View Full Version : Repressed/buried emotions
musiclover
04-10-12, 16:05
Has anyone looked into or researched about whether anxiety/depression is caused by buried emotions which have been repressed and not dealt with from earlier years?
I really think that is part of the cause for me, my counsellor is going through it with me.
I have looked into it in the past and it read something like: Anxiety is formed when an overwhelming situation/s occurs in our childhood. An event/events that our brain at a young age is unable to process or deal with.
I personally believe it is caused by nature and nurture. I had difficulties in my childhood that were beyond my control, but I also think I was born to be sensitive.
A very interesting and thought provoking subject!
merlotsmum
04-10-12, 16:32
Has anyone looked into or researched about whether anxiety/depression is caused by buried emotions which have been repressed and not dealt with from earlier years?
Once my meds settle I will be going to see a Pyschotherapist to address this, I had two sessions with her pre-breakdown and childhood was very much on the agenda.
Sparkle1984
04-10-12, 17:16
I think it could be one of the causes. The thing is, how would you know if you had repressed memories from your childhood? I can't remember a lot of the negative things that happened when I was a toddler, but my older relatives told me about some of them. I have no recollection of them though.
I had an amazing childhood but my parents did divorce when I was 5 and I do remember my mum being stressed alot but we always had the best of everything and never wanted for nothing. My dad passed away when I was 18 and anxiety has recently been triggered by the passing of my nan (mum's mum) I don't recall of anything of extreme trauma as a child. I don't recall of my parents arguing in my presence etc but I know my older siblings do. I wonder if this could of effected me. I do get this overall uneasy feeling that I relate to waking up in the night in fear for no reason as a child. Not fear of anything in particular. I wasn't a child afraid of the dark and have/had very loving parents. I just would think about death and things like that. I think this is common though with children. I always think maybe I have suppressed something. I don't know.
Sparkle1984
04-10-12, 20:56
My parents got divorced when I was about 5 as well. My older sisters can remember my parents arguing, but I can't remember much of that. I can mostly only remember the happy events of my early childhood, not the bad events. So maybe I do have repressed thoughts about this.
My parents got divorced when I was about 5 as well. My older sisters can remember my parents arguing, but I can't remember much of that. I can mostly only remember the happy events of my early childhood, not the bad events. So maybe I do have repressed thoughts about this.
I have 2 elder sisters too. I wonder what these could be. I don't think they are worth dwelling on. Do you think we can sometimes read too much into things? CBT for eg teaches you to live in the present doesn't it?
musiclover
04-10-12, 21:44
I don't mean it to sound like you can only have anxiety if you have repressed emotions, it's just sometimes feelings come up which you can't identify and these can be difficult to deal with if your unaware of where they come from!
I think repressed emotions from a traumatic event in childhood can definitely be a factor in depression and anxiety in alot of people. But, I also just think a tendency to suppress emotion/stress generally can cause a a flare up in anxiety. My counselor has said one thing I need to improve is reaching out and communicating with people when i'm feeling down or stressed etc. I normally don't let anyone know the way i'm feeling till it's getting beyond my control.
It can happen for many reasons..... My parents divorced when i was 4, however I thing for me, it was stress and pressure doing a job that I wasn't qualified for that started mine..that was when I was 33 yrs old... I'm now 45 and 90% recovered...you need to address the here and now, it's fears that keep Anx alive...
It can happen for many reasons..... My parents divorced when i was 4, however I thing for me, it was stress and pressure doing a job that I wasn't qualified for that started mine..that was when I was 33 yrs old... I'm now 45 and 90% recovered...you need to address the here and now, it's fears that keep Anx alive...
My anxiety was from a build of failed relationship,self esteem issues,feeling like I have underachieved in life in general and then the main trigger being my nan passing. I don't think it has anything to do personally with the past for me. Just wish I knew how to deal with these problems.
Sparkle1984
04-10-12, 22:12
Yes I agree we do have to learn to live in the present. I have a tendency to brood over things that have happened in the past (even things that happened years ago), but I'm now coming to realise that it's pointless and it won't improve anything. I am getting better at this - these days I don't sit around and mope about bad things which happened in the past so much. I do other things to keep my mind off those thoughts.
How can we move on to the new chapter in our life, when we keep re-reading the old one.....
Yesterday is the past....live in the here and now..
Suppressed emotion was one of the first things my therapist picked up on when I started CBT. I think in a way it was my minds way of 'protecting' me, although I never realised how much I actually did it and how it affected me.
However, things which happened to me in the past were pinpointed as a form of PTSD which gradually developed into anxiety and panic disorder, even though I thought I had dealt with and long forgotten these painful memories.
I agree we must live in the here and now, I actually thought that's what I was doing. Sometimes, however, we may not be aware how much past events can still affect our here and now when we no longer ruminate and relive these memories. The mind is a very powerful thing. Interesting...
MissHDynamite
05-10-12, 00:12
Well here's a new one... I recently went to see a spiritualist/medium. After not bring able to get anything from cards etc.. She said do you mind if we meditate a bit. I agreed. She came behind me and hovered her hands over my shoulders.. To my surprise (and I don't give anything away), she said "why are you having panic attacks ?.. I didn't reply and let her continue.. She then said.."yes. I can see you. You've lost your mummy! Your in a white dress in the market shouting mummy! She then said "you need to let this little girl go" it is in your past life!" she then went on to describe a picture of a village.. Which I had googled only days before researching my family tree! x
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