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Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

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Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#31

Post by pkghost »

d_watt wrote: post #5

I am not a doctor. The biggest thing for me in the last couple of years has been physical health. Exercise, eating correctly, and proper sleep have resulted in a huge improvement in my mental acuity, and relieved a sense of I had of "I'm not operating at my actual capacity." This advice can feel trite, or it can feel overwhelming. Changing physical habits when you're already depressed is a huge undertaking, and I don…

I share this perspective. I don't have acute trauma behind my anxiety and depression, but I have been through periods of poor self-care wrapped up with those states, and I relate to OP. Exercise, sleep, nutrition, and spending time with even just one person who likes you are pillars of (mental) health, and without them, all the other tools (meditation, psychedelics, therapy) don't seem to have much leverage.

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#32

Post by gremlinsinc »

d_watt wrote: post #5

I am not a doctor. The biggest thing for me in the last couple of years has been physical health. Exercise, eating correctly, and proper sleep have resulted in a huge improvement in my mental acuity, and relieved a sense of I had of "I'm not operating at my actual capacity." This advice can feel trite, or it can feel overwhelming. Changing physical habits when you're already depressed is a huge undertaking, and I don…

medicine has been a big factor for me, but I noticed when I started the meds especially (wellbutrin was added to my vyvanse regimen in June), that I was going to bed at the same time and waking up at 8am, I'm a night owl so this is real weird, but since then I've drifted back to old habits, and the meds seem to be less effective, but I guess in retrospect maybe it's just having a better structured day has a lot more bearing than I give it credit for.

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#33

Post by clint »

shortcake27 wrote: post #8
kbrannigan wrote: post #4

If you have enough saved up. Take 1 year of work, disconnect from the rat's race, go to parties, go dancing, chill at a park, let people look down on you for being unemployed. Hang in there, buy only the things you need. Slowly you'll realize what's important, you'll find yourself. And you'll come back stronger than ever, with a different attitude towards careers, jobs and you'll learn to be human and just BE. EDIT:…

I’m in the exact position as the OP. In fact this feels like a description of myself. I could barely achieve the simplest of tasks, so I quit my job. I just did nothing at home for a bit, now I’m backpacking. It’s been 2 months and so far my mental health hasn’t improved one bit. I still feel like my brain is trapped in mud; anything that requires minimum mental effort takes an insurmountable amount of energy. I’m no…

Reminds me very much of this SNL skit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwlC2B-BIg

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#34

Post by pkghost »

theusus wrote: post #22

Meditation, therapy, and exercise has helped me a lot. 1. The Mind Illuminated for Meditation 2. Feeling Good book for therapy 3. Your local gym for exercise It will take some time but it will work.

+1 for The Mind Illuminated (the one by Culadasa)

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#35

Post by gnarcoregrizz »

Similar situation... Epilepsy really fucked up my life. It's still so difficult. Anyway, I stopped really caring about work and just focus on being outside, exercising, and a few hobbies. Exercise in particular, especially cardio, helps a lot. I purposefully stay as stress-free as possible. Anyway, I don't have any advice on how to not be an idiot since that's my permanent state due to all of the drugs I'm forced to be on.

I'm at least hopeful that there is going to be a better treatment for me that doesn't involve invasive, prospective brain surgery. That's my way of staying positive.

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#36

Post by mgmeyers »

Yes. I'm still recovering (in year 5 of therapy) but notice a night and day difference in my capacity to focus and be present and alert.

> Talk therapy has done little.

I honestly don't think recovery from trauma can be achieved without psychotherapy. You can cover it up, but it's still going to impact your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to some degree. You might get lucky with things like psychedelics, but finding the right therapist and right therapy will bring about change more consistently.

The challenge, however, is that there are many styles of therapy and many styles of therapists. Also, there are different types of trauma (eg. shock trauma, complex trauma, attachment trauma) that require different approaches to treatment. I was lucky in that I found a therapy and therapist that worked for me in my first try. My partner, however, went through 7 therapists over the course of a few years before they found a good fit. Any decent therapist will not be offended if you tell them you feel therapy is not going anywhere, in fact it's in their code of ethics that they need to help you find a better fit.

What works for me isn't going to work for you, but here's my opinion (that you didn't ask for) on therapies that are better at treating trauma than CBT or "traditional" talk therapy: Internal Family Systems therapy, EMDR, the NeuroAffective Relational Model, and Somatic Experiencing / Sensorimotor. AEDP and Coherence Therapy are also decent options. If CBT is all that's available, at least try to find TF-CBT (trauma-focused).

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#37

Post by lambic2 »

I would go see a doctor but that's what worked for me: - Elimination diet. It took me years to realize every time I eat eggs or food with wheat flour I get brain fog/mild depression for the following 2-3 days, that disappears completely if I abstain from them. - Make sure I get cardio on most days, if you can't run then walk at least 10k steps a day. - 1 cup of good quality coffee in the morning

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#38

Post by ogwh »

You need to:

1) Figure out the type of person who caused the trauma

2) Learn their psychology/world view (there are books on abusive personalities)

3) Learn to recognise them quickly

4) Have a plan to deal with them

5) Profit (you'll always have the upper hand)

By doing this you take away their ability to do anything. For some types this riles them up, which can be advantageous in eliminating the threat but also dangerous. You can plan for this.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#39

Post by wnolens »

jonfromsf wrote: post #6
kbrannigan wrote: post #4

If you have enough saved up. Take 1 year of work, disconnect from the rat's race, go to parties, go dancing, chill at a park, let people look down on you for being unemployed. Hang in there, buy only the things you need. Slowly you'll realize what's important, you'll find yourself. And you'll come back stronger than ever, with a different attitude towards careers, jobs and you'll learn to be human and just BE. EDIT:…

This is risky advice. Many (most?) people need social context to create meaning and will get depressed if they don't have a job to do and people relying on them. Look at what happens to people when they retire.

I agree. I did exactly as the above comment suggested, and ended up much more depressed after the fun time ran out.

Definitely take time off, but impose a limit on how long you are completely aimless for, or without feedback that you're growing in some way.

Re: Ask HN: How to restore cognition after years of trauma? I feel slow and dumb

#40

Post by copperx »

stusmall wrote: post #20

This is a terrible place to ask. Seek more professionals. If the currents ones haven't helped you find different ones. No one here has enough context about your life to know what you need. Most people here don't have the expertise you need, no matter how confident they are otherwise. Already 15 comments in, I'm seeing terrible advice. Good luck and I wish you the best.

I agree that the OP needs to consult with a neurologist, but I don't see anything wrong with asking.
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