Comment by mewpmewp2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mewpmewp2 | Hacker News Reader

Not related to article ncessarily, but more so to processing differences. One more thing that I think might be similar in fashion. In therapy I will say what I am feeling, e.g. anxiety, frustration or whatever. But then I am asked "where" in my body am I feeling it. And I have no clue what to answer. I don't think my feelings are felt in random body parts. Although supposedly this is not pseudoscience and people feel things in their bodyparts? I wonder if this is just another processing difference I have compared to other people. And my therapist kept asking even though I could not answer. I started to doubt if I have emotions in the first place.

I wonder if people process and feel what they think are same emotions in very different ways? I usually am externally quite unreactive though, but I didn't think I don't feel emotions actually?

Or maybe I do feel something in my bodyparts, but I am just unable to identify or recognize it? If I am frustrated or anxious and I focus on my brain, maybe I can kind of tell there is tightness? But then I could focus on other bodyparts, and I can also think that maybe there is chest heaviness? But then I can focus on my feet and think ok even my feet can feel weird, but is it because I am focusing on them and thinking there should be something?

This goes back all the way to the beginnings of Psychology. William James, who is considered the somewhat of godfather of Psychology, argued that all feelings are bodily feelings; ie. emotions are caused by bodily sensations. Your heart is not beating BECAUSE of anxiety, rather your beating heart IS anxiety. You don’t tremble because you’re afraid, you’re “afraid” (a complex emotion mediated by stories we have) because you tremble.

It’s a theory psychologists and philosophers still argue about.

So if my heart rate stays the same even though I feel anxious I am not anxious? I am thinking I am anxious and that I don't feel good, but I don't really notice any physical symptoms.

E.g. I am worried about upcoming deadlines, or whether I am going to make it, maybe it is not a direct fight or flight anxiety though, but what is it then, just stress?

Maybe your just good at keeping the emotions from tensing up any part of your body.

I do think that my body is tensed up, but I think it is constantly tensed up. Or at least others say I am tensed up. I wonder if I have this constant tension then and I feel this constant sense of dread and anxiety and that is why I can't recognize change in my body, or emotions having physical meaning because it is just constant low grade tension?

But the tension is everywhere not necesseraily pointed to a specific location.

Like I don't ever feel what I think is "good". I feel like there is always something that I should be doing, solving some problem that is on back of my mind. I can try to make myself forget about the problems I have to solve temporarily, but mostly it doesn't work.

But it is always the same, constant feeling of pressure and inability to relax, while my therapist seems to assume it comes on and off and in a specific body part.

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