How GT Combats Stuck Thinking
AND GETS YOU OUT!
As Gwynfyd Thinking (GT) is a practice of seeing the world through a wider lens, it uses symbols that can affect a break in stuck thinking to act immediately!
Whether as children in the playground or adults at work, anyone who has experienced being bullied may have subsequently experienced stuck thinking! This is when we can feel trapped in a perspective we feel we can’t shift from because a situation has been forced on us and that we have no choice in the matter. No exit! It can cause us to think no one likes us, that we are failures and because we may see only one way out of it all is by adjusting to someone else’s plan for us (something we will internally struggle with but still concede), we can also feel undervalued and powerless to change the loop we may see ourselves endlessly stuck in …. That is unless we break it!
If our mind gets stuck, our body can physically freeze during a stressful event like bullying, and as a result it can leave a heavy emotional and cognitive footprint upon us. This is because while the physical panic has ended, our mind may stay trapped in the event long after it is over.
1. The "Why Didn't I Act?" Loop
Because the freeze state is completely involuntary, our logical brain doesn’t understand why we didn't speak or defend ourselves in the moment, and afterwards, our mind can get stuck in a loop of hindsight bias and self-blame, constantly replaying the event and thinking, "I should have said this," or "Why did I just stand there?"
2. High Cortisol Locks the Brain
But what is going on, during a panic or freeze reaction, is that our body is flooded with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. High stress levels physically impair our prefrontal cortex – that part of the brain which allows us to think flexibly, see alternative perspectives and would move us on but instead, makes us remain in a "hyper-vigilant" state, staying stuck with the threat because we’ve succumbed to feeling powerless!
3. Creating a "Mental Blueprint"
What follows then is that a freeze state can get to happen repeatedly and our brain creates a blueprint. It begins to associate similar people, places, or conversations with that intense danger, so the next time we encounter a mild version of that stress, our brain immediately jumps back into the same stuck, anxious thinking patterns to try and predict or avoid what we have built a fear of.
But we can "BREAK" the Connection
To stop us from stuck thinking and reclaim our integrity, we can immediately employ Gwynfyd Thinking to lock in on an object, an act of nature or an abstract symbol which will alter our perspective of thinking, for instance:
Natural Elements (A Tree or Stone): If we are feeling fragile or have been shaken after a bullying incident, we could look at a tree outside our window as a symbol of deep roots and resilience. We can ask: "How does this tree handle a storm? It bends, but it doesn't break," and introduce the exact flexibility our mind needs to inspire us to act like a tree.
Objects of Structure (A Brick Wall or a Lock): If our thoughts are spinning out of control, a solid wall can symbolise firm, unyielding boundaries. It can remind us that we have the right to shut out toxic behaviour, and act as a physical shield for our mind.
Objects of Movement (Flowing Water or a Clock): If we feel completely paralysed or frozen, by looking at a flowing tap or a ticking clock it can serve as a symbol of impermanence, encouraging us to accept: "This moment is moving. The freeze is a temporary state, and not a permanent trap."
And if you are wondering why your brain responds to environmental symbols at all, it is because it is incredibly visual and highly associative. For instance, when any of us look at a physical object and deliberately assign a quality to it (for example, "That a desk lamp represents clarity and a shedding of light on the truth"), we are creating a visual anchor.
So, the next time your mind starts to spiral or freeze, look at a lamp, a tree, or a stone, maybe one you could keep on your desk, and your brain will instantly recall the flexible, empowered state you attach to it. Gwynfyd Thinking is a highly practical, real-world way to use your immediate surroundings to unlock your mind, and it can immediately help your children to unlock their minds, including stuck patterns of unwanted bullying!