. It often stems from a need for power, certainty, security, or fear of losing control.

Common Signs of Controlling Behavior

Constantly telling others what they should do.
Monitoring or checking up on people excessively.
Making decisions for others without their input.
Criticizing or micromanaging how others do things.
Using guilt, threats, intimidation, or manipulation to get compliance.
Isolating someone from friends, family, or support systems.
Demanding excessive reassurance, loyalty, or obedience.
Refusing to respect personal boundaries.

Examples

A partner insists on knowing where their spouse is at all times.
A parent makes major life decisions for an adult child without considering their wishes.
A manager micromanages every detail and allows no autonomy.
A friend uses guilt to pressure someone into doing what they want.

Why People Become Controlling

Controlling behavior may develop from:

Anxiety and fear of uncertainty.
Insecurity or low self-esteem.
Fear of abandonment or rejection.
Perfectionism.
Learned behavior from family or past relationships.
A desire for power and dominance.

Healthy Influence vs. Controlling Behavior

Healthy influence:

Respects autonomy.
Encourages discussion and collaboration.
Accepts disagreement.
Honors boundaries.

Controlling behavior:

Seeks compliance rather than cooperation.
Uses pressure, manipulation, or intimidation.
Disregards boundaries.
Punishes disagreement.

Impact on Others

People subjected to controlling behavior may experience:

Reduced self-confidence.
Anxiety and stress.
Resentment and anger.
Difficulty making independent decisions.
Feelings of being trapped or powerless.

What Helps

Recognize and clearly define boundaries.
Communicate needs assertively.
Encourage mutual respect and autonomy.
Address underlying fears or insecurities.
Consider counseling if the pattern is persistent or damaging.

When controlling behavior becomes severe and involves intimidation, isolation, threats, surveillance, or coercion, it may be considered coercive control, a form of psychological and emotional abuse that may seriously affect a person’s well-being.

Shervan K Shahhian

In Psychology, Mental Commentary refers to an ongoing internal stream of thoughts, interpretations, judgments,…

In psychology, mental commentary refers to an ongoing internal stream of thoughts, interpretations, judgments, or self-talk about what is happening around you or inside your mind. It is part of normal human cognition and self-awareness.

Examples may include:

“I probably sounded awkward.”
“That person seems upset.”
“I need to remember this later.”
“Why did I do that?”
“This situation feels dangerous.”

Mental commentary may be:

Neutral

Simple observation or reflection:

“I’m tired.”
“Traffic is heavy today.”

Positive

Supportive or encouraging self-talk:

“I handled that well.”
“I can figure this out.”

Negative

Critical, fearful, or pessimistic thinking:

“I always fail.”
“Everyone is judging me.”

Automatic

Many thoughts arise quickly and automatically without conscious intention. In cognitive psychology, these are often called automatic thoughts.

Mental Commentary vs. Reality

A key concept in therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment

Therapy is that:

Thoughts are interpretations, not necessarily facts.

Mental commentary can sometimes become distorted through cognitive biases such as:

catastrophizing
mind reading
overgeneralization
black and white thinking

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Mental Commentary

Healthy

Reflective
Flexible
Reality-based
Self-correcting
Helps problem solving

Unhealthy

Constant self-criticism
Rumination
Obsessive replaying
Fear based prediction
Harsh internal attacks

Excessive negative commentary may be associated with anxiety, depression, trauma-related conditions, and obsessive thinking patterns.

Mental Commentary and Psychosis

Most people experience internal self-talk. However, mental commentary becomes clinically important when a person:

cannot distinguish thoughts from external reality,
experiences voices as externally generated,
or develops highly fixed delusional interpretations.

“Running commentary” may describe a type of auditory hallucination where voices narrate a person’s actions continuously. This may occur in conditions like Schizophrenia, though hallucinations may also appear in other medical: Consult With a Medical Doctor, or psychological conditions.

Reducing Distressing Mental Commentary

Helpful approaches may include:

mindfulness
cognitive restructuring
thought labeling
grounding techniques
journaling
therapy
sleep regulation and stress reduction

For example:

Instead of “I’m doomed,” noticing: “I’m having an anxious thought.”

That creates psychological distance between the thinker and the thought.

Shervan K Shahhian