In last week s article, we discussed the tendency of the mind to interpret, and make meaning of past events in unhealthy ways. Once meaning is made, so to speak, the mine then predicts the future based upon that past meaning making.
For example, a typical hormone driven 13-year-old makes a comment to a vulnerable peer, suggesting that âyou donât get it.â Because the teenager is vulnerable, she generalizes that others think she doesnât get it, and starts to feel fear anytime she approaches a group. Her social anxiety escalates until she starts to avoid all social situations and has a panic attack when thinking of going to school or social events.