Stop brooding viruses. In these turbulent times, worries and anxieties are a part of everyday life for many. We should not forget these "other" viruses that are currently present. Fortunately, there are good strategies for dealing with these negative invaders. Here you can listen to the long version of the original interview in English or read the short version in German below.
MEDICOM: You are a clinical psychologist and a specialist in psychosis and addiction. How did this book come about?
Hanne H. Brorson: The idea originated shortly after I graduated as a clinical psychologist, when I began working at a small hospital outside of Oslo. The majority of the patients there suffered from psychosis. What surprised me most here was that I was the person who was least able to make myself understood. I used too many highly scientific terms. I observed that my colleagues communicated differently. They talked about blood pressure, infections, and the great importance of good sleep quality. That was much more tangible for my patients.
I then decided to adopt some of these terms to make the mental state more understandable for my patients as well. I translated psychological models and terms onto a physical level, such as the well-known vulnerability-stress model (also the diathesis-stress model) into the immune system. Cognitive distortions and negative thinking became the brooding virus, which we can in turn combat with psychological vitamins. These, in turn, are evidence-based psychological techniques rooted in cognitive and metacognitive therapy approaches.
MEDICOM: This makes your book wonderfully easy to grasp. The parable of the virus that infects our thoughts is an image that everyone can easily relate to. But what actually happens? What do these viruses actually look like?
Brorson: With the viruses, I am describing, in simplified terms, exactly what happens in our psyche in daily life. These are exaggerated and often unrealistic thoughts that infect us. In my book, I describe 13 different brooding viruses. What they all have in common is that they make us believe that a completely normal and neutral situation is actually negative. Or that an actually negative situation is even more negative. This leads us to worry more than necessary.
What brooding viruses have in common... is that they make us believe that an actually negative situation is even more negative.
MEDICOM: That means we maneuver ourselves into a negative spiral of thought. The trick is therefore to observe ourselves closely and notice when these thoughts are taking hold.
Brorson: As a first step, I would take a look at the different virus types so that we can recognize them better. Let me give you a few examples. May I refer to this interview situation? You are interviewing me now, and let's say that I have to yawn repeatedly during our conversation. If you suffer from the so-called mind-reading virus, you will immediately think that I find you and your questions boring and exhausting. That is what the mind-reading virus does; it makes us believe that we know what others are thinking about us. And that what they are thinking is negative.
Another, somewhat different virus looks like this: Let's turn the clock forward and look at the situation later in the day. This interview is now over and you are walking back to your office. On the way, you meet a colleague, and you smile at them and say hello. But they don't say hello back. If you suffer from the so-called center-of-the-universe virus, you will think that they ignored you or didn't want to see you. This virus gives us the idea that we are the center of attention, but in a negative way.
MEDICOM: Another quite common virus and a really strong stress trigger is what you call the catastrophe virus.
The catastrophe virus makes us always imagine the worst possible outcome of a situation.
Brorson: I think most of us encounter this virus several times a day. This virus makes us always imagine the worst possible outcome of a situation. If we come back to this interview, for example, you might have imagined that everything would go wrong because the interview has to be in English and on a scientific topic, and mentally you prepare yourself for every possibility of how it could all go horribly wrong. The reality, however, is limited to only one thing happening, which you can usually handle well.
MEDICOM: But isn't it the case that almost all of us are somewhat aware that we are creating active suffering for ourselves with these brooding thoughts? Why do humans find it easier to think negatively than positively?
Brorson: For us humans as a species, it was essential in our evolution to recognize a hostile environment and be aware of potential difficulties. Without this attitude, we would not have survived. In today's world, it is no longer so necessary, yet we still have that tendency within us.
MEDICOM: How, then, do we best deal with brooding viruses?
Brorson: It is important to know that we all carry these viruses, not just those who have a serious psychological disorder. It is primarily about how we deal with the viruses, and that is where the vitamins come in.
MEDICOM: The psychological vitamins help us to interpret the viruses correctly?
Brorson: Yes, a very widespread cognitive strategy here is to question one's own thinking. This is done with the so-called Vitamin D, the discussion vitamin. In practice, using our previously mentioned example where you interpret my yawning as boredom due to the mind-reading virus, it would intervene by questioning this conclusion and suggesting another possibility instead, namely that I didn't get enough sleep because I have two small children.
MEDICOM: In conclusion, can you tell us how we can train ourselves to break our own patterns and apply your book?
It is a matter of practice... over time you can, so to speak, retrain yourself.
Brorson: It is, as you say, a matter of practice. It sometimes just takes time. You may have relapses, but you learn from them. And over time, you can retrain yourself, so to speak. I deliberately kept the book short and easy to read so that you can refer back to it at any time and look up the viruses and vitamins. Over time, you will then get better and better at dealing with brooding viruses.
• Do you want to know which medicinal plants can support you in relaxation and calming? You can find them here.
• Do you want to know more about the balance between body and mind? Keyword: self-care. Click here.
