Dear Kshitij:

I just came across an interesting way of presenting PTSD and Intrusive Thoughts/ OCD from self compassion. org:

Stress Response: Fight: Self-Criticism (Arousal)

Stress Response: Flight: self-isolation (Avoidance)

Stress Response: Freeze: Self Absorption (Intrusions)

The document indicates that Self Compassion is necessary so to calm down Stress Responses, and that self-compassion is not self-pity or self-centeredness.

It starts: “Most of us treat ourselves rather unkindly when bad things happen to us. Rather than offering ourselves the same sympathy and support we would give to a loved one, we tend to criticize ourselves (“What’s the matter with you!”), we hide from others or ourselves in shame (“I’m worthless”), and we get stuck in our heads trying to make sense of what happened to us… And no matter how much we wish to get out of our heads and get on with our lives, we find ourselves locked in a struggle with intrusive memories, nightmares, and flashbacks.

“Such reactions make our suffering persist and even amplify it, but they’re not our fault. They’re how we’re wired… When we feel threatened by external danger, our survival often depends on our capacity to fight, flee, or freeze. But when we’re threatened internally by intense emotions such as dread or shame, the fight–flight–freeze response turns into an unholy trinity of self-criticism, self-isolation, and self-absorption. Fortunately, we also have a hardwired capacity to respond to our own suffering in a soothing, healing way—self-compassion”.

anita