Re: INTP Problem...
Tim McNamara
aRevolutionist <a.revol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am unsure if I should post this under this section of usenet. The
> following is a description of INTP and my problem is presented after
> this:
<snip Meyers-Briggs stuff>
> I am an INTP. The stress described above has happened to me. I have
> been complaining of a "lack of thought" for a few years now. My mind
> has frozen and blocked from a constant worry of failure that started
> when I was turning 18. I am now 20. Once in awhile I can return to my
> usual tasks and events but my mind block usually returns. What can I
> do to fix this? If I should attend therapy sessions, what type of
> therapist should I visit (Humanistic, Psychodynamic, etc.)? I am
> unsure if I described enough detail to you. Please tell me if you
> need more information.
OK, first things first. The Meyers-Briggs and related tests (e.g. the
Kiersey) is not a mental X-ray and while it can point you towards some
very useful insights, these types are not concrete and people do not
necessarily score the same way on repeated administrations of the test.
Don't get too hung up on being an INTP. In some situations you may act
as if you are an ESFJ, or an ENFP, or...
Now, to address your question, bearing in mind that I only know what
you've stated. You seem to be describing two things that appear to be
one: a "constant worry of failure." The two things are (1) cognitions
about yourself and (2) the emotions that result from those cognitions-
in this case, rather paralyzing feelings of anxiety and perhaps dread.
Even when we feel like our minds are frozen and we can't think, we're
usually still thinking "why can't I think? My mind is a blank. Why is
my mind a blank? What's wrong with me? I can't do anything right! I
can't even think properly" Etc. Lots of cognitive activity, little of
it useful.
You really can't directly change your feelings. "OK, I am going to stop
worrying now" really doesn't work very well. The thing you can change
are the thought-habits that result in your feelings. This is the basis
of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
A therapist can come in handy. He or she can help identify the thoughts
that are not helping, teach you techniques to stop them and to replace
them with more effective thoughts. These are cognitive-behavioral
strategies, even if the therapist doesn't call him- or herself a
cognitive-behavioral therapist.
If I were in your situation, where the problem appears to be affecting
your quality of life, I think I would look for a cognitive-behavioral
therapist. It may actually be surprisingly straightforward to get
unstuck from the loop you find yourself in. Most courses of CBT are
brief, ten sessions or less is very common.
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