Are you stuck in grief? Despite the best intentions, it is a common occurrence for grief sufferers to become stuck at one point or another. These experiences can lead to increased anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and rigid beliefs. Working through these stuck points requires patience, perseverance, and cognitive flexibility. While each stuck point is unique, you should acknowledge them and work through them as you would any other stumbling block. Listed below are some helpful tips to overcome stuck points:
1. The object is stuck: A person or thing is stuck in a particular position and cannot move. Examples include a jar lid, a car in traffic, or a tangled rope. Some people may be stuck because they are indecisive. The verb stick is a contraction of the Old English word stician, which means “to pierce or remain fastened.”
When recovering from trauma, people often get stuck. These stuck points are extreme statements or negative beliefs. These statements tend to be focused on themes that are addressed during Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). These are topics such as safety, trust, power/control, esteem, and intimacy. Avoid moral statements because recovering from trauma means readjusting how we perceive the world. The problem with stuck points is that they reinforce negative beliefs about the world. So, if you’re experiencing a stuck point in your recovery, make sure that you change it!