Who isn’t driven crazy by the brain aftermath of a pathological love relationship? Often referred to as ‘scrambled egg brain’, the inability to focus, think one congruent thought, ping ponging monkey mind, cognitive fog, trance, mind control-like symptoms – are all the norm after the powerful pathology ‘mind meld.’
Do you know the number one and number two reasons why people come to the Institute for help?
- Intrusive thoughts
- Cognitive dissonance
Both are a vicious cycle feeding into each other.
Traditional approaches to ‘thought stopping’ with intrusive thoughts have only been found to be minimally effective with this population. Consequently we are really focusing in on finding better solutions for treatment of aftermath symptoms.
However, in the meantime, why not go with a tried-and-true approach that has been around for thousands of years? Yoga has had consistently good results with depression, anxiety (that increases intrusive thoughts which increases cognitive dissonance), and physical benefits that help to reduce blood pressure, tension, and other physical problems associated with aftermath symptomatology.
Twenty minutes a day of yoga can render good results. It’s a great ‘no excuses’ kind of activity that anyone can weave into their day. You can follow along on TV with yoga shows, or there are yoga programs on the internet, as well as how-to DVDs. Some churches and libraries offer low cost yoga groups. A couple of yoga centers in my town offer a free class every week so I make sure to hit those. Regardless, find a program that works for you and commit to 20 minutes a day.
Personally, I can tell a huge difference in my own body, health and mood when I am using yoga. How about you? How is it working for you?
(**If we can support you in your recovery process, please let us know. The Institute is the largest provider of recovery-based services for survivors of pathological love relationships. Information about pathological love relationships is in our award-winning book, Women Who Love Psychopaths, and is also available in our retreats, 1:1s, or phone sessions. See the website for more information.)
