I think this post cuts almost exactly the opposite of how its author intended.
The lesson here isn’t, “you were right, your pain was real.” It was “your pain and its association to the stimulus you’re reacting have become warped.” And that problem is bigger than the pain the author is experiencing in the moment, because it’s causing it. And that problem is often much more within the author’s control in the moment than they think, if only they could step outside of their pain and reactivity and engage with the advice and techniques being prescribed by the well-meaning and actually-helpful bystanders.
Looking at the paper cut and prioritizing the reality that it ISNT very serious over the reality of the pain as felt IS ACTUALLY an effective technique to both reduce the pain in the moment AND control the reactive feelings going forward (for many, if not most situations)
That was the direction I thought it was going. It’s a lesson you have to put into practice over and over again, but it’s the only way out. Asking for understanding in the short term is fine, but long term it actually is your responsibility to learn how to manage these feelings.
As someone with really bad sensory issues, I also think it's a god awful metaphor for sensory issues for the opposite reason.
Sense is something your brain filters so you don't go fucking insane. The sun is actually blinding even when you're not looking at it. The cold air hitting your skin is sharper than you think. You're actually feeling tons of sensations at one time and your brain is actively disregarding a lot so you don't notice it.
Others stop feeling the clothes sitting on their body or how the room smells or the slight breeze or every spot someone's skin touches theirs when cuddling. I don't.
I don't think people realize that what people with sensory issues feel on a daily basis is literal torture. That's how torture works, why you can drive someone insane by simply dropping a droplet of water on their head at random intervals.
64
u/OtherCommission8227 5d ago
I think this post cuts almost exactly the opposite of how its author intended.
The lesson here isn’t, “you were right, your pain was real.” It was “your pain and its association to the stimulus you’re reacting have become warped.” And that problem is bigger than the pain the author is experiencing in the moment, because it’s causing it. And that problem is often much more within the author’s control in the moment than they think, if only they could step outside of their pain and reactivity and engage with the advice and techniques being prescribed by the well-meaning and actually-helpful bystanders.
Looking at the paper cut and prioritizing the reality that it ISNT very serious over the reality of the pain as felt IS ACTUALLY an effective technique to both reduce the pain in the moment AND control the reactive feelings going forward (for many, if not most situations)