- Jun 13, 2019
- 1,108
- Tinnitus Since
- 10/2018
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Started with a cold, possibly worsened by medication/noise
@Lane, interesting what you say on the mind. ACT maintains that getting rid of external unwanted things works well with the problem solving mind, it is a great tool that evolved greatly and allowed us to prosper as humans. However, when the mind tries to apply problem solving to our internal pain the solution is the problem. You cannot problem-solve and try to get rid of painful internal experiences like depression or anxiety without often reinforcing them. If you try not to think about the proverbial yellow elephant you will. The way to handle internal experiences is counterintuitive to the mind. Observing thoughts with awareness without identifying with them, cognitive defusion and acceptance/willingness are things that minds hate but that can move us forward. It's like quicksand: if you fall into quicksand the best thing is to spread arms and legs and maximize contact with the sand to slow down your fall, while someone gets there to help. This is counterintuitive as you'd rather try to run away from the sand, which would make you fall into it quicker. This is the theory, putting it into practice is not easy.